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| The following is news from our AAES-affiliated schools and colleges.
For more information on the teaching, research, outreach or development
activities of any of these academic units, contact them directly
at their respective phone numbers or Web sites. |
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COLLEGE
OF HUMAN SCIENCES
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White Named New Nutrition and Food Science Department
Head
Doug White,
a highly respected Auburn researcher and teacher, has been named
the new head of the Auburn University Department of Nutrition
and Food Science.
A native of Huntsville, Ala., White spent his freshman year of
college in Oklahoma, then came to Auburn to complete his undergraduate
work. He majored in chemistry, but became enamored with physiology
during his senior year.
He
went on to earn a master's degree in physiology at Auburn, working
on issues of endocrinology and stress, then headed to Louisiana
State University Medical Center in New Orleans to earn his Ph.D.,
also in physiology. It was there that he shifted his research
focus from stress to |
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obesity.Working
with obese Zucker rats-laboratory
animals that are genetically predisposed to obesity-White meshed
endocrinology with the study of obesity by exploring the role of
the adrenal gland in obesity.
According
to White, scientists had discovered in the mid-1990s a hormone
known as leptin that helps regulate body weight and metabolism.
Leptin, which is produced by fat tissue, |
Dough White laboratory mice. (Photo illustration by Terry
Rodriguez)
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helps decrease appetite
and plays a vital role in calorie intake and calorie burning.
Many thought leptin was a magic bullet for weight control,
though research has since shown it is just one of many factors
that affect weight gain and loss. But this discovery launched
a whole new "golden age" of research on obesity, and White
was positioned to be involved in that work.
After
completing his Ph.D. at LSU, White did post-doctoral work at
the University of Georgia, then joined the AU Department of
Nutrition and Food Science in 1996 where he continued to work
on the physiological processes underlying obesity and its complications.
He holds an adjunct appointment in the AU Department of Anatomy,
Physiology and Pharmacology and is a member of the Boshell
Diabetes and Metabolic Diseases Research Program.
White
became involved in the Boshell Research Program via Robert
Judd, Boshell Program director, whom he had met at a professional
meeting several years earlier. The Boshell Program's mission
is to enhance opportunities for diabetes research at Auburn
through cross-disciplinary scientific discussion, support the
study of new ideas, foster the development of investigators
new to the field of diabetes and expand the overall base of
diabetes investigation at Auburn.
White,
along with numerous other scientists at Auburn, is helping
find all the pieces to the diabetes and obesity puzzles, which
someday may be put together to solve myriad heath problems
in Alabama.
"Alabama
is number one in the incidence of diabetes (which is closely
tied to obesity issues) per capita," says White. "The
work we are doing in our department and through the Boshell
Program is really important to our state. In a sense, it is
a humanitarian effort."
Luckily,
White's new position will not put an end to his scientific
endeavors. With the help of a post-doctoral student, he will
continue his research program. In fact, his new position may
help enhance that effort. Already several NFS faculty members
are involved in obesity outreach and research projects, and
White hopes those efforts can be expanded.
In
addition to his fine reputation as a researcher, White also
is well respected for his teaching talents. According to White,
he truly loves teaching, a fact that has been obvious to his
students. He has been named an outstanding professor by the
AU Panhellenic Council and voted as the outstanding faculty
member in the College of Human Sciences. He hopes to keep his
hand in the teaching program as well, despite his new administrative
duties.
As
department head, White sees his role as a liaison and facilitator
between his faculty and staff and upper administration. He
also believes the future is bright for his department. Within
his department are several academic and scientific program
tracks, including nutrition, food science and hotel and restaurant
management.
"We
have a unique and diverse department, and it is exciting to
be involved in this department's future," White says. "We
would like to make a difference in our state and we are positioned
to be able to do so."
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Vazsonyi
Selected for Fulbright Fellowship to Slovenia
Alexander
T. Vazsonyi, associate professor of Human Development and Family
Studies in the AU College of Human Sciences, has been selected
to receive a Fulbright lecturing/research award. His proposal
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entitled The Etiology of Adolescent
Problem Behaviors and Deviance/Problem Behaviors and Deviance
in Slovene Adolescents will allow him to spend fall
semester 2004 at the University of Maribor in Slovenia.
"I
feel deeply honored to have been selected for this opportunity
and to serve as a cultural ambassador from United States
to Slovenia. I look forward to learning more about families,
youth and adolescents |
Alexander T. Vazsonyi
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growing up in this post-communist country that has only been
independent a little over a decade, and that currently is experiencing
tremendous change. I also welcome collaborating with members
of the faculty at the University of Maribor," says
Vazsonyi.
