News Archive
Tuesday, May 13 2014
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Iowa State University to offer Iowa Caucuses MOOC
The Iowa Caucuses are a unique process that attracts media attention from around the world. This initial test in the presidential selection process will be the focus for a new massive open online course (MOOC) at Iowa State University. Reporters as well as interested voters can take advantage of this opportunity to learn more about how the process works, the history of the caucuses, their future and the impact of Iowa’s status as the first political battleground.
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Research to help plants fight fungal pathogens receives $2.5 million grant
Research led by a U.S. Department of Agriculture scientist at Iowa State University could improve the ability of crops to fight off diseases. The work is funded by a $2.5 million National Science Foundation grant to study the molecular mechanisms that determine the resistance of cereal crops to fungal pathogens.
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Iowa State experts help consumers get back to their roots
Interest in local, sustainable food sources is motivating more people to plant their own gardens each spring or shop their local farmers market for fresh produce. As a result, registered dietitian nutritionists are fielding more questions from clients about what to plant, how to plant it, and when certain fruits and vegetables are in season.
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Starting from scratch: Iowa State students create new food products for industry
Iowa State students will spend hours throughout the semester chopping, blending and baking, carefully recording every modification in their lab books. By the end of the semester, they will have formulated a product, tested its shelf life and consumer appeal, and developed packaging and nutrition labels to get the product ready for store shelves.
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Iowa State University agronomists to help develop new generation of plant breeders in Africa
Agronomists at Iowa State University are leading an effort to prepare a new generation of plant breeders in Africa who will face the challenge of feeding a growing population. The project will take advantage of the latest computer technology to design and develop online and electronic educational materials to help faculty at African universities train students.
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Iowa State researchers contribute to global effort to sequence peanut genome
A team of USDA and Iowa State University researchers has helped to sequence the genomes of the two closest relatives of the cultivated peanut, an advancement that could lead to the development of varieties more resistant to pests and environmental stress.
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Presidential initiative creates team of engineers, plant scientists to develop smart plants
Iowa State University engineers and plant scientists are working together to study and develop better crops. Iowa State's Presidential Initiative for Interdisciplinary Research launched the collaboration last summer. The research team has organized an International Workshop on Engineered Crops April 28-29 in Des Moines.
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Iowa State IT staff discover unauthorized access to servers
Iowa State IT staff have discovered a breach affecting five departmental servers. An extensive analysis has revealed the compromised servers contained Social Security numbers of 29,780 students enrolled in select departments at Iowa State between 1995 and 2012. There's no evidence any of the data files were accessed, and there was no student financial information in the records. The servers were hacked by an unknown person or persons who intended to generate enough computing power to create bitcoins. Bitcoins are a type of digital money that can be used to buy merchandise anonymously. Iowa State is contacting and providing support to those individuals whose personal information may have been exposed.
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ISU researchers find mentor programs often harm, more than help first-year science teachers
New teachers deal with a multitude of challenges during their first year in the classroom, which is why many school districts develop mentoring programs to ease that transition. But instead of helping beginning science teachers, a new Iowa State University study found these programs tend to reinforce the status quo, making it difficult for teachers to promote a deep understanding of science.
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Journalism educator Bill Kunerth named 2014 Schwartz Award winner
William "Bill" F. Kunerth, professor emeritus of the Greenlee School, was named the 2014 winner of the James W. Schwartz Award for Distinguished Service to Journalism and Communication. Kunerth died December 2013 after a brief illness. The award was presented to his spouse, Wilma, in a special April 16 memorial arranged for the former professor.
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Leath announces Veishea task force
Iowa State University President Steven Leath has announced the members of a task force to study the future of Veishea in the aftermath of the event's suspension for 2014. Senior Vice President for Student Affairs Tom Hill will serve as chair.
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Schwartz named director of U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory
Adam Schwartz will be the new director of the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory. He currently serves as division leader of the Condensed Matter and Materials Division at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory in California. Schwartz is an accomplished researcher whose work has focused on plutonium aging and alloys, advanced characterization, and the dynamic properties of materials. He'll begin his Ames duties on June 2.
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Book early and after work if you want to enjoy your next hotel stay
If you’re planning a summer vacation or weekend getaway, when you book your hotel room can make a big difference. As convenient as it may be to make a reservation at the office, a new Iowa State University study found you’ll be happier with your hotel stay if you wait to book your room after business hours.
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Team PrISUm builds next solar racer; cross-country race includes Ames stop
The students of Team PrISUm are putting in long hours to build a solar race car for this summer's eight-day, 1,700-mile American Solar Challenge. The race will make a stop in Ames on July 26. Iowa State's team finished second in the last cross-country race for student-designed and student-built solar race cars.
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Time for marketing campaigns to reflect cultural differences within families
A cereal commercial intended to tout the heart-healthy benefits of Cheerios, instead sparked an ugly debate on social media about the interracial family featured in the ad. But for Samantha Cross, an assistant professor of marketing at Iowa State University, the family in the ad, consisting of a black father, white mother and biracial daughter, represented a change that is long overdue.
One worldly graduate
As a freshman, Deepak Premkumar was a promising leader destined for distinction at Iowa State and beyond. Except for one thing: He didn't have a clue what he wanted to do. A mere eight semesters later, he is graduating magna cum laude with three majors and two bachelor's degrees. And he's headed to the economics doctoral program at the University of California, Berkeley. So how did he figure out what he wanted to do?