IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED OCTOBER 29, 2004:

1. AFGHANISTAN GETS ITS FIRST ELECTRONIC LIBRARY
2. ARIZONA 4-H PHOTO HISTORY ONLINE
3. NOXIOUS WEEDS & INVASIVE PLANT SUMMIT
4. NUTRITION FOR FITNESS & SPORTS WORKSHOP
5. ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLIES IN ARIZONA
6. AWARD FOR ARID LAND RESEARCH
7. BIO5 PARTNERS WITH BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA
8. QWEST FOUNDATION GRANT FOR 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
9. WILDFIRE RESEARCH
10. DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY WELCOMES NEW PROFESSOR
11. ARIZONA WEED CONTEST AND TRAINING SYMPOSIUM
12. JC PENNEY AFTERSCHOOL GRANT AWARDED
13. WALK ACROSS ARIZONA
14. BUTTERFLY EXHIBIT AT TUCSON BOTANICAL GARDEN
    

1 AFGHANISTAN GETS ITS FIRST ELECTRONIC LIBRARY

The Agriculture Electronic Library, the first electronic library in Afghanistan, was created as a joint project between Atifa Rawan, a librarian at the University of Arizona Library, and Barbara Hutchinson and Carla Casler of the CALS Arid Lands Information Center in the Office of Arid Lands Studies.

With funding from the International Arid Lands Consortium's Sustainable Development of Drylands in Asia & the Middle East Project, directed by Robert Freitas, the following electronic sources were purchased and installed: 

1. The Essential Electronic Agricultural Library (TEEAL), a CD-ROM set of
   full-text articles from 140 major agricultural journals:
   http://www.teeal.org/
2. CABI CD-ROM Compendia on crop protection, animal health, and forestry:
   http://www.cabi.org/compendia.asp
3. Access to Global Online Research in Agriculture
   (AGORA):http://www.aginternetwork.org/en/

Delivery was arranged to coincide with Rawan's visit to Kabul, from June 16-June 26, 2004. A ribbon-cutting ceremony and reception for the opening of the library included officials from Kabul University, the Ministry of Higher Education, the U.S. Embassy, and the International Center for Agricultural Research in Dry Areas (ICARDA). 

Carla Long Casler, Office of Arid Lands Studies

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/OALS/oals/Tripreports/atifajune04.html

2 ARIZONA 4-H PHOTO HISTORY ONLINE

Retirees, UA alumni, agriculture enthusiasts and Arizona history buffs will enjoy this new Web site which gives 4-H Alumni a place to share their history and memories of 4-H experiences from days gone by. 

The Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation's new Web site is a home on the Internet for just some of the images housed in the new Oliver Anderson Family 4-H Museum, which was officially opened at the Maricopa Agricultural Center in Maricopa, Arizona, on October 6. See http://ag.arizona.edu/4-h_foundation

The online archive holds many of the photos contained in the museum's collection of over 1,000 items -- making them viewable from any computer in the world.

Joe Leisz, Arizona 4-H Youth Development Foundation 

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/15.6.html

3 NOXIOUS WEEDS & INVASIVE PLANT SUMMIT

The Southwest Vegetation Management Association and Arizona Noxious Weed/Invasive Plant Summit will be held November 3-4, at Four Points Sheraton-Metrocenter in Phoenix. This year's theme is "Coming Together to Show Progress in Managing Invasive Weeds". 

The summit will include a series of discussions about preventing, controlling and restoring economic and environmental problems resulting from invasive colonies of pest plant species; a panel discussion on national issues, programs and projects; and a review of an Arizona strategic plan--in the working draft stage--for preventing and abating noxious weed-invasive plant problems. 

Ed Northam, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/5.25.html

4 NUTRITION FOR FITNESS & SPORTS WORKSHOP

A live interactive teleconference/workshop on fitness and sports nutrition, sponsored by UA Cooperative Extension, will be held Friday November 19, 2004 simultaneously in Tucson and Phoenix. 

This interactive workshop is based on the "Winning Sports Nutrition" Training Manual, developed at the University of Arizona and selected by the NCAA as the nutrition component of their Life Skills training program. The workshop includes current sports nutrition fundamentals and recent research updates, and provides educational materials to help you put these fundamentals into practice. 

Topics include how to plan fluid replacement and develop nutrition plans for enhancing exercise performance; how to evaluate nutritional supplements and ergogenic aids; tips for weight management; and strategies for working with clients. 

