CALS NewsLine from the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
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IN THIS NEWSLINE ISSUED November 14 , 2008:
- SCIENCE AND SOCIETY FELLOWS TALK ON CLIMATE, DECLINING SPECIES, POLLUTION
- THOUSANDS OF PHOTOS BY FORMER UA PRESIDENT SHANTZ AVAILABLE ONLINE
- IPLANT--FACING CHALLENGES IN BIOLOGY AND CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE
- CALS AWARD WINNERS IN 16TH ANNUAL STUDENT SHOWCASE 2008
- IN THE RESEARCH JOURNALS
- TAXONOMY OF THE KANAB AMBERSNAIL
- SIFE TEAM BUILDS BRIDGES WITH AFRICA
- 2008 SYMPOSIUM ON RACING AND GAMING DECEMBER 8-11
- TREES AROUND CAMPUS REDUCE UA'S CARBON FOOTPRINT
- INTERNATIONAL LIVESTOCK EMERGENCY RESPONSE CONFERENCE DECEMBER 2-5
- CALS IN THE NEWS: NOVEMBER
- NEW CALS PUBLICATIONS: NOVEMBER
1 SCIENCE AND SOCIETY FELLOWS TALK ON CLIMATE, DECLINING SPECIES, POLLUTION
Five University of Arizona graduate students whose research tackles major concerns in ecology and environmental science will give public, non-technical talks about their work during a lecture series that begins Nov. 15 at UA's Biosphere 2.
The five are the first Biosphere 2 "Science and Society Fellows," a select group chosen both for the quality of their science and for their eagerness to communicate science beyond academia.
"We're tremendously excited about how these Fellows can advance the outreach mission of Biosphere 2," said Matt Adamson, Biosphere 2's program coordinator for education and outreach. "Explaining science that has major impacts on society in terms the public can understand is really important because the public, now more than ever before, must make scientifically sophisticated decisions," Adamson said.
Talks will begin at 2 p.m. and are part of the Biosphere 2 Science Saturdays program, which is included in the price of admission.
For the schedule of student speakers, which includes CALS entomology graduate student Anna Howell and School of Renewable Natural Resources doctoral student Kathi Borgmann, see the link below.
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/22604
2 THOUSANDS OF PHOTOS BY FORMER UA PRESIDENT SHANTZ AVAILABLE ONLINE
Homer L. Shantz, the 10th president of The University of Arizona, spent nearly six decades traveling the world and taking photographs that documented agriculture, livelihoods, waterscapes and landscapes.
The UA Libraries collaborated with the Arizona Herbarium to complete a digital collection of Shantz's work. The collection of nearly 7,000 photographs is now available through the University's Institutional Repository at the UA Libraries.
The database will help botanists, ecologists, African studies researchers and other scholars with their work and provide the general public a glimpse of the world Shantz explored, said Paula Wolfe, the UA's fine arts and architecture librarian.
"He would take photos over and over again to show the ecological studies of plants and changes in the environment," Wolfe said.
Shantz, considered one of the nation's foremost botanists, served as the UA president from 1928 to 1936. [He also served as head of the College of Agriculture's Botany Department from 1931 to 1933.]
He traveled widely in Africa and the southwest and western regions of the United States and took thousands of photographs along the way. His Four Corners collection of photographs was taken in 1919 and 1920 in a project backed by the Smithsonian Institution.
Shantz captured images of baseball games, social gatherings, alkali soil in Nevada, and locals diving for coins in the ocean in Cape Verde off the western coast of Africa at the advent of the 20th century.
Many of his images reveal views of plants, plains and desert lands--areas seemingly desolate and isolated if not for the vegetation, in some areas, and plush with greenery in others. In all, much of his work shows a world that predates massive urbanization.
Read the rest of this November 12 UANews article at the link below.
Phil Jenkins, UA Herbarium, pjenkins@u.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/22394
3 IPLANT--FACING CHALLENGES IN BIOLOGY AND CYBERINFRASTRUCTURE
In Richard Jorgensen's lab south of Old Main, little green petunias poke their heads out of layers of white agar in square plastic cups, ready to strut their genetically-tweaked stuff. Hardly seems like anything earthshaking is afoot. But it is.
