Dr. Cramer and Dr. Hood present at crops conference
Dr. Carole L. Cramer, executive director, ABI, and Dr. Elizabeth Hood, distinguished professor, Agriculture and president and CEO of Infinite Enzymes, recently attended the Planting Seeds for the Future: West Tennessee Alternative Crops Conference at the University of Memphis. Dr. Cramer and Dr. Hood presented the forum on "Plants as Biofactories: New Crops with Novel Output Traits." This conference was based on alternative or “new” crops that can be used in high-value food, health and industrial applications. Farmers, agriculture and bio-products professionals, technology developers, educators, researchers, government officials and entrepreneurs gathered to explore some of the non-traditional crops and how they could be utilized and explore the challenges of developing business around these “new” crops. Hood’s company, Infinite Enzymes, was both a sponsor and participant in the partnering forum held the first night of the conference. The Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the Memphis Bioworks Foundation were the conference sponsors. For details, see the NewsPage release.

Dr. Keyes, Woods, to co-direct new national project site
ASU has been approved for the funding of a new National Writing Project site, the Arkansas Delta Writing Project. Funding for ASU’s site begins in January, 2009, and the site will conduct its first Summer Writing Institute for Teachers in the summer of 2009. Housed in ASU’s Department of Teacher Education, the new site will be led by director Dr. Dixie Keyes, Teacher Education, and co-director LaToshia Woods, Teacher Education, former teachers who have taught writing or provided professional development in writing. Keyes wrote the grant, which will provide $30,000 of funding for 20 Northeast Arkansas teachers to attend the 2009 summer writing institute and to receive graduate credit and distinguished professional development in writing pedagogy. For details, contact Dr. Keyes at (870) 680-8065 for information about how to apply for the summer writing institute, or see the NewsPage release.

Dr. Burns, Dr. Reeve, Causey present at conference
Dr. William Burns, Chemistry, and Dr. Scott Reeve, Chemistry, attended the 64th Southwest Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society in Little Rock this fall. Jason Causey, Computer Science, also attended, along with graduate students Tabetha Osborn and Sindhu Kaimal and undergraduate students Michael Sullivan and Joshua Green. The group presented two contributed talks, on "High Resolution Infrared Spectroscopy of the CH Stretching Bands in Acetaldehyde," and "High Resolution Spectral Signatures for TNT-Based Explosives" and two contributed posters, "A Low Cost Raman Spectrometer" and "Development of Synthetic Spectra to Aid in the Analysis of Observed High Resolution Infrared Spectra."

ASU SBTDC will receive grant for veterans' services
The Arkansas Congressional delegation has announced that the Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center (ASBTDC) will receive a $93,405 grant through the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Veterans Assistance and Services Program. The center will provide online consulting and educational services tailored to Arkansas veterans. A Web portal ASBTDC is creating will serve as a hub for services. The portal will host ASBTDC’s veteran-specific distance learning programs and will also offer blogs, discussion forums, audio and video streaming, content syndication and news. Online training will detail pre-deployment and post-deployment activities for business owners. Four webinars – live online seminars – are planned over the next year on starting a business and writing a business plan. All services, which include consulting, research and training, are available at low or no cost through ASBTDC’s partnership with the SBA and higher education institutions across Arkansas. For details, contact Herb Lawrence, center director, or see the NewsPage release.

KASU's Blue Monday-Paragould hosts Vikki McGee
KASU 91.9 FM presents Vikki McGee at the next Blue Monday-Paragould tonight from 7-9 p.m. at the Red Goose Deli, 117 N. Pruett Street, in downtown Paragould. Jonesboro's own Vikki McGee hails from the small town of Port Barre, Louisiana, in the heart of Cajun Country, and her big voice belies her small-town origins. Admission to the Blue Monday-Paragould concert featuring Vikki McGee is free, but seating is limited. Blue Monday concerts are held on the second Monday of the month at the Depot Diner in downtown Newport and the third Monday of each month at the Red Goose Deli in downtown Paragould. KASU is the 100,000 watt public broadcasting service of ASU-Jonesboro. For details, contact KASU development director Todd Rutledge at ext. 2807, or see the NewsPage release.

ASU Pottery Guild presents annual holiday pottery sale
The ASU Pottery Guild continues its annual holiday pottery sale this week. The sale will be held Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 18-20, at the Edge Coffee House, 1900 Aggie Road. Hours at the Edge are Thursday, Dec. 18, from 6 p.m.-8:30 p.m.; Friday, Dec. 19, from 10 a.m.-5 p.m.; and Saturday, Dec. 20, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. For details, contact the ASU Art Department, ext. 3050.

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