Untitled Document

Friday, December 1, 2006

NOTE ON FORMATTING: When stories are transferred from the Web, certain punctuation marks and other marks in this report don't carry over and result in symbols and other formatting errors. To see or print the story in full without these translation errors, simply click on "full story" at the end of each item."

Total Clips: 13

	Date	Outlet
AU prof develops avian flu vaccine	12/01/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
Peak season for dashing deer arrives for roadways	12/01/2006	Opelika-Auburn News
Americus native leads music at Disney	12/01/2006	Americus Times Recorder
Auburn Researchers Tout Bird Flu Vaccine Hopes	11/30/2006	WSFA-TV
Angus DNA Test Results	11/30/2006	WKRG-TV
Award Winning Robot	11/30/2006	WHP-TV
Auburn Lights Christmas Tree At Holiday Celebration	11/30/2006	WTVM-TV Columbus
High Price of Not Tolerating Mediocrity	11/30/2006	Gadsden Times
Westside family members march in N.Y.'s Thanksgiving parade	11/30/2006	Rutland Herald (NY)
State researchers tout bird flu vaccine hopes	11/29/2006	FOX 10 WALA
State researchers tout bird flu vaccine hopes	11/29/2006	WTVM-TV
Bio Bonanza	11/29/2006	Nature
Audit: Former large animal clinic cashier owes Auburn $83,623	11/29/2006	Commercial Dispatch (Miss.)


AU prof develops avian flu vaccine 12/01/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Amy Weaver		Return to Top
The recent outbreak of the avian flu in Korea can have worldwide repercussions on the health of poultry, birds and humans, even influencing research being done at Auburn University. Dr. Haroldo Toro, a pathobiology professor at AU's College of Veterinary Medicine, in collaboration with researchers at Vaxin Inc. of Birmingham, have developed a vaccine, the first "in ovo" or egg-injected vaccine, to protect chickens against avian influenza or bird flu. "We could help them today," he said of the latest outbreak. "If we vaccinate their birds, we could protect them." The virus has decimated poultry populations, specifically in Asia in recent years, but it has threatened human health as well. The World Health Organization confirmed Wednesday the death of an Indonesian woman from the H5N1 strain of the bird flu. According to WHO, bird flu has infected at least 258 people in 10 countries during the past three years, killing 153 of them. The H5N1 strain is transmitted by contact with infected birds, which is why deaths are linked to countries where people live with poultry, Toro said. No cases have been reported in the United States. There are 16 varieties of the hemagglutinin - the "H" in the strain name - but Toro said H5N1 has caused the most problems. H5 and H7s are highly pathogenic, the most capable of producing the disease, he added. Toro believes the chances of human death could be dramatically reduced if the birds in Asian countries such as Indonesia, Korea and China were inoculated with the vaccine. The new vaccine could play a part in that as soon as it has federal approval to be commercially produced. The process could take two or three years, but Toro said it might be much sooner if an outbreak occurs. "We have a very good tool against avian flu," he said. "No one has done this before." Toro's research is funded through a U.S. Department of Agriculture program set up in 2004 for universities to study avian influenza. "We have proven the principle, which is the major step in leading to commercially produced vaccine that could be vital to the poultry industry," Toro said. "When an outbreak occurs, we would determine the strain and quickly create a vaccine within three months specifically for it." AU and Vaxin researchers inserted a gene from a low pathogenic avian flu virus strain (H5N9) into a non-replicating human virus, which was then injected into developing chicken embryos still in the egg. When protection induced by the vaccine was tested against two highly pathogenic avian flu viruses, a Vietnam H5N1 strain and a Mexican H5N2 strain, the results showed 68 percent and 100 percent protection, respectively, Toro said. "These strains have slightly different genetic make-ups which account for the different percentages in protection," said Toro, who is also collaborating on this project with the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens, Ga. "Our results indicate that we can provide effective protection against any strain after incorporating the gene of the field strain into our vaccine construct." Toro said it isn't necessary to inoculate birds before they are hatched so they develop an immunity to the virus, but rather because it is easier to inject thousands of eggs at once than birds. Automated injection machines exist now to immunize 40,000 eggs per minute, he said. Muscular injection of that many birds is impossible, he said. Toro recently wrote a grant proposal to examine the possibility of developing a spray or eye-drop "ose as well. "You never know (what will work). It’s just curiosity," Toro said. "Curiosity is part of human nature.” Toro is crossing his fingers that the recent progress with the vaccine can help convince the state's agriculture commissioner to allow Auburn to do the kind of research being done at the Southeast Pou"try Research Laboratory in Athens. Auburn has the facilities but not the safety level to test the "extremely dangerous” highly pathogenic avian flu. "We need lots of people looking at the same problem to find an answer," he said.
