News Archive
Saturday, June 7 2014
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Iowa State University energy efficiency experts are helping farmers save money
From limiting tillage to shifting tractors into a higher gear, ISU efficiency experts are showing farmers how to save a chunk of change through energy efficiency.
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Iowa State, Ames Lab researchers find the mechanism that forms cell-to-cell catch bonds
Strong cell-to-cell bonds are important to heart health and fighting cancer. The bonds connecting heart cells have to withstand constant forces caused by continuous pumping. And, in some cancers, bonds no longer resist forces, allowing cancer cells to detach and spread. Iowa State’s Sanjeevi Sivasankar and his research group are studying the biophysics of certain biological bonds. Their most recent findings have just been published online by Nature Communications.
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Regents endorse new state funding formula
The Iowa Board of Regents on June 4 accepted a task force recommendation to change how the state's general university appropriation is allocated among the three regent universities. Beginning July 1, 2015, 65 percent of the appropriation will be allocated according to enrollment. The remaining 35 percent will be tied to performance outcomes. ISU President Steven Leath called the change "a positive" for Iowa State. He noted that he's been talking about the need to assure access and affordability, as well as quality, for students since he arrived in Ames. The additional funding, he said, will help Iowa State "maintain a quality educational experience while enhancing access and affordability."
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Katharine Johnson Suski named admissions director at Iowa State University
Katharine Johnson Suski, director of admissions at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, will be Iowa State’s new director of admissions.
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Iowa State remains a National Center of Academic Excellence for cyber security
Iowa State University has once again won designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense Education. Iowa State has been the only Iowa school to win the designation from the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
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Periodical cicadas will soon blanket central Iowa woodlands, according to Iowa State entomologist
An Iowa State University entomologist is encouraging central Iowans to enjoy their front-row seats as countless periodical cicadas emerge from the ground to blanket wooded areas, an event that occurs once every 17 years.
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ISU analysis of census data shows majority of Iowa communities are shrinking
An analysis of U.S. Census Bureau data found more than 60 percent of Iowa cities lost population since 2010. Much of the growth – around 52 percent – occurred in cities with populations between 10,000 to 49,999 residents. Cities with fewer than 500 residents were hit the hardest, losing 3 percent of their combined population.
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ISU students convert vacant garden into healthy food for Ames free meal program
An Iowa State University student group has adopted an unused on-campus garden plot to help out an Ames free meal program. Most of the fresh produce from the Student Dietetic Association's summer garden will go to Food at First, which turns grocery and food service daily waste into free meals for anyone.
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As rocky racing turns to mud runs, Iowa State Baja Team expects more success
Iowa State's Baja SAE Team has already scored a race win and an overall top-ten. The students who designed and built the off-road racer are hoping for more success at the season's two remaining competitions. They think they've engineered a car that can impress judges, handle tough terrain and outrun other racing machines.
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Cyclone Power Pullers look to prototype tractor for glimpse of the future
The Cyclone Power Pullers, a team of Iowa State University students who have designed and built a ¼-scale tractor from scratch, are ready to enter their machine in a national competition later this month.
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Cyclone Space Mining ready to defend title at NASA Robotic Mining Competition
Cyclone Space Mining will defend its title in the NASA Space Mining Competition May 19-23 at the Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex in Florida. Team members say they've improved last year's winning design and think they can haul in even more points.
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Iowa State researchers return to communities to assess small town quality of life
Time has changed many of Iowa’s rural communities. Strengthening these towns starts with understanding how social capital and leadership influence development in a small town. A group of Iowa State University researchers has tracked changes in quality of life and social capital in 99 Iowa towns since 1994. This month, they begin a third, two-year study to determine if the changes have continued.
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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.