Tuesday Morning Notes

January 9th, 2001




Sharon Hoelscher Day has written a report of her recent sabbatical printed in the National Extension Association of Family and Consumer Sciences. The title is: "New Small Food Businesses and Cooperative Extension". Sharon's sabbatical, Part I, was partially funded by the Grace Frysinger Award sponsored by NEAFCS. Congratulations Sharon on the impressive results of your sabbatical work and winning the Grace Frysinger Award to assist in funding.

* We are pleased to announce that Randy Norton recently assumed his new duties as an Assistant Agent, Agriculture with the Graham County Cooperative Extension office. His e-mail address remains the same: rnorton@cals.arizona.edu, but his phone number changes to: 520/428-2611. Congratulations Randy!

* Dr. Soyeon Shim is pleased to announce that Dr. Helen Goetz has made a generous gift to the School of Family and Consumer Sciences in the form of a $50,000 endowment. It is Dr. Goetz's intention that the earnings of the endowment be used to support consumer economics, family values, and well-being. Soyeon is planning to allocate 40% of the earned interest for FCS Extension faculty members in support of their outreach programs in the area of family/consumer finance/economics and 60% for FCS graduate student travel (which will be matched 100% by the Graduate College).

* Thank you to everyone who has completed the Organizational Change Survey! Your responses will help us understand how ACE works with at-risk children, youth, and families. However, we're concerned about the low response rate. We're conducting the survey on-line and since this is a new technique for us, we weren't sure how it would work. If you'd prefer a paper copy of the survey, please contact Donna Peterson at (520) 621-7133 or via e-mail at pdonna@cals.arizona.edu. If you want to respond on-line, go to http://cals.arizona.edu/fcr/fs/ocs/index.htm. Data collection ends on January 19th so there's still time to respond!

* The revised Proposal Routing Sheet is now available in Word on the Sponsored Projects web site: http://vpr2.admin.arizona.edu/sps/index.html. If anyone would like to volunteer to do a WordPerfect version, we will gladly post. You'll find a Department Head's Guide and Quick Checklist on our web site as well. Paper routing sheets are available in the rack outside our office, or we'll send you a supply via campus mail. DO NOT REPLY TO THIS LISTSERV. Instead, send an email to sponsor@u.arizona.edu. Major changes are the addition of new fields for radiation, good laboratory practices, and new ABOR units. We'll now ask where the project will be conducted and we'll expect some consistency with the on/off campus designation. Other changes are cosmetic, based on requests from the audience. A few things we couldn't do, such as, eliminate the PI SSN (still our database key ID), or add dates for PI, dept head signatures (no room). We did add a date on the front page next to the cat. Although we prefer that you use the new version of the routing sheet immediately, we'll accept either until February 9, 2001.

* In honor of the new year, here are some scientific discoveries from the year 2000 that you may fine useful.
- Two rival groups, one public and one private, announced that each has read most of the 3 billion or so DNA subunits that spell out the human genome.
- To help preserve biodiversity, negotiators from 130 nations crafted rules of conduct for international trade in living, genetically engineered organisms.
- After five years of mystery, California pathologists announced that a fungus probably causes the tree disease called sudden oak death.
- Pacific tree frogs downwind of California's agricultural hotspots show reduced cholinersterase activity, a common symptom of pesticide exposure.
- Satellite imagery showed that sprawling urban development is disproportionately gobbling up the land best able to support crops.
- Scientists in the United States offered the first confirmation of something their European counterparts have been reporting for years -- widespread drug pollution of surface, ground, and tap water.
- Research showed that calcium especially from dairy products, can switch the body's fat cells from storing calories to burning them.
- Preliminary studies indicated that moderate consumption of chocolate may offer cardiovascular benefits. From SCIENCE NEWS, Vol. 158, No. 26 & 27.

* The 2001 SWIAA Conference featuring "Water Issues in Indian Country" will be held at the Bluewater Resort in Parker, Arizona, January 16-19. Topics to be discussed include: Arizona Water Bank Authority, Traditional Farming in the New Millennium, and Survival School: Higher Education and Indian Country. For more information please contact Ina Holm, Native American Programs, (520) 621- 9638.

* Livestock Field Days will be held at the Hon-Dah Resort, White Mountain Apache Reservation, May 2-3, 2001. For more information please contact Ina Holm, Native American Programs, (520) 621-9638.




James A. Christenson, Ph.D.
(jimc@cals.arizona.edu)
Associate Dean and Director
Arizona Cooperative Extension
Forbes, Room 301
Tucson, Arizona 85721
520/621-7209
520/621-1314 FAX