News Archive
Saturday, October 21 2006
News
ISU part of partnership competing for BP biofuels research lab
A partnership of the University of California, San Diego, Iowa State University and the J. Craig Venter Institute will compete for BP's $500 million Energy Biosciences Institute. BP, a global energy company, has invited the University of California, San Diego, to submit a proposal for a biofuels research institute to be located on or adjacent to that campus. The university has asked Iowa State and the Venter Institute -- a non-profit research institute based in Rockville, Md., and dedicated to the science of genomics -- to be partners in the proposed institute.
Let's play 'Hardball'
A large crowd of ISU students and community members joined MSNBC's Chris Matthews and Sen. John McCain in Stephens Auditorium for a live broadcast of "Hardball" Oct. 18.
Two ISU students receive World Food Prize awards
Two Iowa State University students received World Food Prize awards for their work as Borlaug-Ruan International Interns in the summer of 2005.
ISU dining director named
Nancy Levandowski, a California-based business consultant, has been named director of campus dining services. Previously, she was a resident district manager for Aramark, an international food service company.
Student meteorology group best in nation
The Iowa State University student chapter of the American Meteorological Society has been named the national Student Chapter of the Year.
Delaware Senator Biden to present Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science Oct. 31
U.S. Sen. Joseph Biden, D-Del., will present the fifth annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science at Iowa State University at 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 31, in the Sun Room, Memorial Union.
Ravenscroft to become Roger P. Murphy Professor of Accounting
Susan P. Ravenscroft has been named the first Roger P. Murphy Professor of Accounting at Iowa State University.
Webcast, mini-conference on ethanol Nov. 13
Experts will offer a variety of perspectives on the corn-based ethanol industry in Iowa in a statewide webcast and mini-conference Nov. 13. The conference is sponsored by the ISU economics department.
Harris
Hank Harris has a winning plan
Sirrah LLC, a startup biotech company originating from the research laboratories of animal scientist Hank Harris and colleagues in veterinary medicine, was awarded $15,000 as runner-up in the first John Pappajohn Iowa Business Plan Competition. Sirrah develops vaccines for swine diseases. More than 80 business plans were submitted to the competition, which fosters entrepreneurial activity in the state. The award was announced at the recent Iowa Venture Capital and Entrepreneurship Conference in Des Moines.
Metallurgist named Iowa Inventor of the Year
Iver Anderson, senior metallurgist at Ames Laboratory and ISU adjunct professor of materials science and engineering, has been named Iowa Inventor of the Year for developing a patented, lead-free solder that's used worldwide and has generated more than $10 million in royalties to date.
Iowa State researchers recognized for work to inhibit meth production
George Kraus and John Verkade, University Professors of chemistry at Iowa State, discovered a way to make anhydrous ammonia fertilizer useless as an ingredient for methamphetamine.
Engler will explore critical landscapes in Presidential Lecture Nov. 6
There's more to landscape architecture than moving dirt and planting flowers, says Mira Engler. The Iowa State University landscape architecture professor will discuss her ideas on critical design and present examples of her work during the fall Presidential University Lecture. "Critical Landscapes: From Pork Barrels to Otherworldly Dumps and Gardens," will be at 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6, in the Sun Room, Memorial Union.
See and learn at Iowa State's planetarium
Iowa State graduate students will present planetarium shows at 7 p.m. Nov. 10 and 11 and Dec. 8 and 9 in Room B57 of Physics Hall. The presentations will be followed by star-gazing sessions from Iowa State's astronomy observation deck. The presentations and sessions are free and open to the public.
Visualization Challenge
This graphic explaining the chemistry of a potential catalyst took honorable mention honors in the 2006 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge sponsored by the National Science Foundation and the journal Science. Matt Heying, Changwon Suh, Krishna Rajan and James Oliver of Iowa State University and Simone Seig and Wilhelm Maier of the Universitat des Saarlandes created the graphic.
In the news
Yield of dreams
Successful Farming
Pat Schnable and the Plant Sciences Institute are featured in Successful Farming magazine's October cover story, "Yield of dreams," about groundbreaking crop technology in the works. Research by Schnable and others to sequence the corn genome is key. It will enable scientists to speed development of varieties with desired traits, like drought resistence and cold tolerance, so that agricultural productivity can keep pace with increasing demand for food and fuel.
Time appears right for Dr. Fehr's beans
The Wall Street Journal, Oct. 2
In his cramped lab at Iowa State University here, Walt Fehr developed a soybean whose oil could help eliminate one of the biggest problems facing the food industry today: trans fats blamed for everything from heart disease to hypertension to memory loss.
In search of the next big thing in biomass
Sioux City Journal
ISU graduate student Andy Heggenstaller is searching for the next cash crop in the ethanol boom with an eye on the environment. The agronomy student is not only trying to help Iowa farmers with their bottom lines, but is looking for crops and practices that are beneficial for Iowa's fertile topsoil and its waterways.