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Peak season for dashing deer arrives for roadways 12/01/2006 Opelika-Auburn News Ginny Farmer		Return to Top
This story mentions AU/UA research on deer-vehicle collisions. When Bruce Frazier was heading down Interstate 85 last Tuesday, he ran into an unexpected obstacle. "A deer ran out of the woods on a dead sprint," Frazier said. "I tried to avoid it, but its head went right into the right front side of the truck, and I spun out into the median." Luckily, Frazier wasn't hurt and the WRBL Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo he was driving lost its momentum before reaching oncoming-traffic lanes. Alabama’s nearly 2 million white-tailed deer become more active during the winter months, and when deer are on the move, drivers beware. From November to January, deer are searching for food, mates and refuge from hunters, and the increase in activity causes an increase in deer-vehicle crashes along Alabama's roadways. The Insurance Information Institute estimates there are 500,000 collisions with deer in the United States every year. Forty percent of these crashes occur from November to January, mostly in the early morning or early evening hours. In 2005, there were more than 2,400 crashes involving animals in Alabama, with more than half occurring in rural areas. Among these, there were two resulting human fatalities and more than 200 injuries, according to the Alabama Department of Public Safety. Andy Dickinson, manager of Ray's Collision Center in Auburn, said he has seen five or six deer-hit vehicles this month. The worst damage was to a Pontiac G6. Dickinson said the deer actually jumped into the vehicle through the roof, causing nearly $8,000 of damage. "Most damage is minor," Dickinson said. "People have a fear of the animal coming into the vehicle, but in my experience, that's a rare occurrence." Dickinson also said it's important to not swerve if you see a deer in the road. "Don't swerve and miss - hit it,”"he said. "Stop as quick as you can. It will do a lot more damage if you swerve and hit a tree." A driver who swerves to miss a deer and ends up hitting a tree will also end up with an at-fault accident on their auto policy, Dickinson said. If you swerve, the policy will show your failure to maintain control of the vehicle. Lee County Sheriff's Capt. Van Jackson said the first thing a driver should do after hitting a deer is stop and contact the local authorities to file a police report. "That's the first step in getting any losses taken care of," Jackson said. Preventing further losses by ensuring the safety of other drivers is also important, which the driver can do by turning on the car's emergency lights until authorities can remove the remains from the roadway. But there are a few ways drivers can try to avoid colliding with a running deer, Jackson said. Pay attention to the shoulders of the road, especially at night. Watch for the deer's eyes, which will glow in the shine of headlights. On routine routes of travel, identify locations deer might be, and drive more slowly there. Rick Claybrook, District 4 supervising wildlife biologist for the Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, said colder temperatures mean drivers should be on the lookout for deer. Claybrook said in addition to movement caused by the winter mating and hunting seasons, deer head to roadsides to take advantage of the "edge effect," which means that when cold snaps kill the deer's usual food sources, they will find honeysuckle, clover and other vegetation along the edges of wooded areas, where the plants receive the most sunlight. "It creates a good situation along the highways to attract deer," Claybrook said. And where you see one deer, there are usually more. If you do see a deer on the shoulder of the road, Jackson said, "you might want to blow your horn to try to alert the animal." Researchers from the University of Alabama and Auburn University teamed together last year to study deer-vehicle collisions. They found that 40 percent of all deer crashes occur on country roads, and that an increase in hunting-license sales and bag limits for deer without antlers were related to a reduction in deer crashes. Claybrook said bag limits are set and sometimes raised to keep the deer population from exceeding the amount of food and cover available. Urbanization can reduce the areas available for hunting, and while most are in rural areas, he said, some hunting areas may be along major highways and interstates. According to the Alabama Hunting Survey, about 204,000 Alabama hunters killed more than 441,000 deer in the 2005-06 hunting season. But some fans of venison don't always have to kill their own deer. When Frazier emerged from his deer-struck vehicle, he was met by the driver of another car who had stopped to see if Frazier was hurt. But this driver ended up being more concerned about the fresh meat, and rode away with the carcass before Frazier could stop him.