Jorgensen's discovery of the mechanism that will alter their floral pigments also has altered his own career in ways no one could have predicted.
Two decades ago, Jorgensen made genetics history with an experiment involving petunias that didn't go as expected. The blooms should have been deep purple, but turned out white instead. The results led to an explanation of how a newly introduced gene can interfere with parts of an original recipe carried by the RNA of any plant or animal, and thus its name, RNAi (the small i is for interference). That principle helps explain things like how our cells ward off disease.
Jorgensen's reputation grew through the 1990s for his discoveries in plant sciences. Now the scope of his academic life is about to change--fast. He has been chosen to lead iPlant (a name he invented), a project to enhance the ability of researchers to collaborate through a global cyberinfrastructure of computers, software, and design expertise. As its director, Jorgensen lives two lives: sparkplug of a remarkable science team and researcher still studying those petunias.
Read more about the iPlant project in the fall issue of Arizona Alumnus magazine at the link below.
Richard Jorgensen, BIO5 Institute,
Vicki Chandler, BIO5 Institute, chandler@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://www.arizonaalumni.com/Alumnus/f08/iplant.html
4 CALS AWARD WINNERS IN 16TH ANNUAL STUDENT SHOWCASE 2008
The UA Graduate & Professional Student Council recently announced the winners for its Student Showcase 2008. Student Showcase attracts the best of student academic work at the University of Arizona, and thus is quite competitive. Students submit their application form and a synopsis about their research including an explanation of the cultural implications it has for the surrounding community. Students from all areas of academic study display their projects on a 4' x 8' display board, and are eligible to receive prize money by demonstrating the ability to discuss the cultural implications of their work and by demonstrating exceptional talent and research skills.
A panel of faculty, fellow students, and community members judge the exhibits. Judges consider overall display, clarity of presentation, and the exhibitors' ability to field questions concerning their project, in addition to the academic and/or scientific merit and the value of their research to the community. Student Showcase is organized by categories; for 2008 two CALS students won in the "Agriculture and Environmental Science" category:
1st Place ($200): Adam Springer, School of Natural Resources - The motivations and social networks of environmental volunteers: a case study of the Cienega Creek Watershed
2nd Place ($100): Jennifer Davison, Office of Arid Lands Studies/School of Natural Resources - Remotely sensed vegetation dynamics along Sky Island gradients: barometers of climate change and variability
To learn more: http://www.gpsc.arizona.edu/ss-who
METH PREVENTION EDUCATION
Kirk Astroth, assistant director, Arizona 4-H Youth Development, had an article published in the October 2008 issue of the Journal of Extension. Titled "Methamphetamine Prevention Education: Extension Responds to a National Issue," the article describes a collaborative Extension effort in Montana among several specialists, agents (including Astroth at the time) and other organizations to address the meth issue from an educational perspective. The article discusses lessons learned and what other states can do to address such a critical issue. "Tools for Schools," one of the elements of this comprehensive prevention initiative, was developed under Astroth's leadership and was selected as a USDA "Program of Distinction" in 2007.
The article can be found at: http://www.joe.org/joe/2008october/a6.shtml
Kirk Astroth, Arizona 4-H Youth Development, kastroth@cals.arizona.edu
6 TAXONOMY OF THE KANAB AMBERSNAIL
When asked to consider the background of an endangered species, University of Arizona conservation biologist Melanie Culver dips into her research toolbox. Genetics is her tool of choice.
"I'm happy to study anything from mollusks to carnivores," she says. Culver's laboratory, in the School of Natural Resources of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, has studied Florida panthers, black bears and most recently the tiny Kanab ambersnail. She is often more intrigued by the answers to genetic questions about the species or population than in the individual organism.
