Crop Sciences Newsletter #112, October 6, 2005

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS

...Congratulations to Mike Gray, who was recently elected Vice President-Elect of the Entomological Society of America. His term as President of ESA will begin in December of 2007 and conclude in December of 2008. Duties as Vice President-Elect will commence this November during the annual meeting in Ft. Lauderdale, FL. ESA is the largest organization in the world serving the professional and scientific needs of entomologists and people in related disciplines. Founded in 1889, ESA today has more than 5,700 members affiliated with educational institutions, health agencies, private industry, and government.

...Congratulations to Matt Hudson, who was selected as a NCSA/UIUC Faculty Fellow for the academic year 2005-2006.

...Congratulations to Qin Zhang, on the completion of her Ph.D. She worked under the direction of Dean Riechers and has taken a postdoctoral position at Brown University in Rhode Island.

...Martin Uribelarrea has been selected to receive the Outstanding Graduate Student Award at the North Central Extension-Industry Soil Fertility Conference to be held in Des Moines, IA on Nov. 16-17. He will present a poster titled "Introgressing Unique Sources of Germplasm to Improve N Use in Temperate Maize."

...The Fellowship recipients for the academic year 2005- 2006 are as follows: William B. and Nancy L. Ambrose Fellowship--Narasimham Upadyayula; Richard L. Bernard Soybean Improvement Award--Joy Jamago; Brockson Graduate Fellowship--Emily Heaton; W. L. Burlison Memorial Award--Elizabeth Wrage; Crow’s Hybrid Corn Company Scholarship--Jonathan Nordby; Charles Adlai Ewing Endowed Graduate Fellowship-- Matt Hunt; J. C. Hackleman Fellowship/Illinois Crop Improvement Association Graduate Fellowship--Sarah Schultz and Amy Wilson; Richard H. and Elizabeth C. Hageman Endowed Graduate Research Fellowship-- Allen Becker; Floyd S. Ingersoll Graduate Research Fellowship--Fernando Miguez, Jonathan Baldwin Turner Graduate Fellowship--Carolyn Bonin, Sarah Jones and Robyn Stevens; Kraft/Frerichs Graduate Fellowship--Jeffrey Coulter; Pioneer Hi-Bred International Plant Breeding Graduate Fellowship--Sofia da Silva; M. B. Russell Memorial Award--Ines Daverede and Sushma Jossey; Fred W. Slife Graduate Fellowship--Jeremy Lake; Darwin Traditional Corn Breeding Fellowship by A. Forrest Troyer--Joshua Meyer; University of Illinois Fellowship--Andrea Collett and Nicolas Martin; Fulbright Fellowship--Joy Jamago; Agricultural Genome Sciences and Public Policy Fellowship--Jeff Church and Elizabeth Wrage; and, Vietnam Education Foundation Fellowship--Anh Tung Pham.

FUNDING RECEIVED

Congratulations to all who submitted successful applications!

...Mohammad Babadoost received $118,325 from CFAR for his project “Integrated Management of Summer Diseases of Apples”.

...The Illinois Soybean Program Operating Board awarded Glen Hartman $72,000 for “Illinois Plan for Management of Soybean Rust: Sentinel Plots, Diagnostics, Research and Outreach”.

...Curtis Hill received $7,500 from USDA/ARS for his project “Evaluating and Breeding for Soybean Rust Resistance with Vietnam”.

...Susan Ratcliffe received a $5,000 grant from the USDA for support of the 5th National IPM Symposium to be held April 4-6, 2006 in St. Louis.

FROM OUR OFFICE TO YOURS

...Field & Furrow Club. Selling mums of various colors ($5.00 each) and pumpkins in the Turner Hall lounge this Friday (October 7) from 12-4.

...The 60-day requirement for submittal of employee reimbursement requests will take effect January 3, 2006. In compliance with IRS regulations, a business expense reimbursement to an employee may be considered taxable income to the employee if the request for the reimbursement is not received by University Payables within 60 calendar days of:

--the last date of travel (for travel reimbursements), or
--the date the business expense was paid or incurred (for miscellaneous expense reimbursements)

The 60-day requirement will apply to reimbursement requests received by University Payables on or after January 3, 2006. This means that reimbursement requests received on January 3 for expenses incurred, or travel that ended, on or before November 4, 2005, will be considered taxable income to the employee.