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Americus native leads music at Disney 12/01/2006 Americus Times Recorder Staff reports		Return to Top
This story is about AU's William Powell, who conducts the AU Concert Choir and Gospel Choir. Americus native, William C. Powell, Ph.D., is guest conductor for the 2006 Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The event is held every year in the America Gardens Theatre at Epcot. Powell will lead a mass choir joined by a 50-piece live orchestra and celebrity narrator, Cuba Gooding Jr., to tell the story of Christmas in words and music. Rick Mizell, music director for Walt Disney Entertainment, invited Powell to serve as one of the guest conductors for the 2006 Candlelight Processional. Mizell first consulted with Bob Radock of Disney Youth Group Programs, who engaged Powell as a choral adjudicator for the 2006 Disney Honors Music Festival held in April at Walt Disney World. Powell will conduct Candlelight Processional performances on the evenings of Dec. 21-23. The Candlelight Processional occurs every evening from Nov. 24-Dec. 24. In addition to Powell, other guest conductors and celebrity narrators will be featured throughout the run of the show. For more information about the Candlelight Processional at Walt Disney World, visit http://www.wdwinfo.com/holidays/candlelight_processional.htm. Powell, the son of William and Emma Powell of Americus, is a 1980 graduate of Americus High School (AHS). While at AHS, Powell participated in the chorus and AHS Singers under the direction of Dale Farmer who is currently completing a doctoral degree in music education at Auburn University. Powell also participated in the band program, serving as one of the first African-American drum majors for the marching band at Americus High School. A former member of Big Bethel Baptist Church in Americus, Powell was pianist and music leader of the Americus Interdenominational Youth Choir, a gospel choir which he co-founded with Alphonso Brown, a 1979 graduate of AHS. After graduating from AHS, Powell pursued a bachelor's degree in music education at Alabama State University in Montgomery. He received a master’s degree in music education from Westminster Choir College (Princeton, N.J.) in 1987, and received a doctoral in music education from The Florida State University in 1993 along with his wife, Rosephanye Dunn Powell, doctor of music, of Lanett, Ala., who is also on the music faculty at Auburn University. At Auburn University, Powell conducts the Concert Choir and Gospel Choir, and teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in conducting, choral techniques, choral arranging, and distance courses in music. In April 2006, he was featured in a debut conducting recital where he led the New England Symphonic Orchestra and a mass choir of singers from around the country, including students from Auburn University, in a performance of W. A. Mozart’s "Missa Brevis in B-flat," and Franz Joseph "Haydn's Te Deum" at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
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Auburn Researchers Tout Bird Flu Vaccine Hopes 11/30/2006 WSFA-TV		Return to Top
Scientists at Auburn University and Birmingham-based Vaxin say they have created an avian flu vaccine that can be rapidly produced. Final testing and approval from federal agriculture officials are pending, but an official said Vaxin reps are traveling to Asia in two weeks to discuss producing the vaccine in that region of the world, where deadly outbreaks of bird flu have become common. The vaccine is also of vital economic interest to Alabama, a state that produces 27 (m) million broilers a week. Alabama is the nation's third largest poultry producer. Vaxin C-E-O Kent Van Kampen said the new vaccine offers significant advantages over existing bird flu vaccines. Those advantages include faster production, quicker delivery to flocks, and better detection of sick birds. Information about the new vaccine will appear in an upcoming issue of the scientific journal Vaccine. Courtesy Alabama Associated Press
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Angus DNA Test Results 11/30/2006 WKRG-TV Tiffany Craig		Return to Top
Chris Kerth, a Meat Scientist at Auburn University, is cited as a source in this story. Some Harrisburg high school students are getting ready to show off their homemade robot at a science competition in Alabama next week. Some physics students at Harrisburg's Sci-Tech High School designed and built a robot for competition. Their creation won third place two weeks ago at a match in Philadelphia. The machine is designed to pick up laundry, hang it on a line, and take it down again. Next week these students will take their creation to Auburn University, where they will compete against 44 teams from up and down the east coast. The students do have to pay their own way for the trip. Harrisburg's Sci-Tech High has set up a booster fund for anyone wishing to contribute to the cost of the competition The age old question 'Where's the Beef? Is taking on new life with a new word? 'Where's the Angus? News Five DNA tested Angus beef from eight different businesses and sent them to a private D-N-A testing lab in Metairie, Louisiana. It's called Eurofins Genescan. Steven Adamson is the lab manager. 'What we found was that of those eight samples only three of them were truly Aberdeen Angus beef.' Outside the lab, Aberdeen Angus is commonly referred to as black Angus or just Angus beef. However, as you are about to learn, what qualifies as Angus beef isn't so simple. Let's start with where we tested. We made a drive-thru stop to buy an Angus burger at a Hardee's restaurant in Mobile and an Angus sandwich at a Quizno's in Robertsdale. News 5 bought what was advertised as Angus steak at Bilotti's Italian Caf? in Mobile and a steak at a Bruno's grocery store in Mobile. We also purchased an Angus filet at Moore Bros. Village Market in Magnolia Springs and an Angus steak burger at McGuire's Irish Pub in Pensacola. We forked over cash for an Angus steak at Four Winds Fine Food Market in Pensacola and made one more Angus stop at Backyard Burger in Mobile. We packaged up all of our samples and shipped them to Eurofins Genescan in Louisiana. The three samples that are 100% D-N-A tested Angus are Four Winds in Pensacola, Bruno's in Mobile and Moore Bros. in Magnolia Springs! Moore Bros. Owner Charlie Houser was thrilled we decided to test for Angus! 'I think it's great. I really do. I'm really glad to know that you did that because as you've already found a lot of people advertise Angus product. They may sell Angus product but they don't sell 100% Angus product.' Five of our eight samples did not D-N-A test as 100% Angus. They are Hardee's, Quizno's, McGuire's Irish Pub, Backyard Burger and Bilotti's Italian Caf?. Our Bilotti's ribeye steak that was listed on the menu as Angus had no Angus in it at all according to our D-N-A test. Manager Wes Ehlert agreed to talk to News 5. 