According
to Vazsonyi, Slovenia used to be part of the Yugoslav Republic
and is often confused with Slovakia. Only half the size of Switzerland
(7,800 square miles), Slovenia borders Austria, Croatia, Hungary
and Italy. In the northeast, Slovenia includes the Julian Alps
and in the south, it borders on the Adriatic Sea.
On
May 1, 2004, Slovenia-together with Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland and Slovakia-joined
the EU 25, formerly the EU 15. In preparation, it is one of
the first countries from the former East Block that has instituted
the EURO as official currency. Thus, Slovenia provides an exceptional
opportunity to also study society-level changes and how these
impact individual development and behaviors.
Vazsonyi's
research interests focus on adolescent development with a particular
emphasis on etiological factors that contribute to our understanding
of problem behaviors and deviance. As such, Vazsonyi's work has
focused on and included youth from Hungary, Japan, the Netherlands
and Switzerland as well as diverse populations in the United
States ( e.g. , Black Belt teenagers).
A
key feature of his work is a comparative approach to the study
of human development and behaviors. He believes that this approach
provides a unique opportunity to examine and understand potential
similarities and differences in developmental processes that
in turn inform questions about etiology (the study of causes
or origins)-specifically
whether etiology generalizes across populations or whether
it is context-specific.
Maribor,
which is located in the northeast near the Austrian border, is
the second largest city in Slovenia after the better known Ljubljana.
Slovenia has a very rich culture and a strong national identity.
The early Slovenes settled in the river valleys of the Danube
Basin and the eastern Alps in the 6th century, though for most
of the past 1,400 years, Slovenes did not enjoy independence.
The Fulbright program is administered by the U.S. Department
of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
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| Auburn University Honors McClary |
Veterinarian
David McClary of Greenfield, Ind., has been honored by Auburn University
with the El Toro Award for excellence in food animal medicine.
The award was presented during the AU College of Veterinary Medicine's
97th Annual Conference recently.
"Dr.
McClary is a national leader in cattle research and in the development
of cattle products, and he is very involved in working with veterinary
students," said Dwight Wolfe, AU veterinary
professor.
McClary,
a 1974 Auburn veterinary graduate, is a senior |
David McClary (left) of Greenfield, Ind., accepts the EL Toro Award
from AU professor Dwight Wolfe.
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cattle technical
consultant with Elanco Animal Health, covering the
eastern half of the United States. He conducts field research and
development of animal health products to ensure a safe food supply.
He
earned his bachelor's degree from Western Kentucky University
in 1970 before enrolling in Auburn's veterinary program. He also
has a master's degree in theriogenology from Auburn and is a
diplomate in the American College of Theriogenologists. He worked
as an assistant professor at Auburn from 1982 to 1986.
McClary
is a past president of the American Association of Bovine Practitioners
and is active in many professional theriogenology and bovine
veterinary organizations. He is a member of the Auburn University
Alumni Association, the Indianapolis Auburn Club and the AU College
of Veterinary Medicine Alumni Advisory Council.
The
El Toro Award at Auburn was established in 1994 by former AU
extension veterinarian Jim Floyd in memory of his father, J.G.
Floyd of Upshur, Texas, an oilman and cattleman who owned the
El Toro Sales Company in Shreveport, La.
It is designed to allow
students to meet food animal veterinarians whose career achievements
qualify them as role models. Criteria include outstanding service
to food animal medicine and production, organized veterinary
medicine and other exemplary service to food animal industries.
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SCHOOL
OF FORESTRY AND WILDLIFE SCIENCES
Richard Brinker, Dean
334-844-1007
www.sfws.auburn.edu |
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New Forestry and Wildlife Sciences Building
Nearing Completion
By Glenn Glover
SFWS Building Committee Chair
(glover@auburn.edu; 334-844-1019)
The
long-awaited new School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences (SFWS)
building was officially started Sept. 19, 2003. The site was quickly
cleared and excavation began Sept. 30. The residual forested area
on the west side of the building was carefully protected-a chain
link and silt fences were installed to keep workers and equipment
out of our new "backyard." By
late October drilling began on dozens of 36- to 54-inch diameter,
20- to 30-foot deep holes, filled with steel rebar and concrete to
act as the supports for the 110,000 square-foot facility.
