News Archive
Monday, March 11 2013
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Brazil to overtake U.S. as top soybean producer
A combination of long-term trends and recent weather patterns are responsible for putting Brazil in a position to overtake U.S. soybean production for the first time, an Iowa State University grain markets expert said this week.
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Iowa State is open today; those traveling should put safety first
Iowa State University is open and classes are in session today. Those considering travel to campus are urged to put safety first, taking into account road conditions in their area. CyRide is running. Facilities Planning & Management crews have continually been spreading sand & treating slippery walks since Sunday afternoon. The blowing snow may cause some areas that have been cleared to become slick once again, so please walk with care on campus. Officials urge faculty and supervisors to accommodate those who are unable to make it to campus.
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C-SPAN to feature Iowa State professor’s class on American History TV
A production crew was recently on campus to tape Schmidt’s class lecture on the history of political parties in the U.S. Schmidt wants students and C-SPAN viewers to understand how political parties rise and fall and reshape themselves based on moments in history.
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Nobel Laureate Dan Shechtman to advocate for tech entrepreneurship in public lecture
Dan Shechtman, winner of the 2011 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, will share his vision of a better world through technological entrepreneurship during a campus lecture. His lecture will be at noon March 13 in the Great Hall of Iowa State’s Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public.
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Iowa State graduate student catalogs changing face of Iowa’s lichen population
An ISU graduate student has focused her studies on hunting and cataloging lichens in southeast Iowa, discovering five species that have never been encountered before in Iowa.
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Iowa State engineers developing ideas, technologies to save the Earth from asteroids
Iowa State University's Bong Wie is leading a team that's developing a system to protect the planet from asteroid strikes. The work has attracted $600,000 in NASA support. NASA has also asked Wie to show off his research at NASA's Technology Day on the Hill in Washington, D.C., on April 17.
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Johnson appointed to national Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance
Roberta Johnson has been appointed to the Advisory Committee on Student Financial Assistance, Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) announced March 6. Johnson has directed Iowa State's Office of Student Financial Aid since 2003, and has served the office in a number of capacities for 31 years.
ACSFA is an independent committee that provides advice and counsel on student aid policy to Congress and the U.S. Secretary of Education, with specific focus on increased college access for low- and middle-income students. The committee's 11 members are appointed by members of Congress and the Secretary of Education for a single, four-year term. Harkin, as chairman of the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee, recommended Johnson to the committee.
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Historian will share visual history of Iowa State in the 1890s March 11 at ISU
Although it's no longer a fixture on the Iowa State campus, the Dinkey looms large in local history. The steam engine that ran between campus and downtown Ames from 1891 to 1907 will be featured in an upcoming slide show of historic photographs. Ames native and Iowa State alumnus Douglas Biggs will present "Iowa State College in the 1890s: A Visual History," at 8 p.m. Monday, March 11, in the Memorial Union Sun Room. His talk is free and open to the public.
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Bilingual advertising course helps international students engage, understand material
Jay Newell is working to break down the language barriers in his classroom to help students connect and engage in the material. One way he is doing that is by providing course materials in both English and Chinese.
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ISU sociologists find treatment works, but only for urban parolees
There are several risk factors that influence whether an offender walks out of prison for good or one day returns to the correctional system. States make a significant investment in treatment programs with the goal of reducing the rate of recidivism, and researchers at Iowa State University say that investment is paying off.
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New emphasis on interactivity at Iowa State Insect Zoo
Less than a year into her position as the program assistant in charge of the traveling Insect Zoo at Iowa State, Ginny Morgal is putting her stamp on the program by bringing a new level of interactivity and encouraging students to take ownership of what they’re learning.
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Federal spending cuts would be a blow to Iowa’s economy
Federal spending cuts will have a direct impact on Iowa’s economy if Congress does not act by the March 1 sequestration deadline. Dave Swenson, associate scientist in the Department of Economics at Iowa State University, says if there are across-the-board cuts Iowa stands to lose around $292 million in direct federal funding, and such a large cut could harm the state's slow recovery.
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Iowa State industrial design class tackles tractor rollover safety products and outreach
David Ringholz was searching for a project idea for the graduate students in an industrial design studio class he teaches at Iowa State when he heard a startling story on the radio: Tractor fatalities had reached epidemic rates. Less than two years later, Ringholz's team is ready to unveil the prototype of a device that addresses one aspect of tractor rollover fatalities: response time. It’s an amazingly simple product design that could save hundreds of lives in Iowa alone.
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Changes to Pell Grant limit access for community college students
The Pell Grant makes it possible for countless students to achieve their goal of earning a college degree. However, changes to the eligibility requirements for the Pell Grant may be limiting, instead of expanding, access to higher education – especially for rural community college students.
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U.S. egg industry improves efficiency, environmental impact, according to Iowa State researcher
The U.S. egg industry is operating at much greater efficiency while leaving a smaller environmental footprint than it did 50 years ago, according to a first-of-its-kind study conducted by researchers at Iowa State University. Improved genetics, disease prevention, nutrition and production methods allow the egg industry to feed more people while producing less waste and requiring fewer resources.
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Kepler spacecraft helps astronomers find tiny planet beyond our solar system
Astronomers have discovered a planet beyond our solar system that's about the size of the Earth's moon -- the first time they've found a planet smaller than any of the planets orbiting our sun. Iowa State University's Steve Kawaler was part of the research team that determined the size of the tiny planet's host star. The findings were published online on Feb. 20 by the journal Nature.
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It may be educational, but what is that TV show really teaching your preschooler?
Most parents carefully select what television programs and movies their children can watch. But Douglas Gentile, a professor of psychology at Iowa State University, says educational shows could come with an added lesson that influences a child’s behavior.
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Iowa State’s MIRAGE lab mixes real and virtual to create new research opportunities
Iowa State University researchers have mixed the real and virtual worlds to create a unique research lab called MIRAGE. The lab's props, technology and stagecraft provide full-body immersion in virtual environments. That is helping researchers study new ideas in military training and better software for 3-D viewing.
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Positive employment outlook for Iowa State MBA graduates
It is a busy time on campus with career fairs and employment recruiters meeting with students preparing to graduate this spring from Iowa State University. And with graduation still months away, the majority of students in the MBA program have already received their first job offer.
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Iowa State professor defines connection between narcissism and envy
Understanding the relationship between narcissism and envy may provide some insight into sudden outbursts of aggressive behavior. Narcissism has long been associated with envy in the field of psychology, but an Iowa State study provides new evidence about that connection.
Iowa State University, University of Iowa offer exclusive research licensing option to industry
Iowa State University and the University of Iowa announced today a new research sponsorship option that will allow industry to negotiate exclusive licenses to breakthroughs that grow out of their partnerships with university researchers.