Untitled Document

Friday, March 10, 2006

Good morning! Here's your daily summary of news coverage of Auburn University. Please note continuing coverage of the delivery of an AU-student designed "home" to a Katrina victim in Gulport, Miss., and coverage by reporters from this area and South Carolina of the visit by South Carolina kindergarten teachers to AU's Early Education Center.

Total Clips: 9

	Date	Outlet
Alabama school's methods setting example for South Carolina ...	03/10/2006	WIS-TV
Teaching teachers: S.C. teachers come to AU for close-up look at AEEC	03/10/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
Soybean rust scouting ongoing in Georgia, Alabama	03/10/2006	Farm Futures
'If the dog sits, there's a bomb'	03/10/2006	Seattle Post Intelligencer
Special delivery: A home	03/10/2006	Times Leader
Dixon home placed on Historic Register	03/10/2006	Andalusia Star News, The
Auburn Textile Engineering Now Polymer And Fiber Engineering	03/09/2006	Textileweb.com
Scouting tips are best lessons from southern rust experience	03/09/2006	Iowa Farmer Today
Shipping container equipped at Auburn U. for hurricane shelter	03/09/2006	Picayune Item


Alabama school's methods setting example for South Carolina ... 03/10/2006 WIS-TV Craig Melvin		Return to Top
Text of TV report from WIS-TV in Columbia, S.C., on South Carolina teachers' trip to Auburn Early Education Center. Right now, some South Carolina kindergarten teachers who teach in what has become known as the "Corridor of Shame" are learning a unique approach to educating their youngest students. WIS' Craig Melvin went with the teachers to Auburn, Alabama and met some interesting students. Every day Ryan Sexton goes to the jungle via the crafts in his classroom. A few doors down, kindergartners can go just about anywhere in America. The classrooms are full of decorations and information from all over. And the teachers incorporate imaginative real-world situations into everyday classroom life. For instance, students that want to travel the world in must have their "tickets" and "check their bags." It's how they learn at the Auburn Early Education Center. Principal Lilly Land talks about the approach, "Now, that's way beyond a child doing a color sheet, 'color the box blue', 'write the numbers 1, 2, 3, 4, 5,' or 'let's practice our letters.'" "We integrate all academic areas together. You do not sit down and, 'It's time for reading,' 'Now we're going to have math,' 'Now we're going to learn science,' 'We're going to do social studies.'" Parent Nancy Watson lived in Columbia, South Carolina until recently when her husband was transferred, "My husband actually works up in the valley and we chose to live in Auburn so he can come to this school system." She is impressed with the school, "On a daily basis they share stories. Each morning they have three stories from three different children they share and then they cover their eyes and vote on whose story was the most interesting for the day and that's what they write about for their journal." It's a non-traditional approach, but it seems to be working. It's a national school of excellence, and commonly regarded as the best kindergarten program in America. They have some advantages, including generous corporate support; lots of technology, including interactive "smart boards" in every classroom; and 40 education majors from nearby Auburn University. Wade Thaxton is one of those Auburn University students, "I come here at 7:00 every morning. The kids get here about 7:15. I set up, and then at 7:15 I usually do a lesson." Many of the chidren's lessons are taught on computers. Lauren Anderson teaches kindergarten at Batesburg-Leesville primary, and can't get over what's called the thematic integrated teaching method, "I think it requires a lot of creativity and a lot of, you know, you can't do it by yourself. But I think it's great because it fosters so much learning with the kids and they're really learning through experience." Bernice Barnes teaches kindergarten in Orangeburg County, "Right here in the classroom, children are touring Hawaii and not leaving Auburn, Alabama. I just really wish that we, our state, South Carolina, would not place so much emphasis on testing. Therefore we would be able to do a lot of these things in the classroom. Teachers are, would be more relaxed. And I think that's what they have here, more of a relaxed environment." It's a place where high-fives and hugs seem to be just as common as success. Forty percent of the students at the Auburn Center are minority students, and 40 percent are on free or reduced lunch. There are 430 kindergartners at the school, which only teaches that age group. Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence sponsored the trip.
