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Saturday, October 18 2014

  • Iowa State University will host Planet Money team for Oct. 23 talk

    Two correspondents from NPR's "Planet Money" team will deliver an informative and entertaining live stage show next week at ISU. Jacob Goldstein and David Kestenbaum will present "Planet Money Live!" at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 23, in the Memorial Union Great Hall. Their talk is part of the Greater Iowa Credit Union Business Lecture Series. It is free and open to the public.

  • Bullies in the workplace: ISU researcher examines the struggles for victims to tell their story

    The stories are shocking and heartbreaking, but they are often disjointed and hard to follow. In severe cases, the narratives are even more chaotic. This is reality for victims of workplace bullying and a major reason why they stay silent, said Stacy Tye-Williams, an assistant professor of communications studies and English at Iowa State University.

  • Turf management students will tend Wembley field for NFL International series

    Sometimes, when what-you-know intersects with who-you-know, something extraordinary can occur. At least that's how it happened for two Iowa State University graduate students who study sports turf management in the horticulture department. They're getting paid to help prep the field at Wembley Stadium for two NFL games.

  • ExxonMobil supports Iowa State research in biofuels science and engineering

    ExxonMobil is beginning an advanced biofuels research program at Iowa State University by supporting two research projects. The projects focus on the fundamental scientific and engineering questions of the fast pyrolysis of biomass. Fast pyrolysis is rapidly heating biomass (including corn stalks) without oxygen to produce liquid bio-oil, which can be upgraded to transportation fuels.

  • Iowa State University researchers turn to robotics to improve understanding of plant growth

    Iowa State University faculty members are developing a new facility that will utilize a specially designed robot to gather unprecedented amounts of data on the growth of plants under different environmental conditions. The facility won’t require plants to be moved for data gathering, a major advantage over existing plant-growth facilities.

  • Recruiting more women starts by tackling misconceptions about business careers

    Emily Kohnke remembers how it felt to be the only woman in a class of 50 men, but she didn’t let it stop her from pursuing a career in supply chain management. Now, as an assistant professor in Iowa State University’s College of Business, Kohnke and her female colleagues are working to recruit more female students and break down some of the gender barriers.

  • ISU design prof's e-textbook on 3-D modeling and animation lowers students' costs

    Anson Call didn't want his Iowa State University design students paying nearly $300 for instructional materials that would be out of date in a matter of months. So when the  associate professor of graphic design wrote his textbook on using industry-standard software to create 3-D modeling and animation, he did it digitally. His e-textbook, "Cinema 4D R15 Fundamentals for Teachers and Students" is available for about $282 less than the alternative.

  • MEDIA ADVISORY: Iowa State political experts available to comment on 2014 election

    What issues will influence voters at the polls? Will Iowa elect its first woman to Congress? And what is the role of social media in this election? Iowa State University political experts are available for interviews to answer these questions and discuss other issues leading into the November election.

  • Iowa State physicists among teams preparing for new Energy Department supercomputer

    Iowa State's Pieter Maris and James Vary will scale up their computer codes for Cori, the Energy Department's next-generation supercomputer. They'll study two classes of nuclear states to understand the basic physics of the burning sun and exploding stars. What they learn could one day lead to safer, more efficient forms of nuclear power.

  • Iowa State University research explores new possibilities for the treatment of epilepsy

    Ongoing research at Iowa State University is investigating the connection between initial seizures and the onset of epilepsy later in life. Gaining a better understanding of why and how the disease develops may hold the key to stopping its progression and developing new treatments, according to ISU biomedical science researchers.

  • Costume designer makes her way from Broadway to Iowa State University

    The path that led Sara Jablon to Iowa State is far from typical. Unlike her colleagues or other ISU students who may aspire to one day work on Broadway, Jablon spent 10 years there dressing actors for productions of the Lion King, Cabaret and Rent. As a guest designer for ISU Theatre’s “Spring Awakening,” Jablon is also pursuing a Ph.D. in fashion and apparel.

  • ISU research team developing new measurement tool for schools and research

    To improve health and help combat childhood obesity, more schools are changing physical education requirements and finding new ways to keep children active throughout the day. However, the challenge for both educators and researchers is accurately measuring the time children spend performing physical activity. That’s why Welk and a team of Iowa State researchers are working to improve the Youth Activity Profile, a tool designed to help schools assess children’s physical activity behavior.

  • Gender barriers: ISU professor looks at history of discrimination against women in engineering

    To better understand the striking gender divide that still exists today in engineering, it is necessary to look at the history of the field, said Amy Bix, an associate professor of history at Iowa State University. Unlike other fields, such as science and medicine, in which women slowly gained access by starting as research assistants or nurses, it was more difficult to get a foot in the door in engineering. In her book, “Girls Coming to Tech!: A History of American Engineering Education for Women,” Bix looks at how women fought to overcome gender stereotypes by gaining acceptance to engineering programs.

  • Energy Department supports Iowa State studies of concrete for taller wind turbine towers

    A Department of Energy grant will allow Iowa State University's Sri Sritharan to continue to research and develop taller wind turbine towers made from high-strength concrete. The energy department's grant is designed to improve the manufacturing process for taller towers and support clean energy manufacturing in the United States.