Walk through employee reimbursements will be discontinued November 1, 2005. Direct deposit reimbursements will be the University policy.

DATES TO REMEMBER

Oct. 7, ACES Faculty Meeting: Recognition for New and Recently Promoted Faculty, Heritage Room, ACES Library

Oct 11, Field & Furrow monthly meeting at 5:30 p.m. in W-109, everyone is welcome

Oct. 13, ACES Career Fair, 10-3:00, Illini Rooms A,B,C

Oct. 29, “Salute to Agriculture Day” in conjunction with the UIUC/Wisconsin football game

Nov. 3, Gamma Sigma Delta Graduate Fellows Recognition in 149 NSRC, 3:00-5:00 p.m.

Nov. 6-11, ASA Meetings in Salt Lake City, UT

Dec. 9, Jonathan Baldwin Turner Banquet, Illini Union Mar. 10-11, 2006, ExplorACES

April 25, 2006 College of ACES and Paul A. Funk Recognition Awards program at the Illini Union.

UPCOMING CONFERENCES, SYMPOSIA & WORKSHOPS

...Members of the Cell and Molecular Biology and Molecular Biophysics Training Grants will sponsor the 18th annual research symposium on Friday, October 14, 2005 from 11:30 AM to 6:00 PM at Beckman Institute. Our Keynote speaker is Dr. Joan Steitz, a professor of Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry Investigator at Yale University, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Director, Molecular Genetics Program, Boyer Center for Molecular Medicine. Dr. Steitz is best known for discovering and defining the function of small nuclear ribonucleoproteins (snRNPs), which occur only in higher cells and organisms. For more details about her research visit her lab webpage.

GRANTS/FELLOWSHIPS

...J. Fielding Reed PPI Fellowships will be awarded by the Potash & Phosphate Institute to deserving graduate students in soil and plant science. Graduate students attending a U.S. or Canadian degree-granting institution are eligible. Students in the disciplines of soil and plant sciences including agronomy, horticulture, ecology, soil fertility, soil chemistry, crop physiology and other areas related to plant nutrition are urged to apply. Applications and other details are available by e-mailing ppates@ppi-far.org. The deadline for application is January 15, 2006.

...The Young Scientist’s Predoctoral and Postdoctoral Research Recognition Award is sponsored by the Agrochemicals Division of the American Chemical Society and co-sponsored by Dow AgroSciences. The purpose of the award is to recognize student and postdoctoral research achievement in any area involving any aspect of the study of agrochemicals. The subject areas could range from conventional pesticides and pheromones to fertilizers and animal antibiotics, from genetically modified crops to application technology or best management practices. Disciplinary areas range from synthetic, analytical, or environmental chemistry to biochemical toxicology, ecotoxicology, risk assessment, resistance management, or natural products with pest control properties. In short, if the research involves any conceivable aspect of agrochemical technology, then “the sky is the limit.” Note that the old Fertilizer & Soil Chemistry Division of the American Chemical Society fused with the Agrochemical Division, so research on chemistry and toxicological aspects of fertilizers (including concerns about heavy metals and perchlorates) is included in the interests of the Division.

The Awards will be presented to one winner and a runnerup at the American Chemical Society national meeting March 26-30, 2006 in Atlanta, GA. The winner and runner up will receive plaques and a cash award of $750 and $500, respectively, paid registration fee, and a $600 travel grant. Also, they will be able to present their award winning paper in the Young Scientist’s Recognition Symposium held in conjunction with the meeting.

Graduate students not selected as winners can still present their paper in the symposium; their registration fee will be waived and they will also receive up to a $600 travel grant.

To apply for the award, the graduate student or post doctoral associate needs to submit by November 5, 2005, an extended abstract of no more than 4 pages (includes everything-figures, tables, references, etc.). The extended abstract should clearly describe the nature of the work (hypothesis or rationale, results), its relationship to previous research, and its significance for the field of agrochemicals (in the context of crop protection, environmental protection, human health, etc.). The extended abstract can be submitted by fax or via e-mail. The application form should be signed and sent via mail or fax. The application form can be downloaded from the ACS Agrochemicals Division website.