'We had pulled all the advertisements off the tables.' Ehlert showed us all the signs they pulled down and says it was just getting too expensive to sell. The only problem is that they didn't take the word Angus off the menu! 'We try to be as honest up front and open with customers. It was an oversight on our part and we apologize. We weren't trying to deceive anyone.' Bilotti's quickly printed new menus and promised to fix the problem. The rest of the samples we tested contained a percentage Angus but also had other types of beef mixed in. It's a little like the wild west with Angus. The U.S. Department of Agriculture doesn't have a formal standard for determining angus beef. Instead, they enforce a beef industry definition that goes by either genetics or physical angus-influenced characteristics. In other words, if it looks like Angus! Chris Kerth is a Meat Scientist at Auburn University. 'I think as with anything whenever a claim is made as to a quality or what's put on the label, it should stand up to a given amount of scrutiny. If it can't do that, then the system needs some tweaking to make sure it can. If you're claiming that it's 100 %, are you sure that you can back that up? So that certainly raises a yellow flag that maybe we ought to look at that a little bit closer to make sure that there actually doing what they say.' So we did question Hardee's. Their Thickburger is advertised as 100% Angus but D-N-A tests show it's 70% Angus and 30% non-Angus. A spokesperson for the chain said in a statement that 'our thickburgers are made with 100% Angus beef.' but when asked about advertising to consumers who don't know the USDA rules, the response was... 'We are not interested in commenting specifically on USDA standards, other than to say we follow them.' Quizno's Angus steak sandwich D-N-A tested at 50% Angus and 50% non-Angus. The corporate Quizno's statement was that.. 'no where in our restaurants or on our menus or sales posters do we state 100 percent angus beef' but when News 5 bought the sandwich, it was advertised as 100%. We went back again to check and they had taken down the sign! The Quizno's statement goes on to say that 'our products under USDA guidelines most definitely meet all the criteria required to be labeled Angus beef.' Backyard Burger also advertises as 100% Angus but D-N-A tested as 75% Angus and 25 % non-Angus. Their Chief Operating Officer Joe Weiss said in a statement about our D-N-A results that... 'it is not uncommon for test results to vary because once a patty is cooked, the dna may be broken down.' We checked with our D-N-A lab and they confirm that cooking does not change the meat identifying D-N-A. A later statement said that 'the patties are made with 100 percent black angus raw materials.' Then, we were referred to their supplier called Cargill Foodservice Meat Solutions. Their explanation is that.. 'the angus influence alone would not deliver great beef... and that... 'it's the combination of specifications that make a brand click' McGuire's steak burger D-N-A tested as 90% Angus and 10% non-Angus. McGuire's did not claim to sell 100% just Certified Angus Beef. We were sent to their supplier who referred us to the Certified Angus Beef Company. A spokesperson for the brand says... 'the certified angus beef brand does not claim to be 100 percent angus beef' and that 'the angus breed is a good place to start when selecting quality beef, but it's the beef quality standards that ensure a delicious product.' Meat expert Chris Kerth was not surprised by what we found. 'One of the problems is a certain amount of inconsistency and that's just the nature of the beast so to speak.' So the next time you ask the question, 'Where's the Beef?' If you're looking for Angus, it's not that cut and dry! Technically, by USDA standards, all of the places that D-N-A tested with some percentage of Angus can call their product Angus beef. Now, as a consumer you know that when it says 100%, it's not always how you and I translate that. Here's our proof.?? Please remember that WKRG requires legitimate information for all submissions in order to be considered for on-air use.
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Award Winning Robot 11/30/2006 WHP-TV Angela Watson		Return to Top
This story is about the BEST competition. Some Harrisburg high school students are getting ready to show off their homemade robot at a science competition in Alabama next week. Some physics students at Harrisburg's Sci-Tech High School designed and built a robot for competition. Their creation won third place two weeks ago at a match in Philadelphia. The machine is designed to pick up laundry, hang it on a line, and take it down again. Next week these students will take their creation to Auburn University, where they will compete against 44 teams from up and down the east coast. The students do have to pay their own way for the trip. Harrisburg's Sci-Tech High has set up a booster fund for anyone wishing to contribute to the cost of the competition
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Auburn Lights Christmas Tree At Holiday Celebration 11/30/2006 WTVM-TV Columbus Brock Parker		Return to Top
Auburn University was caught in the middle of a Christmas controversy last year. The Christmas Tree was renamed the "Holiday Tree," and that garnered the university national attention. This year, the "Christmas Tree" is back on Samford Lawn. The Student Government Association held forums over the last few months to gauge people's reaction. "To get feedback from the community, students, faculty pertaining to what they want out of this event. There was some controversy surrounding it last year, so we wanted to have a focus where students could come and voice their opinions," said Henley Groves, SGA administrative vice president. This year, the lighting ceremony is called the "Holiday Celebration." Groves says the Christmas Tree will be lit, but unity candles will also be lit for other faiths. "We'll have a unity candle celebrating the Auburn family, and all that encompasses that and how much we encourage and support each other. We'll have the international student organization here on campus, as well as the Jewish student organization come forth, and they'll be the first ones to light that candle," Groves said. One Hindu student says it should still be called a "Holiday Tree." "Christmas is too far, and the holiday starts early, so it should be the Holiday Tree. It would be the true celebration of holiday," said Jaydeep Chaudhari. Another says at least everyone will have a part. "That'll be fine. That's something since they're going to change it back. That's something to say that we're not trying to exclude anyone, but it's saying that we're trying to include everybody," said Samuel Chance, a senior at Auburn. Last year, as a protest to the "Holiday Tree," a group put up a "Christ Tree" near Toomer's Corner. Talking to other people around campus, the majority opinion is there's no controversy this year.
