This video's emphasis is on awareness, preparation and rehearsal as the keys to survival in campus and workplace violence such as the shooting rampage at Virginia Tech. in 2007. "Shots Fired on Campus: When Lightning Strikes," was produced by the Center for Personal Protection and Safety, an agency responsible for much of the federal government's current training in crisis negotiations, workplace violence, abduction prevention and hostage survival.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/parting-shot.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/parting-shot.html SAES Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:01:20 -0500 A&T's Division of Human Resources, in cooperation with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina (BCBSNC) and Maxim Health Systems, will be offering free flu shots to A&T employees, retirees and dependents with the State Health Plan or BCBSNC coverage on Thursday, Nov. 5, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the 1020 E. Wendover Building. For those without State Health Plan or BCBSNC coverage, flu shots will be $30 each. State Health Plan and BCBSNC members will be asked to show member ID cards and a photo ID. The vaccine offered on Nov. 5 will not counter the H1N1 virus. (Widespread distribution of the four FDA-approved vaccines for the H1N1 influenza virus will begin in the next two weeks.)

Appointments for flu shots - covered by insurance and those that will cost $30 alike - can be scheduled at the Division of Human Resources website.

Children under 9 will not be eligible for flu shots on Nov. 5 at the Wendover Building. Parents or guardians of children under 9 will need to take their children to a physician or health care provider.

Current state employees and retirees with State Health Plan or BCBSNC coverage can also take advantage of other times and locations for free flu shots. There is a Web page with links to flu shot clinics around the state.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/shots-just-off-campus.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/shots-just-off-campus.html SAES Wed, 30 Sep 2009 17:00:36 -0500 The Guilford County Extension Center will be accepting orders through Oct. 28 for its 2009 Fall 4-H Plant Sale. This autumn's offerings include blackberries, blueberries, muscadine grapes, and heritage apple and fig trees. All orders must be pre-paid, and then picked up at the Guilford County Extension Center Nov. 5 between 9 a.m. and 6 p.m., or Nov. 6 between 9 a.m. and noon. Proceeds from the plant sale will go to reducing the costs for Guilford County 4-H'ers attending camp and National 4-H Congress.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/start-your-2010-garden-in-nove.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/start-your-2010-garden-in-nove.html Cooperative Extension Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:59:45 -0500 A call for papers has been issued for the 17th World Congress of the International Commission of Agricultural Engineering, which will be June 13 to 17, 2010, in Quebec City, Canada. The Congress will have seven technical sections devoted to a range of applied engineering issues - from agricultural production and environmental sustainability to food processing and food safety. The Congress will also encompass the 10th Annual Meeting of the American Ecological Engineering Society; the 9th International Drainage Symposium, sponsored by the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers (ASABE); the 8th World Congress on Computers in Agriculture (WCCA), which will be sponsored by the International Network for Information Technology in Agriculture (INFITA). The Congress will also host the annual gatherings of a francophone food processing group, and the Canadian Society for Bioengineering.

The deadline for submitting proposals for papers is Nov. 20. For technical papers submitted by authors uncertain of which track is most appropriate, there is a general track, and abstracts steered into it will be assigned a track by the conference director. Among the over-arching topics for the World Congress of the International Commission of Agricultural Engineering are biosystems and the environment, new processes in food engineering, rural development policy, and food traceability.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/multiorganization-ag-engineeri.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/multiorganization-ag-engineeri.html Agricultural Research SAES Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:58:07 -0500 The SAES is adding a twist to Homecoming (Oct. 31) fundraising for added resources that will benefit instruction and current students. The SAES's four academic departments are putting together registries of needs that will run the gamut from a few high-dollar items to less expensive goods and services. The SAES's four academic departments will be competing to see which of them can come up with a registry of goods and services that will raise the most funding support. If you've got an idea for something your department needs -- minor enhancements as well as those that are somewhat costly -- or a suggestion for helping students out with recurring expenses, please pass that suggestion along to your department chair. The registry will be on the SAES website and open for business on Friday, Oct. 9.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/fundraising-registries-solicit.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/fundraising-registries-solicit.html SAES Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:57:34 -0500 USDA Rural Development has announced a series of job creation and business promotion grants that will be going to 1890 Land-Grant Institutions, and $115,000 of that funding will be headed to the SAES's International Trade Center for a one-year project that will provide "Sustainable Initiatives for Improving Energy Efficiency and Productivity of Small Farms and Businesses in Rural Communities of North Carolina." Dr. Osei Yeboah, interim director of the SAES's International Trade Center, is the project director, and his team will include Dr. Paula Faulkner and Victor Ofori-Boadu of the Department of Agribusiness, Applied Economics, and Agriscience Education. Co-principal investigators are Drs. Musibau Shofoluwe and Frank Yeboah of the A&T School of Technology.