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Teaching teachers: S.C. teachers come to AU for close-up look at AEEC 03/10/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Beverly Harvey		Return to Top
Opelika-Auburn News' coverage of South Carolina teachers' trip to Auburn Early Education Center. More than 50 kindergarten teachers from South Carolina wrapped up a two-day visit to Auburn Early Education Center on Thursday, taking home lesson plans and new visions for their classrooms. The visit was part of the Blue Ribbon Schools of Excellence Best Practices program, which works to share ideas and concepts from successful schools and share them with teachers across the country, said Bart Teal, executive director of the nonprofit organization. AEEC, which enrolls 5-year olds and special needs 4-year olds, was named a Blue Ribbon Lighthouse School last year and a Blue Ribbon School of Excellence in 1999. "Like a lighthouse shining to direct others, we have a responsibility to share best practices with other educators," said AEEC Principal Lilli Land. The visitors toured classrooms and learned more about AEEC’s unique curriculum that lets students choose an area of study, then conduct research and create a learning environment based on what they learn, Land said. For example, in a recent study about travel, the kindergartners researched airports and then built a paper and cardboard airport terminal complete with metal detector, airplane cabin and cockpit, air traffic control tower and airline ticket counter. In the course of researching and creating their projects, the students also sharpen their math, literacy, art and other curriculum-based skills, Land said. The theme-based curriculum made an impression on a number of the South Carolina teachers, including Stephanie Seay, the state’s Teacher of the Year. "I’ve been blown away, actually, by the commitment to honoring the children that you see here," Seay said. "The teachers are really capitalizing on making children’s thinking visible." Seay said she enjoyed seeing the inside of the airplane and the replica of a cockpit. "What’s more important is not that they learned about airplanes, but that they learned to work cooperatively and to solve problems," she said. Patricia Warren, who has taught kindergarten for five years, said the Auburn visit opened her eyes to whole new ways of teaching, such as introducing journal writing to her 20 young students. "This has been an awesome experience for me," Warren said. "I think I’m going to take away the project theme of teaching in the classroom." Response from all the visiting teachers was positive, Teal said. "Every last one of them are telling me ‘Wow, I can’t believe what they’re doing here,’" he said. The visiting teachers arrived by bus from South Carolina on Wednesday evening and spent Thursday at AEEC. During a special reception, they heard Auburn City Schools Superintendent Terry Jenkins, Auburn University Interim President Ed Richardson and Alabama Deputy State Superintendent Ruth Ash. The teachers are scheduled to head back home to South Carolina this morning.
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Soybean rust scouting ongoing in Georgia, Alabama 03/10/2006 Farm Futures		Return to Top
This story, which quotes Ed Sikora, an Extension specialist and professor of plant pathology at AU, also appeared on the Farm Progress Web site. Scouting for soybean rust continues on kudzu patches from Florida northward through Georgia and Alabama, and westward to Texas. The confirmed reports of counties with rust on kudzu in 2006 include five in Alabama, eleven in Florida, four in Georgia, and one in Texas, according to USDA's Soybean Rust Web site. Scouting for Asian soybean rust on kudzu continues in the southern states with some new reports from Georgia and Alabama. The most recent find occurred on kudzu in southwest corner of the Georgia in Miller County. Ed Sikora, Auburn University plant pathologist, reports that no old-growth kudzu patches were observed in southwest Alabama towns in Escambia, Conechu, Monroe and Sumter Counter. New growth was observed in Conecuh and Monroe counties. New growth ranged from 1/4 " to 6" in length. Less then 1% of each 1-2 acre patch was greening up. No soybean rust was detected. Soybean rust was observed on the kudzu patch in Evergreen in Conecuh County backed in late December. The patch has since gone dormant.
