News Archive
Friday, April 24 2009
News
'Dinosaurs and other Common Garden Pests' opens at Reiman Gardens May 1; special preview April 30
Full-scale dinosaur sculptures are part of a Reiman Gardens exhibit that runs May 1 through July 24. An April 30 preview party features live music and exhibit creator Guy Darrough.
ISU's solar decathlon team partners with DMACC program
Iowa State University's solar decathletes are teaming up with the Architectural Millwork Program at Des Moines Area Community College in Ankeny to build cabinetry for the Interlock House -- ISU's entry into the U.S. Department of Energy's 2009 Solar Decathlon competition. The DMACC class will donate labor and ISU will pay for materials for the kitchen and bedroom cabinetry.
See the solar house progress
It's been a busy week for Iowa State's Solar Decathlon team. On Earth Day, their Interlock House was insulated with an environmentally friendly soy-based insulation. Today their outdoor construction Webcam went online. And on Saturday, the public is invited to see the structure and learn more about how it will produce more energy than it uses during an open house, 3-5 p.m. at 1220 Southern Hills Drive.
ISU Dance Team takes 8th at nationals
Iowa State's Dance Team scored its highest-ever point total and best finish at a national dance competition at the recent NCA/NDA College National Competition in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Ceremony held for Raisbeck Endowed Dean position
ISU College of Business Dean Labh Hira was installed as the Raisbeck Endowed Dean in a ceremony held Friday, April 17, in the Memorial Union's Great Hall. The endowed dean position was established thanks to a $3 million commitment from Dave and Ellen Raisbeck from Shorewood, Minn.
Agriculture, statistics, chemistry and engineering grad programs rank high
Agricultural engineering, statistics and analytical chemistry are Iowa State University's top-ranked programs in the latest rankings of graduate programs by U.S. News & World Report magazine.
Iowa State class creates a memory care garden for Alzheimer's patients in Ackley
For the past three months, students in Bridget Belkacemi's landscape architecture studio class at Iowa State University worked with staff at the Presbyterian Village in Ackley to design and create a therapeutic garden for the facility's newest wing--the dementia care unit. Students carefully chose each element to elicit soothing memories of childhood in a German farming community in Iowa--from a clothesline and hand pump to corn plants and lilacs.
ISU leading the way in sustainability in College of Design building addition
King Pavilion will meet high green building and performance measurements including lower operating costs, increased asset value, reduced waste sent to landfills, decreased water and energy use and reduced greenhouse gas emissions. It is scheduled to open for classes in August 2009.
ISU professors, CHS entrepreneurship classes making over four Elkader businesses
ISU professors Linda Niehm and Ann Marie Fiore and 22 students from their AESHM 474-574 "Entrepreneurship in Human Sciences" classes are in Elkader this week making branding modifications, merchandising makeovers and marketing recommendations on four downtown businesses. It's all part of a Main Street Iowa and Iowa Department of Economic Development funded-initiative.
Iowa State student receives Goldwater Scholarship
Goran Micevic, a third-year student in biochemistry who plans on becoming a biomedical researcher, has been named a Goldwater Scholar for 2009-10. The Goldwater Scholarship is the premier undergraduate award of its type in mathematics, natural sciences and engineering. Micevic is among 278 college students nationwide selected for the competitive scholarship. Katherine Tsamis, a third-year student in biology, received honorable mention.
ISU's Gentile authors study finding nearly 1 in 10 youth gamers addicted to video games
In a national study of 1,178 American youths (ages 8-18), ISU Assistant Professor of Psychology Douglas Gentile found nearly one in 10 of the gamers to be pathological players according to standards established for pathological gambling. His paper was posted today on the Web site of Psychological Science, the journal of the Association for Psychological Science.
ISU health officials alert students to Spencer measles case
ISU health officials are advising students, faculty or staff who were in Spencer on April 11 or 12 to check their immunizations records for measles. The very contagious disease was diagnosed in a youngster in that area.
Alumnus Don Soults and President Gregory Geoffroy
New visitor center for prospective students, families
Don Soults (left), an ISU alumnus from Vienna, Va., and President Gregory Geoffroy cut the ribbon at the Soults Family Visitor Center in the Memorial Union. The new facility provides a presentation room, reception area and lounge for thousands of prospective students and their families who visit Iowa State each year. The center was funded in part by a lead gift from Soults.
Iowa State University architecture class wins national prize
The National Council of Architectural Registration Boards (NCARB) has recognized an innovative ISU architecture course with a $25,000 cash award. The Bridge Studio won the 2009 NCARB Grand Prize for Creative Integration of Practice and Education in the Academy. The interdisciplinary studio worked with the nonprofit Community Housing Development Corporation in Des Moines to help integrate sustainable systems into the organization's single-family affordable homes. They also worked in Cedar Rapids to develop prototype modular housing options for people whose homes were badly damaged or destroyed during the 2008 floods. The Bridge Studio was developed and taught by architecture lecturer Nadia Anderson.
Agronomy professor named George Washington Carver Chair
Andrew Manu, associate professor of agronomy, has been named to the George Washington Carver Chair, the first endowed faculty position in the nation honoring the renowned scientist and ISU alumnus. Manu will conduct an academic program in sciences related to agronomy and the bioeconomy.
Plant Sciences Institute funds seven research projects involving Iowa 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.
Relive Veishea 2009 through panoramas
Panoramas of the April 18 Veishea parade and activities on central campus allow viewers to zoom in close enough to see faces in the crowd.
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
Study finds some youths 'addicted' to video games
Washington Post
In what is described as the first nationally representative study in the United States on the subject, researcher Douglas Gentile of Iowa State University found that 8.5 percent of American youths ages 8 to 18 who play video games show multiple signs of behavioral addiction.
Study: Video-game-playing kids showing addiction symptoms
USA Today
Exhibiting six of 11 symptoms can lead to a diagnosis of addiction, such as pathological gambling. Iowa State University researcher Douglas Gentile adopted the addiction criteria for gambling because there is no current medical diagnosis of video-game addiction.
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.