The Tuesday Letter
Agricultural Experiment Station & Cooperative Extension Service
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
(Vol. 18 No. 28)
IN THIS ISSUE...
WORD FROM THE ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR - EXTENSION AND APPLIED RESEARCH
The Starfish Story... adapted
from The Star Thrower by Loren Eiseley
I was reminded of this story this past
weekend. There are many versions and you have probably heard of it
before. I believe it is worth repeating:
There was a young man walking down a
deserted beach just before dawn. In the distance he saw a frail old
man. As he approached the old man, he saw him picking up stranded
starfish and throwing them back into the sea. The young man gazed in
wonder as the old man again and again threw the small starfish from
the sand to the water. He asked, "Old man, why do you spend so much
energy doing what seems to be a waste of time." The old man
explained that the stranded starfish would die if left in the
morning sun. "But there must be thousands of beaches and millions of
starfish!" exclaimed the young man. "How can you make a difference?"
The old man looked at the small starfish in his hand and as he threw
it to the safety of the sea, he said, "It makes a difference to this
one!"
I've seen this story told where the young
man is referred to as the wise man or the old man, and the frail old man
referred to as a young man or a girl. Regardless of how one designs the
characters, the value comes through action and making a difference.
Obviously, at times the work seems overwhelming, and our ability to make
a difference becomes clouded in the vastness of the issue. It's easy for
the critics to point out that such work is a waste of time and money.
Keeping focus on those you can and do reach and the difference you make
in their lives is the story you must keep alive.
When it comes to making change, I always
enjoy the quote by American anthropologist Margaret Meade, "Never doubt
that a small group of thoughtful, committed people can change the world.
Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."
Have a great week! --Daryl Buchholz
dbuchhol@oznet.ksu.edu
IT SECURITY TRAINING FOR 2012
K-State faculty, staff, and student employees, State of Kansas policy requires that all state employees receive annual training in IT security. The 2012 version is now available and must be completed by all employees, including student employees, by July 31, 2012. This year's training builds on the foundation of last year's introduction to basic IT security topics. It contains a single module, has no narration, and should only take 20-30 minutes to complete.
To take the training, go to http://secureit.k-state.edu/secureit, login with your eID and password, and click on part 1 of "2012 Secure IT @ K-State Training."
If you do not have green checkmarks next to all four parts of the 2011 training, that means you didn't complete last year's training and you must finish it first.
Once you complete the online security training, your personnel record in HRIS will be updated in a couple days to indicate you have met the state requirement. It will be listed as course "Secure IT Refresher FY12" with course code WIT007 under your "training summary" in "learning and development" in HRIS.
For questions about your training record, please contact Human Resources Training at training@ksu.edu or 785-532-6277. For questions about the content of the training, please contact Information Security and Compliance at security@ksu.edu or 785-532-2540. --Harvard Townsend, Chief Information Security Officer; and Gina Lowe, Organizational Support Specialist
2012 WALNUT COUNCIL FIELD DAY
On Friday, June 1, the Kansas Chapter of the Walnut Council is sponsoring the Walnut Council Field Day at the KSU Forestry Research Center at 6625 Dyer Rd. in Manhattan.
The
purpose of the field day is to provide an opportunity for landowners, foresters, scientists, forest industry and other natural resource professionals to learn the latest information about the growth, management and marketing of black walnut and other fine quality hardwoods. Topics
include: growing shitake mushrooms, black walnut cultivars for nut production, flavor intensity ratings for black walnut in sugar cookies, thousand cankers disease update, managing mature walnut stands, and hybrid poplar potential in Kansas.
Registration
is $12, lunch provided, and can be mailed to Kansas Chapter of Walnut Council, 5197 114th St., Meriden, KS 66512. Call Larry Rutter at 785-484-2509 or email lrutter@embarqmail.com if you have questions or need more information. Or you can visit our website to see a copy of the brochure at http://www.kansasforests.org/calendar/Brochure%20WC%20FD%202012.pdf.
Hope to see you all there! --Leslye Haller lahaller@ksu.edu
INVITATION TO : ADVANCING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT (AYD) TRAINING IN TOPEKA, JUNE 4-5
Kansas Extension professionals and stakeholders are invited to attend
the AYD training held with Communities in Schools of Kansas (CIS-K) and
the Kansas Enrichment Network (KEN) on June 4-5 (8:30 a.m.-3:30.p.m.) at the
Topeka YWCA.
ADVANCING YOUTH DEVELOPMENT (AYD) is a nationally
recognized training for youth development workers, volunteers,
supervisors and board members who work with youth (ages 10-19). This
dynamic training covers positive youth development, youth engagement,
youth culture, and youth worker competencies. Focus will be on the
application of youth development principles and connecting with youth serving organizations.
COST & REGISTRATION: Registration of $50 includes materials, lunches, and refreshments. CEU certificate for 12 instructional hours is provided. College
course credit is also available through the School of Family Studies
and Human Services via the K-State Division of Continuing Education.