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'If the dog sits, there's a bomb' 03/10/2006 Seattle Post Intelligencer Phuong Cat Le		Return to Top
Larry Myers, an associate professor in AU's College of Veterinary Medicine is quoted in this story on the detector dogs that help protect Washington's ferries and ports. To join the ranks of those defending Washington's ferries and ports against terrorists, they must first demonstrate that they love to play with a rubber toy. They're expected to pull four 10-hour shifts a week, scan for the ingredients that make up more than 1,000 explosives and sit -- under no circumstances dig -- when they sniff out something. The best ones exhibit a high energy level and neurotic obsession with their toy -- the reward for finding a bomb. Not every dog is cut out for Homeland Security. A third of the canine candidates for the Washington State Patrol's Explosive K9 unit wash out, usually because they lack the drive to smell-check an endless stream of cars and trucks. "It's a lot to ask of a dog," said Trooper Rob Richey, one of the agency's three K9 trainers. "The dog has to have a lot of stamina. We're asking them to work for hours on end." For the border collies, Labrador retrievers, Belgian Malinois and others that graduate from the 12-week bomb-detection program, the transition from pound to police work lands them on the front lines of our nation's fight against terrorism. For three pit bulls, it also landed them a bit of fame -- a featured spot on the Working Pit Bull Web site. The Coast Guard ordered more vehicle screenings on passenger ferries nationwide after 9/11. But after random searches on Washington ferries provoked a public outcry and legal challenges over potential civil rights violations, the State Patrol turned to dogs. The agency quickly discovered that canines were a more efficient, non-intrusive way to randomly screen the ferry system's 25 million annual riders and 20 terminals -- the largest such system of its kind in the nation. "Dogs don't profile, they don't discriminate," said Trooper James Riley, another K9 trainer. He personally scans animal shelters each month, looking for "ball-crazy," driven dogs. The State Patrol won't release specific numbers for security reasons, but the agency has one of the largest dog bomb-detection units in the country, according to Capt. Steve Sutton, who heads the agency's vessels and terminal security division. Before 9/11, the agency had a few dogs trained to detect black powder and other explosives, but none worked the ferries. The State Patrol now has more than two dozen bomb-sniffing dogs, and more four-legged sentries are coming out of the academy each year. The next class is set to graduate in May. Maritime targets have been deemed the No. 1 terrorist threat in the West by the Coast Guard, Sutton said. "We take it very seriously." The bomb-sniffing teams have been called to check out many threats, though none have materialized. They have, however, nabbed people illegally carrying fireworks on board ferries and spurred the arrests of a few felons caught packing guns. With their highly developed sense of smell, dogs are playing a more important role in homeland security. Last fall, the Transportation Security Administration said it would extend its use of bomb-sniffing dogs from airports to subways and other mass transit systems. Since 9/11, the agency has more than doubled the number of bomb-detection teams it dispatched to local agencies nationwide. The Port of Seattle has bomb-sniffing dogs on the job at Sea-Tac Airport, but declined to say how many. Around the world, dogs are being trained to detect land mines, contraband, disaster survivors, even cancer. British researchers recently found that dogs could detect bladder cancer on the basis of urine odor. "You can train a dog to detect anything that has a scent," said Larry Myers, a professor at Auburn University's School of Veterinary Medicine. The animals have about 20 to 40 times more receptor cells in their nasal cavities than humans do, he said. Mixed breeds do just as well at sniffing as purebreds. "It's going to vary individual by individual," said Myers. "Some Labs have as good a nose (as any); other Labs can't find their butt." Researchers are trying to model the dog's nose with technology, but Myers said, "There's nothing that's going to take the place of a dog in operation." Drills in the 'Fun House' It's what the State Patrol counts on when its puts its troopers and dogs through 400 hours of training on the forested campus of its academy in Shelton. The current class includes seven canines -- pound-rescued and purchased -- who bark wildly as they wait in large metal kennels for four troopers to finish two weeks of classroom work. Crucial "nose time" started last month when the hyperactive canines started learning to sit when they detect the scent of more than 1,000 explosives. Drills take place in the "Fun House," a metal building filled with wooden cubbyholes. The dogs are rewarded with a rubber ball and lots of praise -- "That's a good dog!" -- when