An off-campus graduate program in agriculture at Iowa State University

Iowa State Universityâs graduate program in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) requires that all graduate students participate in one field trip class during their graduate career. In this 2 credit class students learn about the ecology of the ecosystem that they will be visiting via seminars and lectures during the semester. The classroom teaching culminates in a field trip experience. During the field trip the students have an opportunity to meet local scientists, researchers, land managers and representatives from non-government agencies. They then write up a summary of their work and are graded on these activities.

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Incorporating Organic and Agroecological Approaches into the University Curricula: The Iowa State University Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture

HortTechnology ◽

10.21273/horttech.16.3.0445 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. 445-448 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

K. Delate

Keyword(s):

Sustainable Agriculture ◽

Organic Agriculture ◽

Graduate Program ◽

Farming Systems ◽

The United States ◽

State University ◽

Iowa State University ◽

Problem Solving Skills ◽

Systems Research ◽

The University

Organic agriculture has expanded to a $13 billion industry in the United States in 2005, continuing the nearly decade-long trend of 20% annual growth. Despite the growth in organic agriculture, our scientific knowledge of organic agriculture farming systems remains limited. Interest in sustainable and organic education at the university level has increased in recent years. To help address this need, the Iowa State University Graduate Program in Sustainable Agriculture (GPSA) was established in 2001 to meet three principal objectives: 1) provide students with the analytical and problem-solving skills required to meet the challenges confronting agriculture in the 21st century; 2) develop an innovative interdisciplinary and interdepartmental approach to graduate education; and 3) position Iowa State University at the forefront of institutions conducting research and extending knowledge about sustainable agricultural systems. As of 2004, more than 70 faculty from various departments and 29 students have participated in the program. Students have the opportunity to investigate organic issues within the context of the five new GPSA courses and to conduct organic agriculture farming systems research in thesis and dissertation studies. Producers and agricultural professionals are involved with GPSA students through the curriculum and on-farm research. Research questions involving optimizing crop or livestock production, plant protection, soil quality, and socioeconomic benefits of farming systems constitute typical theses.

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Outreach Opportunities Using the Instructional SEM at Iowa State University

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100164520 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 412-413

Author(s):

L. S. Chumbley ◽

M. Meyer ◽

K. Fredrickson ◽

F.C. Laabs

Keyword(s):

Materials Science ◽

State University ◽

Digital Cameras ◽

Audio Signals ◽

Iowa State University ◽

Cornell University ◽

Sem Image ◽

Local Schools ◽

Materials Science And Engineering ◽

Video And Audio

The development of a scanning electron microscope (SEM) suitable for instructional purposes has created a large number of outreach opportunities for the Materials Science and Engineering (MSE) Department at Iowa State University. Several collaborative efforts are presently underway with local schools and the Department of Curriculum and Instruction (C&I) at ISU to bring SEM technology into the classroom in a near live-time, interactive manner. The SEM laboratory is shown in Figure 1.Interactions between the laboratory and the classroom use inexpensive digital cameras and shareware called CU-SeeMe, Figure 2. Developed by Cornell University and available over the internet, CUSeeMe provides inexpensive video conferencing capabilities. The software allows video and audio signals from Quikcam™ cameras to be sent and received between computers. A reflector site has been established in the MSE department that allows eight different computers to be interconnected simultaneously. This arrangement allows us to demonstrate SEM principles in the classroom. An Apple Macintosh has been configured to allow the SEM image to be seen using CU-SeeMe.

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The Instructional SEM Laboratory at Iowa State University

Proceedings, annual meeting, Electron Microscopy Society of America ◽

10.1017/s0424820100164441 ◽

1996 ◽

Vol 54 ◽

pp. 396-397

Author(s):

L. S. Chumbley ◽

M. Meyer ◽

K. Fredrickson ◽

F.C. Laabs

Keyword(s):

Materials Science ◽

Computer Network ◽

Energy Dispersive Spectrometer ◽

Computer Control ◽

State University ◽

Iowa State University ◽

Internet Server ◽

Schematic Layout ◽

Hands On ◽

Improve Instruction

The Materials Science Department at Iowa State University has developed a laboratory designed to improve instruction in the use of the scanning electron microscope (SEM). The laboratory makes use of a computer network and a series of remote workstations in a classroom setting to provide students with increased hands-on access to the SEM. The laboratory has also been equipped such that distance learning via the internet can be achieved.A view of the laboratory is shown in Figure 1. The laboratory consists of a JEOL 6100 SEM, a Macintosh Quadra computer that acts as a server for the network and controls the energy dispersive spectrometer (EDS), four Macintosh computers that act as remote workstations, and a fifth Macintosh that acts as an internet server. A schematic layout of the classroom is shown in Figure 2. The workstations are connected directly to the SEM to allow joystick and computer control of the microscope. An ethernet connection between the Quadra and the workstations allows students seated there to operate the EDS. Control of the microscope and joystick is passed between the workstations by a switch-box assembly that resides at the microscope console. When the switch-box assembly is activated a direct serial line is established between the specified workstation and the microscope via the SEM’s RS-232.

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