News Archive
Thursday, October 14 2004
News
$600,000 education grant to study middle school math teaching, student interaction
An Iowa State University mathematics education and teaching researcher has received a $600,000 National Science Foundation grant for a five-year project to improve student learning in middle school mathematics. Beth Herbel-Eisenmann, assistant professor of curriculum and instruction in the College of Education, said about a dozen middle school mathematics teachers in central Iowa will be involved in the project. Herbel-Eisenmann and her research team will work collaboratively to implement changes in teacher/student interaction and study the subsequent impact on student learning, focusing on comprehension and conceptual understanding of mathematical ideas.
ISU professor receives top civil engineering award
An assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering has landed the top honor from the Institute of Civil Engineers. Radhey Sharma, an ISU faculty member since 2003, has been awarded the Telford Medal for a paper on unsaturated soils.
Fehr
MEDIA ADVISORY: ISU will be featured in United Soybean Board briefing in Washington, D.C., Oct. 14
Soybean breeder Walter Fehr, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor in Agriculture, will be a featured speaker in a United Soybean Board media briefing in Washington. D.C., Thursday. He will talk about the ISU-developed low linolenic soybeans that produce oil that doesn not require hydrogenation and doesn't contain trans fats. Asoyia, an Iowa farmer-owned company is marketing the oil.
Roll out the barrels: ISU's annual Snow Plow 'Roadeo' set for Oct. 14
Before Iowa blizzards put them to work, many of the state's snow plow operators will show off their fancy blade skills during the annual Iowa Streets and Road Conference Roadeo Thursday, Oct. 14, in the Hilton Coliseum parking lot. The competition, which also will include a motor grader division, will begin at 9 a.m. and will run until about 1 p.m.
ISU to host election forum Oct. 21
Two leading American political process scholars will headline "Election '04: A College Forum on the Candidates and the Issues" at Iowa State University at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 21, in 125 Kildee Hall. The event is free and open to the public. James Campbell, professor of political science at the University of Buffalo, The State University of New York, and John Hibbing, Foundation Regents University Professor of political science at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, are the featured speakers. James McCormick, professor and chair of ISU's department of political science, will moderate.
Swedish ambassador named Manatt-Phelps Lecturer; to speak Oct. 26
Jan Eliasson, Swedish ambassador to the United States, will present the third Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science at Iowa State University. He will speak on the European Union and the global economy at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 26, in the Sun Room, Memorial Union. The lecture is free and open to the public. Thomas and Elizabeth Phelps, and Charles and Kathleen Manatt established the annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science. The lectures focus on significant developments in international political economy during the previous year.
Mardi Gras is theme for second 2004 International Dinner Series Oct. 17
Tickets are on sale now for the second of three international dinners for the 2004-05 academic year. Based on a Mardi Gras theme, the dinner cost is $45 per person and will be held at 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 17. A cash bar and hors d'oeuvres will be available at 6 p.m. in the lounge of LeBaron Hall, Room 1009. The five-course meal will be in the Joan Bice Underwood Tearoom, Room 23, MacKay Hall. Iowa State University's College of Family and Consumer Sciences sponsors the dinner.
Comments sought on second draft of stategic plan
The latest draft of Iowa State University's next strategic plan reflects many of the comments that were submitted after the release of the first draft, said Ben Allen, vice president for academic affairs, provost and head of the strategic planning committee. The new draft was released today (Oct. 11) and is available online at http://www.public.iastate.edu/~newplan. Allen encourages the campus community and others to offer comments and suggestions on the second draft of the plan. Those comments should be submitted by Oct. 29 to strategicplan@iastate.edu. (The comments will be posted periodically, without attribution, on the strategic planning web site.)
New home for alumni becomes a reality
Private funding for a new Iowa State University Alumni Center has reached more than 90 percent of its goal and the project is now slated to move forward. Roy and Bobbi Reiman of Greendale, Wis., have provided the lead gift to fund the entire construction cost of the new facility.
Fundraising effort to save Morrill Hall reaches goal
One of the largest grassroots fundraising efforts in ISU history has raised the necessary funding to renovate Morrill Hall. More than 2,700 private donors contributed the majority of the $9 million needed to give new life to the 114-year-old building on central campus.
Math teacher education focus of talk
An international scholar on teaching and preparing mathematics teachers will be the first lecturer in a new speaker series, "Current Issues in Mathematics Education," hosted by the College of Education. Thomas Cooney, professor emeritus at the University of Georgia, Athens, will discuss reform efforts in mathematics teacher education at 5 p.m., Monday, Oct. 18, in the Gold Room, Memorial Union. The series is funded by a grant from the National Science Foundation.
Professor Yuan Longping examines a corn gene chip during a visit to Iowa State Oct. 12. Yuan, whose pioneering rice research has transformed China's food security, met with researchers, presented a seminar and attended the President's Leadership Class during his visit. Yuan and Dr. Monty Jones, Sierra Leone, are the 2004 World Food Prize Laureates. News release.
On the election
ISU in the news
High-maintenance lotus
The New York Times
Folklore says fuzzy caterpillars can predict the weather. Can they? Iowa State University Extension entomologist Donald Lewis fields a few hundred questions about this every year, and explains the subtle differences between woolly bear caterpillars and other fuzzy species in the same family.
It's the kids killing time
Sydney (Australia) Morning Herald
Most parents don't realize we are living in the third era of the computer game, says Craig Anderson, professor and chair of psychology at Iowa State. First was the "Atari era" --- 1977 to 1985 -- with very little violence in video games. Second was the "Nintendo era" -- 1985 to 1995 -- when violence increased as sales of violent games soared. And now we are in the "Sony PlayStation era" -- marked by games with ever increasingly more realistic depictions of violence and when children are playing at younger ages and for longer periods of time.
Tips on buying a business
The New York Times
"Buyer beware" is as true when buying a small business as it is when purchasing a used car. The savvy buyer will examine existing businesses from all angles, according to Howard Van Auken, professor of finance and entrepreneurship in ISU's College of Business. Is the purchase price consistent with the "value" of the business? Is the inventory current and in good condition? Have the financial statements been audited for at least two years? What is the cash flow of the business and the owner's monthly "draw?"