Among the primary objectives are training in business and economic development assistance to farming industries, and assistance for mushroom producers with USDA's National Organic Standard Certification process. Communities targeted for business development training and technical assistance for minority contractors are in Halifax, Northampton, Warren and Edgecombe counties. The project team will also be working to provide targeted rural communities with guidance in energy efficiency and management, and development of sources of renewable energy.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/international-trade-center-get.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/international-trade-center-get.html Agribusiness, Applied Economics and Agriscience Education Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:56:24 -0500 Registration forms and all the resources that young scientists will need to be hands-on participants in the second annual 4-H National Youth Science Day experiment on Oct. 7 are online and only a few clicks of the mouse away. The experiment that 4-H'ers and other youths from across the country will be whipping up is going to be a "Biofuel Blast" - an experiment that will demonstrate how renewable products, such as harvested plant materials, can be used to produce energy. Once they have completed the National Science Experiment, student scientists and their adult mentors can go to a special Web page to submit results and compare them with findings by other student scientists across the country. Also among the online resources is a media toolkit with news release templates that adult leaders can use to promote local Youth Science Day activities in local media.

The 4-H National Youth Science Day was announced in the summer of 2008, along with a 4-H public service campaign: One Million New Scientists. One Million New Ideas. The campaign supports the organization's long-term goal of attracting a million new youths to 4-H science, engineering and technology programs by the year 2013.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/4h-national-youth-science-day-1.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/4h-national-youth-science-day-1.html Cooperative Extension Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:54:05 -0500 The inaugural A&T State University Honors Lecture Series will include a program on Cooperative Extension and the University's land-grant mission on Monday, Oct. 5 at 4 p.m. in the Godfrey Multipurpose Room at Coltrane Hall. Two specialists with The Cooperative Extension Program at A&T have put together a presentation they've entitled "Planting Seeds, Developing Potential - Solutions for Growth with Cooperative Extension Specialists." Dr. Montreka Dansby, Cooperative Extension's nutrition specialist, and Dr. Joshua Idassi, Extension's natural resources specialist, have prepared an overview of current Extension outreach efforts focusing on sustaining agriculture, protecting the environment, maintaining viable communities, and developing strong, healthy and safe families.

There will also be an Honors Series program on Wednesday, Oct. 7 at noon in Room 258 at Bluford Library 258, Guilford College's Max Carter will share stories of the Religious Society of Friends (Quaker) involvement in Guilford County's Underground Railroad and the history of Friends' responses to race before and after the Civil War. Carter is the director of the Friends Center and Guilford's Campus Ministry coordinator.

All installments in the Honors Lecture Series are open, without charge, to University faculty and staff, as well as students.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/extension-contributions-to-get.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/extension-contributions-to-get.html Cooperative Extension Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:51:22 -0500 The application deadline is Oct 15 for flowery floats, tricked-out trucks and all other entries in the 2009 A&T State University Homecoming Parade. SAES agribusiness corporate partners and federal and state agencies that work regularly with the SAES might be grateful to discover that the cost for entering a float or vehicle in the Homecoming Parade is only $150. The entry deadline is Oct 8. The Homecoming parade will start at 8 a.m., Oct. 31 on Murrow Boulevard. The parade route runs from Murrow onto Lindsay, and then culminates at Lindsay and Laurel streets.

Saturday, Nov. 7, is the 2009 University Day Academic Expo and the Office of Admissions is bringing thousands of high school juniors and seniors (and many parents of prospective students) to Greensboro for a look at what A&T has to offer. That Saturday, the SAES will have booths with displays and information covering our academic programs from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Alumni-Foundation Event Center. For high school students who would like to register for the University Day Academic Expo should be steered to the online registration form.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/game-plans.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/game-plans.html SAES Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:50:32 -0500 The annual enrollment period for the optional insurance coverage offered through the NC FLEX benefit program is Oct 5 - 30. There will be 15 two-hour information sessions between Oct. 5 and 21 at locations across the state. The three closest to Greensboro are: Winston-Salem State University, 9 - 11 am. on Oct. 8; the N. C. Zoo in Asheboro from 9 -11a.m. on Oct. 8; and N.C. Central University in Durham from 9 -11 a.m. on Oct. 13.

