Water Seminar on Capitol Hill 2.8.16

Suat Irmak, University of Nebraska, and Steve Slack, The Ohio State University

ECOP and ESCOP are proud to co-sponsor a “science to application” water seminar next Monday, 2.8.16, as part of the National Council on Food and Agriculture Research (NC-FAR) Capitol Hill Lunch and Learn Series. Steve Slack, The Ohio State University (retired), and Suat Irmak, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, will speak on the theme of More Crop Per Drop: Technology Implementation in Agriculture for Enhancing Crop Water Productivity. The seminar on the Senate side will be at 10:00 a.m. in 328 Russell Senate Office Building and will be repeated on the House side at Noon with lunch in 1300 Longworth House Office Building. Please encourage Congressional staffers to attend. 

eXtension Conference Registration Available – All Extension professionals—agents, educators, faculty and specialists as well as directors, administrators and other Extension leaders—are invited to attend the National eXtension Conference 2016 (#NeXC2016) March 22-25 at the Hyatt Regency San Antonio Riverwalk. Information and registration is available at conference.extension.org. The conference will focus on the priorities of eXtension’s new i-Three Initiative: Issues, Innovation, Impact and feature two tracks – professional development and i-Three Issue Corps. 

NDSU Winter Survival Kit Gets Media Attention – A prime example of effective competitive AND capacity funds is the new Winter Survival Kit free phone app https://www.ag.ndsu.edu/extension/apps developed by North Dakota State University Extension Service (NDSU) and Myriad Mobile. Funding was provided through a USDA-NIFA Special Needs Grant with NDSU matching funds. If stuck in a snowbank or slid into a ditch, the app helps users find their location, call 911, notify friends and family, and estimate how long they can run their vehicle to keep warm before running out of fuel. The app also alerts the user every 30 minutes as a reminder to turn off the vehicle’s engine and check the exhaust pipe for snow buildup to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. The Winter Survival Kit phone app has received rave reviews http://video.foxnews.com/v/4716621688001. 

ECOP Releases 2016 Handout – ECOP Chair Michelle Rodgers, University of Delaware, encourages your use of the new ECOP handout http://www.aplu.org/members/commissions/food-environment-and-renewable-resources/CFERR_Library/ecop-handout/file. The handout is designed for external audiences and, among other points, summarizes ECOP goals for 2016. 

Become Employers of National Service – 4-H National Headquarters at USDA-NIFA encourages your institution to become an Employer of National Service. This is a Peace Corps partnership initiative with the Corporation for National Community Service that celebrates employers who actively recruit Return Peace Corps Volunteers and AmeriCorps Alumni. By signing on at http://www.nationalservice.gov/special-initiatives/employers-national-service/sign-now, you join more than 260 employers who recognize the unique value that these national service alumni bring to the workplace.