News Archive
Friday, October 22 2004
News
Veishea DVD will not be distributed
A DVD created for the Veishea Task Force will not be distributed to the public, as was reported in the Oct. 22 Ames Tribune.
National Science Foundation funds ISU research on influence of political parties
An Iowa State University political scientist has received a $90,000 National Science Foundation grant to study the influence of national political parties on local, state and national elections. Robert Lowry, associate professor of political science, said the study, "National Party Committees, Competitive Elections, and State Autonomy Before and After the Bipartisan Campaign," focuses on how national committees and their distribution of large sums of money nationwide affect the competitiveness of elections.
Iowa League of Cities honors two
Two Iowa State University faculty members were inducted into the Iowa League of Cities Hall of Fame recently for their service to local governments. The league is a municipal advocacy and training organization based in Des Moines. Jack Whitmer, emeritus associate professor of political science, and Paul Coates, associate professor of political science, were honored for their roles with the Iowa Municipal Clerks' Institute and Iowa Municipal Clerks' Academy.
Open forum Oct. 28 on latest strategic plan draft
The second draft of Iowa State University's strategic plan for 2005-2010 will be discussed during an open forum Thursday, Oct. 28. The forum will be from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. in 101 College of Design.
John Deere pledges more funding to ISU's virtual reality program
Continuing its decade of research support to Iowa State University's Virtual Reality Applications Center (VRAC), Deere & Company announced a new three-year initiative Oct. 20.
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.
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.)
Recovering
Reno, the Des Moines police dog who was shot in the line of duty, gets a pat from fellow police officer and handler
Timothy Nading. Reno underwent surgery Oct. 21 at the Iowa State College of Veterinary Medicine Small Animal Clinic. A
bullet that barely missed his spine will not cause any permanent damage. Reno 's right rear leg will be in a cast for
six to eight weeks. He will be released from the clinic on Saturday.
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On the election
ISU in the news
Election Early Birds
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
Iowa, like several states, is allowing early voting in addition to absentee ballots in the 2004 election. Both major political parties are aggressively working to "get the vote out" because Iowa's seven electoral votes could be crucial this year, says Dianne Bystrom, director of Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State. Bystrom said early voting is good for young people and single parents. "There are no excuses for not voting," she said.
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.