News Archive
Thursday, April 2 2009
News
Iowa State study finds video games can teach helpful behavior, too
New research led by ISU psychologists Douglas Gentile and Craig Anderson summarizing studies from three countries found that some non-violent video games can teach kids to be more cooperative and helpful to others.
Researchers examine bacterial rice diseases, search for genetic solutions
Some types of rice are naturally resistant to the Xanthomonas bacteria. In those varieties the team is exposing the plants to the two bacteria. They then check to see which plant genes are activated, and to what extent.
Iowa State chemist synthesizes carbohydrates, launches startup company
A grant from the Grow Iowa Values Fund, a state economic development program, is helping Nikki Pohl and Beatrice Collet develop a process for synthesizing custom-order carbohydrates. They're also launching a startup company, LuCELLa Biosciences Inc., to produce and market the carbohydrates to researchers.
Transportation focus at Iowa State University becomes institute
The Center for Transportation Research and Education, a Regents-approved center at Iowa State University since 1996, has been designated an Iowa State institute and will be called the Institute for Transportation. The institute will also be known as "InTrans."
Barry Griswell and Bob Jennings will speak April 13
Two Des Moines business gurus will speak at Iowa State about ways businesses can grow stronger by overcoming and embracing adversity. Barry Griswell and Bob Jennings will present "The Adversity Paradox: Achieving Uncommon Success in Business" at 7 p.m. Monday, April 13, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. A book signing and reception follow. The events are free and open to the public.
Exercise your freedoms at First Amendment Day April 16
The Greenlee School of Journalism's annual First Amendment Day celebration serves as a reminder of the five freedoms granted by the Constitution. The event kicks off the evening of April 15 with a discussion on the future of the freedom of the press, and continues all day April 16 with a freedom march, lectures, free food, soap box debates and a roundtable discussion.
Emerging Technologies Conference shows off latest in human computer interaction
The annual Emerging Technologies Conference at Iowa State University will be Thursday, April 2, and Friday, April 3. The conference features speakers, demonstrations, technical presentations, networking and some IT fun and games. The event is free for Iowa State students, faculty and staff. Registration fees are required for others.
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 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.
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.
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.