Continuing Education Credits are available from the American Council on
Exercise, the American Dietetic Association, the National Athletic Trainers
Association, the National Strength and Conditioning Association, the Arizona
Physical Therapy Association, and the American Association of Family and
Consumer Sciences.

Sharon Hoelscher Day, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/nsc/new/snw04reg_files/snw04reg.htm

5 ON THE LOOKOUT FOR MEDITERRANEAN FRUIT FLIES IN ARIZONA

On September 24, 2004, Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano declared a state of emergency in La Paz, Pima, Santa Cruz and Yuma Counties after Mediterranean fruit flies were found in nearby Tijuana, Mexico. The flies are agricultural pests which can attack a variety of crops. 

Although Mediterranean fruit flies--also called medflies--have never been found in Arizona, agriculturists are on the alert because the medfly is considered one of the world's most destructive pests. It is a rapid colonizer and, unlike most species of fruit flies, can tolerate cooler temperatures. 

Dave Kerns, Yuma Agricultural Center
Bruce Tabashnik, Entomology 

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/aes/citrusnews/citrusnewsletter9-3.pdf

6 AWARD FOR ARID LAND RESEARCH

Steven P. McLaughlin, curator of the UA Herbarium and professor of Arid Lands Resource Sciences in the Office of Arid Lands Studies, recently received the Anson Ellis Thompson Career Service Award 2004 by the Association for the Advancement of Industrial Crops (AAIC). The award was presented at the AAIC/New Uses Council meeting on Industrial Crops & Uses to Diversify Agriculture in Minneapolis in mid-September. 

The AAIC recognizes the special contributions of researchers, students, and others involved in the development of industrial crops. 

The AAIC is an international, nonprofit educational and scientific organization established to encourage and promote the activities of those involved in the production, processing, development, and commercialization of industrial crops and products derived from industrial crops. 

Contact: Steve McLaughlin, Office of Arid Land Studies

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/16.4.html

7 BIO5 PARTNERS WITH BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERING AT THE UNIVERSITY OF ARIZONA

The BIO5 Institute for Collaborative Bioresearch and the University of Arizona's Biomedical Engineering (BME) Program have jointly announced their partnership.

The partnership will further BIO5's multidisciplinary approach to solving complex scientific problems of medical importance.  

"I am very excited about the inclusion of biomedical engineering into BIO5's portfolio of research initiatives," says Vicki Chandler, BIO5 director. "This will further BIO5's vision of bringing together distinct disciplines to form collaborative teams to tackle difficult biological problems."  

Vicki L. Chandler, BIO5 

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/5.27.html

8 QWEST FOUNDATION GRANT FOR 4-H YOUTH DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM

The Qwest Foundation recently awarded a grant of $27,750 to the Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation to support statewide 4-H Character Education programs in Arizona. 

4-H agents in every county will be able to use grant funds in support of in-school and 4-H after school programs that build on a national initiative and six years of successful 4-H character education programs in Arizona.  

Representatives from Qwest and the Qwest Foundation presented the check for this award before the auction at the Arizona State Fair on Sunday, October 17, 2004, in the Kurtz Arena at the State Fairgrounds in Phoenix. 

Joe Leisz, Arizona 4-H Youth Foundation 

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/15.5.html

9. WILDFIRE RESEARCH

Wildfire plays a crucial role in ecosystem sustainability across much of the United States. However, decades of fire suppression, combined with periodic climatic stresses and changing land use patterns have converged to produce highly hazardous conditions. On federal lands alone, between 1994 and 2000, an average of 93,273 fires burned per year. The fires burned an average of 4,228,459 acres each year. Suppression costs over the same time period averaged $541,855,075 each year, with the first billion-dollar fire season registered in 2000.

Wildfire Alternatives (WALTER) is an interdisciplinary research initiative aimed at improving our understanding of the process and consequences of interactions among wildfire, climate and society. WALTER seeks to capitalize on advances in geospatial, analytical, and web delivery technology to provide access to scientific research activities and findings, educational materials, and decision support tools, such as Fire-Climate-Society (FCS-1). 

FCS-1 is a prototype online model designed to be used in strategic planning for wildfire management. The model provides spatially explicit maps for any of four study areas, based on information users enter online. The resulting maps show spatially explicit information about the geographical distribution of fire probability and values at risk for the selected study area.