they sniff the right odor in the right hole. The troopers repeat the drills for hours, so the dogs associate the odor with sitting and then with their toy, said Riley, the trainer. Only one out of 90 dogs that like to play is cut out for bomb-sniffing work, Riley said. "They're very driven, but they're not very smart. If they were too smart, they wouldn't work so hard" to play with a toy, he said. Riley got his own dog, 6-year-old Bizmarq, through Border Collie Rescue. The troopers and their dogs are certified as a team, once they pass 14 different tests. On a few occasions, the dog handlers -- troopers with at least four years' experience picked through a highly competitive process -- don't make it out of training either, Riley said. They find it wasn't what they bargained for. Part of the family It's an adjustment on many levels. When Trooper Robert Minor first took home Bo, an easygoing yellow Lab, the house cat didn't much care for it. He also had to keep the dog separate from the family at first, which was particularly hard on his daughters because they just wanted to play with it. Minor didn't want the Lab -- "he's still state property" -- to lose his sharpness. Bo's goofy, outgoing personality matched Minor's perfectly when both went through the K9 academy in 2004. They've been working together since, patrolling Seattle's Colman Dock. "I just like working with the dogs. I think it's fun and amazing to watch them do their work," said Minor, 41, a 19-year patrol veteran. An added benefit of the K9 duty: "I don't have to wrestle drunks anymore." Bomb sniffing is a lifelong training experience for both dogs and handlers. Twice a month, they show up at maintenance practices to hone their skills. On a recent cold morning, Minor and Bo show up at abandoned federal building in Seattle for drills. Bo jumps up to greet Riley, the trainer, but Minor feels compelled to warn others within smelling distance that his dog has his own unusual scent. The girls fed the dog Ramen spices. The task for the K9 team this morning is to find explosives that trainers have hidden in heating vents, behind radiators and inside wall paneling. "Find it," Minor says, as the Lab sets off with his handler in tow. Minor taps various walls and vents, and Bo sniffs it out. The team moves through the rooms, and Minor watches for increased breathing or other changes in the Lab's behavior, hints that he is onto something. "Been there," Minor says, when Bo checks a spot he had gone over already. After a few minutes of sniffing, Bo makes a discovery. He stops in front of a radiator, dips his head and eyes Minor. Then he gives his signal -- several loud barks. Bo found the hidden explosive. His barking doesn't stop until Minor pulls out the reward, a yellow rubber toy.
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Special delivery: A home 03/10/2006 Times Leader Tracy Dash		Return to Top
This story, also included in yesterday's report, appeared in today's (Wilkes Barre, Pa.) Times Leader and the Centre Times in State College, Pa. GULFPORT - Barbara Meyer celebrated her 67th birthday a day early this year after getting one of the best gifts of her life - a new home. But it's unlike any home she's ever seen. It's a house designed by students at Auburn University. It's converted from a shipping container. And of course, it is painted the school's colors, orange and blue. "I like colors anyway," Meyer said with a laugh. Meyer slipped on an Auburn University T-shirt and yelled "War Eagle," just before touring her new home. The container sits next to her small home on 26½ Street that was built in 1942, which sustained roof and water damage from Hurricane Katrina. She will live in the container while her home is renovated. Meyer's temporary home has a front deck, a back porch, a small refrigerator, a built-in entertainment system, insulated walls, wood floors, lighting and smoke detectors. The only things missing are bathroom facilities and a kitchen, two of the rooms in her home most damaged by Katrina. She said she will use the bathroom in her home for as long as possible and cook in a microwave or on a grill. Nine Auburn students and faculty were in Gulfport on Wednesday overseeing the container's delivery and preparing it for Meyer to move in. Students from the school's Social Work and Design-Build programs were just as excited about completing the project as Meyer was to receive it. Although the students have converted other containers, the one given to Meyer is the first one moved outside of Alabama. Students worked with the Southern Mississippi Planning and Development District/Area Agency on Aging, where Meyer volunteers as a senior companion. Deborah Banks, manager of the senior companion program, recommended Meyer. Banks said she chose Meyer because she has no house insurance, her family lives out of state and she has limited income. Social work student Lindsay McGinnis visited Mississippi shortly after the storm and wanted to help people, especially those in need of a home. "I believe the Lord called me to do this," McGinnis said.
