(Radio Iowa) – Video conferences may be a permanent part of our work lives now, and an Iowa State University study delves into what people are actually looking at during Zoom and Webex meetings.

Joey George, an ISU professor of information systems and business analytics, says they used eye-tracking technology to find participants -did- pay attention to whoever was speaking during video conferences, but they looked off-screen frequently and for long periods.

“We don’t know exactly what was going on in their heads,” George says. “We just know that for whatever reason they were disengaged from looking at the screen for about a third of the time.”

Anyone who’s been on a video conference knows they can use the camera like a mirror, but shouldn’t do so during a call. Still, the study found women looked at themselves during video conferences twice as often as men.

Joey George (ISU photo)

“Women are much more conscious of how they look and they actually use that image of themselves in the meetings to make sure that their hair is right and their makeup is right and the clothing is all right,” George says, “and men apparently just don’t care as much.”

One of George’s personal pet peeves is people eating during a video call, so one of the distractions they used in the study was people munching on snacks or moving the camera to change the background.

“We found that everybody noticed the distractions but they really didn’t pay attention to them for very long,” George says. “They saw them, they registered them and within a couple of seconds, they went back to the meeting. I guess that’s kind of good news that the distractions are noticed but they just don’t become something that’s a major concern.”

The technology for video calling was around long before the pandemic, but George believes Zoom and similar programs will most certainly continue to be popular well after COVID is a distant memory.

“It’s not going to be the only game in town anymore,” George says. “People really like the personal contact, but I think it’s here to stay.” He says one goal of the study was to help people avoid distractions and to inform the future designers of video conferencing.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – Officials with the Atlantic Food Pantry say the Pantry intends to be open for drive through food distribution to those who absolutely need food, this Thursday, December 22 starting at the usual time of 12:30 PM.

Due to the extreme cold temperatures and wind chill, however, the Pantry urges all those who do not immediately need food this week to be safe and please consider staying home this Thursday.

The cold temperatures could make it difficult for you to stay warm in your car and lead to vehicle malfunctions or difficulty restarting engines in the pantry line.

WASHINGTON– U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-Iowa), a combat veteran and a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, announced the Iowa students she is nominating to U.S. Service Academies.

“Thank you to our young Iowans who have answered the call to serve our country! As a combat veteran and mom to a West Point graduate and current active-duty servicemember, I know the commitment each of our nominees has for our state and country,” Ernst said. “It is my honor to nominate and support this future generation of leaders as they take this next step toward serving our nation.”

Below are the Iowa students (from around the area) nominated by Senator Ernst to attend U.S. Service Academies for the Class of 2027:

United States Air Force Academy

• Matthew Turack – Griswold

United States Military Academy at West Point

• Manuel Garcia-Paz – Denison
• Pierce Johnson – Oakland

Every year, Ernst nominates Iowa students to U.S. Service Academies, including the U.S. Air Force Academy, U.S. Naval Academy, U.S. Military Academy at West Point, and the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy does not require a congressional nomination for students to apply. To learn more about the service academy nomination process, click here.

(Atlantic, Iowa) – The Cass County Board of Supervisor’s today (Tuesday) heard from Brigham Hoege, Cass County Tourism Volunteer Kenner Baxter, CADCO Executive Director Jennifer McEntaffer and Bailey Smith, with the Atlantic Area Chamber of Commerce, as a follow-up to their meeting last week, where the group asked the Board for funds to create a Cass County Tourism Director for a two-years.

For the past number of years, the Supervisors have provided $5,000 in funding to Cass County Tourism annually. The funds have primarily been used for county event marketing. Minimal funding was used to reimburse Baxter for the costs of attending regional and state tourism events, where she has represented Cass County. Baxter announced this past Spring, that she intends to step away from the position.

Last week, the group proposed forming a 501 (c) 6 non-profit organization to create a full-time or possibly part-time director, to take on a more comprehensive approach to marketing the various attractions, including in-person attendance at conferences, brochures, and an online presence — to name a few.

Board members individually mentioned that in speaking with the constituents they are responsible to, most are opposed to the creation of another office using government funds. Supervisor Steve Green..Mark O’Brien and Bernard Pettinger….

O’Brien said the people he’s spoken with feel tourism falls under the responsibility of CADCO (Cass-Atlantic-Development Corporation) and the Chamber, under the category of economic development, to which Chamber Director Bailey Smith said those entities should receive more funding from the public. Wendy Richter, who was elected to the Board of Supervisors in November, said she had her own concerns about the proposal, as she understands it.

She wondered also, as a 501 (c) 6, how a candidate for the position would receive benefits (Healthcare, etc.).

In the end, the Supervisors tabled action and discussion on the proposal until Board Chair Steve Baier has a chance to explore how Golden Hills RC& D would handle the matter, including promoting tourism and possibly grant writing.