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High Price of Not Tolerating Mediocrity 11/30/2006 Gadsden Times		Return to Top
The houndstooth hat would have been condensed to the size of a colorful quirk instead of endlessly romanticized as the lid on Bear Bryant's legacy. And the crimson line that leads to Bryant's gravesite in Birmingham serving as a kind of bread-crumbed path for fable seekers, wouldn't have been painted at all. Bryant's shadow would have been midday sun in length, his political pull would have been scaled to a tug and his growling grandeur would have been limited to a grunt. Bryant wouldn't have lived on as a tall tale, but as a notable passage in Alabama football history. Because the legacy of Bryant wouldn't have lasted past 1970 - not in today's climate. Back then, folks forgave Bryant when the Tide finished with consecutive five-loss seasons. This week, he would have been fired the way Miami's Larry Coker or Alabama's Mike Shula or any of nearly a dozen coaches were tossed out with money bags as cement shoes. In an analysis of eight dismissed coaches Tuesday, USA Today added up nearly $13 million in total severance payments. But that didn't even count Coker, who will exit Miami with a reported $3 million buyout. And it didn't include the $537,000 in nepotism pay that Florida State's offensive coordinator, Jeff Bowden, received to part ways with his father, Bobby. Any kiss goodbye comes with baggage. After inheriting a team in NCAA shackles, then winning 10 of 12 games in 2005, Shula will leave Tuscaloosa with a 6-6 record this year and a farewell package worth $4 million. But given the going rate for a sideline messiah - $2 million to $3 million a year, and a potential seven-figure payment to break the savior's current deal - Alabama could be out an unprecedented $8 million just to sack a football coach. The Alabama president, Robert E. Witt, didn't return calls to explain how his publicly funded institution of higher education could justify this corporate-sized expenditure. But with Witt's decision, college football has officially plunged into an Armageddon of Expectations. We have come to a point where the physics of balance - not every team can be on top all the time - has been overcome by the warped values of college football hedonists. Pleasure is winning. Joy is being No. 1. Anything else is unacceptable. The expanding chasm between America's rich and poor is reflected in college football's unquenchable excess. College spirit is now a vanity purchase by the super-rich. They have chosen teams and they are financing them, turning football factories into their favorite charity. Bobby Lowder is a wealthy booster and power broker at Auburn University. He is the chief executive of Colonial BancGroup, a fixture on the Forbes list of top-paid CEOs and a generous giver. According to tax documents, Lowder's foundation gave nearly $1.4 million to charities in 2004. Along with donations ranging from $1,000 to $50,000 to organizations like the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and the United Way of Montgomery, Lowder's foundation saved its largest check - a $600,000 gift - for Tigers Unlimited, the fundraising arm of Auburn athletics. This is not to single out Lowder, because many other high rollers trump him in booster giving. But it underscores how college football has been mistaken for a needy case. Somewhere, a lab rat is starving. Somewhere, tuition is going up, loan debt is spiraling and student fees are being charged for athletics (sounds like Clemson). Somewhere, library hours are being squeezed, staff is being reduced and the football budget is expanding (as in Rutgers). Rutgers coach Greg Schiano is bound to be a beneficiary in this era of college football decadence. His work ethic is unquestioned. His coaching savvy is unassailable. And in his ascent from obscurity, he has become the Urban Meyer of 2006 as the object of pursuit. Meyer achieved the unthinkable when his Utah Utes crashed the Bowl Championship Series two years ago. Overnight, he became the darling on the college scene; Notre Dame and Florida fought over him. Now Schiano is "it" in this game of celebrity-coach tag. This troubles the NCAA's president, Myles Brand. He preaches restraint with the knowledge that the NCAA is powerless to enforce moderation among shopaholic athletic directors and deep-pocketed boosters. "At the top level, the market has merged into the same types of arrangements we see in the professional leagues," Brand said Tuesday. "The coaches' contracts are beginning to look more like those." The myth is that pro-style college football creates pro-style money. But you have to think of industrial college football budgets as wishing wells: bottomless holes of hope. As seen in Piscataway, N.J., winning is a drug of seduction. What will Rutgers do to perpetuate it? Rutgers could rework Schiano's deal to approach a $2 million package or grant his holiday list of facility upgrades, or both. He will gain something from his success, and good for him. Then, the same boosters and university officials who are swooning over him today will turn on him tomorrow. This is the monster of unsustainable expectations. An elite coach is only one mediocre season from firing. By today's model, Bryant would never have discovered the wishbone or integration or three extra national titles. He would have been fired by 1971 as a legend interrupted.
