News Archive
Thursday, December 18 2008
News
Rankin named director of sustainability programs at Iowa State
Merry Rankin, a director in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR), will become director of sustainability programs at Iowa State University on Jan. 15.
Weather-related updates
- The public forum with Iowa Energy Center director candidate Bill Nesmith, originally scheduled for Dec. 19, has been postponed. The interview will be rescheduled later
- Some airlines have begun cancelling flights at the Des Moines airport; travelers are advised to check their airlines' web site
ISU receives 'community engagement' designation
Iowa State is among 119 institutions that recently received the "community engagement" designation from the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The designation recognizes institutions for outreach to local and global communities. The designation now been given to 195 institutions.
American Association for the Advancement of Science honors four Iowa Staters
Four Iowa State researchers -- Surya Mallapragada, Klaus Schmidt-Rohr, George Kraus and Kenneth Moore -- are being named AAAS Fellows by the American Association for the Advancement of Science.
After 45 years of service at ISU, veterinary medicine professor says goodbye
Dr. Nani Ghoshal, ISU veterinary medicine, will retire this December after almost a half century of teaching at ISU.
Obama selects Vilsack as Secretary of Agriculture
President-elect Barack Obama has selected former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack to join his cabinet as agriculture secretary. Obama announced the nomination Wednesday morning. Vilsack is a Distinguished Fellow in Iowa State University's Biosafety Institute for Genetically Modified Agricultural Products.
Looking to get fit in the New Year? Iowa State fitness experts offer advice
Warren Franke and Gregory Welk, two Iowa State kinesiology professors, offer tips to people who vow to shape up in the New Year.
Average value of Iowa farmland nears $4,500 an acre in 2008
The average value of an acre of farmland in Iowa reached $4,468 in 2008, continuing to increase for the ninth year in a row, according to an annual survey conducted by Iowa State University Extension. Mike Duffy, ISU Extension farm economist who conducts the survey, said the indicators toward the end of the year imply the upward trend may be slowing as the national economy battles recessionary pressures.
Student veterans with financial need may qualify for ISU Veterans Grant
ISU has allocated $100,000 for the ISU Veterans Grant, a new program the Office of Student Financial Aid hopes will help supplement existing GI Bill benefits. The grant will provide up to $1,000 per semester for students whose veteran status is confirmed. Preference will be given to students whose status is confirmed by Jan. 2, 2009. Awards will continue to be made as long as funding is available.
Iowa State Biobased Industry Center studies carbon emissions, other industry issues
Iowa State University's new Biobased Industry Center will support interdisciplinary research of the biorenewables industry and its economic, policy, business, social and workforce issues. The center is now sponsoring four studies, including three studies related to carbon emissions.
Iowa State's Hira offers retirement savings resolutions for the New Year
Tahira Hira, an ISU professor of personal finance and consumer economics who serves on President Bush's Advisory Council on Financial Literacy, offers 10 New Year's resolutions for investors who are planning to reassess their retirement options.
Commencement set for Dec. 19-20
An estimated 1,601 students will receive degrees from Iowa State during winter commencement events Dec. 19-20. The graduate ceremony will be at be at 8 p.m. Friday, Dec. 19, in Stephens Auditorium. The undergraduate ceremony will begin at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, in Hilton Coliseum, and will include an address by Kenneth Quinn, president of the World Food Prize Foundation and a former United States Ambassador to Cambodia. Quinn also will receive an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters.
Global resource systems major first in the nation
An interdisciplinary major that allows students to pick an international region, language and area of expertise will be offered next fall through the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. The first-in-the-nation major is expected to attract students interested in addressing issues of hunger and poverty in developing nations and those who want to work for companies with global connections.
Three design college programs rank in top 15 nationally
Iowa State University's programs in landscape architecture, interior design and architecture are among the top 15 in the nation, according to a survey of practitioners by DesignIntelligence, a bimonthly publication for leaders in design professions. The magazine's annual report, "America's Best Architecture and Design Schools," is the only national college ranking survey that focuses exclusively on design.
Adversity is springboard to success for graduate
Tamara Benedict has persevered through ordeals that few could fathom. On Saturday, the 43-year-old mother of five, who left a 10-year abusive marriage only to have a near-fatal car accident disrupt her dream of a college education, will receive her diploma from Iowa State.
In the news
Young Republicans seek a new kind of party
The Christian Science Monitor
Young Republicans are mounting an ideological and technological insurgency to change the course of the GOP. Steffen Schmidt, a political science professor at Iowa State University, says young people are the new trees in the deforested Republican party.
10 really cool university networking labs
Iowa State University's Internet-Scale Event and Attack Generation Environment (ISEAGE) made the NETWORKWORLD list.
Putting kids on learning trail
Minneapolis Star Tribune
Playing games can create an opportunity to assess and evaluate student skills, says ISU Associate Professor Scott McLeod. "If we substitute the word 'simulations' for 'video games,' most people see the possibilities," McLeod says.
The value of living within our means
The Des Moines Register
Register columnist Rekha Basu laments that our priorities are out of whack, fueled by easy credit and a "buy now, pay later" philosophy. "We have all become children," says Tahira Hira, an ISU professor of personal finance and consumer economics. "We just point ... and say we want that, and we just get that." This holiday season, "if you don't have the money to buy gifts, please don't do it," Hira says.
Experts say serious flood frequency may increase
Associated Press
The likelihood of more frequent and severe Iowa flooding is increasing, say Iowa State faculty experts Gene Takle and Elwynn Taylor.
Iowa educators address college success for Latinos
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Iowa State University's educational leadership and policy studies program has collaborated with the American Association of Hispanics in Higher Education on a policy brief that provides recommendations for schools and colleges, the university announced last week.