News Archive
Friday, May 18 2007
News
Iowa State conference to help Iowa small businesses win federal innovation funds
The first Iowa State University conference to help Iowa businesses win federal innovation and technology transfer dollars will be 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 5, in the Scheman Building at the Iowa State Center.
Iowa State scientists demonstrate first use of nanotechnology to enter plant cells
A team of Iowa State scientists is the first to successfully use nanotechnology to penetrate plant cells, simultaneously delivering a gene and a chemical to activate it. The breakthrough creates a powerful new tool that could transform plant biotechnology.
Birrell named to new professorship
Stuart Birrell, associate professor in Iowa State University's agricultural and biosystems engineering department, has been named to fill a new professorship created by the founders and owners of KINZE Manufacturing Inc. in Williamsburg.
Getting real about biz options: ISU prof's study earns international research award
Amrit Tiwana, an associate professor of logistics operations and management information systems at ISU, has led research of more than 100 major technology companies on managers' behavior during high-tech failing projects. One of the studies earned the Best Article Award for 2006 by the editorial team of Decision Sciences.
Facts regarding status of tenure case at Iowa State
Guillermo Gonzalez, assistant professor of physics and astronomy at Iowa State, is appealing the university's April decision to not grant him tenure and promotion. The appeal of the final tenure decision is now with ISU President Gregory Geoffroy, who will evaluate the case and provide a final decision by June 6, 2007. Tenure is a complex process. It is among the most important decisions a university makes and is never taken lightly. Outside of academia, however, there is little shared understanding of tenure, its rigor and significance. For that reason, and because Gonzalez's appeal has generated a number of questions, the FAQ below may be helpful in understanding the tenure process at Iowa State.
Canine conditioning program available
The Iowa State University Veterinary Teaching Hospital's Canine Conditioning Program can get your dog off the couch and in shape. Hospital clinicians have developed a program designed to address many health problems that affect sedentary dogs. Orientation is May 19.
Iowa State Formula racing team looks for another top-10 finish
The students of Iowa State University's Formula SAE team are ready to test their engineering and racing skills at an international competition May 16-20 in Romeo, Mich.
ISU student is national teacher of the year
Kendra Naef, an ISU doctoral student in family and consumer sciences, has been named National Teacher of the Year for 2007 by the American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences.
Iowa State's Women's Rugby Club wins national championship
Three scores by Iowa State's Ashley Cleveland helped lead the Cyclones to the Division II Women's Rugby National Championship, beating top-ranked and defending champion UC Santa Cruz 26-19 Saturday in Stanford, Calif.
ISU Catt Center sponsoring Ready to Run: Campaign Training for Women on June 1
The Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at Iowa State and the League of Women Voters of Ames, Iowa, are sponsoring Ready to Run: Campaign Training for Women on Friday, June 1, at the Scheman Center at the Iowa State Center in Ames.
CARD director testifies before house committee on crop insurance
In Congressional testimony last week, Bruce Babcock, director of the Center for Agricultural and Rural Development at Iowa State University, offered information on how federal crop insurance policy could be reformed to benefit both farmers and taxpayers.
ISU Psychology in Education Research Lab evaluates state technology teaching success
Officials from the Psychology in Education Research Laboratory (PERL) at Iowa State presented a recent report to the Iowa Department of Education showing how middle school students who received new technology-based teaching strategies became increasingly more proficient in mathematics on the Iowa Tests of Basic Skills (ITBS).
ISU study finds women expect to care for parents, but few prepare for it
A recent nationwide online survey of 400 women by Iowa State University sociologists and the marketing and analysis firm Gestalt Inc. in Nevada, Iowa, found that while 70 percent of respondents expected to care for their aging parents, few prepare for it.
Sesquicentennial fun
Iowa State's 150th birthday bash will span an entire year.
In the news
New York City ban feeds demand for trans fat free oils
New England Journal of Medicine
As bakers, cooks and chefs face the New York City ban on trans fats, they're trying out substitute oils in recipes. They're part of a nationwide rush to remove trans fats from foods that has boosted demand for new oils, like the low-linolenic soybean oil developed at Iowa State, says plant breeder Walter Fehr, distinguished professor of agronomy.
Bit parts on TV drill Home Depot brand into shows
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brand messages from top retailers like Home Depot are being written into your favorite TV scripts. Jay Newell, assistant professor of journalism in ISU's Greenlee School of Journalism and an expert on product placement, says it's a smart marketing tactic...and the viewing public has yet to protest.
With big money flowing to biofuels research, universities vie to harvest energy from crops
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The brown and black stalks of switch grass, miscanthus and kenaf are not much to look at, having weathered Iowa's winter snows. But Iowa State researchers see these crops as seeds of change in alternative fuels.