December 20,
2002
FRONTIERS
IN AGRICULTURAL RESEARCH
A new
report, "Frontiers in Agricultural Research: Food, Health,
Environment, and Communities," from the National Academies'
Board on Agriculture and Natural Resources reviews the U.S. Department
of Agriculture's Research, Education, and Economics mission area,
the main engine of publicly funded agricultural research in the
United States, and provides recommendations on future opportunities
and directions.
The
report recommends that the U.S. Department of Agriculture refocus
its $2 billion annual research budget to reflect changing public
values and needs.USDA should shift its emphasis from increasing
food and fiber production to frontier issues such as the impact
of globalization on U.S. agriculture, diet and health, food safety,
environmentally sound farming alternatives and the quality of life
in rural communities. This report is interesting to read. There
are recommendations on leadership to support new directions in food
and agricultural research.
A
pre-publication version of the report is available for online reading,
with the final version forthcoming and available for purchase from
National Academies
Press.
A
summary
is also available.
NEW
WEB "SPOTLIGHTS" ON GOTTMAN'S RESEARCH ON PARENTING
There are nine new Spotlights to the Talaris Research Institute
based on John Gottman's research,outline the "Four Parenting
Styles" and the "Five Steps of Emotion Coaching."Also
included is a short biography about Dr. Gottman and an overview
of how the studies were done. Here's a guided tour with convenient
links:
Under
Spotlights:
If
you are one of the lucky individuals who nurture children or educate
parents, we hope you will use our Talaris Web site as a source of
information in the new year.
Source:
Cindi Pendergraft, Director of Marketing, Talaris Research Institute
SUSTAINABLE
AGRICULTURE GROUP MEETING IN MOSCOW, ID
The
Western Sustainable Agriculture Working Group announces the details
of its 9th annual meeting at the University Inn near the University
of Idaho Campus in Moscow, Idaho. The theme this year will be "Building
Sustainable Communities". The meeting will begin on Friday,
January 31 with a noon luncheon and ends Sunday, February 2 at noon.
Agenda and registration forms are available on our Web
site.
NATIONAL
CONFERENCE ON VOLUNTEERISM
The 2003 National Conference on Volunteerism to be held March
24 - 27, 2003 at the C. A. Vines 4-H Center in Little Rock, Arkansas.
WSU will be represented by Jana Ferris, Snohomish County 4-H Educator
and Jan Hiller, State 4-H Office. This year's theme is Volunteers:
Our Foundation and Future. The keynote speaker is Jan Hargrave,
CEO of Jan Hargrave and Associates, a Houston-based consulting firm.
Ms. Hargrave is a professional speaker and distinguished lecturer
and author of several books, including Judge the Jury and Strictly
Business. Trudy Seita is scheduled to be the capnote speaker. Ms.
Seita is a nationally known speaker, trainer and author in the field
of volunteer management, leadership development and organizational
change. She is the author of Leadership Skills for the "New
Age" of Non-Profits and Communications: A Positive Message
for You. She is President and Principal Trainer of Trudy Seita Associates
of West Virginia and will provide a presentation focused on trends
and issues in the field of volunteerism.
PERSONNEL
New hire
Nikole Amlin, Ext. Coordinator, Grays Harbor/Pacific County Learning
Center
100% Extension, Administrative/Professional
Effective January 1, 2003
HAPPY
HOLIDAYS!
We
wish you and yours happy holidays and all best wishes for the New
Year! Here is the planned time off for staff in the Extension Director's
office. There will be someone here every day (the university is
officially closed Dec. 24, 25, and Jan. 1) to answer your calls
and questions. However, we will not be fully staffed so we can spend
time with family and friends. For grant writing, Esther Tate will
be out from December 23rd until January 2nd. Dorothy Heiter will
be in on Monday, the 23rd, and will be out the 26th and 27th, and
back in on the 30th. Christy Fitzgerald will be out of the office
December 23rd through January 3rd; Rebecca Armstrong will be out
December 20th and the 23rd, back on the 26th; Noele Cooper will
be out of the office December 26 through January 3rd.
SCHEDULE
Next
week, Linda will be relaxing with her family, returning to the office
Monday, December 30th. Linda will be in the office the week of December
30 through January 3rd. Mike is traveling back to Pullman from Washington
DC on December 23rd. He will be in the Pullman until he leaves for
the Rose Bowl the week of December 30-January 3. Mike will be in
Pullman the week of January 6 through 10 before returning to Washington
DC.
This
is the last Update for the year. The next Extension Update will
be Friday, January 3rd.
Linda
Kirk Fox, PhD
Acting Dean and Director
Cooperative Extension
Washington State University
PO Box 646230
Pullman WA 99164-6230
(509) 335-2933 Office
(509) 335-9223 Desk/Voicemail
FAX (509) 335-2926
lkfox@wsu.edu
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