By
late November wall forms appeared. Most of the first floor of the
four-story building is underground. All these walls are poured concrete
and steel, well sealed to keep the inside dry. Workers started on
the south end of the building, working their way north through the
central wing; the wood, glass and copper main connector; the north
wing (first two floors house all classrooms and teaching related
functions); and the 150-seat assembly room with an adjacent outdoor
pavilion.
Working
through the holidays and slogging through the winter mud, all of
the first floor slab-on-grade floors were finally poured by March.
In the meantime, columns and the second-level floors were poured.
The building was finally visible above ground!
March
and April saw the columns and walls begin to extend to the sky! By
early June, all of the concrete structure was finished. Interior
walls and electrical, mechanical and plumbing rough-in was started.
By mid-summer interior finishing work will begin and by fall and
early winter of this year, final finishing will be under way. Construction
is scheduled to be complete by early 2005. After a couple of months
of testing and balancing the heating/air conditioning system, checking
out all other aspects of the building and tending to final details,
we will be ready to move into our new home late spring or early summer
and be fully operational by Fall Semester 2005.
The
new building will provide state-of-the-art teaching facilities, modern
and spacious research laboratories and project rooms (for non-wet
lab faculty) and appropriate facilities for administration, extension
and outreach activities. The 150-seat assembly room will be used
internally by faculty and students and will, we hope, attract professional,
association and landowner meetings. Students will again have a lounge
to call their own, with a separate lounge and library for faculty,
staff and graduate students. We will have more conference rooms and
storage space than in our current building. In short, we will have
a facility that will help us attract and retain quality students
and faculty and facilitate the many activities and responsibilities
of the School for many years to come.
Visit www.sfws.auburn.edu then
click on the building to see a live Web cam and regularly updated
images and reports of the building's progress.
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Brinker Named to USDA Forestry Research Council
Dean Richard Brinker
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Richard Brinker, Dean of the AU School of Forestry
and Wildlife Sciences, has been appointed to the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA) Forestry Research Advisory Council
(FRAC), which advises the U.S. secretary of agriculture on
forestry research programs.
"This
council serves an important role reporting on forestry research
within federal and state agencies, forestry schools, and
forestry industries," said Ann Veneman, U.S. |
secretary of agriculture, who recently renewed FRAC for another two years
and appointed 11 new members-including Brinker-bringing the total
council membership to 20.
"Now
that FRAC has a full complement of highly qualified members,
I look forward to its first meeting this August so we can continue
to tackle important issues that lie ahead," Veneman said.
"Our
newest members represent a broad range of groups concerned with
forestry research," said Joseph J. Jen, USDA undersecretary
for Research, Education, and Economics. "Our strength is in our
diversity of backgrounds and expertise, and I look forward to
reviewing recommendations generated by FRAC."
FRAC
is chaired by Greg Johnson, director of research at Weyerhauser
Corporation in Albany, Ore.
Nominations
for new members were reviewed by the Cooperative State Research,
Education and Extension Service (CSREES) and the Forest Service
(FS).
Upcoming meetings will appear in the Federal Register and
on the CSREES and FS Websites. For more information please contact
Catalino Blanche, CSREES national program leader, at cblanche@csrees.usda.gov |
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ARBORETUM
DEDICATES FOUNDER'S OAK HISTORICAL
MARKER
The College of Sciences and
Mathematics Donald E. Davis Arboretum dedicated the Founder's
Oak Historical Marker during its annual Arbor Day Celebration
in April.
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The
event, which took place at the garden's open-air pavilion,
was the ideal time to dedicate the marker, says Arboretum
Curator Christy Hartsfield.
"Our
Arbor Day event was a time we set aside to celebrate
trees and increasing awareness of the importance of
trees," Hartsfield says. |
Arboretum's
Founder's Oak is 150 years old.
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"And, it was only fitting we honor one of the most celebrated trees
within the Arboretum at this time."
Located
just west of the pavilion, the majestic post oak ( Quercus
stellata ) measures 46.5 inches in diameter and has stood
tall for 150 years as a symbol of strength and perseverance.
It was six years old when the East Alabama Male College was established
and 91 years old at the start of World War II. This giant also
overcame the wrath of Hurricane Eloise, which struck the area
in 1975, wreaking havoc in the Arboretum.
The
historical marker, which was recently approved by the Alabama
Historical Association, will preserve the oak's rich history,
says Norwood Kerr, of the Alabama Department of Archives and
History.