Barron Orr, Arizona Remote Sensing Center  

To learn more:http://walter.arizona.edu

10 DEPARTMENT OF ENTOMOLOGY WELCOMES NEW PROFESSOR

Dr. Xianchun Li is a new assistant professor in the Department of Entomology. Li has an extraordinary combination of practical experience in insect pest management and cutting edge expertise in molecular biology. He will develop a vigorous research program in insect molecular biology, emphasizing areas such as gene regulation, development, adaptation to environmental stress, resistance to insecticides, and resistance to transgenic plants. Li has published more than 30 scientific papers, including senior-authored papers in Nature and the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. 

Li's molecular expertise complements existing strengths of the CALS entomology department's established team for managing pest resistance to transgenic crops, particularly pink bollworm resistance to Bt cotton in Arizona. He will also contribute to interdisciplinary programs such as BIO5, the Center for Insect Science, and the Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) in Genomics. 

Xianchun Li, Entomology 

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/ento/faculty/li.htm

11 ARIZONA WEED CONTEST AND TRAINING SYMPOSIUM

The third annual Arizona Weed Contest and Training Symposium will take place November 17, 2004 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Maricopa Agricultural Center near Casa Grande. 

The day will include weed and herbicide identification, a simulated production problem, an equipment calibration problem set, training and scoring. 

Growers, pest control applicators, and government and industry personnel are encouraged to attend, along with interested students of weed science, agriculture and horticulture.  

Pay Clay, Maricopa County Cooperative Extension

To learn more:
http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/2.17.html

12 JC PENNEY AFTERSCHOOL GRANT AWARDED

The JC Penney Afterschool Salute to Educators Award was presented to four Arizona Cooperative Extension 4-H agents: Lisa Lauxman, UA Cooperative Extension 4-H Youth Development; Jan Norquest, Coconino County; Darcy Tessman, Cochise County; and Sabrina Tuttle, San Carlos Indian Reservation. University of Arizona Cooperative Extension is one of 15 nationwide recipients of a $10,000 grant to improve the quality of 4-H Afterschool programs in communities across America.  

Arizona 4-H will use the grant to build the capacity of local 4-H Afterschool programs. These programs offer youth the chance to participate in fun activities and develop valuable life skills in a safe place during afterschool hours. By collaborating with other youth organizations, 4-H staff members are able to create new afterschool programs and strengthen existing ones. 

4-H is a community of young people across America who learn leadership, citizenship and life skills. 

Lisa A. Lauxman, 4-H Youth Development

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/15.7.html

13 WALK ACROSS ARIZONA

With the change in weather from blistering heat to crisp fall breezes, it's a good time to stretch your legs and get out and walk. The Community Health Advancement Partnership is gearing up for the fourth year of Walk Across Arizona, a neighborhood walking program that is open to the public. 

During the 2003-2004 campaign, 64 teams of up to 10 members each, representing four counties, walked a total of 114,356 miles. The teams have a friendly competition to see who can get their pals, neighbors, co-workers and family out to build a healthy habit and walk for fitness. 

The official start of the 16-week walking program in Pima County will occur on October 31, 2004 and end on February 19, 2005. Yuma County will kick off their walking program on November 8. Plans are in process for the 2005 Walk Across Arizona campaign in Maricopa County, with the first full week starting January 16.

Programs are also planned in other Arizona counties. Visit the Web site listed below for each county's specific program. County coordinators will assign team captains a user name and password to register their teams and log the weekly miles. 

A registration fee of $10.00 per adult and $5.00 per youth under the age of 12 will be collected to help defray program development costs. Scholarships are available. Participants receive a pedometer at registration. 

Linda Block Pima County Cooperative Extension

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/walkacrossaz/

14 BUTTERFLY EXHIBIT AT TUCSON BOTANICAL GARDEN

A live butterfly exhibit will be open to the public through Jan. 30, 2005 at the Tucson Botanical Gardens (TBG), 2150 North Alvernon Way. 

Held in the tropical greenhouse at TBG, the butterflies were raised by butterfly farmers in Central and South America, Florida, the Philippines, Thailand and Africa. 

The Tucson Botanical Garden Web site (http://www.tucsonbotanical.org/) has garden hours and ticket information for this and other garden activities. 

Henry Hagedorn, Entomology

To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/media/archives/11.13.html

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