News Archive
Saturday, August 2 2008
News
Design student wins network internship
An Iowa State University graphic design student's winning competition entry has earned him a place in the Hollywood spotlight. Joe Kutilek's 25-second, digital motion-graphics promotional spot for The CW TV Network hit, "Gossip Girl," took first place in a national college competition, "Making the Cut." His winning, which will air this fall, earned him an internship in Hollywood.
Iowa State study of community college presidents finds national shortage on horizon
A new ISU study of 415 community college presidents (38.2 percent nationally) found that 79 percent will retire by 2012, and 84 percent by 2016. The study also documents a shortage of qualified replacements.
Lumberjack duties part of summer internship
Two ISU forestry students are living in the woods this summer. They're logging trees to create passable roads and trapping and releasing animals as part of a research project.
Iowa State professor, co-designer of Speedo's LZR Racer is ready for its Olympic test
Rick Sharp, an ISU kinesiology professor, was part of a team of outside experts who helped design Speedo's LZR Racer swimsuit, which has already been worn by swimmers setting 48 world records since its February release. It will be worn by most of the top swimmers in the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games, Aug. 8-24.
German architect brings a touch of green to Iowa State University
Iowa State University is learning some European lessons on sustainable design from a German architect. For the past two years, assistant professor Ulrike Passe has been injecting a healthy dose of European-bred, green design into the ISU architecture curriculum. And as lead faculty on ISU's solar decathlon project, she's extending her expertise to the entire campus community.
Carver, ISU student
Traveling Field Museum exhibit on Carver debuts in Des Moines
Iowa State alumnus and legendary scientist George Washington Carver is remembered in a traveling exhibit that debuts in Iowa. The exhibit, from Chicago's Field Museum, will be on display in the State Historical Museum in Des Moines Aug. 1 through Nov. 2. The exhibit opens with a reception July 31 (reservations, $20). Family activities are featured in a special celebration Sept. 20. Iowa State is among sponsors of the Des Moines exhibit.
Virtual worlds make real life marketing business sense, says Iowa State professor
Even if business owners don't want to sell their wares to avatars in those virtual worlds, Iowa State professor Brian Mennecke says they should at least consider exploring their product development and marketing value.
Iowa State design researcher teams with Mayo Clinic
Debra Satterfield, an associate professor of art and design, is teaming up with the Mayo Clinic to transform her personal experiences with health care environments and information into more satisfying interactions for others. Satterfield, who researches how experiences are created through the design of environments and information, will examine how design variables influence the decision-making process of patients using medical decision aids.
UI and ISU establish shared DNA sequencing instrumentation
Iowa State University and the University of Iowa have each purchased a state-of-the-art DNA sequencer that will advance genetic research on both campuses. The two sequencers -- each with different capabilities -- can be used by researchers from either university. The instruments are expected to benefit research in the agricultural and medical sciences.
Bernard named interim dean of Iowa State University College of Engineering
James Bernard, Anson Marston Distinguished Professor of Engineering and a 25-year member of the Iowa State University mechanical engineering faculty, has been named interim dean of the College of Engineering effective Sept. 1.
Iowa State's external funding hits $274 million in fiscal year 2008
Iowa State University attracted $274 million in grants, contracts and cooperative agreements during the fiscal year that ended June 30, an increase of $2.2 million over the previous year.
Iowa State solar car finishes 2,400-mile race in eighth place
Sol Invictus, Iowa State University's solar race car completed the 2,400-mile North American Solar Challenge Tuesday afternoon in eighth place overall with a time of 91 hours and 12 minutes.
Two Iowa State faculty to be named American Statistical Association fellows
Two members of Iowa State's statistics faculty, Dan Nettleton and Yongzhao Shao, will be named fellows of the American Statistical Association in August at the organization's annual meeting in Denver.
Change the world
The summer 2008 issue of VISIONS magazine features alumni, faculty, staff and students who are making a difference and 150 years of Iowa State contributions.
In the news
Downsize your 'food print'
The Kansas City Star
What is the environmental impact of the groceries you buy and the food you eat? The average grocery store produce travels 1,500 miles to get there. Buying locally grown fruits and vegetables is one way to "eat green," but Rich Pirog of ISU's Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture says the concept of food miles -- the distance food travels from farm to plate-- is more complex than that.
Save a buck! Tips for tough times
The Des Moines Register
ISU's Tahira Hira says nearly everyone can save $5 a day by making small changes in buying habits. That adds up to $150 a month, or $1,825 a year.