News Archive
Thursday, November 1 2012
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Iowa State, Ames Lab researchers find three unique cell-to-cell bonds
Researchers led by Sanjeevi Sivasankar of Iowa State University and the Ames Laboratory are studying how biological cells connect to each other. Problems with cell adhesion can lead to diseases, including cancers and cardiovascular problems. The research team's findings have been published online by the Early Edition of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
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School kids, Iowa State graduate students teach each other lessons in science
Iowa State University graduate students are teaching science, technology, engineering and math to Des Moines middle and high school students. It's part of Symbi, a program designed to help graduate students learn to effectively talk about their research. The program also gives younger students a chance to work with real scientists and engineers.
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ISU Biotechnology Outreach Education Center recognized by Iowa Academy of Science
The ISU Biotechnology Outreach Education Program recently received the Friend of Science Award from the Iowa Academy of Science for contributions to science education. The center has worked with thousands of teachers and around 250,000 Iowa students to promote science in the classroom.
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Finalists announced for ISU Foundation president
Patricia Borger, vice chancellor, development and alumni relations at the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee; and Roger Neuhaus, senior vice president for development and university campaigns at the University of Arizona Foundation, are finalists for the ISU Foundation presidency. They will meet with university officials and foundation volunteers and staff during the first two weeks of November.
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CNN’s Crowley to analyze election results Nov. 13 at Iowa State
Candy Crowley, CNN’s chief political correspondent and the first woman to moderate a presidential debate in 20 years, will deliver a lecture at Iowa State University on Tuesday, Nov. 13, one week after Americans go to the polls for the 2012 election.
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Robin Wright will speak on Middle Eastern upheaval in Nov. 1 talk
Journalist and foreign policy analyst Robin Wright will discuss trends and policy in the Arab world during "Rock the Casbah: Rage and Rebellion Across the Islamic World" at 8 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 1, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. As a United States Institute for Peace Senior Fellow and a Wilson Center Distinguished Scholar, Wright's projects explore new trends in the Islamic world that will be a major policy challenge for the United States and the West. As a journalist, she has reported from more than 140 countries on six continents for The Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, The Sunday Times of London, CBS News and The Christian Science Monitor. Wright's talk, which is part of the university's World Affairs Series, is free and open to the public.
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Iowa State researchers double down on heat to break up cellulose, produce fuels and power
Iowa State University engineers and researchers have built and are testing a bio-oil gasifier. It will allow them to combine two thermochemical technologies to produce the next generation of fuels from renewable sources such as corn stalks and wood chips.
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ISU study: Aphid attacks weaken genetic defenses in soybeans, may open door for other pests
Aphids possess a unique ability to block the genetic defense response of soybeans and may open the door for other pests to do even more damage to crops, according to a recent study by researchers at Iowa State University. The paper found that aphids essentially can short-circuit the hormonal defense mechanism in soybeans meant to combat insect infestations, making it easier for other pests, such as the soybean cyst nematode, to colonize the plant as well.
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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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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.