staff.matters
the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences staff newsletter
February 4 , 2004
Plant Science Seminar Series - Scott Day, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, will present "Small Farms Project: real examples of successful small farms in SW Manitoba" on Thursday, February 5 at 3:30 pm in Room 130 Agriculture Building. Coffee and donuts will be served at 3:00 pm. Everyone is welcome to attend!
UTS Teaching and Learning Symposium - On Friday, February 6 from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm, University Teaching Services is sponsoring its 3rd Annual Teaching and Learning Symposium featuring a keynote address by Don McCabe on "Academic Integrity". Dr. McCabe is a professor of organization management at Rutgers University and over the past 12 years has done extensive research on academic cheating. There is a $25 registration fee to cover the costs of lunch and resources. Register online or for more information, contact Daniel Bowers at 474-7042.
Elizabeth Dafoe Library Graduate Student Lecture - Karen Clavelle, Department of English, will be presenting "Henry Kelsey and the Prairie Garden" on Friday, February 6 at 12:30 pm in the Icelandic Board Room, 3rd Floor - Elizabeth Dafoe Library. Her presentation will look at the garden as it figures in writing from the Canadian prairies. Attention will be given to Henry Kelsey, an inland explorer for the Hudson's Bay Company who is credited with having produced the first English language account of the Canadian Northwest and who envisioned the prairies, in part, as a garden.
Entomology Ph.D. Oral Examination - On Monday, February 9 at 9:30 am in Room 220 Animal Science/Entomology Building, Kennantudawage Siril Hemachandra will defend his Ph.D. thesis entitled "Parasitoids of Delia radicum (Diptera: Anthomyiidae) in canola: Assessment of potential agents for classical biological control".
Diploma seminars open to all - The second year diploma class will be hosting the following guest speakers as part of their Management Planning Project II course. All are welcome to sit in. The sessions are held Wednesdays at 2:30 pm in Room 130 in the Agriculture Building.
- February 11: Merv Pritchard, School of Agriculture, will be speaking about his recent CIDA-funded, AIC organized trip to Ghana. At 3:30 pm, Les Kletke will be speaking about agricultural practices in Brazil.
- February 25: Mike Lesiuk, Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives, will be speaking about the Agricultural Policy Framework.
- March 3: Jon Thiessen, MCC, will be speaking about his work with
The Mennonite Central Committee. Then at 3:30 pm, Dan Wiens, CFGB, will give a presentation on the Canadian Food Grains Bank.Aggie runners are still needed for the 22nd Annual Great Grain Relay being held Saturday, February 21 at the Max Bell Centre here on campus from 12 noon to 2 pm. Contact Murray Vanderpont at 474-6030, murray_vanderpont@umanitoba.ca if you are interested in participating!
On Wednesday February 25 in the Carolyn Sifton lecture theatre at 3:30 pm (coffee and donuts at 3 pm), Funing Zhong, a PhD and MSc graduate in Ag Economics from the University of Manitoba, will present a seminar titled "Food Security and Rural Development: Past experience in Chinese agriculture and future perspectives". Dr Zhong is Dean of Economics and Trade at Nanjing Agricultural University in China. He is in Winnipeg to speak at the CWB Grain World conference, to participate in a meeting of the Task Force on options for rural development in China, and to discuss possible linkage programs between the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences and Nanjing Agricultural University.
Faculty Seminar Series Date Change - The next Faculty seminar will be presented by Denis Krause, Animal Science, on WEDNESDAY, MARCH 3 at 3:30 pm in Room 130 Agriculture Building. His topic will be "Food borne pathogens in beef production; a systems approach in tropical Australia".
This week, Faculty members of the Manitoba Soil Science Society attended its Annual General Meeting and two-day conference February 3-4 at the Canad Inns - Fort Garry. This year's theme was "Manure and Nutrient Management in the Environment". PhD student Jeanette Gaultier won first place in both the oral and poster presentations. Nurun Nahar, MSc student, won second place in the oral competition. Congratulations!