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Westside family members march in N.Y.'s Thanksgiving parade 11/30/2006 Rutland Herald (NY) Sarah Hinkley		Return to Top
This story mentions the role in the parade of Rick Good, the associate director of bands at AU. Two teen trumpeters from West Rutland helped lead an 80-year Thanksgiving tradition this year in New York City. The Sawyer siblings, Beth, 16, and Tom, 14, were chosen to represent Vermont in the first Great American Marching Band that led the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this year. The band is made up of high school musicians from all 50 states, most of whom audition to qualify. "I didn't meet somebody from Hawaii, but I did meet the Alaska kid," Beth said. "I hung out with the Montana kids a lot." In addition to musicians, the band also included color guards and dancers. All told, there were 204 members of the Great American Marching Band. The group was directed by Rick Good, the associate director of bands at Auburn University in Georgia. Beth and Tom come from a musical family: Six of the eight Sawyer children take piano lessons and five take brass lessons. The family's children are home-schooled. Beth and Tom attend West Rutland School for gym and Spanish classes. They also play in the high school's bands, which include jazz combo, concert band, and the marching band. School music teacher Kate Cromer recommended them for the Great American Marching Band. Outside school, both participate in the Lakes Region Youth Orchestra. Beth and Tom were two of 17 band members to be chosen to play first trumpet. There were 41 trumpeters in the band. "It was kind of cool to be first trumpet. Both Tom and I got to be in the front all the time," said Beth, who was the leader of her row. "If I wasn't on, the entire row would be off." At a block-a-minute pace, it took 45 minutes to walk the two-and-a-half mile parade route. "I guess some of the woodwinds in the back had to run to keep up," said Tom, who normally plays the French horn. Before the marching began, the group waited more than an hour in the rain. "It literally rained on our parade," said Beth, thankful for the waterproof shoes they were given. "We were all cold and wet, but not miserable." The life of a traveling musician has its ups and downs. Tom and Beth left for the city on Sunday and hit the ground running. Each day they awoke at 6 a.m.; most nights they didn't go to sleep until 11 p.m. They spent their days rehearsing, touring and preparing for the parade. "We never had enough sleep," Beth said. She and Tom both were feeling under the weather during the trip. They traveled to New York with their trumpet mouthpieces, but without their trumpets. New, shiny horns were donated by Yamaha. Organizers issued uniforms made up of a hat, plume, jacket, bibbers and dinkles — shiny, white, waterproof shoes. "We just felt really sharp in those," Beth said. While organizers were going down the list of names and uniform sizes, someone made a mistake and some female band members were not sized correctly. "The parade was two days away and I still didn't have a uniform that fit," Beth said. Eventually the problem was resolved. Tom and Beth have had a number of music instructors who have helped mold their talent. They take lessons from Sharon Teer, who specializes in brass instruments. "They have a great amount of talent for their age," Teer said. "Their talent is very outstanding. They have what you call the gift." When Tom was asked what he learned on the trip to New York City, he echoed a sentiment that Teer works to instill in her students. "If you really want to, you can do anything," Tom said, "anything you ever dreamed of." The family financed the trip. Carol, their mom, said Christmas went to New York City with the children. Travel and other expenses cost $1,000 for each of them. Even if it means eating macaroni and cheese for the rest of the year, "We have bragging rights for the rest of our life," Beth said. Contact Sarah Hinckley at sarah.hinckley@rutlandherald.com
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State researchers tout bird flu vaccine hopes 11/29/2006 FOX 10 WALA		Return to Top
State researchers tout bird flu vaccine hopes BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Scientists at Auburn University and the Birmingham-based Vaxin say they have created an avian flu vaccine that can be rapidly produced. Final testing and approval from federal agriculture officials are pending, but an official said Vaxin reps are traveling to Asia in two weeks to discuss producing the vaccine in that region of the world, where deadly outbreaks of bird flu have become common. The vaccine is also of vital economic interest to Alabama, a state that produces 27 (m) million broilers a week. Alabama is the nation's third largest poultry producer. Vaxin C-E-O Kent Van Kampen said the new vaccine offers significant advantages over existing bird flu vaccines. Those advantages include faster production, quicker delivery to flocks, and better detection of sick birds. Information about the new vaccine will appear in an upcoming issue of the scientific journal Vaccine. ___ Information from the Birmingham News Copyright 2006 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Make Fox10tv.com your new home page. Meet the people who bring you all your favorite news, weather and sports! This google map shows the current storms and forecast position. Zoom around the Gulf, the Atlantic, and the Caribbean Sea with on the high resolution platform, and view current and past storms by the year of the storm. All content ©
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State researchers tout bird flu vaccine hopes 11/29/2006 WTVM-TV		Return to Top
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. Scientists at Auburn University and the Birmingham-based Vaxin say they have created an avian flu vaccine that can be rapidly produced. Final testing and approval from federal agriculture officials are pending, but an official said Vaxin reps are traveling to Asia in two weeks to discuss producing the vaccine in that region of the world, where deadly outbreaks of bird flu have become common. The vaccine is also of vital economic interest to Alabama, a state that produces 27 (m) million broilers a week. Alabama is the nation's third largest poultry producer. Vaxin C-E-O Kent Van Kampen said the new vaccine offers significant advantages over existing bird flu vaccines. Those advantages include faster production, quicker delivery to flocks, and better detection of sick birds. Information about the new vaccine will appear in an upcoming issue of the scientific journal Vaccine. ___ Information from the Birmingham News
