Issue 24 - Sept. 17, 2008 |
CFANS People in the News
New faculty joining CFANS this academic year include:
 Chi Chen, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, studies metabolomics, nutritional toxicity and xenobiotic metabolism.
 Tanya Schoenfuss, assistant professor in the Department of Food Science and Nutrition, researches and teaches dairy product chemistry, texture, and quality.
 Jeff Coulter, assistant professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics, does Extension and research work in corn cropping.
 Krishona Martinson, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, studies equine nutrition and forage; her Extension work is adult horse-owner education.
 Noah Litherland, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, does research and Extension work in dairy nutrition.
 Ryan Cox, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, specializes in meat science.
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Two CFANS alumni have received Outstanding Achievement Awards, the University of Minnesota's highest honor for alumni:
 Dean Oestreich, chairman of Pioneer Hi-Bred International and vice-president of parent company Dupont, is a 1974 graduate of the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics. His award will be presented on Sept. 18.
 Robert Lyons, professor and director of the University of Delaware/Longwood Gardens graduate program in public horticulture, received his award on Sept. 3. He earned his master's degree in 1979 and Ph.D. in 1981 from the Department of Horticultural Science.
 Department of Applied Economics professor Claudia Parliament will receive the 2008 International Award from the National Association of Economic Educators and the National Council on Economic Education. The award will be presented at the groups' annual conference in October.
 Deb Swackhamer, co-director of the Water Resources Center, has been named chair of the Environmental Protection Agency's Science Advisory Board, a two-year appointment. The board's mission includes reviewing the quality and relevance of the scientific and technical information being used or proposed as the basis for EPA regulations.
Swackhamer also has been named a member of Gov. Tim Pawlenty's Green Jobs Task Force.
Ray Miller and Jodi Nelson of the Department of Food Science and Nutrition won two awards in cheese production at the Minnesota State Fair. Herb and Garlic Gouda and Creamy Havarti were the winning entries.
 CFANS student Brian Limborg was one of three student finalists in the 2008 Minnesota Cup competition, a statewide contest that seeks out, supports and promotes innovative business concepts.
Minnesota Minute, a series of 13 public service announcements from the Bell Museum of Natural History that aired around the state, has been nominated for a regional Emmy Award.
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In This Issue
- From the dean: What you may not know about our college
- Solutions magazine will be arriving soon
- 'Speaking of Science' with Ron Phillips
- Homecoming 2008 is just around the corner
- Forum focuses on sustainable agriculture, climate change
- U of M Legislative Network needs your help
- Apples are arriving at the Arboretum
- Events
From Dean Allen Levine: Quick quiz on CFANS
One of the joys of leading a big, diverse college like CFANS is that I find out something new about our community nearly every day. So in that spirit, here’s a quick quiz on five things you might not know about our college.
1. Which CFANS department will celebrate its centennial this year?
2. The Natural Resources Science and Management graduate program combines graduate course offerings from three departments in our college. Name them.
3. Is Green Hall so named because it’s home to Forest Resources and other environmentally focused programs?
4. What award-winning but little known online research resource can be found in the Department of Applied Economics?
5. What’s the gender breakdown of CFANS students?
Read more
1. The Department of Biosystems and Bioproducts Engineering, which began as the Division of Agricultural Engineering on July 1, 1909, bringing together various curricula in farm structures, farm mechanics and agricultural physics that had existed on the St. Paul campus since the late 1800s. In 1995, the Department of Agricultural Engineering became the Department of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, and in 2006, the current department was formed by the merger of the departments of Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering and Bio-based Products.
2. Courses from the departments of Forest Resources, Bioproducts and Biosystems Engineering, and Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology all are part of the NRSM program. Students in the program specialize in one of eight areas of study.
3. No. It’s named after Professor Samuel B. Green, the founder and first head of the University's forestry school. He advocated establishing a forestry field station as early as 1896, and by 1909 the Cloquet Forestry Center, had been started as an experimental and demonstration forest. Green also had a hand in establishing the horticultural plantings on the St. Paul campus that are still used as teaching aids today.
4. AgEcon Search collects, indexes, and electronically distributes full-text copies of scholarly research in the broadly defined field of agricultural economics. It currently contains papers from more than 140 educational institutions and associations as well as back issues from numerous international agricultural economic journals.
5. In Spring Semester 2008, 57 percent of our students were women and 43 percent were men. The split is slightly more pronounced among undergraduates, where 59 percent of our spring students were women and 41 percent were men. Enrollment figures for this fall semester aren’t yet available, but we expect this trend to continue.
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New Solutions magazine will be arriving soon
 The fall issue of Solutions, the CFANS magazine, will soon be arriving in readers' mailboxes and online. This issue's cover story is a diary of the Food Science and Nutrition Product Development Team's journey toward national competition, as well as reports on efforts in the college to duplicate a rare high-oil corn from North Korea; a look at how climate change could affect Northern Minnesota's landscape; and a story on the resurgence and restoration of prairies.
See a video version of the Product Development Team story
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A new 'Speaking of Science' interview
 The latest installment of "Speaking of Science" is now online. This month's interviewee is Ron Phillips, Regents Professor in the Department of Agronomy and Plant Genetics. This series of interviews between CFANS dean Allen Levine and key faculty and staff showcases the research and outreach work happening throughout the college.
