News Archive
Monday, April 21 2008
News
ISU study finds Iowa Caucuses generate $15.5 million in state economic impact
A new report by ISU economist Dave Swenson titled "The Economic Impact of the Iowa Caucus: Gauging the Worth of its First-in-the-Nation Position?," found that the major presidential candidates' economic impact to the state was $15.5 million in total sales in the six months preceding the Iowa Caucuses.
Iowa State University helps catch cheaters as summer's fastest athletes compete
The Kentucky Derby, May 3 at Churchill Downs in Louisville, uses Iowa State University researchers to check the horses for performance-enhancing drugs. Iowa State University researchers have been working with the derby for six years, and during that time drug testing has become a household topic.
Iowa State study finds TV portrayals of psychological therapy influences willingness to seek it
Three Iowa State psychologists collaborated on a study that found that television portrayals may make viewers less likely to seek psychological services themselves. Their paper titled "The Influence of Television on Willingness to Seek Therapy," was published in the March issue of the Journal of Clinical Psychology.
ISU dominates 2008 Des Moines Arts Festival Emerging Iowa Artists
Fifteen of the 24 jury-selected Emerging Iowa Artists in the 2008 Des Moines Arts Festival (June 27-29) hail from ISU's College of Design. Twelve are students and three are alumni. The Emerging Iowa Artists Program identifies Iowa's up-and-coming young artists.
Commitment from G. Richard Johnson will Create First Endowed Department Chair at ISU
The first endowment for a department chair at Iowa State University will be established with a $2 million bequest from alumnus G. Richard "Dick" Johnson of Urbana, Ill. Johnson's commitment will create the Wilbert A. Russell Endowed Department Chair in Agronomy in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.
"Be Active Kids!" creator to present Pease Family Scholar lecture April 24
Catherine Ennis, a professor of kinesiology and curriculum and instruction at the University of Maryland and creator of "Be Active Kids!" -- a science-based physical education program funded by the National Institute of Health -- will present the Pease Family Scholar lecture on Thursday, April 24, at 7 p.m. in ISU's Forker Building, Room 279.
2009 Veishea dates will change, with hopes of better weather
Iowa State University officials and student Veishea organizers have decided to change the date of next year's Veishea celebration to April 13-19, 2009.
Robots, games, hackers: first IT-Olympics at Iowa State celebrates computer smarts
The first IT-Olympics at Iowa State will bring about 200 students from 25 high schools to Hilton Coliseum April 25-26. They'll compete in robotics, game design and cyber defense. They'll also learn there's a future in information technology.
Morrill Act on display through April 27
The Morrill Act, a rare historical document, never seen outside of D.C., is on display in ISU's Christian Petersen Art Museum through April 27. Abraham Lincoln signed the act, which created a new kind of "people's university."
ISU team wins top award in statewide Pappajohn new venture business plan competition
The ISU team of Joel Rieken of Ankeny and Andy Heidloff of West Des Moines -- both graduate students in materials science and engineering (MSE) -- and Iver Anderson, an adjunct professor in MSE, was chosen one of the top prize winners in the recent statewide Pappajohn New Venture Business Plan Competition.
New legislation will extend ISU's smoking ban
The ban on smoking in ISU buildings will be extended to outdoor campus areas under new state legislation.
Mimicking bacteria to produce magnetic nanoparticles
An interdisciplinary team of Ames Lab researchers is mimicking bacteria to produce high quality magnetic nanoparticles at room temperature. The technique uses proteins derived from the bacteria to affix iron and other metals which form into nanoparticles in the presence of self-assembling polymers.
Virginia Tech anniversary following "public drama" script says Iowa State sociologist
Brian Monahan, an assistant professor of sociology at ISU, says coverage of the Virginia Tech shooting falls under his definition of a "public drama." His research on how media constructed the events of Sept. 11, 2001 into the iconic public drama "9/11" will be the topic of a book he's publishing next year.
Dave and Ellen Raisbeck establish endowed deans chair in the ISU College of Business
An endowed deans chair has been established in the Iowa State University College of Business thanks to a $3 million commitment from Dave and Ellen Raisbeck from Shorewood, Minn. The endowed fund will provide perpetual funding for college priorities and will be administered by the dean of the College of Business.
3M Foundation commits $500,000 to the Engineering Leadership Program at ISU
The College of Engineering has received a $500,000 commitment from the 3M Foundation for the Engineering Leadership Program. In addition to a $500,000 gift in 2005, this brings 3Ms total contributions to $1 million for the program.
Harvard professor will discuss global impact of private equity in Miller Lecture, April 23
Josh Lerner, the Jacob H. Schiff Professor of Investment Banking at the Harvard Business School, will share what he learned from a study on the economic impact of private equity for the World Economic Forum during a free public talk on Wednesday, April 23, at 10:45 a.m. in Room 2117 of the Gerdin Business Building. The event is part of the F. Wendell Miller Lecture Series.
ISU graduate student writes children's book on food safety
Armitra Jackson, a Ph.D. graduate student in meat science at ISU, just wrote the book "The Birthday to Remember Forever," which is the first in the series "Eating Safe with Ace and Mace." The series is geared toward children in kindergarten through fourth grade and focuses on the importance of handling food in a safe manner so that foodborne illnesses are prevented.
Nation's only three-term woman governor is ISU's spring Mary Louise Smith Chair
Madeleine Kunin, the first and only woman to serve as governor bof Vermont and former ambassador to Switzerland, will be ISU's Spring 2008 Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics on Thursday, April 24. The nation's only three-term woman governor (1985-1991), Kunin will discuss her new book, "Pearls, Politics, and Power: How Women Can Win and Lead," in a free, public presentation at 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.
Iowa State architecture professor receives national recognition
Architecture Professor Gregory Palermo is one of three in the nation to receive the Distinguished Professor Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture.
National association honors design faculty with creative achievement award
A team of Iowa State faculty, representing all four College of Design departments, has received a 2007-2008 Creative Achievement Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Architecture. They won for development of Design Science, an experimental course that introduces students to the fundamental relationship between science and design in their first year of college.
Enjoying the view
Veishea parade lovers jam the steps of Beardshear April 12 to watch the show. Check the slide show on the ISU homepage for more Veishea photos.
Biorenewables research
VISIONS magazine looks at biorenewables research, a hot topic on the ISU campus. The spring 2008 issue also celebrates the magazine's 20th anniversary with a look at memorable stories.
In the news
Taxing Virtual Worlds
Forbes
In one recent law review article, a quartet of professors from Iowa State University argue for a "cash-out" rule--virtual profits in virtual currency wouldn't be taxed when used "in world"; they would be taxed only if they were converted into profits in real currency and transferred out of the game. They would apply this "cash out" rule to all sorts of virtual games.
Jill Pruetz, ISU anthropologist, on PBS' Nova.
Almost Human
National Geographic
In 2007 Jill Pruetz, an anthropologist at Iowa State University, reported that a Fongoli female chimp named Tumbo was seen two years earlier, less than a mile from where we are right now, sharpening a branch with her teeth and wielding it like a spear. She used it to stab at a bush baby, a pocket-size, tree-dwelling nocturnal primate that springs from branch to branch like a grasshopper. Until that report, the regular making of tools for hunting and killing mammals had been considered uniquely human behavior.
