News Archive
Wednesday, March 25 2009
News
Reecy named director of the Office of Biotechnology at Iowa State University
James Reecy, associate professor of animal science at Iowa State University, will become director of the university's Office of Biotechnology on July 1. Reecy will transition into the position by becoming the associate director on April 1.
Iowa State to host statewide rural aging conference on April 3
Iowa State University will host the "Rural Aging Conference: Living and Aging Well" in the Scheman Building on Friday, April 3. The day-long conference will feature presentations by six leading aging research scholars.
ISU study finds college students are online regularly and reading more overall
A new Iowa State study examining data from a 2006-07 online survey of 539 students attending a "highly selective" but unnamed Midwestern university found that students are routinely using the Internet more than ever, but they're also spending considerably more time reading than they did 10 years ago.
Spring blood drive under way
There's still time to donate blood to the student-run spring blood drive, which runs through Thursday, March 26. Donors should drop by Memorial Union Great Hall between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.
Spring fashions, local Marc Jacobs designer featured in April 25 ISU Fashion Show
The ISU Fashion Show 2009 will be held on Saturday, April 25, in Stephens Auditorium, and feature work by Mansoor Amjed -- a Des Moines native who is a designer for women's wovens at Marc by Marc Jacobs. The event will have a showcase exhibit of student portfolios and mounted pieces at 6 p.m., with the runway show scheduled for 7 p.m.
Learning communities program earns national honor
The National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) honored Iowa State's learning communities program with the Promising Practices Award for 2009. The award recognizes colleges and universities for their outstanding partnerships between student affairs professionals and academic affairs. Iowa State's learning community program has served as a model for other schools.
Ames Laboratory to receive $1.7 million in recovery act funding
The U.S. Department of Energy's (DOE) Ames Laboratory will receive approximately $1.7 million as part of President Obama's American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The funding will be applied to a variety of energy conservation projects at the Ames Laboratory.
17th Annual Voorhees Business Conference on supply chain management set for April 3
The 17th Annual Voorhees Business Conference -- sponsored by ISU's College of Business, Jacobson Companies, Caterpillar Foundation and John Deere -- will take place on Friday, April 3, in the Scheman Building. The conference will focus on "The Green Supply Chain: Challenges and Best Practices" and features industry leaders in that area.
ISU gets OK to proceed with early retirement option
Iowa State will move forward with its proposed early retirement incentive program, after getting approval from the state Board of Regents at its March 19 meeting in Iowa City. President Gregory Geoffroy introduced ISU's plan as an immediate cost-saving budget measure for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
Nobel laureate in chemistry to speak at March 31
Dudley Herschbach, the Frank B. Baird Jr. Professor of Science at Harvard University and recipient of the Nobel Prize in chemistry, will present the 2009 President's Lecture in Chemistry on Tuesday, March 31. His presentation, "The Impossible Takes a Little Longer: Reflections on Teaching Science as a Liberal Art," will be at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. It is free and open to the public.
ISU Catt Center sponsoring Ready to Run: Campaign Training for Women on April 3
Iowa State's Carrie Chapman Catt Center and the League of Women Voters of Ames, Iowa, are sponsoring Ready to Run Iowa: Campaign Training for Women, on Friday, April 3. The workshop -- which is designed for anyone interested in running for elected office, serving on public boards or commissions, or working on a campaign -- will take place from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. at the Scheman Building.
White
Dean interview March 26-27
Pamela White, finalist for the position of dean of the College of Human Sciences, will interview on campus March 26-27. White is interim dean of the college and University Professor of food science and human nutrition. An open forum with White will be held 3:45 to 5 p.m. March 26 in 2019 Morrill Hall. The forum also will be web cast.
State Science + Technology Fair of Iowa attracts 545 young researchers
The annual State Science + Technology Fair of Iowa will be on the Iowa State University campus March 27-28. The public is invited to several events: Review projects and meet students from 12 to 5 p.m. Friday, March 27, and 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, March 28, at Hilton Coliseum and the Scheman Building. Hear space journalist Andrew Chaikin speak about "A Passion for Mars" at 7 p.m. Friday, March 27, in Hilton. And, see two Saturday award ceremonies: special awards will be presented 8 to 9:30 a.m. and the fair's grand awards will be presented at 5 p.m.
Recycling sights and sounds
Watch (and hear) students unleash 4-story can/bottle recycling "sock"
Two teams to human computer interaction contest
Iowa State qualified two of the 12 selected student teams for the annual Computer Human Interaction student design competition held in Boston, Mass., April 4-9. The qualifiers are students of Iowa State's Human Computer Interaction (HCI) graduate program.
In the news
Can robots be programmed to learn from their own experiences?
Scientific American
"Personal robots" -- inexpensive machines that can help out at home or the office -- may be closer than we think. But first, says Alexander Stoytchev, an assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering at Iowa State University in Ames, robots have to be taught to do something we know instinctively: how to learn.
Eyewitness: How accurate is visual memory?
60 Minutes
ISU Distinguished Professor Gary Wells tells CBS' Lesley Stahl that reinforcement alters memory when it comes to identifying suspects in a lineup. And for that matter, Wells says, viewing photos of people one at a time is a more accurate way to identify a suspect than comparing people to one another.
Environmental studies enrollment soars
The New York Times
Iowa State has seen the number of students enrolled in environmental studies and environmental science soar 50 percent since fall 2003. "I had this sense that environmental issues got a lot more press -- or maybe more effective press -- in the last four to five years," says William Crumpton of ISU's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology.
Buy local: Food tastes better, and it's fresher
Albany Democrat Herald
Locally grown food can be produced four times more efficiently, uses four times less fuel and emits four times less carbon dioxide than items produced on the global market, says Rich Pirog, associate director of the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture at Iowa State.