Read the Q and A with Ron Phillips
Listen to an audio clip about Phillips' high-oil corn project from the interview
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Homecoming 2008 is just around the corner
 Homecoming 2008 at the University of Minnesota, which runs from Oct. 27-Nov. 1, will include royalty coronations, wacky student fun and the traditional parade and football game.
The CFANS Alumni Society has reserved a section of seats for the Gophers vs. Northwestern football game on Saturday, November 1. The game is scheduled for 11 a.m. at the Metrodome. Tickets are $25 per person and seats are located in Section 203. To buy tickets to the game, click here.
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Forum focuses on sustainability, climate change
 Dozens of experts on issues surrounding sustainable agriculture and global climate change will be at the University of Minnesota for a public forum sponsored by the Center for Austrian Studies. “Climate Change, Sustainable Agriculture and Bioresources,” begins Wednesday, Sept. 24 and runs through Friday, Sept. 26. The keynote speech will be delivered by Michael Braungart, co-author of “Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things.”
In addition to Braungart, featured speakers include polar explorer Will Steger (pictured above), organic farmer Carmen Fernholz, new U of M Institute on the Environment director Jon Foley and other experts from the United States and Austria. Several CFANS faculty are included in the forum, which is free and open to the public.
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U of M Legislative Network needs your help
Ensuring the excellence of a University of Minnesota education has always been a priority for state and University leaders. This priority will be challenged when state legislators meet in January to plan the state’s two-year budget. The expected $1 billion deficit puts a bulls-eye on the 25 percent of the U’s budget that comes from the state.
Joining the U’s Legislative Network is the best way to keep the U’s value to Minnesota front and center at the state capitol. With the help of the Network, members of the U of M’s 2008 state campaign sent more than 2,800 letters to their elected officials last year alone. Each letter took only a few seconds to send, making it easy for members to have an impact—the same kind of impact the U will need to make in 2009.
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AppleHouse is open at the Arboretum
The quaint old apple-sorter is fired up and running at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum AppleHouse, delivering freshly picked HoneyCrisps, Zestars, Chestnut Crabs, Asanis, Ginger Golds and other tasty varities to eager customers. Located at the intersection of Minnesota Highway 5 and Rolling Acres Road, the AppleHouse is open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. You’ll also find garden-related gifts and fresh, local produce. Call 952-443-1409 for the latest updates on available varieties of apples.
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Here are a few of the upcoming events of interest to the College of
Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences community. Visit www.cfans.umn.edu to
see more events.
St. Paul Campus job and internship fair
Wednesday, Sept. 24, 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Continuing Education Conference Center, St. Paul campus
Students and alumni can connect with employers regarding jobs and internships in the fields of agriculture, animal science, banking/finance, bio-based products, food, human resources, retail, sales and marketing. For details, contact the St. Paul Campus Career Center.
Art of the Wild
75 years of Minnesota’s Federal Duck Stamp winners
Oct. 7 - January 4
Bell Museum of Natural History, Minneapolis campus
The legacy of natural history art in America comes alive in “Art of the Wild,” an exhibit featuring more than 100 works by Minnesota’s Federal Duck Stamp winners at the Bell Museum of Natural History. The exhibit kicks off a month of activities across Minnesota and the country honoring the 75th anniversary of the Federal Duck Stamp program, the country’s oldest, most prestigious wildlife art competition. An opening reception will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, October 7 and will feature remarks by William Webster, founder and retired CEO of the art publishing company Wild Wings, and Joe Hautman, the artist featured on this year’s 75th anniversary Federal Duck Stamp.
Minnesota Beef Expo
Thursday-Sunday, Oct. 16-19
Minnesota State Fairgrounds
The Minnesota Beef Expo is a yearly gathering for cattlemen, cattlewomen and youth throughout the state to celebrate and promote the beef industry. The event is the largest beef industry event in the upper Midwest.
Future Food Scarcity: Global Causes
and Local Consequences
Thursday, Oct. 23, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
McNamara Alumni Center, U of M East Bank
The fall symposium sponsored by The Food Industry Center will include a discussion on the causes and consequences of rising food prices and their impact on food supplies, food companies, health and public policy in the United States and around the globe. Speakers include CFANS faculty as well as industry leaders. Pre-registration is requested.
Acting Locally to Protect our Legendary
Lands and Waters
Sunday-Wednesday, Oct. 26-29
Duluth Entertainment and Convention Center
This first statewide Minnesota Invasive Species Conference is intended to improve management and
to minimize the impacts of terrestrial and aquatic invasive species. Presentations by experts will cover a range of topics from research to management techniques for homeowners. Registration costs vary. Minnesota Water Resources Conference
Monday-Tuesday, Oct. 27-29
RiverCentre, St. Paul
The annual Water Resources Conference highlights innovative and practical water resource management
techniques as well as research about Minnesota’s water resources. The conference is for water resources professionals including
resource managers; researchers; local, state, and federal agency staff; consultants; practicing engineers,
as well as students in the field. Registration costs vary; for details, call 612-624-4000.
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