Only 4 slots remain for K-State Extension, so register BEFORE MAY 25 by contacting Elaine Johannes, ejohanne@ksu.edu, 785-532-7720; or Paula Seele, pseele@ksu.edu, 785-532-5773. --Elaine Johannes
2012 GROW 4-H GRANTS AWARDS
The Department of 4-H Youth Development thanks the Kansas 4-H Foundation for their commitment to Grow Kansas 4-H with awards totaling $21,300 for programs in 11 Single Extension Units, a Multi-Extension Unit project involving 9 Extension Units, and state-wide support for Kanas volunteers attending the North Central Region 4-H Volunteer Forum this October in Wichita and also the "Life's Little Questions" Marketing Effort to recruit and retain third graders to Kansas 4-H. The following is a summary of the successful Grow 4-H Grant applications with Program & Applicant Investigators, Extension unit and Principle:
1. 4-H Robotics --- Anderson County --- Shannon Blocker/Gayla Corley
2. Reaching Out to a Broader Youth Audience --- Ford County --- Andrea Burns & Ethel Schneweis
3. After-school 4-H Program --- Graham County --- Julie Davis/Karen Shepard
4. RSSC: Robotics, Science and Space Camp --- Johnson County --- Kaitlyn Peine
5. Teen LOL --- McPherson County --- Kendra Baehler
6. Robotics Project Expansion --- Miami County --- Karla Hightower/W. Kay Voorhees
7. 4-H is Amazing --- Reno County --- Joan A. Krumme
8. Acres of Adventure --- Stafford County --- Amy Collins/Glenn Newdigger
9. Retaining 4-H’ers While Reaching Out to a Broader Youth Audience --- Sumner County --- Linda Mirt
10. Cooking for Health --- Wildcat #14 --- Julie Traxson/Kylie Ludwig
11. Enlarge Our 4-H 'Dotte --- Wyandotte County --- Peggy Berrier Boyd
12. Life’s Little Questions --- State --- Diane Mack
13. KS 4-H Volt Scholarships 2012 NCRVF --- State --- Rod Buchele/KA4HV
14. Tech Trunks to Enhance Agent & Volunteer Science Toolkit --- 9 Units* --- Amy Sollock/Susan Schlichting
*Extension Units: Douglas, Edwards, Ellis, Johnson, Leavenworth, Lyon, Pratt, Sedgwick, and Wyandotte
-–Gary W. Gerhard ggerhard@ksu.edu & Rhonda Atkinson ratkinso@ksu.edu
NEW 4-H CLOTHING CAMP
Find Your Wild Side: A Sewing Safari Adventure Camp is just around the corner! This specialty camp, offered for the first time this year, will be held June 27-30, at Rock Springs 4-H Center. We still have room for a few more youth. If you have someone who has indicated an interest, please encourage them to get their registrations in before the June 1 deadline. We also could use a few sewing volunteers who would like to attend for just one day.
Camp flier, camp registration form, volunteer job description, and volunteer registration for Clothing Camp can all be found on the State 4-H website, http://www.kansas4-h.org/p.aspx?tabid=387.
Clothing camp is for 4-Hers and their friends, ages 10-13. All fabric, supplies, and equipment needed for completing four clothing projects at camp will be provided. --Linda Biles lkbiles@ksu.edu
HEALTHY YOU SUCCESS STORY
 Creating a supportive environment can make a big difference in adopting healthy eating behaviors. Read Ginny Barnard's story of an innovative way to provide healthy snack options for courthouse employees.
In 2010, Riley County K-State Research & Extension introduced the idea of a workplace wellness initiative for county employees called Fit4Life. Since Americans are working more and more, the workplace is an ideal setting for such initiatives. Wellness programs have shown to decrease absenteeism, reduce employee health risks, increase productivity, and improve employee morale.
One of our first and most successful changes has been a simple fruit basket. The basket is located in the employee breakroom (next to the vending machines) as a healthier option. A donation jar is provided with a suggested donation of $0.50 per piece of fruit. The average cost per piece of fruit is $0.42. The basket is filled at the beginning of each week with a variety of fresh and dried fruit, nuts, and whole-grain cereal. Here are a few of the comments we have received from county employees...
"The fruit has been great! Sometimes may need more added during week.”
“I enjoy the fruit basket a lot!”
For employees, a workplace that supports healthy behaviors can improve physical fitness, lower levels of stress, increase stamina, help maintain or reduce weight, and improve self-esteem. A simple fruit basket can make a big difference!
We want YOUR success story! It doesn't matter how large or small the
steps that you are taking to become a 'Healthy You' ... we just want
you to share! You can find the form to share your story by clicking on
the Success Story tab on the Healthy You website, http://healthyyou.ksre.ksu.edu. --Denise Sullivan dsulliva@ksu.edu
BIOMASS TO ENERGY WEBINARS
There is much interest in developing ways to harvest, collect, and transport biomass for use as energy. Once this material is collected, a number of ways to utilize it for energy exist. A webinar series has been put together to explain some of the ways biomass can be utilized for energy.
The second installment of this web series will be Friday, May 25, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CDT. “Thermochemical Conversion to Biomass to Fuel,” will be presented by Dr. Robert Brown - Iowa State University- Bioeconomy Institute. Dr. Brown has published two textbooks on conversion of biomass to fuel. His expertise in conversion helped to form the Bioeconomy Institute at Iowa State University. He will discuss the opportunities and challenges of biomass conversion.
A third presentation has been added to our web series on Biomass to Energy. The topic for this presentation will be on Torrifaction. This presentation will be Friday, June 29, 10:00 - 11:00 a.m. CDT. More details will be available later this month.
If you missed the first installment of our web series on Friday, April 27, titled “Biomass for Commercial Heating” – AESI – Wichita KS, it can be viewed on the eXtension website. The following link is to the page with the video: http://learn.extension.org/events/510.
How To Connect:
Start connecting 5 minutes prior to the start time. You need a computer with Internet access and speakers. At the meeting time, copy and paste this URL into your browser to enter the meeting: https://connect.extension.iastate.edu/agenergy/.
At that URL you will find a login page. “Enter as a Guest” with your name, and business or institution and click “Enter Room.” The audio portion of the meeting will be come through your computer speakers. Any time before the meeting you can visit the following URL to confirm your ability to connect: http://www.extension.iastate.edu/testconnect/. --Ed Brokesh ebrokesh@ksu.edu
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