NC FLEX's insurance options include cancer, life, vision and dental insurance, and a supplemental medical plan that broadens coverage for visits to doctors' offices and inpatient hospital stays. (Faculty and staff opting for the flexible spending plan must re-enroll during each annual enrollment period.) For those already enrolled in an NC FLEX insurance option, the annual enrollment period is the one time of the year to drop or add coverage for a dependent. The NC FLEX Plan has a synopsis of what's new, and all eligible employees will be receiving a booklet with complete details on NC FLEX options by mail.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/25day-window-for-changing-insu.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/25day-window-for-changing-insu.html SAES Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:49:39 -0500 The Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program and the Southern Rural Development Center (SRDC) have jointly administered a grants program since 2002 that provides funding for projects that strengthen both agriculture and communities by connecting sustainable agriculture to community development. County Extension centers, farm support organizations and community development agencies (local, state and regional) are among the agencies eligible for SARE/SRDC "Sustainable Community Innovation Grants" of as much as $10,000. Among the projects awarded program funding in recent years are nutrition classes, promotional materials supporting local agriculture, farmland protection initiatives, and farmers market and agritourism initiatives. The next deadline for proposals is Oct. 5. All proposals must be submitted online.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/communities-with-sustainable-a.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/communities-with-sustainable-a.html Cooperative Extension Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:48:33 -0500 Dr. Mohamed Ahmedna has been named director of the SAES's Center of Excellence for Post-Harvest Technology at the North Carolina Research Campus in Kannapolis.

Since joining the SAES in 2000, Ahmedna has been involved in 17 multidisciplinary projects totaling more than $5 million. His research has resulted in 30 peer-reviewed scientific publications and patent applications involving a process to inactivate allergens in peanuts. Ahmedna received a master's and doctorate in food science, and a master's in applied statistics, at Louisiana State University. He recently received an MBA from the Kenan-Flagler business school at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.]]> http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/staff-update-7.html http://www.ag.ncat.edu/agedispatch/2009/09/staff-update-7.html Family and Consumer Sciences Food Sciences Wed, 30 Sep 2009 16:47:57 -0500

• Use the active voice so readers immediately connect the subject of the sentence with the action it is initiating. Not: "One of the best term papers on international trade policy was written by a student who has never traveled outside North Carolina." Instead (and active): "A student who has never traveled from North Carolina wrote the best paper on international trade"
  
• Use a thesaurus to find a word with the precise meaning you're looking for; not to find a synonym for a word you're using excessively (bad) or a synonym that sounds more erudite (worse).
  
• Use quotations at strategically important turns in making your most important points. Quote a recognized authority, but surprise your readers with an unexpected authority and phrasing that is eloquent. (Too often, quotes simply reinforce or rephrase an important point that's already been established.)
  
• In Strunk and White's The Elements of Style, the chapter covering "Elementary Principles Of Composition" has a section headed "Put statements in positive form." Examples given include "He was not very often on time" instead of "He usually came late"; and "He did not think that studying Latin was much use" rather than "He thought the study of Latin useless." Technical writing leads many writers into the trap of negating a concept or action that has a more recognizable label. (For example, the author of a research paper on weed management will be tempted to refer to other plants as "non-weeds" instead of calling them "vegetables." Shrunk and White say that writers who fall into such traps have failed to "Avoid tame, colorless, hesitating, non-committal language."


• If you've got a long listing (five or more entries) that's horizontal, with entries separated by commas or semicolons, convert it to a vertical list, with each entry on one line and introduced with a bullet or asterisk. Readers tend to skim listings instead of reading each entry closely, and a vertical listing makes it unmistakably clear that it's text that can be skimmed. Vertical listings are also helpful when key points are recapped or summarized. If need arises to refer back to an article for key points, the vertical listing makes them easier to locate.


• Colons and dashes are two punctuation marks that can break up a monotonous flow of text punctuated only with periods and commas. But because it's murky about which to use when, colons and dashes are often left on the keyboard. Mignon Fogarty, the author of Grammar Girl's Quick and Dirty Tips, advises that "the colon signals that what comes next is directly related to the previous sentence." Fogarty says that "a dash is a stronger and more informal mark that a colon, [that] interrupts the flow of the sentence and tells the reader to get ready for an important or dramatic statement."


• When you give your work a final proofing, see if you've got windy or word phrases that can be replaced with a single word. For example, replace "at the present time" with "now," and "in the majority of instances" with "usually."