News Archive
Sunday, October 14 2012
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Evolving microbes help Iowa State engineers turn bio-oil into advanced biofuels
A research team led by Iowa State University's Laura Jarboe is working to develop hungry, robust microbes that can ferment biofuels from the bio-oil produced by rapidly heating biomass such as corn stalks and sawdust. It's all part of Iowa State's efforts to combine two conversion paths -- thermochemical and biochemical -- to find efficient ways to produce renewable fuels and chemicals.
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Search begins for Iowa State's next business dean
Senior Vice President and Provost Jonathan Wickert has identified an 18-member search committee to seek a successor to Labh Hira, who retired as College of Business dean in March and currently serves as interim president of the ISU Foundation.
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Pammel Drive has reopened; crews work to fix gas line leak
Pammel Drive between Stange and Wallace roads has reopened, and pedestrians and motorists may resume their usual activity, according to ISU Police Captain Aaron DeLashmutt. CyRide has resumed its normal schedule. Alliant Energy crews are working to repair the gas line leak in the area, and the gas is now turned off. Watch this space for updates.
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Leaders of USAID and Peace Corps will speak Oct. 18
The chief administrators of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Peace Corps will present the World Affairs Series keynote address. Dr. Rajiv Shah and Carrie Hessler-Radelet will present "Feed the Future: Food Security and Agriculture in Development" at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Shah leads more than 8,000 professionals in 80 missions around the world, and spearheads President Barack Obama's landmark Feed the Future food security initiative. Hessler-Radelet has worked in the field of public health for the past two decades, specializing in HIV/AIDs, and maternal and child health. Their address is free and open to the public.
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Prominent D.C. attorney to discuss Supreme Court's reshaping of American law Oct. 18
An attorney who has argued 25 cases before the Supreme Court in the past 13 years, and is founder and publisher of SCOTUSblog -- a premier Internet site about the law and legal system -- will present Iowa State University's Constitution Day Lecture. Thomas Goldstein will present "How Has the Supreme Court Reshaped American Law?" at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 18, in the Memorial Union Sun Room. Goldstein is with the firm Goldstein and Russell, and teaches Supreme Court litigation at both Stanford and Harvard law schools. His talk, which is part of the National Affairs Series, is free and open to the public.
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Swine Medicine Education Center receives federal grant to advance mission
A federal grant announced this week will help to propel Iowa State University’s Swine Medicine Education Center (SMEC) from a regional presence to a national leader that will attract veterinary students from across the country. The three-year, $713,847 Higher Education Challenge Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture will transform SMEC into a national center of excellence and a resource for providing unparalleled hands-on opportunities to veterinary students who want to specialize in swine medicine.
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Iowa State researchers developing ‘BIGDATA’ toolbox to help genome researchers
The latest DNA sequencing technology is burying researchers in trillions of bytes of data. Iowa State's Srinivas Aluru is leading a team of researchers who will develop high performance computing tools to help researchers analyze all that data. The work is supported by a $2 million grant from the BIGDATA program of the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.
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Student wins scholarship for essay on her tsunami-survival experience
Onalie Ariyabandhu's essay about her family’s harrowing experience during the Sri Lanka tsunami in 2004 won her a $2,500 essay from the 2012 International Student Voice magazine sponsored by International Student Protection. She is a sophomore majoring in economics, international studies and environmental studies. More than 700 international students studying abroad entered the competition with essays about an experience from their lives and how it influenced who they are today.
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ISU researchers advancing gene targeting techniques in new paper published in Nature
Iowa State University researchers are helping to advance new techniques that allow scientists to site-specifically mutate and edit the genes of living organisms. The innovation could have sweeping applications in agriculture and the study of human disease.
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Iowa State researchers study clam shells for clues to the Atlantic’s climate history
Iowa State University's Alan Wanamaker studies the growth increments in clam shells to learn about past ocean temperatures, growing conditions and circulation patterns. Wanamaker says a better understanding of the ocean's past can help researchers understand today's climate trends and changes.
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World Food Prize winner will present Norman Borlaug Lecture at Iowa State on Oct. 15
2012 World Food Prize laureate Daniel Hillel will present the Norman Borlaug Lecture at Iowa State. His presentation, "Soil, Water, Energy and Ecosystems in a Changing Climate," will be at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 15, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Hillel was honored by the World Food Prize for developing and implementing micro-irrigation systems that deliver water more efficiently to crops in dry lands. These precision watering systems have revolutionized agriculture in the Middle East and other arid regions around the world for more than 50 years. A reception and display of student posters that address world food issues will precede the lecture at 7 p.m.
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NSF adds three years, $12 million to ISU-based Center for Biorenewable Chemicals
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has added $12 million and another three years of support to the NSF Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals based at Iowa State University. The continuing support brings federal investment in the center up to $30.5 million over eight years. The center's vision is to transform the industrial chemical industry from one based on petroleum to one based on biorenewable resources.
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ISU experts see signs for optimism as harvest reaches peak in Iowa
The latest government crop yield predictions may give grain farmers cause for optimism as the harvest season reaches its crescendo in Iowa. Although slightly lower than previous projections, last week’s crop yield report from the U.S. Department of Agriculture is a far cry from the worst-case scenarios many farmers braced for earlier this summer as a withering drought took hold of much of America’s prime farmland.
Crime alert
ISU Police investigators seek your help to identify a man believed to have committed several thefts from the Iowa State University Bookstore. If you recognize this person or have any information regarding his identity, contact ISU Police at 515-294-4428.
A Cytennial Homecoming
Since 1912, Iowa State has welcomed alumni back to campus for Homecoming each fall. In the fall VISIONS magazine, relive all the history and traditions and see what's planned for this special anniversary homecoming.