Requirements for research projects at Glenlea in 2004 - Preliminary plans for cropping and other operations at the Glenlea Research Station in 2004 are now being prepared. Staff are asked to provide their requirements for research projects at Glenlea including the land area, services, and facilities that would be required. All requests should be returned to the Glenlea Research Station, c/o M. Baker, 201 Animal Science Building by February 16, 2004. To find out more about the information required, please contact Jack Brogan at 883-2156.
MIA and the Faculty to sponsor two observers at Ag Challenge - Through friendly competition, Ag Challenge provides an opportunity for aggies and agros to improve skills such as listening, speaking, critical thinking and decision-making. It also develops leadership capabilities relating to teamwork, planning and self-confidence. AND IT'S FUN! Where: The University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, February 26 - 28, with a day on both sides for travel. Selection Criteria: Faculty of Agricultural & Food Science degree students who will be returning to U of MB next year; One must be a MIA student member; Excellent communication/presentation skills. For a copy of the application form and information manual, contact MIA Office, 201 - 38 Dafoe Rd. (204) 275-3721. Applications must be submitted to MIA office before Thursday, February 12, 2004.
Farmers Independent Weekly - This week's article by Alma Kennedy, Animal Science, is titled "Evening feeding of beef cattle in winter". Alma and her colleagues have been studying the effect of feeding after 8:00 pm on weight gains and feed efficiency of over 500 head of cattle at the University of Manitoba, Lethbridge and Brandon. Results varied from little or no response to some small improvements in daily gain and feed conversion, possibly reflecting factors such as temperature variability, feed bunk management and feedlot group size.
Books of the week - In honour of the late Charles Lewis (1924-2004), a leading researcher on the therapeutic benefits of gardening, we are listing a few starting aids for garden dreamers. Charles Lewis is the author of Green thumb/human nature: the meaning of plants in our lives. Sciences and Technology Library Main Stacks QK 46.5 H85 L48 1996.
The prairie gardener's sourcebook by June Flanagan and Donna Fremont lists nurseries, sources for specialty items, horticultural education and assistance resources, public gardens, organizations and publications for gardeners in Manitoba, Saskatchewan and Alberta. William R. Newman Reference SB 451.36 C3 F43 2001.
Resources in horticulture. This library pathfinder lists useful websites, UML databases with full-text gardening articles, horticulture and gardening books in the William R. Newman Library. Copies are available in the library in the Current Periodicals section just above the daily newspapers.
Library gets new computers - Seventeen new computer systems have been installed in the small lab of the William R. Newman Library. This includes the four systems located in the study area. The systems are running the same Windows XP operating system and software programs as the Computer Lab in Room 137 so the students and instructors have a familiar setup. Drop in and start clicking!
Cultivating Communicators - Have you ever thought about joining Toastmasters? You might want to consider the agriculturally-focused Toastmasters group called Cultivating Communicators. This relatively new club has about 15 members working in a variety of ag-related organizations. The club meets every Thursday in the library of Lincoln Middle School, 3180 McBay Avenue in the St. James area. For further information contact Mark Howe at 837-1477 or mhowe@agricoreunited.com. Mark encourages all agriculture students or anyone wanting to improve their speaking skills and increase their networking opportunities with industry professionals to come check out the group at no charge as a guest.
Are you missing an eyeglass lens? A week ago, a single glass lens was found on in Parking Lot G. If it's yours, please see Sadie Hildebrand in the Student Services Office, Room 160 Agriculture.
staff.matters is e-mailed weekly on Wednesday afternoon to members and friends of the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences at the University of Manitoba. The weekly news deadline is Tuesday at 4:00 pm. Email Crystal Jorgenson with your news or get in touch with your department staff.matters rep:
- Agribusiness: Judy Powell 9259
- Animal Science and Entomology: Claire Hutchinson 6125
- Biosystems Engineering: Connie Wenzoski 6033
- Food Science: Yvonne Halden 9621
- Plant Science: Bev Godard 8225
- Soil Science: Terry Ramm 8153