Smaller than a thumbnail, the federally listed endangered Kanab ambersnail has had a big impact on the Colorado River. In the days prior to the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam, seasonal flooding scoured sand from some downstream areas while building up beaches and sandbars in other places. Once the dam was completed in 1964, the absence of floods and the subsequent slower moving river water eventually led to drastic habitat changes. Much less sediment was found in the canyon 30 years later, and wildlife, fish, plants and other organisms either adapted and survived or were put in jeopardy, according to Culver. Concern about the loss of beaches along the Colorado River led to a high-volume release of water in 1996 by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation.
"One precaution before doing that flood release was sending in a crew of people to hand-pick through the vegetation, gathering any of these little snails they could find and then moving them to higher ground," Culver says.
The flood release was more successful than expected, with a significant amount of sediment deposited on beaches and more backwater eddies formed. Although the snails came through the water release just fine, a federal decision suspended further floods until definitive taxonomic work was completed for the snails. The goal was to determine the genetic connection between the various populations of ambersnail that range along the Kanab plateau through northern Arizona and southern Utah.
Read more from this article in the 2007 Arizona Agricultural Experiment Station Report at the link below.
Melanie Culver, School of Natural Resources, mculver@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/general/resrpt2007/article11.pdf
7 SIFE TEAM BUILDS BRIDGES WITH AFRICA
Located in western Africa, Nigeria is a country of over 140 million people and has one of the highest growth rates in the world. The opportunity to attain an education and establish a career is limited. In fact, only 29% of the population pursues secondary education. With little or no industry and agriculture, Nigerians make a living as traders on the streets or in markets.
In 2005 the Lundgren Center for Retailing and the SIFE Team partnered with Leslye Obiora, a UA law professor and founder of Institute for Research on African Women, Children and Culture (IRAWCC) in Oguta, Nigeria. This program was established to teach women how to read, write, do basic math, and develop their inherent entrepreneurial skills. IRAWCC also provides micro loans to help the women develop and improve their small businesses.
Inspired by the desire of these women to improve their lives, the SIFE team created a training manual to teach the IRAWCC women about basic budgeting and accounting so they could better manage the income they received from their businesses. They partnered with HSBC and Odiso-KIN High School to design and execute an entrepreneurship summer camp called Emerging Entrepreneurs. With the support of Sam's Club, four UA SIFE students traveled to Oguta this summer to host a one-week camp for the young women. The challenge was to teach them how to apply the business concepts they had learned to the real world.
Read more from the fall 2008 issue of RetailLink, the newsletter for the Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing in the Norton School of Family and Consumer Sciences. Scroll to page 3 at the link below.
Melinda Burke, Terry J. Lundgren Center for Retailing, mburke@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://terryjlundgrencenter.org/retail_link/fall08.pdf
8 2008 SYMPOSIUM ON RACING AND GAMING DECEMBER 8-11
The 35th Annual Symposium on Racing & Gaming, presented by the UA's Race Track Industry Program, will be held December 8-11 at the Westin La Paloma Resort in Tucson.
The Race Track Industry Program (RTIP) has gained worldwide recognition for its annual Symposium on Racing & Gaming held in Tucson, Arizona each December since 1974. The Symposium annually attracts 1,000 attendees representing Thoroughbred, Standardbred, American Quarter Horse, Greyhound, and Racino interests from across the United States and internationally. Topics presented during the Symposium include cutting-edge issues and trends of importance to the pari-mutuel industry including simulcasting, account wagering, marketing, track surfaces, casino gaming, human and health issues, track operations, new technologies and regulation.
Symposium speakers represent the Who's Who of the racing and gaming industry as well as specialists from outside the field. The broad cross-section of North American and international participants, representing all pari-mutuel racing breeds, makes the Symposium on Racing & Gaming the largest industry-wide conference in the world.
RTIP students play an important role at each year's Symposium. Students are valuable members of Symposium committees. Committee member responsibilities include organizing registration, publications, exhibit booths, and audio/visual services. In this way, RTIP students are afforded a unique opportunity to meet and interact with many of the industry's best known and respected leaders. Few other educational programs provide this kind of access and networking with the industry that employs its students.
For registration information, see the link below.