"The
Alabama Historical Association's historical marker program began
at the very inception of the organization, in 1947," Kerr says. "The
Association's founders sought to encourage both the state's citizens
and its visitors to appreciate the rich history of Alabama, and
that continues to be the goal of the historical marker program
today. The commemoration of historic sites and personalities
can connect us in the present to look on the past, preserving
the memories and accomplishments of our forbearers."
Arboretum
namesake Donald E. Davis, who was a distinguished professor of
ecology at Auburn, was on hand to officially dedicate the marker.
Davis' efforts led to the establishment of the Arboretum in 1963.
He first proposed the idea of an arboretum during a School of
Agriculture seminar in 1959. In recognition of his 35 years of
dedicated service to the University, the garden was named the
Donald E. Davis Arboretum of Auburn University at a rededication
ceremony in May 1982.
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NEWS
FROM THE HEADQUARTERS AND THE OUTLYING UNITS |
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| Excess Property Provides Affordable Equipment Options |
Elaine Rollo with surplus pesticide sprayer, a $2,574.90 savings
for AAES.
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Federal Excess Personal Property (FEPP) is property
that has been declared excess by the Federal government and
is on loan to eligible entities to further the purpose of cooperative
agricultural research or extension programs. The following
activities are eligible to participate in the FEPP program.
Cooperative Extension services at Land-Grant universities,
agricultural experiment stations, School of Forestry and Wildlife
Sciences and College of Veterinary Medicine. |
The
U.S. secretary of agriculture has delegated compliance for the
FEPP program to the Cooperative State Research, Education, and
Extension Service (CSREES). Title to the property remains vested
with USDA and items may not be disposed of, cannibalized (disassembled),
or modified without the written approval from the FEPP Coordinator
in Washington, D.C.
Fishing vessels, trucks, tractors, agricultural
machinery and equipment, furniture, office supplies and laboratory
electronic equipment are some of the many items procured since
1984 that have resulted in a cost savings of more than $7.8 million
for the colleges of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, School
of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences and the AAES. If you have a current
or future need for items for your research or extension programs
or would like additional information about our FEPP program, contact
Elaine Rollo, accountable property officer, at 844-3204 or email
at rollome@auburn.edu.
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Eight Outlying Units to Celebrate 75 Years
of Service in 2004
By Jim Bannon
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An
outlying unit system that served the major soil regions of
Alabama was a dream of Alabama Agricultural Experiment Station
(AAES) directors that was not realized until 1927 when the
Alabama Legislature passed legislation that supported its
establishment. These units celebrate 75 years of service
to Alabama in 2004. |
Under
the direction of Marion J. Funchess, five major outlying units
and 10 experiment fields were established in 1927, although they
were not fully operational until 1929. The five major Research
and Extension Centers and the three remaining experiment fields
continue to play an important role in executing the research mission
of the AAES. The individual roles of each of these outlying units
continue to be dynamic as the face of rural America changes.
Research
programs and individual experiments at these units may vary from
a basic varietal evaluation of a crop or annual bedding plant to
a rotation that evaluates the effects of livestock on soil compaction,
use of conservation tillage systems and subsequent production of
vegetables. The hypotheses of many scientists have been reduced to
practice on the outlying units, resulting in a highly productive
agriculture for Alabama as well as other areas in the Southeast.
Essentially, the outlying units provide a field laboratory for Auburn
University scientists to test concepts that result in an improved
quality of life.
While
the scientists who work on Auburn's outlying units represent various
specialized scientific disciplines, many of the current problems
that face AAES researchers require a team approach to problem solving.
Many different systems may require coordination in order to solve
a problem. This becomes especially visible when the task at hand
requires solving the research problem with a focus on creating jobs
to improve the economy of a region.
The
AAES is currently working on two initiatives that were funded by
the 2004 Alabama Legislature to develop products that will result
in businesses and employment in the Sand Mountain and Black Belt
regions. The two outlying units that are located in these regions
will play an integral role in the execution of these initiatives.
As the AAES works to continue its research-oriented mission, the
outlying units will continue to play a pivotal role in the teaching,
research and outreach mission of the University. These units will
become even more important in future roles as they continue to
form new partnerships; catalyze strong, vibrant community relationships;
provide leadership for rural development; and improve the quality
of life for Alabamians. Happy 75th Birthday! |
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Wiregrass REC Gets New Pesticide Facility
Plans
for a new pesticide storage and handling facility at the Wiregrass
Research and Extension Center in Headland are almost complete,
thanks to a new building team including the AAES, Auburn University
Facilities Division and building and design consultants.