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Bio Bonanza 11/29/2006 Nature Gene Russo		Return to Top
AU Chemical engineer and cellulosic biomass researcher Y. Y. Lee is cited as a source in this story. Is interest in biofuels in the United States a just fad or a growing trend that will yield numerous jobs and research opportunities? Gene Russo separates the wheat from the chaff. Scott Bents likes to design things. So after receiving his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from Iowa State University, he began designing machine parts at a washing-machine factory. Five years later, his job moved to Canada and the factory shut down. Unemployed, Bents turned to a government programme that, as part of the 1993 North American Free Trade Agreement, funds retraining for workers whose jobs have gone to Canada or Mexico. Seeking a rewarding career and a worthy cause, he settled on biofuels research and the promise of obtaining renewable and sustainable energy from biomass such as the native plant switchgrass. Now, as part of his PhD in mechanical engineering at Iowa State, Bents is trying to design an economically viable biomass refinery that produces hydrogen and a biodegradable plastic. He is one of many scientists keen on the potential of biofuels. His story embodies the hope of farmers, agro-businesses, US heartland politicians and biofuels researchers and enthusiasts. They envisage a day when the biofuels industry will revitalize towns of the depressed Midwest, brought to life with a new jobs sector and the hope of a renewable energy source to slake the country's insatiable thirst for fuel. Robert Brown seeing an increase in student demand. Iowa and other states are already on the brink of a corn ethanol boom. Ninety-seven corn ethanol plants currently operate in the United States and dozens more are under construction, according to the Renewable Fuels Association trade group. It's big business, made quite profitable by a government ethanol subsidy (51 cents per gallon) and a ban on methyl tert-butyl ether (MTBE) as an additive to unleaded petrol. A toxic pollutant, MTBE is being replaced by ethanol as the additive of choice to help petrol burn more cleanly. These factors have aroused plenty of industry interest in corn ethanol refineries and, potentially, could lead to more jobs; right now, most jobs being created are for plant operators and don't require science training. But many see cellulosic ethanol as the logical renewable choice of the future, a potential boon for researchers and engineers. Chemist Art Ragauskas, a cellulosic ethanol researcher at Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, was excited when he heard President Bush's State of the Union address last January. Bush not only asserted that the United States was 'addicted to oil', says Ragauskas, but he actually uttered the word 'switchgrass'. Ragauskas began his career in the pulp and paper industry before applying his knowledge of biomass polymers to biofuels. He has seen a major surge in interest since he entered the field six years ago.Powerful forceThis is not the first time cellulosic ethanol has received attention. Interest piqued in the 1970s when oil prices skyrocketed. When the prices dipped again, so did enthusiasm for ethanol. But researchers and policy-makers see a perfect storm of political attention, rising oil prices, fear of environmental impacts from fossil fuels, and new genomics tools that can modify plants and microbes. And, they say, cellulosic ethanol research is poised for a major windfall.'Cellulose and biomass have the potential to create a great deal more energy than corn, and with each day we come closer to a cost-effective technique for releasing that energy on a broader scale,' Mike Johanns, secretary of the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), told a renewable-energy conference in St Louis in October. Corn ethanol, derived from the simple sugars of the kernel, requires lots of land, water and groundwater-tainting fertilizer to produce. Cellulosic ethanol biorefineries, still only at the earliest pilot stage, are widely considered preferable. They could achieve much greater energy return and environmental sustainability by using corn stover (the stalks, husks and leaves that are normally discarded), switchgrass, poplar trees and other biomass sources. Scientists and engineers are seeking a fast and economical way to penetrate the plant cell's stubborn cell wall, use enzymes to break down cellulose into its component sugars, and convert those sugars into ethanol with the help of microbes. Already the federal government has shown some commitment to biofuels. As dictated by the US Energy Policy Act of 2005, the United States aims to replace 30% of its transportation fuel with biofuels by 2030. Only half of that goal can be met by corn ethanol, says Brian Davison, director of the bioprocessing research and development centre at Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Cellulosic ethanol could help fill the gap. Although the government's 2007 budget has not been finalized, the House's budget requests $150 million for biomass research and the Senate's $213 million, up from $94 million from 2006. Scott Bents aiming to design a biorefinery. In August, the US Department of Energy (DOE) requested proposals for two new bioenergy research centres for a total of $250 million, as part of its 'genomes to life' programme. Universities, national laboratories, nonprofit organizations and private firms can compete for the awards, which will be announced in summer 2007. 'Everyone in the field is trying to find a way to position themselves for one of these bioenergy centres,' says Kevin Chambliss, an analytical chemist and cellulosic ethanol researcher at Baylor University in Texas. The centres will conduct systems-biology research on microbes and plants to optimize the conversion of cellulose into fuel. The DOE and USDA recently awarded $17.5 million for 17 biomass research, development and demonstration projects, and Chambliss says several states are awarding modest amounts for biofuels research; last year his group received $250,000 from the Texas government. Considering the size of the challenge, some feel that the government's contribution has fallen short. 