News Archive
Friday, August 16 2013
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Iowa State biologist: human menopause unique among primates
A new study from an Iowa State University biologist shows that menopause in mid-life is a uniquely human phenomenon among primates. The study found that female representatives of other primate species remain fertile throughout their lifespan, while human women typically experience declining fertility and reproductive cessation during their 40s or 50s.
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Gift for ISU's Curtiss Hall renovation will name auditorium
A $2 million gift commitment from a retired Linn County farmer will support the renovation of Curtiss Hall at Iowa State University.
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Students design and build therapeutic landscape to help rehabilitate offenders at correctional facility
They're told when to wake up, when to eat, when to stand, when to sleep, where to sit, what to wear, what to do and when to do it. They've broken the law. They live behind razor wire. And they're not coming home for dinner. Eventually, however, 95 percent of the offenders at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women in Mitchellville will come home. And a partnership between the prison and Iowa State's Department of Landscape Architecture is helping ensure they return with improved attitudes and life skills. They're creating an outdoor environment that transcends confinement to generate therapeutic and rehabilitative effects.
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James Patchett, pioneer in sustainable design, to receive Christian Petersen Design Award at ISU
ISU alumnus James Patchett, founder and president of one of the nation’s first sustainable design firms, is the recipient of the 2013 Christian Petersen Design Award presented by the ISU College of Design. Patchett and his team renovate landscapes with emphasis in sustainable site planning and development, the advancement of innovative water resource-management techniques, the integration of native landscape systems and the promotion of ecological restoration strategies.
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Step inside an interactive art gallery at this year's Iowa State Fair
Visitors to Iowa State University’s exhibit at the Iowa State Fair (Aug. 8-18) will be ushered inside a festive art gallery, where docents will encourage them to touch absolutely everything on the wall and leave as many fingerprints as they like. “Framing the Future of Iowa” -- a digital hall of frames -- will be open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. in the northeast corner of the Varied Industries Building.
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Iowa State engineers develop new tests to cool turbine blades, improve engines
Manufacturers of gas turbine engines for aircraft and power plants are experimenting with higher operating temperatures to improve engine efficiency. Because combustion is already hotter than the melting point of engine materials, engineers need to find even better ways to cool engine parts. Working with the support of GE, Iowa State's Hui Hu and Blake Johnson are developing new tests and technologies to find cooling solutions.
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Experienced firefighters are more analytical under stress than novices, according to ISU study
Experienced firefighters take longer to make decisions under stress than novice firefighters, according to research conducted at Iowa State University. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. The ISU research suggests seasoned firefighters took a more analytical approach than their less experienced colleagues when making decisions.
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Leath joins AAU, APLU colleagues in asking President and Congress to 'close innovation deficit'
Iowa State University President Steven Leath is among 165 university presidents who have signed an open letter to President Obama and Congress, appearing in an advertisement in Politico today. The university leaders are asking elected officials to "reject unsound budget cuts and recommit to strong and sustained investments in research and education."
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ISU Immersion in Wellness Camp promotes nutritious diet and exercise
It was a mystery campers at the 4-H Center near Madrid had to solve with their taste buds. Everyone was given a sample of a fruit and vegetable smoothie to try and detect what was in it. After the first taste, most of the campers shook their heads and agreed it wasn’t too bad. Of course, once they were told broccoli was one of the ingredients, several noses started to wrinkle.
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Iowa State data miners top all American teams, finish fifth in international competition
Iowa State's entry in the international Data-Mining Cup placed fifth among 99 teams and first among all American teams. The team's six doctoral students in statistics had to sort through 50,000 online shopping sessions from a German retailer and then develop an algorithm to predict whether customers would make a purchase or not. The team's solution correctly predicted purchases 97 percent of the time.
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Companies spin off from Center for Biorenewable Chemicals, ‘de-risk’ their technologies
Two companies based on research discoveries at the Center for Biorenewable Chemicals have won grants to develop their technologies for potential commercialization. Center leaders say the technology transfer grants will allow the companies to "de-risk" the technologies for business and industry.
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Iowa African American Hall of Fame announces 2013 inductees
The Iowa African American Hall of Fame will induct three new members -- Jane G. Burleson, Betty Jean Furgerson and William B. Hood Jr. -- at a reception and banquet in Altoona on Aug. 2. Scholarship recipients Quinton McRoy and Anndrea Joiner also will be recognized at the event. Tickets are $50 each. To reserve a seat, contact Rose Wilbanks in the Office of the Senior Vice President for Student Affairs at 515-294-1909.
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Want kids to eat healthier? Don’t tell them, show them
If given the choice between eating a salad loaded with veggies or a burger and fries, most kids -- and for that matter, most adults -- would likely pick the less healthful option. But instead of telling kids to eat more fruits and vegetables, Iowa State University researchers found the trick may be to convince them visually.
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Iowa State researchers explore new treatments for a leading genetic cause of infant deaths
Researchers at Iowa State University have identified an RNA structure in humans that could lead to a new treatment for spinal muscular atrophy, the leading genetic cause of death in babies and young children. A paper published this week in the journal Nucleic Acids Research details the discovery of a novel therapeutic target that could be modified by medication, leading to new treatment possibilities for the disease.
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ISU alumna Barbara Mack given Greenlee School Schwartz Award posthumously
Barbara Mack, an award-winning professor at Iowa State University, has been chosen as the 2013 winner of the James W. Schwartz Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism and Communication. Her passion for truth and transparency led to an iconic career as a media law professor in the Greenlee School. Mack, a 1974 Iowa State graduate, passed away unexpectedly in August 2012.
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Iowa State University anatomy expert is creating digital models to train surgical students
An anatomy expert at Iowa State University is developing digital tools that could help surgical students gain nearly lifelike experience with a scalpel without having to cut into cadavers or living subjects. The final product will be a three-dimensional virtual reality program that simulates both human and animal anatomy and recreates the surgical experience better than almost any existing training method short of the real thing.
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Federal sequester impacts Iowa State’s external funding in fiscal year 2013
Iowa State University's total external support in the fiscal year ending June 30 was $326.4 million, a drop of about 9 percent from the previous year. Most of the decrease can be attributed to the federal sequester, the across-the-board budget cuts mandated by 2011 legislation. Nearly $200 million of the university's external funding was the result of successful research proposals by faculty and scientific staff.