The
building team was created to address safety issues needing immediate
attention at research and extension centers statewide.
According
to Jim Bannon, director of the AAES outlying units, "A
team approach to these building projects has helped us speed
up the process and complete the projects in a more efficient
manner."
The
intention is to use the same building plans at the other research
and extension centers, so all the buildings have the same architectural
symmetry with only minor adjustments, depending on the site.
Sand
Mountain REC Auditorium Becoming a Reality
Bids
for the construction of a new auditorium at the Sand Mountain
Research and Extension Center in Crossville are expected to be
opened and accepted this summer. The 43- x 100-foot building
will seat 175 people and include a 16- x 28-foot lobby that will
honor the lives of Roland and Mary Sue Wiggly Harper, whose children
left 120 acres located near the Center to Auburn University.
Proceeds of $130,000 in timber sales from this property are being
used to help fund the project. The area will feature writings
and other artifacts from the Harpers. The building will be attached
to the current office and will face Alabama Highway 68. The project
also includes a new parking lot and landscaping.
State Sen. Lowell
Barron was instrumental in obtaining the remainder of the money
for this facility. His support of this Center and this project
was crucial to making it a reality. A date for the groundbreaking
ceremony will be announced later this summer.
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Lime for Udderly Healthy Milk Cows
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One
of the biggest headaches that dairy farmers worldwide face
is mastitis. Mastitis, an inflammation of cows' udders, costs
U.S. milk producers an estimated $1.4 billion a year in terms
of lost milk production, discarded milk, vet and medication
bills and culled cows.
Numerous
bacteria-which are |
Lime for Udderly Healthy Milk Cows
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present in even the cleanest of dairy
barns-are known to cause mastitis. And though
the condition usually can be treated with antibiotics, the
use of antibiotics in food animals has become a hotly debated
issue in itself.
The
key, obviously, is prevention and control, and AAES researcher
and AU animal scientist Tom McCaskey has launched a study that
could provide dairy farmers with a highly economical, readily
available, all-natural mastitis-preventing tool: hydrated lime.
McCaskey
says previous research conducted by AU's animal sciences department
has demonstrated that hydrated lime is extremely effective in
killing bacterial pathogens, including E. coli ,
in cow manure. This study will determine whether applying hydrated
lime in dry powder form on the "mattress pads" where dairy
cows rest will help keep the animals mastitis-free.
Hydrated lime,
which offers the additional benefits of odor, fly and moisture
control, has a number of environmental uses, including use as
an agent to purify drinking water and to kill pathogens in sewage
sludge.
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Rollovers, ROPS and the Auburn Connection
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Operators
of hydraulic excavator-based timber harvesting machinery
worldwide soon will have significantly more protection against
injury and death in the event of rollovers, thanks in large
part to AAES biosystems engineering researchers at AU. |
For
years, heavy-equipment manufacturers worldwide have recognized
the critical need for international rollover protective structures
(ROPS) safety standards for excavators, but such standards have
yet to be written because the industry has been unable to agree
on the specific levels of dynamic forces and energy absorption
values the ROPS should be designed to withstand.
What
they needed was an independent third party to define those
forces. Enter AU biosystems engineers-primarily, graduate student
Matt Veal and department head Steve Taylor-who, in a project
sponsored by the U.S. Forest Service, developed sophisticated
computer simulation models that predict these forces and energy
values in dozens of scenarios involving excavators of a wide
range of sizes.
The
models will give design engineers a formula in which, by plugging
in the size of the excavator they're designing, they can calculate
exactly how strong the ROPS should be to keep them from breaking
during a rollover and how flexible the ROPS should be so that,
in the event of a rollover, they give slightly to absorb energy.
Taylor
says the AU work represents tremendous cost savings for the industry.
"We
used computer simulation to essentially test hundreds of rollover
scenarios for excavators," Taylor says. "The industry
could have learned the same thing by actual physical testing,
but to take a $150,000 excavator and roll it over just one
time would be costly. Think about how expensive it would be
to destroy more than 200 excavators."
The
computer simulation Veal developed also reveals several interesting
stability relationships that could help indicate when excavators
would roll completely over versus tipping over 90 degrees, Taylor
says.
"The bottom line," says Taylor, "is
that a new international standard on ROPS for excavators is
being written, and the basic force/energy relationships in
the standard are all to be based on one M.S. student's thesis
at Auburn University." |
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