Doug Reed, Race Track Industry Program, dreed@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://ag.arizona.edu/rtip/symposium/symposium_2008_info.html
9 TREES AROUND CAMPUS REDUCE UA'S CARBON FOOTPRINT
A new inventory of "street trees" at The University of Arizona shows they do more than provide pleasant vistas and an oasis in central Tucson. The more than 2,000 trees that line campus roadways sequester carbon from the atmosphere, reduce pollution and flooding and save the UA a bundle on cooling costs.
The study, conducted by the UA Campus Arboretum, documented individual trees, their distribution and compared their yearly costs and benefits, said Elizabeth Davison, director of the Campus Arboretum.
Davison said the street trees and other trees at the University are a significant factor in reducing the UA's carbon footprint. The study included only those trees that directly flank campus roads.
Each year, the UA's street trees: sequester 246,620 lbs of carbon dioxide (CO2); reduce the energy costs for UA facilities by $18,230; reduce emission, pollutants and particulates by 9,994 pounds; and intercept more than a million gallons of rainfall or stormwater.
"These street trees contribute to the quality of life for all our neighbors, providing shade on pavements, and reducing air pollution, stormwater and the University's "carbon footprint'," said Davison. There are more than 7,000 trees within the UA's boundaries, including the street trees. Davison said that many of the largest trees are in the interior of campus, and that some of them are among the oldest trees in Tucson.
Read the rest of this October 21 UA News story at the link below.
Elizabeth Davison, UA Campus Arboretum, edavison@ag.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://uanews.org/node/22150
10 INTERNATIONAL LIVESTOCK EMERGENCY RESPONSE CONFERENCE DECEMBER 2-5
An effective emergency response to a livestock disease emergency requires pre-planning and collaboration among many different parties. The International Livestock Emergency Response (INLER) Conference, to be held December 2-5 at the DoubleTree at Reid Park in Tucson, offers an opportunity for all first responder agencies to follow a livestock field emergency through the various response components, including public health ramifications, thus providing a unique training experience.
Specific animal health issue impacts will be discussed by industry representatives from the National Cattlemen's Beef Association, the Canadian Cattlemen's Association and the Cattlemen^Ys Union from Mexico. Additional presentations will discuss bioterrorism and animal rights activist activities, cattle fever ticks and wildlife, roles of various law enforcement agencies in an animal response, and hazardous materials and rural responses capabilities. Critical discussions also will focus on avoiding potential harmful exposure by early animal responders, owners, employees etc, and emerging animal/human health issues. December 4th will be devoted to actual simulated field responses.
The conference is open to livestock producers, veterinarians, emergency responders, county or state public health officials, local or state emergency management officials, state or federal agency employees, medical doctors, law enforcement or any other individual or agency involved in emergency response. Registration is limited so please register today. Cost, deadlines and agenda are available at the link below.
Peder Cuneo, Arizona Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, cuneo@email.arizona.edu
To learn more: http://ag.arizona.edu/ans/alirt/INLERC2008.html
VALLEY FEVER 'INFECTIOUS' BUT NOT 'CONTAGIOUS'
The UA's location in the Southwest region of the U.S. makes it a hotbed for valley fever outbreaks and for the subsequent research into their causes.
Each year valley fever, which is caused by a soil fungus, affects roughly 50,000 people in the U.S. Of those affected, 30,000 live in Arizona and all of them live in the Southwest, said Marc Orbach, an associate professor in the department of plant sciences. Orbach gave a presentation about the facts of valley fever Thursday night at the Woods Memorial Library, as part of the state of Arizona's valley fever awareness week.
"(Valley fever) is an infectious disease, but it is not a contagious disease. We don't catch it from other people," Orbach said. "The University of Arizona has the only medical school in areas where the greatest exposure has been seen, so we think it is an important disease to be studying here."
One of the biggest problems with valley fever is that there is currently no sure fire way to avoid it, Orbach said.
"West Nile virus - simple: You avoid mosquito bites and you're not going to get West Nile virus," Orbach said. "Hanta virus - you avoid deer mouse droppings; that's where it is found. Valley fever, as I said, we don't know where exactly it is in the soil, so the only solution is to avoid breathing and that's not a very useful solution."
