News Archive
Tuesday, October 19 2004
News
Local officials in Boone, Poweshiek counties team with ISU researchers to study shared services for their communities
The Iowa Innovations Fund has awarded Boone and Poweshiek counties a $63,850 grant to work with Iowa State University's public policy and administration program faculty to explore how the area communities can share local services. Researchers with the "The Olive Tree Project: Helping Citizens Define Their Communities" will work with county and city officials to identify common community values and services essential to preserving each area's unique identity.
Five named College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Master Teachers
Five faculty members in Iowa State University's College of Liberal Arts and Sciences have been named 2004-05 Master Teachers. The Master Teachers are Clifford Bergman, professor of mathematics and computer science; William Gallus, associate professor of geological and atmospheric sciences; Michael Mendelson, professor of English; Jill Pruetz, assistant professor of anthropology; and Mark Rectanus, professor of foreign languages and literatures. The five faculty members will plan teaching methods seminars and in-class demonstrations throughout the academic year.
Business ethics post-Enron topic of Oct. 27 ISU Presidential Lecture
Brad Shrader, professor of management in Iowa State University's College of Business, will present the fall 2004 Presidential University Lecture at 8 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 27, in the Great Hall, Memorial Union. Shrader will talk on "Business Ethics After Enron: Looking Good Versus Being Good." A reception and student display will be held at 7 p.m. in the Oak Room, Memorial Union. The events are free and open to the public. Shrader is a nationally known expert in strategic management and business ethics. He researches the relationship between corporate social responsibility and company performance.
Planning committee on possible college combination releases report
The committee looking into how the colleges of Education and Family and Consumer Sciences might be combined offers a number of suggestions in a recently released report. The committee asks members of the two colleges to provide input on the report, which is available online at http://www.provost.iastate.edu/educfcs.
Political commentator Ann Coulter to speak at Iowa State Oct. 29
Ann Coulter, syndicated columnist for Universal Press Syndicate, attorney, conservative commentator and legal affairs correspondent, will speak at Iowa State University's Stephens Auditorium on Friday, Oct. 29, at 8 p.m.
Judy Vance
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Vance named ASME fellow
Judy Vance, chair of ISU's mechanical engineering department, has been named a Fellow of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) International. Vance is the first female department chair in the College of Engineering, currently serves on a National Science Foundation advisory committee and is founding president of the Women In Engineering Leadership Institute (WELI). For more information on Vance's most recent honor, go to:
Stephens Auditorium is 'Building of the Century'
ISU's Stephens Auditorium has been selected as "Building of the Century" by the American Institute of Architects (AIA), Iowa Chapter.
$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.
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.
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.
Stephens Auditorium, completed in 1969 and the first building constructed at the Iowa State Center, has been selected as "Building of the Century" by the American Institute of Architects, Iowa Chapter. 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?"