News Archive
Tuesday, April 14 2009
News
ISU's Plant Sciences Institute awards funding to seven research projects that address new challenges to Iowa's agriculture and industry
PSI has awarded grants to new research projects to bolster the efforts of its initiatives and focus on plants and climate change.
Non-farm ag students get on-farm experience
Not all students in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences are "farm kids." In fact, many have never set foot on a farm, let alone a working Iowa farm. But each semester, groups of students get some quality on-farm time as participants in the college's Agriculture Weekend Experience program. Besides experiencing production farming, students get a firsthand glimpse into the heart of Iowa.
High schoolers learn IT by defending networks, fighting robots, designing games
Teams of high school students from all over Iowa will compete in the second annual IT-Olympics at Iowa State University. They'll do their best to defend computer networks from hackers, build LEGO robots capable of sumo-style moves and design educational computer games. The competition is April 20-21 at Hilton Coliseum. The event is free and open to the public.
Asian American students will honor former Gov. Robert Ray on April 23
Former Iowa Gov. Robert D. Ray, who opened Iowa's doors to thousands of Southeast Asian refugees after the fall of Saigon, will be the first inductee in the ISU Asian Pacific Islander Desi American Hall of Fame. He will attend the ceremony during Asian Cultural Night, 6 to 9 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. The event, which is free and open to the public, is part of Iowa State's Asian American Heritage Week celebration, "Different Faces, Different Journeys: One Vision," April 20-24.
ISU study finds husbands have low physiological reaction to problem-solving with wives
A new Iowa State study of 64 local married couples found that husbands don't sweat problem-solving discussions with their wives in terms of physiological arousal.
ISU team to compete in IBM-sponsored 'Battle of the Brains' world competition
A team of Iowa State students will be one of 100 collegiate teams that will gather in Stockholm, Sweden from April 18-21 to compete in the 33rd annual Association for Computing Machinery International Collegiate Programming Contest World Finals, sponsored by IBM.
Celebrate Veishea April 13-19
Student organizers are keeping their fingers crossed for excellent weather April 13-19, the dates for Veishea 2009, "Memories in the Making."
ISU symposium to address food and fuel crops at Iowa State April 21-22
BIGMAP is hosting a symposium, "Food and Fuel Crops: Issues, Policies and Regulation," 1:30 to 6:30 p.m., April 21 and from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., April 22 at the Gateway Hotel and Conference Center in Ames.
ISU researcher identifies protein that concentrates carbon dioxide in algae
An Iowa State University researcher has identified one of the key proteins in microalgae responsible for concentrating and moving CO2 into cells.
Iowa State University selects three new deans
Following national searches to fill dean posts in its colleges of Design, Engineering and Human Sciences, Iowa State University President Gregory Geoffroy has announced the successful candidates who will lead those colleges.
Iowa's state and local tax burden is below national average, says ISU researcher
Iowans pay less in total state and local taxes than do residents of most other states, according to a report just published by an Iowa State University researcher.
Jeffrey Zaslow will discuss his new book, The Girls from Ames, on April 23
Jeffrey Zaslow, a Wall Street Journal columnist and the coauthor of the international best seller, "The Last Lecture," has written a new book about the lifelong friendships among 11 women from Ames. He will introduce his book and the women who inspired it at a presentation at Iowa State University. "The Girls from Ames" will be at 8 p.m. Thursday, April 23, in the Memorial Union Sun Room. It is free and open to the public.
ISU business experts address layoffs, virtual appeal, customer relationship management
Iowa State's College of Business experts can plug into today's hottest business topics, including layoffs, social media and customer relationship management.
'Gypsy' hits the stage for annual Stars Over Veishea production, April 15-19
One of the greatest of all American musicals will be on stage at ISU for the annual Stars Over Veishea production. 'Gypsy' will be performed by ISU students at Fisher Theater during Veishea week.
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."
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.
Lovebirds
If you're a hopeless romantic, be sure to check out the spring 2009 issue of VISIONS magazine -- it's all about finding love at Iowa State. Also in this issue are features on golfer Tyler Swanson's amazing recovery following a near-fatal car accident and art professor Chuck Richards' latest literary adventure. VISIONS is published by the ISU Alumni Association.
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.
In the news
10 high fliers on Twitter
Chronicle of Higher Education
Scott McLeod, an associate professor at Iowa State University and director of the university's Center for the Advanced Study of Technology Leadership in Education, was listed eighth among the Chronicle's list of 10 college Twitterers worth following.
Violent video games not a safe outlet for aggression, doctor says
Dr. Douglas Gentile runs the Media Research Lab at Iowa State University, where he studies media's effects on children and adults. He says there have been hundreds of studies about whether media violence can actually help reduce aggression by giving players a "safe" outlet for aggressive fantasies.
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.