Lisa Shubitz, an associate research professor in the department of veterinary sciences and microbiology, said that valley fever is not just an issue for humans. Humans, dogs, primates, llamas, cats and exotic birds can all catch valley fever, Shubitz said. It is most common in dogs because they are constantly digging in the dirt where the fungus that harbors the disease is found.
"We believe that most animals contract valley fever in the area near their home, in their backyard, in their neighborhood," Shubitz said. "Potentially, you could get it from the same exposure that your dog did, but you're not going to get it from your dog."
Read the rest in the November 14 issue of the Arizona Daily Wildcat at http://media.wildcat.arizona.edu/media/storage/paper997/news/2008/11/14/News/Fever.infectious.But.Not.Contagious-3544413.shtml
Lisa Subitz, Department of Veterinary Science and Microbiology, lfshubit@email.arizona.edu
SWEET SORGHUM FOR BIOFUEL PRODUCTION
Researchers at the University of Arizona are considering various crops which could grow in semi arid Arizona and be used for biofuel production. Sorghum loves heat and drought, which makes Arizona a great place for it to grow. Pam White reports on KUAT that effluent can be used to irrigate sorghum, which may indicate the state has a future in the field of biofuel production. View the broadcast at http://tv.azpm.org/kuat/segments/2008/10/30/kuat-sorghum/
CORN RESEARCHERS DISCOVER NOVEL GENE SHUT-OFF MECHANISMS
University of Delaware scientists, in collaboration with researchers from the University of Arizona and South Dakota State University, have identified unusual differences in the natural mechanisms that turn off, or "silence," genes in corn.
The discovery, which was made by comparing the impact of inactivating a gene that occurs in both corn and in the much-studied laboratory plant Arabidopsis, provides new insight into how one of the world's most important crops protects itself from mutation-causing mobile DNA elements and viruses.
The research was led by Blake Meyers, associate professor of plant and soil sciences, and Pamela Green, Crawford H. Greenewalt Chair and professor of plant and soil sciences and marine bioscience, and their laboratory groups at the Delaware Biotechnology Institute, a major center for biotechnology and life sciences research at the University of Delaware. Collaborating with the University of Delaware team were Vicki Chandler, the Carl E. and Patricia Weiler Endowed Chair for Excellence in Agriculture and Life Sciences Regents' Professor at the University of Arizona, and Yang Yen, a professor at South Dakota State University.
Read the rest of this story from CheckBiotech.org at http://greenbio.checkbiotech.org/news/corn_researchers_discover_novel_gene_shut_off_mechanisms/
Vicki Chandler, BIO5 Institute, chandler@ag.arizona.edu
SOLVING SOME COTTON MYSTERIES
Cropping systems specialist Guangyao "Sam" Wang is involved in some unusual experiments at the Maricopa Agricultural Center that focus on the economic side of farming, specifically finding ways to improve production through such practices as crop rotation, irrigation, cultivation, fertilization and pest management.
He's now involved in an experiment to determine the proper time between planting cotton and wheat. What's the effect of cotton on wheat? What is the interaction between various crops, and how does alternating those crops affect yield and crop quality?
Wang says that the objective is to find ways to grow the best cotton by looking at how to grow the whole system, the cotton combined with wheat or barley, or forage crops like maize, and to improve each alternate crop by finding the right combination of irrigation, fertilization and planting schedule, thereby improving the entire "cropping system."
Read more from the October 30 issue of the Arizona Daily Star: www.azstarnet.com/metro/264868
Guangyao Wang, Maricopa Agricultural Center, samwang@ag.arizona.edu
AUTO-GUIDANCE SYSTEMS MAY ENHANCE EFFICIENCY OF CONVENTIONAL CULTIVATION
Two University of Arizona researchers are adapting RTK-GPS-based auto-guidance technology to push mechanical cultivation in cotton within 2.5 inches of the seed line to gain improved broadleaf control.