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Dixon home placed on Historic Register 03/10/2006 Andalusia Star News, The Sophia Ruffin		Return to Top
THe Dixon family's gifts to AU are mentioned in this story. The Dixon Home Place has been added to the Alabama National Register of Landmarks and Heritage. “The historical register recognizes buildings that have historic value and are worthy of being preserved. The Dixon Center is very historic and it is very well deserved for preservation,” said center representative Rhett Johnson. The Dixon Home Place is a site built on 80 acres of land. The house was original constructed in 1850 as a dogtrot. In 1900, the breezeway was enclosed. In 1978, Solon and Martha Dixon donated the house to Auburn University for the use of its forestry education center. The home was the primary residence of many Dixon family members who were prominent in the forestry industry in Alabama. “The home is now the centerpiece of the Solon Dixon Forestry Education Center complex in Covington County. It is one of the finest field facilities of its type in the nation,” Johnson said. The Dixon Center offers comfortable, efficient classroom and living accommodations and a diverse 5,300-acre natural resources base for the benefit of students and visitors. Since the dedication some years ago, the center has managed its natural resources and programs to meet the objectives of the Auburn University students. “The students come here to have hands-on experience in forestry education,” Johnson said. “The Auburn University School of Forestry and Wildlife Science manages the Dixon Center. Each Auburn forestry student spends one 10-week summer term at the Dixon Center taking basic field forestry coursework prior to their junior year and more advance on campus courses.” The Dixon Center has served as the site for research projects in a number of fields. The Forestry research has known for its herbicide usage, forest growth and yield, forest regeneration and recently longleaf pine regeneration and management. The Dixon Center also serves as the home base for the Longleaf Alliance, a regional organization dedicated to the retention and restoration of this once dominant native southern ecosystem. Johnson said, “This place could become a great tourist attraction for Covington County. But, right now the center administrative department is trying to restore the home. When every thing is up and running perfectly, visitors will be able to come and tour the building for the Family Regional Museum.” The National Register designation was made in September.
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Auburn Textile Engineering Now Polymer And Fiber Engineering 03/09/2006 Textileweb.com __		Return to Top
A story from a trade Web site on the change of the name of AU's Department of Textile Engineering to the Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering. The recent name change of the Auburn University Department of Textile Engineering to Polymer and Fiber Engineering - approved by the Board of Trustees on November 18 - acknowledges the changing directions of the department during the past decade and the growing utilization of polymer and fiber-based engineered materials. Increasingly, engineering achievements develop in conjunction with advances in engineered materials. High-tech, lightweight aircraft structures, automobile components, watercraft and racing bikes are a few examples of products whose performance is closely tied to the development of advanced polymer and fiber-reinforced composite materials. The new Polymer and Fiber Engineering curriculum, developed with input from alumni and an industry advisory board, reflects the importance of polymers, composite materials and fibrous materials in such diverse fields as plastics, elastomers (rubber), adhesives, surface coatings (paints), paper, packaging, insulation, filtration, biomedical, automotive, aerospace, marine, construction, environmental, industrial, nonwoven, recreational and safety materials. Students can choose two options. The polymer option emphasizes polymer characterization, processing and chemistry. The fiber option emphasizes mechanics, composite materials and other fibrous structures. "We are excited by this name change and new curriculum which more accurately describes the evolution of the department and its programs to meet the challenges of the 21st Century," said Peter Schwartz, head of the Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering. "We will begin accepting students in this new program in Fall 2006." The Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering administers one of the largest undergraduate departmental scholarship programs at Auburn University. Typical awards average $1,600 per year, approximately one-third of the cost of in-state tuition. Some larger scholarships are available to those who can show financial need. The department also offers a graduate degree in integrated textile and applied science, jointly administered with the Department of Consumer Affairs. Faculty and graduate students are currently involved in research for the U.S. Army, Department of Homeland Security, NASA, National Science Foundation, National Textile Center, Pratt & Whitney Aerospace and other industry partners.
