News Archive
Monday, October 7 2013
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Iowa State building research and development program for bioplastics
Iowa State's Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team is working toward two long-term goals: Helping bioplastics capture at least 20 percent of the plastics market and transferring bioplastic technologies from the university to Iowa startup companies. Team researchers have won $6.5 million in research grants over the past five years. They're now working to build support for a proposed Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites.
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Real-life Olivia Pope from 'Scandal' will speak Oct. 21
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The crisis manager and former White House deputy press secretary who is the real-life inspiration for the lead in ABC's "Scandal" will speak at at 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 21 in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Judy Smith will discuss her experiences that help shape the hit program's storylines about a professional fixer. Her talk, "Leading in a Crisis: Real Stories Behind 'Scandal'" is free and open to the public.
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Gourmet pig breeder will speak on quest to develop tastiest pork on Oct. 18
Carl Blake's Iowa Swabian Hall gourmet pigs are based on a 19th century German formula. And they are winning culinary contests, attracting praise from chefs, and landing Blake in an episode of the Travel Channel's "Bizarre Foods," and a guest appearance on "The Colbert Report." He will share his experiences in a talk, "In Pursuit of the Perfect Pig," at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 18, in the Memorial Union Gallery. Is free and open to the public.
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Psychologist will discuss how to identify mental illness Oct. 16
Psychologist Robert Krueger will discuss the differences between normal and abnormal human behavior and how the two overlap during a lecture, "What is (Ab)Normal? How to Identify Mental Illness," at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 16, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Krueger is the Hathaway Distinguished Professor of clinical psychology and director of clinical training for clinical science and psychopathology research at the University of Minnesota. His presentation is part of Disability Awareness Week, and is free and open to the public.
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World-renowned economist Paul Collier will discuss how migration is changing our world Oct. 15
An expert on the world's developing markets and poorest populations, bestselling author Paul Collier will discuss his latest book —an analysis of immigration and its impacts— in a talk at Iowa State. Collier's presentation, "How Migration is Changing Our World," will be at 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 15, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. It is part of the university's World Affairs Series, and is free and open to the public. Collier is a professor of economics and public policy and director of the Centre for the Study of African Economies at Oxford University,
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Starting a business: Entrepreneurs offer insight and guidance for ISU students
There are some lessons in business that can only come from experience, and others that entrepreneurs wish they would have known before starting their own business. It is the kind of advice that business professionals will share with Iowa State University honors students this fall to help them avoid similar pitfalls.
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2013 World Food Prize laureates will present ISU's Norman Borlaug Lecture Oct. 14
Working in separate facilities on two continents, Marc Van Montagu, Mary-Dell Chilton and Robert T. Fraley pioneered innovations in molecular biology and plant science that transformed agriculture and helped feed the world. These three 2013 World Food Prize laureates will present the Norman E. Borlaug Lecture at Iowa State on Oct. 14. "Scientific Discovery and the Fight to End Global Hunger" will be 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 14, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. A reception and student poster display will precede the lecture at 7 p.m. in the South Ballroom. The events are free and open to the public.
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Over the limit: ISU researchers test how size, shape and color of wine glass affect how much you pour
Pouring a glass of wine is rarely an exact measurement, especially in a social setting. While most people think of a glass as one serving, in reality it could be closer to two or three. Just how much one pours is influenced by a variety of environmental factors, researchers at Iowa State and Cornell universities discovered, and that could have serious consequences when it comes to overconsumption.
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MEDIA ADVISORY: Iowa State experts available to comment on 2013 harvest
As farmers across the Midwest solidify their plans for the 2013 harvest, agriculture experts at Iowa State University are watching closely to determine how this year's harvest will impact producers, consumers and the economy.
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Iowa State, Ames Lab chemists help find binding site of protein that allows plant growth
Chemists from Iowa State and the Ames Laboratory are part of a research team that discovered where a protein binds to plant cell walls, a process that makes it possible for plants to grow. Researchers say the discovery could one day lead to bigger harvests of biomass for renewable energy. The findings have just been published by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Online Early Edition.
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India's ambassador to U.S. will speak at Curtiss Hall tonight
In a diplomatic career that spans more than three decades, Nirupama Rao has served as India's ambassador to the United States since 2011. She will discuss relationships between the two countries during the 2013 Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science. "United States and India: How Far Have We Come, What Lies Ahead?" will be at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 8, in the Dolezal Auditorium, 127 Curtiss Hall. The ambassador’s presentation is part of Iowa State's World Affairs Series, and is free and open to the public.
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ISU professor identifies oldest and youngest stag-moose in North America
Matthew Hill has identified countless bones found by farmers, fishermen, rock hounds and heavy equipment operators. Most of the remains turn out to be deer, bison, horse or cow bones, or simply odd looking rocks. But some discoveries turn out to be highly unusual, as was the case with an antler from an extinct Ice Age animal known as a stag-moose or elk-moose.
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Record number of students to fight off hackers, try to keep computer systems safe
A record number of Iowa State students will be fighting off computer hackers during a Cyber Defense Competition from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Sept. 21 on the first floor of Coover Hall. The event is free and open to the public. “It’s very chaotic,” said Iowa State's Doug Jacobson. “There will be computers and students everywhere.”
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Corn germplasm project celebrates 20 years with field day and open house
The Germplasm Enhancement of Maize Project will celebrate 20 years of increasing the genetic diversity of U.S. corn production this Friday with an open house and field day. The event is open to the public, and members of the media are welcome.
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ISU students help older adults get active
The definition of exercise shifts as people age. For older adults, a fitness program is less about training to run a 5K and more focused on improving mobility and strength to do daily activities and maintain their independence. To help people be more active, a group of Iowa State University students is volunteering their time help with assessments during Active Aging Week.
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ISU veterinary researchers develop new test to detect PEDV antibodies
Veterinary researchers at Iowa State University have developed a new test to detect antibodies against Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus, a costly disease in pigs confirmed in the United States for the first time this year. It’s the first test available to the U.S. veterinary community that can detect PEDV antibodies.
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Astronaut Clayton Anderson joins Iowa State engineering faculty
Astronaut and Iowa State alumnus Clayton Anderson will join the university as a distinguished faculty fellow in aerospace engineering beginning in October.
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Iowa State University enrollment is 33,241
Iowa State University's fall 2013 enrollment of 33,241 is the largest in school history, an increase of more than 7 percent (2,201 students) over the previous record of 31,040 in fall 2012. It's the fifth year of record enrollment and seventh consecutive year of growth at Iowa State. The student body represents every Iowa county, all 50 states, and 106 countries.
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Iowa State, IBM astronomers explain why disk galaxies eventually look alike
Astronomers from Iowa State University and IBM have discovered the fundamental process responsible for the smooth, steady fade of older disk galaxies. They say the key is the clumps of interstellar gases and new stars within young galaxy disks. Their findings have been published by The Astrophysical Journal Letters.
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ISU researchers examine how stress may lead to false confessions
Imagine if you were wrongly accused of a crime. Would you be stressed? Anyone would be, but Iowa State University researchers found the innocent are often less stressed than the guilty. And that could put them at greater risk to admit to a crime they didn’t commit.