RESOURCE

Engineering & Technology for a Sustainable World

Growing Crops in the Desert ... 7
Recent improvements in agriculture water management developed by engineers at the University of Arizona and USDA-ARS, U.S. Water Conservation Lab include irrigation techniques such as precision leveling, system performance evaluation software and remote sensing.

Up on the Roof ... 9
U.S. Truss Plate Manufacturers use their own computer programs to design trusses. Although these programs render complex architectural designs, they cannot design whole truss assemblies. They analyze forces in individual trusses rather than the assembly as a whole. Consulting engineer John E. Meeks offers suggestions for solving this problem.

Under Pressure to Keep Food Fresher ... 11
High Pressure Processing used in the ceramics, carbon graphite, diamond, steel/alloy and plastics industries, has made a breakthrough in food processing. Products traditionally preserved using heat and/or preservatives can be treated with this technology to extend shelf life while maintaining nutritional and sensory characteristics.

Disaster Zone ... 13
The Aral Sea, the world's fourth largest inland sea, has shrunk and the salinity of its water has increased. Land fertility in the Aral Sea basin decreased from 1.8 percent in 1965, to 0.6 to 0.7 percent in 1996. More than 60 percent of irrigated lands there have salinity levels considered high or very high.

Inside ASAE

Council Highlights from Milwaukee ... 17
The four ASAE councils held business meetings at the ASAE Annual International Meeting in Milwaukee. Find out the highlights resulting from each council meeting.

2000 Leadership and Presidential Citations ... 18

Comments Sought on ANSI Lawnmower Standard ... 18

2000 Educational Aids Blue Ribbon Recipients ... 19

A Word from the President ... 20

Auction Earns $6,597 ... 20

Preprofessionals ... 21
Kevin Price Named Student Engineer of the Year. Ryan Yakimishen Receives Adams Scholarship. Texas A&M 1st in Micro-Mini Tractor Pull. Apply Now for $1,000 Scholarships.

2000 ASAE Paper Winners ... 22

CIGR Playing Important Role Worldwide ... 23

Member News ... 24
Marvin Jensen, Daryl Lund, Harold Wiedemann, Lalit Verma, M.G. "Ron" Britton, Digvir Jayas.

In Memoriam ... 25
Lawrence Hodges.

Welcome New Members ... 25

Departments

Events Calendar ... 2nd cover

Update ... 3

Business Briefs ... 15

Industry Spotlight ... 26

From the Manufacturers ... 27

Personnel Service ... 30

Advertisers Index ... 31

Professional Listings ... 32

Last Word (reader opinion) - Responsible Forestry ... 33
The Sustainable Forestry Initiative (SFI), a program of the American Forest and Paper Association (AF&PA) has 147 members representing roughly 84 percent of the paper production, 50 percent of the wood production and 90 percent of industrial forest land in the United States. In the early 1990s the AF&PA hired a commercial marketing and survey company to research public thought on forests and the forest industry. The survey found that U.S. citizens appreciate forests but are concerned about management. A cooperative venture of shared values arose to ensure sustainability. SFI goals include reforesting harvested areas, protecting water quality, preventing soil erosion, conserving and enhancing biodiversity and fish and wildlife habitat, and improving wood utilization and resource recovery rates to minimize waste.

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