Daily Staff Writer

Barton appointed to laboratory advisers group

Tom Barton, director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, has accepted a position on the National Advisors Group for the Federal Laboratory Consortium.

The Federal Laboratory Consortium focuses on transferring technology from the lab to the marketplace. The FLC is a group of 711 federal nationwide laboratories.

The 15 member National Advisors Group guides the FLC in pursuing the transfer of technology to the marketplace. The group is made up of agency officials, laboratory administrators and industry leaders.

Barton’s term begins in August and will last at least three years.

The FLC Executive Board will ratify his appointment in April.

“This is a challenging time for federal laboratories, and I look forward to working closely with the FLC as it helps its members strengthen ties with industry,” Barton said in a press release.

Barton is a distinguished professor of chemistry at Iowa State and has been director of Ames Lab since 1988. Since last April, he has served as director of the Institute for Physical Research and Technology.

ISU operates Ames Lab for the Department of Energy. Ames Lab researches energy resources, high-speed computer design, material science and environmental concerns.

---

Animal science convention to be held in Des Moines

The Polk County Convention Center in Des Moines will host the region’s largest annual gathering of animal scientists from March 15-17.

More than 1,000 students and scientists are expected to attend the two-day conference, which is a joint meeting of the American Society of Animal Science and the American Dairy Science Association.

Nearly 300 papers covering topics ranging from meat quality and genetic mapping to waste management and animal behavior will be presented at the conference.

Brian Meyer, communications specialist for Iowa State’s agriculture information service, said more than 30 researchers, including faculty and graduate students, will be attending the conference.

The scientific conference also has significance for consumers, Meyer said.

“For the most part, it is a fairly technical conference, although some of the issues they talk about are things consumers can relate to,” he said.

The conference begins at 1 p.m. on Monday and ends at noon on Wednesday.