News Archive
Friday, September 29 2006
News
Alumnus pledges $5 million toward new facility
Virgil Elings, a 1961 graduate of Iowa State, has committed $5 million toward a new building to house the department of agricultural and biosystems engineering.
Student-run blood drive Oct. 2-6
Iowa State students will hold one of the largest student-run blood drives in the nation Oct. 2-6. Students hope to surpass last spring's record-breaking drive that brought in 2,120 pints of blood.
New tool for nano vision
Ames Laboratory researchers have a new $1.8 million scanning transmission electron microscope to give them an unprecedented view of materials at the nanoscale.
Tight gubernatorial race reflects divided nation
Iowa's split polling in the gubernatorial race is a reflection of the nation's great political divide according to two ISU political scientists.
Entrepreneurship initiative under way
Iowa State has begun a campus-wide initiative to integrate entrepreneurship into the curricula of its seven colleges.
John Kerry to kick off ISU student government's Political Action Week
Iowa State student government's Political Action Week will feature former presidential candidate John Kerry at 10:30 a.m. Monday, Oct. 2, on central campus.
Hoffman named executive vice president and provost
Elizabeth Hoffman, former University of Colorado president and Iowa State University dean, has been named executive vice president and provost at Iowa State by ISU President Gregory Geoffroy. Hoffman is expected to assume her new role at Iowa State on Jan. 1, 2007.
Grape and wine institute gets regents green light
Iowa State's proposal for a Midwest Grape and Wine Industry Institute received the go-ahead from the Board of Regents, State of Iowa, during its meeting Sept. 27. The regents also approved a new software engineering degree.
$3.3 million NSF grant will help advance women's science careers
The National Science Foundation has awarded a five-year, $3.3 million grant to Iowa State University to focus on institutional transformation in advancing the careers of women in science, technology, engineering and math.
Iowa State researchers helping to take the natural gas out of ethanol production
Iowa State University engineers are working with an Ames company to develop a renewable and cost effective alternative to the natural gas burned by most ethanol plants. The project is partially supported by the Grow Iowa Values Fund, a state economic development program.
Researchers bioengineer plants resistant to pathogen
Researchers at three universities, including Iowa State, have designed a new way to make plants resistant to the root-knot nematode, a microscopic, parasitic worm that is one of the world's most destructive plant pathogens.
ISU economists analyze ethanol trade and prices in a free market
What would happen to fuel ethanol prices and trade in a U.S. market free of trade distortions and taxes? A recent analysis by economists at Iowa State's Center for Agricultural and Rural Development addresses that question.
Movie malfunction leads to award-winning design for ISU student
Vande Griend is the first Iowa State student to win a first at the prestigious International Woodworkers Fair, which attracts the best young designers in the world.
ABC-TV picks ISU-Nebraska football game for 7 p.m. broadcast
The Oct. 7 Iowa State-Nebraska football game in Ames will kickoff at 7 p.m. ABC-TV has selected the game to broadcast regionally.
Congressmen Smith, Latham to be honored for service to Iowa small businesses
Former Iowa Congressman Neal Smith and current Congressman Tom Latham will be honored for their service to Iowa's small businesses at the 25th Anniversary Celebration Luncheon of the Iowa Small Business Development Centers (SBDC) on Wednesday, October 4, in West Des Moines.
ISU study determines regional economic values of ethanol production in Iowa
ISU economists David Swenson and Liesl Eathington authored a research paper finding that with no local ownership, a new ethanol plant would either create directly or otherwise stimulate a total of 133 jobs in the regional economy -- with 29 more jobs being created for every 25-percent increase in local ownership of those plants.
CARD director advises House subcommittee how to build more efficient farm bill
Bruce Babcock, director of the center for Agricultural and Rural Development (CARD) and professor of economics, testified before a U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee on Sept. 21. Babcock talked about what should go into the 2007 farm bill.
Morphing improves likenesses of suspects
A new study by ISU researchers indicates that likenesses of criminal suspects are better when several eyewitness composites are morphed.
Carver Trust commits $800,000 to ISU research
The Roy J. Carver Charitable Trust recently committed more than $800,000 in grants for research at Iowa State. The funds will support three separate studies at the university focusing in areas of biomolecules, medicinal compounds and science literacy in youth.
Latino heritage celebration under way
A film festival, cultural nights, dances and Latino foods are part of the student-organized celebration of Latino Heritage Month.
Good chemistry
The fall issue of VISIONS magazine looks at the very cool, not-so-scary, downright amazing ISU chemistry program. The issue also looks at President Gregory Geoffroy's five years at ISU, the Special Olympics USA National Games and carving the perfect jack-o-lantern.
Copyright Joan Marcus 2006
'RENT' comes to Iowa State Center
The Tony Award(R)-winning musical RENT will bring New York City's East Village to Stephens Auditorium for one performance on Friday, Oct. 20, at 7:30 p.m.
In the news
High-tech firms get small-town benefits
Associated Press/MSN Money
A high-tech company doing business from the coalfields of eastern Kentucky? Some companies are saying goodbye to city life. "There's a new generation of entrepreneurs who have really tight relationships virtually," says ISU's Cornelia Flora, Charles F. Curtiss Distinguished Professor of agriculture and sociology.
Mass-produced foods more easily contaminated
San Francisco Chronicle
It's only been about 25 years since the E. coli bacterium was first identified as a threat to human health. And mass-produced foods today make it easier for contaminated products, like bagged spinach, to reach more people. Sam Beattie, a food safety extension specialist and assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, says it's almost impossible to ensure that there will not be any pathogenic microorganisms on any raw agricultural product.