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Monday, March 14 2011

News

Undergraduates showcase their research at annual Capitol event March 22

2010 event

From analyzing a new genetic model for the study of an early childhood cancer to using organic products to improve golf course turfgrass, there will be plenty to discuss when 25 Iowa State University undergraduates present their research to legislators and others during the sixth annual "Research in the Capitol," Tuesday, March 22, in the rotunda of the State Capitol building in Des Moines. Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad will offer opening remarks. More than 60 undergraduate students from Iowa's three Regent universities will display their research posters and describe their projects. The event highlights the importance of research to the undergraduate learning experience.

News release.

UNI's Gloria Gibson will speak on leadership March 29

Gloria Gibson, executive vice president and provost and interim president at the University of Northern Iowa, will present "On Leadership" at t 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 29, at the Scheman Building's Benton Auditorium. The presentation is part of the university's Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Series and the Women's Leadership Series. It is free and open to the public.
News release.

Philosopher-mechanic author Matthew Crawford will speak March 24

Photo by Robert Adamo

Matthew Crawford, best-selling author of "Shop Class as Soulcraft: An Inquiry into the Value of Work," will discuss "The Case for Working with Your Hands" at 8 p.m. Thursday, March 24, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Crawford is a fellow at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture at the University of Virginia. He also runs a motorcycle repair business. His talk is part of the university's National Affairs Series on Innovation, and is free and open to the public.

News release.

Human-monkey aging patterns not as different as believed, according to new research

A study published in Friday's issue of the journal Science debunks the long-held belief that humans have an aging advantage over other primates. Anne Bronikowski, associate professor at Iowa State University, was the demographer for the research team and thinks there are several important findings in the paper.

News release.

Iowa State engineer studies damage caused by New Zealand earthquake

Iowa State's Sri Sritharan is just back from New Zealand where he studied buildings damaged by the February 22 earthquake. He was part of a team from the Engineering Research Institute that is trying to learn more about earthquakes and how to design buildings that resist earthquake damage.
News release.

ISU economists: Study shows Iowa's high marginal tax rates hinder labor productivity

A recent study by Iowa State economists, including University Professor Peter Orazem (left), found that Iowa's high marginal tax rates have had a double impact on diminishing the state's labor productivity. The study -- which will be presented at the Midwest Economics Association meeting in St. Louis on Saturday, March 19 -- reports that Iowa's tax structure ranks 48th and last in the continental United States in terms of adverse effects of its taxes on labor productivity.

Nobel Prize winning-chemist Richard Schrock will speak March 22

Richard Schrock, who won the 2005 Nobel Prize in chemistry, will present "A Lifetime of Chemistry: Reflections of a Nobel Laureate" at 8 p.m. Tuesday, March 22, in the Memorial Union Sun Room. Schrock received the prize for his work on metathesis, a process now widely used in the development of pharmaceuticals and manufacture of advanced plastic materials. His presentation is the 2011 Iowa State Presidential Lectureship in Chemistry, and is free and open to the public.
News release.

Close look at Des Moines’ poverty rates show many poor pockets in city: ISU researcher

Official poverty numbers for the Des Moines metropolitan area show rates that are much lower than the rest of Iowa and better than nationwide numbers, but an ISU researcher has taken a closer look and he shows the numbers can be misleading.

News release.

Iowa State, Ames Lab researcher hunts for green catalysts

L. Keith Woo of Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory is looking for cleaner, greener and cheaper catalysts. Woo and his research group are turning to biology for some ideas. And they're developing high-throughput approaches to quickly test a reaction using up to a hundred trillion different catalysts.
News release.

ISU historian edits book detailing first human space mission, which turns 50 this year

Iowa State history professor James Andrews (above) co-edited "Space Exploration and Soviet Culture" -- a new book to be published this fall -- exploring the post-World War II Soviet space age and its cultural history, including the famed mission of cosmonaut Yuri Gagarin. He became the first human to journey into outer space on April 12, 1961 -- an event that will celebrate its 50th anniversary this year.