'The percentage increase may seem dramatic, but it's not a whole lot of money,' says Reid Detchon, executive director of the nonprofit Energy Future Coalition. Quang Nguyen, a programme manager at Spanish company Abengoa Bioenergy's site in Chesterfield, Missouri, suggests that the DOE has done a good job of providing focused funding to push key technologies, such as pretreatment processes and cellulose enzymes. Government funds have been augmented by some investment from industry. In June, Chevron formed an alliance with the Georgia Institute of Technology. Chevron will contribute up to $12 million over five years in an effort to make cellulosic ethanol commercially viable. BP has pledged $500 million over ten years to establish a biosciences energy research laboratory, focused largely on cellulosic ethanol, to be attached to an academic centre in the United States or Britain. Candidates are still being considered; the research programme will be launched by late 2007. A $38-million consortium of the DOE's National Renewable Energy Laboratory, DuPont, Diversa and Michigan State University, started in 2003, is attempting to develop the optimal biorefinery.'What makes me most confident in the potential of renewable energies is the market investment we've seen,' said Johanns at the October meeting. For cellulosic ethanol science and technology to reach its potential, the field will require a mix of disciplines chemical and biochemical engineers to develop the processes and equipment, and microbiologists to design efficient microbes and enzymes. There will also be a demand for technicians, biorefinery plant operators and lab scientists to maintain quality control.Agricultural researchers and geneticists, meanwhile, are looking to boost crop yields and design plants tailor-made to maximize ethanol potential. Nguyen envisages merging marginal lands with specially bred or engineered plants to create 'energy plantations'. The St Louis-based seed company Monsanto is developing an experimental drought-resistant corn variety that, so far, has given increased yields of 810%. Chief technology officer Robert Fraley suggests that yield could double in the next 30 years. Pradip Das, Monsanto's director of crop analytics, says the company is considering hiring scientists who have backgrounds suited to ethanol research. Ideally, he says, candidates would have a biology background as well as some knowledge of the ethanol industry and the engineering processes involved. A. C. SMITH/ALAMY Universities are taking an interest as well (see ). At Iowa State, Bents is completing a new specialization in biorenewable resources and technology. 'Colleagues at other schools had cautioned us against doing this programme,' says Robert Brown, director of the programme. 'Now we're seeing an increase in demand.' Programmes should be interdisciplinary, says Brown, including fundamental courses such as organic chemistry and economics, as well as topics such as environmental impact, agronomics, plant science, processing and production. Students, says Ragauskas, often get excited about work that could benefit the environment. 'Students always want to do something that makes a difference,' he says. Ragauskas once actively recruited PhD students and postdocs. Now he has a hard time finding postdocs, something he attributes, in part, to wide opportunities in industry. Chemical engineer and cellulosic biomass researcher Y. Y. Lee, at Auburn University in Alabama, says his students have no problems finding positions. Two of his undergraduates have secured jobs at Exxon and Novozymes North America in Franklinton, North Carolina. His recent graduate students have gone on to take positions at Abengoa Bioenergy, Novozymes and a postdoc position at the USDA. Bents, now in his third year, is still deciding between academia and industry. If oil prices stay high, federal funding continues to increase and industry continues to invest, he should have plenty of options. A biofuelled expansion With researchers, policy-makers and prospective students showing an increasing amount of interest in the potential of biofuels, US universities are attempting to build or expand academic programmes. Long-time cellulosic ethanol researcher Lee Lynd, at Dartmouth College in Hanover, New Hampshire, has seen a major surge in recruiting interest from universities in the past 12 months. 'It's a complete about-face,' says Lynd.Dartmouth, Iowa State, Michigan State, North Carolina State and Purdue universities, as well as the University of Georgia, are among those institutions that offer coursework, certificate programmes and/or specializations that are related to biofuels research. During the past four years, Purdue's agricultural and biological engineering programme has increased its number of biofuels-related faculty members, says department head Bernie Engel. And North Carolina State's biological and agricultural engineering department offers a bioprocessing track focused on the study of biofuels and other bioproducts.'I have more students interested in my research programme than I have money to fund them,' says Mari Chinn, a North Carolina State assistant professor of bioprocessing and engineering.
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Audit: Former large animal clinic cashier owes Auburn $83,623 11/29/2006 Commercial Dispatch (Miss.) Associated Press		Return to Top
AUBURN, Ala. (AP) - A state audit says a woman who handled payments for Auburn University's large animal clinic owes the school $83,623 after she apparently failed to deposit money from customers over a five-year period, but her attorney says a faulty computer may be to blame. Casey Dillard was fired on July 7 and her immediate supervisor was reassigned to a position that requires no financial supervision of the College of Veterinary Medicine. "Some of these animal owners would pay in cash, and sometimes this cash would never hit the bank," said Brian Harris, assistant director for education audits at the state Department of Examiners of Public Accounts. Receipts totaling $80,322 were written for payments, but were not included on collection reports or deposited in the bank, according to the audit released Friday. It also said no deposits were made on another $3,059 that was listed as paid by 12 customers, and that Dillard had a $242 balance written off her account in February 2002. Dillard's attorney, Randy Myers, told the Montgomery Advertiser his client denies all wrongdoing. Myers said the clinic has had a faulty computer system for years and that it may have incorrectly tabulated the payments. Harris said Dillard's case, which includes lost payments from 2000 to 2005, has been referred to the state Attorney General's Office for repayment. Marcie Smith, associate vice president for business and finance at Auburn, said the university has since hired a certified public accountant to monitor the clinic's finances.
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