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Scouting tips are best lessons from southern rust experience 03/09/2006 Iowa Farmer Today Tim Hoskins		Return to Top
Another story on soybean rust in which AU's Ed Sikora is quoted. In 2005, Ed Sikora, an Auburn University Extension plant pathologist, learned a new dance - 10 step stop and drop. Basically, when he was scouting Alabama soybeans fields for Asian rust, he would walk 10 steps, then stop and drop to his knees while looking at the lower leaves on the soybean plant. How to scout for the disease might be one of the best lessons learned from some of the Southern rust detections in 2005. "We only found it on the leaves," Sikora said. For the 2005 growing season, he said many Alabama farmers planted an early maturing soybean variety. Others decreased their soybean acres. While some have talked about the disease leapfrogging from state to state, Sikora said that might not be the case. "We had to wait a month for this disease to move 400 yards," he said. Another lesson is, fungicides work. Sikora says about half of the soybean acres were treated with fungicide but only two fields were harmed by rust. Jim Marois, plant pathologist at the University of Florida, also had some observations from dealing with rust in 2005. "Currently, there is not enough inoculum for an outbreak in North America," he said. "We will find the inoculum will increase over time," Marois predicted. Generally, rust spores are produced via non-sexual reproduction - clones of the parents. However, some finds in Florida in December might suggest there was sexual reproduction, Marois noted. That could mean rust could develop resistance to fungicides. Also, rust could overcome any source of resistance, if it is discovered. Also, there is the possibility aphids can carry rust spores, he said. In early February, Marois said they had yet to have a hard freeze that would kill some of the green host for the disease. Since then the frost line has moved into Central Florida. Marois said in the past year the Florida Department of Agriculture helped to scout for the disease. However, because soybeans are a relatively minor crop there, the state government will be less involved in looking for soybean rust. It is fighting a canker that is affecting the citrus industry. Another lesson learned is, sentinel plots work. Bob Kemerait, University of Georgia plant pathologist, reported because they detected rust at a very low incidence in the sentinel plots, he was able to alert producers. "In the area where the disease was found, Georgia farmers were advised to spray a curative fungicide, while others north of the infected site were told to spray a preventive fungicide," says Alison Robertson, Iowa State University plant pathologist.
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Shipping container equipped at Auburn U. for hurricane shelter 03/09/2006 Picayune Item		Return to Top
This AP version of the converted storage container being delivered to a Gulport, Miss., Katrina victim, also included in yesterday's report, ran today in the Picayune (Miss.) Item. Hurricane victims have had to take shelter under many different roofs since Katrina struck on Aug. 29 - some even in the tented outdoors. So when Auburn University architecture students offered to convert a boxy shipping container into a shelter, they got a favorable response in Gulfport, Miss. “Bring it over,” said retired teacher Barbara Meyer, whose home was damaged by the hurricane and still awaits repairs. Meyer, who turns 67 Thursday, said she spent two months in Arkansas before returning in November to hurricane-wrecked Gulfport. Her home was barely livable. She said she didn't seek a FEMA trailer because she had heard about problems others were having in obtaining one. “My daughter lost everything on the beach to Katrina. People still haven't got FEMA trailers. A FEMA trailer was not even an option,” she said. She heard about the Auburn project from the local agency on aging. The 8-foot-by-40-foot container was being installed for her Wednesday, said Bob Grant, a spokesman for Auburn's College of Architecture, Design & Construction. It has 320 square feet of living space with a room partition that swings against the wall. Grant said the students obtained input from the Federal Emergency Management Agency and Gulfport officials' approval before installing the container. The city had regulations that had to be met. FEMA was concerned about its safety and if it was structurally sound, Grant said. The container conversion idea has been explored by other designers in the past because containers, usually stacked on waterfronts and railyards, are designed to be weather tight and withstand harsh environmental conditions. Also, the containers weigh tons and can withstand being moved often. Grant said 15 graduate students began converting the container soon after Katrina hit. Four shipping containers were available for the project. They had hoped to spend less than $2,500 on the conversion, but masters student David Wurst of Eufaula said the total cost was between $6,000 and $8,000, paid for by AU's Design-Build Program. Students spent more than planned because they added dry wall interiors to make it more livable. It's insulated and has a window unit air conditioner and refrigerator. It lacks a bathroom, but Meyer said she will use one in her damaged home. She plans to live in the container until her home is repaired. She said she had only seen photos of the container before its arrival. “That's really a safe place for me to sleep,” she said. Wurst, 26, said the major problem for students was “figuring out how to keep it insulated.” “We developed three build prototypes and have plans for six different types of living conditions,” he said. Students plan to check on Meyer's living experience periodically to see how life in a shipping container works out. It's painted orange and blue, Auburn's school colors.
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