Pedro Andrade and Bill McCloskey kicked off their precision cultivation research project this spring at the Maricopa Agricultural Center (MAC). They are testing a real-time kinematic global positioning system (RTK-GPS) auto guidance system, the Trimble AgGPS NavController II, in a Case IH Puma Series tractor across a 2.5 acre cotton plot, with implements for bed listing, seed planting, and cultivation of seedlings three times in the season.
Andrade is an agricultural engineer and precision ag specialist at MAC; McCloskey is an Extension weed scientist at the UA in Tucson. Both have doctoral degrees from the University of California, Davis.
RTK-GPS is an ultra-precise version of GPS that allows sub-inch accuracy levels in positioning measurement. Andrade says the technology combines two elements in positioning measurement. In addition to a satellite link to the rover (tractor), there is a radio communication link between the rover and a ground base station that carries positional correction data. Second, a patented algorithm solves the rover's position mathematically with time and phase delay information of the signal.
"During bed formation and seed planting, the RTK-GPS system guides the tractor in a straight, pre-determined path," says McCloskey. "Understanding the implement geometry allowed us to know exactly where the seed line is located.
"The cultivator is able to run closer to the seed line than with traditional cultivation, since the tractor knows within an inch the precise seed line location. This keeps the cultivator clear of the plants and enhances mechanical weed control efficacy."
Read more of this article from the October 4 issue of Western Farm Press at http://westernfarmpress.com/equipment/auto-guidance-1024/
Bill McCloskey, Department of Plant Sciences, wmcclosk@ag.arizona.edu
Pedro Andrade, Maricopa Agricultural Center, pandrade@ag.arizona.edu
2 NEW CALS PUBLICATIONS: NOVEMBER
2008 FORAGE AND GRAIN REPORT
This online publication includes research results for studies conducted on various aspects of barley, wheat, sorghum and corn production. The 2008 issue features durum wheat production practices, small grain variety trials, predicting wheat growth using a production model, crop coefficients for estimating small grain water use, the feasibility of obtaining two crops of sweet sorghum for ethanol, and herbaceous wind barriers for irrigated lands in Arizona, among others. See http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/crops/az1459/
Mike Ottman, Department of Plant Sciences, mottman@ag.arizona.edu
GPS WATCHES FOR MEASURING ENERGY EXPENDITURE DURING PHYSICAL ACTIVITY
For a given body weight, energy expenditure during physical activity (e.g. walking) can be determined by tracking speed, slope, and duration of physical activity. GPS technology offers benefits for assessing physical activity by tracking the exact location of individual through time. This permits the calculation of an individual's pace (time spent in increments of physical activity) as they move both horizontally across the landscape, as well as their altitude variation (slope). These measurements can then be transformed into an estimate of energy expenditure.
GPS and fitness technology have been integrated into single GPS fitness unit or a GPS watch, which not only records location, but also computes energy expenditure (kcal/min). These GPS fitness units can track fitness progress and history and can be used during a variety of outdoor activities including: walking, hiking, running, and cycling. Arizona Cooperative Extension studied and rated the performance of several GPS fitness watches, and published the results in a simple guide available at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/health/az1476.pdf
Nobuko (Kay) Hongu, Department of Nutritional Sciences, hongu@email.arizona.edu
TEN STEPS TO A SUCCESSFUL VEGETABLE GARDEN
Gardening with vegetables can be fun and provide delicious and highly nutritious fresh food. Watching and working with plants can add a new dimension of enjoyment to life and bring an awareness of the wonderful world of nature in the backyard. The marvels of nature will have special personal meaning when nurturing a small seed into a colorful productive plant with your own hands. These accomplishments can be obtained regardless of the size of garden. A few plants or a large plot will give rewarding experiences for both young and old.The path to a successful vegetable garden is not difficult or long. Ten carefully taken steps will produce many enjoyable moments and an abundant harvest of fresh vegetables during much of the year.
Find out more in the new Arizona Cooperative Extension guide "Ten Steps to a Successful Vegetable Garden." The 10-page publication is suitable for all Arizona elevations and planting dates. Get your copy now at http://cals.arizona.edu/pubs/garden/az1435.pdf.
Rob Call, Cochise County Cooperative Extension, recall@ag.arizona.edu
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