..The Churchill Scholarship to your best and brightest students. A Churchill Scholarship provides one year of post graduate study leading to a degree in engineering, mathematics, and/or the sciences at Cambridge University, England. Seniors and graduate students who are U.S. citizens and under the age of 26 are eligible to apply. Students must apply to the Office of Scholarships for International Study by October 24; further information about the award is available online.

GRAD STUDENT BULLETIN BOARD

...CV Doctor. Friday, October 7, 11:00 a.m.- 2:00 p.m. Lower level of Undergraduate Library, Espresso Royale Cafe. This Friday, bring your curriculum vitae (CV) to the Espresso Royale beneath the Undergraduate Library for a free, confidential critique. Graduate College staff will be on hand to answer questions and provide advice on formatting, content, and delivery, as well as to answer questions about cover letters and the job search process. This event is free for all graduate students and post-docs.

...Fellowship stipends may be subject to income taxes. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) has ruled that universities are not responsible for withholding or reporting income taxes on fellowship payments for U.S. citizens or permanent residents. The IRS requires that universities withhold taxes from the fellowship payments of international students on temporary visas. More information is available online.

...Thesis Deposit Workshop. Thursday, October 13, 5:00 - 6:30 p.m. 407 Illini Union. All doctoral students and most master's students must deposit a thesis or dissertation in order to complete their degree. This workshop is designed to provide graduate students with the key information they need to achieve a successful, low-stress deposit and graduation experience. It covers the procedures and deadlines relating to deposit, required deposit materials, and basic rules of thesis and dissertation format. No registration is necessary. Please note: the Graduate College offers Thesis Deposit Workshops twice each semester. Next Thursday's workshop would be most helpful for those students planning to graduate in December 2005.

...Other Workshops offered during the Fall 2005 semester. More details are available at the website. All meet in room 407 Illini Union from 5:00-6:30 p.m.

Oct. 18--Building Relationships for the Future: Networking Skills
Oct. 19--Scholarly Writing as Creative Work for Humanists & Social Scientists
Oct. 24--Publishing in Academic Journals: Advice from the Experts for Humanists & Social Scientists
Oct. 26--Interviewing Skills for Academic Jobs
Oct. 28--Translating the Advanced Degree: Transferable Skills
Nov. 2--Career Spotlight: Careers in Government & Public Policy
Nov. 7--Graduate & Professional Student Etiquette Dinner (6-8:00 p.m., 103 Colonial Room, registration/fee required)
Nov. 8--Negotiation Skills & Job Offer Evaluation for Nonacademic Jobs
Nov. 15--Negotiation Skills & Offer Evaluation for Academic Jobs

SEMINARS

Oct. 7, noon, Evan Wolfson, Attorney/Gay & Lesbian Civil Rights Activist, “Marriage, Gays and the Importance of Progressive Engagement”, Latzer Hall, YMCA.

Oct. 11, noon, Representatives Naomi Jakobsson and Rick Winkel, “A view of Illinois from Springfield”, Latzer Hall, YMCA.

Oct. 14, noon, Robert Ricigliano, Director, Institute of World Affairs and Peace Studies Programs, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, “Can an individual make a difference? Assisting the peace process in the Congo”, Latzer Hall, YMCA.

Oct. 21, noon, Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins, Founding Board Member, Murder Victims’ Families for Human Rights/Assistant Principal for Academics at St. Scholastics Academy, “Facing the Death penalty: a victim’s conscience”, Latzer Hall, YMCA.

Oct. 25, noon, Rebecca Guyette, Program Director, YMCA of the University of Illinois, “Growing old together: the relationship of the Y to the University”, Latzer Hall, YMCA.

Oct. 28, noon, UIUC Engineers Without Borders, “Extending our conscience overseas”, Latzer Hall, YMCA.

Nov. 1, noon, Winton Solberg, Professor Emeritus, Department of History, UIUC, “Creating a great American University: Edmund J. James and the University of Illinois 1904-1920", Latzer Hall, YMCA.

Nov. 4, noon, Ruth Mininger, Ten Thousand Villages, “Conscience in business, responsibility in consumption”, Latzer Hall, YMCA.

Nov. 11, noon, Steve Shoemaker, Executive Director, University YMCA, “Visions of conscience from stories old and new”, Latzer Hall, YMCA.