News Archive
Tuesday, August 9 2016
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Iowa State University scientists locate possible therapy target for spinal muscular atrophy
Alu elements, or short stretches of DNA found only in primates, may hold the key to a potential new therapy for spinal muscular atrophy, according to new ISU research.
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Astronaut Clayton Anderson set to help students understand ‘operational thinking’
Astronaut Clayton Anderson is helping organize and teach the third Spaceflight Operations Workshop at Iowa State University. By using astronaut-training exercises such as scuba lessons, teambuilding activities, flight simulations and skydiving, Anderson hopes the workshop will teach 12 students to think operationally. He says that's a necessity for engineers designing spacesuits -- and for engineers designing tractors, bulldozers or passenger cars.
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Team PrISUm finishes nearly 2,000 miles of racing in seventh, wins two achievement awards
Team PrISUm finished an up-and-down American Solar Challenge in seventh place. Judges recognized the team for overcoming adversity and for making the best of a failed brake test. The team also won two big achievement awards. And, there were countless lessons learned on the long road from Ohio to South Dakota.
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Cloud cover slows Team PrISUm, team has to haul Phaëton 2 to Scotts Bluff
Team PrISUm -- as did some of its competitors -- struggled to make speed and distance under Nebraska's cloudy skies on Friday. The team made it more than halfway to the day's stage stop, but was at risk of draining Phaëton 2's battery pack. So the team's students loaded up the car and hauled it the rest of the way. The eight-day race ends Saturday at Wind Cave National Park in South Dakota.
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Veterans in Agriculture and Entrepreneurship Conference is Aug. 22
Iowa State will kick off the first day of the fall semester (Aug. 22) with an opportunity for veterans and their families to learn about resources available to those interested in agriculture and entrepreneurship. The free event includes a resource fair, light refreshments and a public policy panel discussion at noon. Sen. Joni Ernst, Major General Tim Orr, USDA Deputy Under Secretary Alexis Taylor and Barb Carson, associate administrator for the U.S. Small Business Administration's Office of Veterans Business Development, are special guests. Register here.
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Team PrISUm aces a 280-mile race day; faces a 330-mile test on Friday
The student-engineers of Team PrISUm are no longer racing for a top finish in the American Solar Challenge. Now the race is all about testing components and systems for their next solar car -- and their dream of racing in the October 2017 World Solar Challenge across Australia.
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Iowa State scientists develop self-destructing battery to power ‘transient’ devices
Reza Montazami and his research group have developed a working battery that self-destructs in water. It's part of a field of study called "transient electronics." Montazami said the battery project presented many challenges, including a complex structure and difficulties in fabrication. The team's findings were recently published in a polymer physics journal.
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Team PrISUm enjoys sunny skies and a (mostly) quiet drive to Topeka
Team PrISUm had a good day of solar racing into Topeka, Kansas. The team had few problems and kept even with Minnesota, Illinois State and two teams from Canada. Next is a drive up to Nebraska, but thunderstorms could cause problems for the teams.
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ISU study suggests ‘use it or lose it’ to defend against memory loss
Iowa State University researchers have identified a protein essential for building memories that appears to predict the progression of memory loss and brain atrophy in Alzheimer’s patients. Their findings suggest there is a link between brain activity and the presence of this protein.
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Team PrISUm races nearly 300 miles on the day, runs out of charge 5 miles from stage stop
Team PrISUm ran through every calculation and strategy, but couldn't quite make the battery power last all the way to the second stage stop of this year's American Solar Challenge. So now the team's student-engineers will do all they can to pack their battery pack with sun power. They'll need it -- the race's longest stage starts on Wednesday.
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‘Boomerang dads’ have positive effect on daughters’ mental health
Children often experience a range of problems when their parents’ relationship ends and the father moves out of the home. But new research shows that fathers who leave and come back – also known as boomerang dads – lower the risk of depression for their daughters.
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More Team PrISUm highs and lows: Solar car cruises, arrives seconds late to checkpoint, drops wheel in ditch
This year's edition of the American Solar Challenge has been exactly that for the students of Team PrISUm. But -- even with a wheel in the ditch, an electrical breakdown, a trailer that won't roll and a charging system that failed -- the team has found solutions and kept on racing.
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Another up and down day for Team PrISUm, but Phaëton 2 does hit the speed limit
Team PrISUm keeps on racing and repairing, racing and repairing. And yet, after another pit stop to fix some electrical problems during day two of the American Solar Challenge, the team's solar racing car was hitting the speed limit.
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Team PrISUm solves another problem, races well, looks forward to a quiet night
After one all-nighter to fix a voltage problem, Team PrISUm pulled another one to solve a charging problem. But the team and its solar racing car made it to the green flag and had a good first day of racing at the American Solar Challenge. The team made it to the Dayton, Ohio, checkpoint in eighth place on Saturday.
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Team PrISUm qualifies ninth for American Solar Challenge, believes it has found speed
There were challenges, but Team PrISUm and its solar racing car turned enough laps at the Formula Sun Grand Prix to qualify for the American Solar Challenge. The eight-day, 1,800 mile race begins Saturday, July 30, and runs from Ohio to South Dakota.
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Iowa State dietetic interns to work virtually with low-income families to improve nutrition
A group of Iowa State University dietetic interns will provide nutrition coaching and wellness information to low-income families as part of a national health initiative. Unlike programs in a more traditional setting, such as a school or hospital, interns will connect virtually with their clients using a smarthphone app.
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Iowa State’s solar car team ready to race 1,800 miles from national park to national park
Iowa State's solar car team is getting ready to race a qualifying grand prix and then 1,800 miles across the middle of the country. While the team will certainly try to defend last year's first-ever overall title, there are other goals, too. The team has big ambitions to race across Australia during next year's World Solar Challenge. And so team members will use this year's races to test new systems for the car they'll design and build for the Australian race.
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University Human Resources VP accepts new position
Julie Nuter, vice president for University Human Resources, is resigning to accept a position with Argonne National Laboratory near Chicago. Plans will be developed for an interim appointment and a permanent successor to Nuter. Nuter joined Iowa State in December 2013.
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Presidential victory: Trump’s Top 5
Donald Trump is expected to secure his party’s nomination this week at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. David Andersen, an assistant professor of political science at Iowa State University, outlines the Top 5 things Trump needs to do to win the general election in November.
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Iowa State external funding reaches a record $425.8 million in fiscal year 2016
Iowa State University set another record for external funding, attracting $425.8 million for the fiscal year that ended June 30. A big part of the record year was unprecedented funding of $252.5 million to support research projects. Those projects include work in data-driven science, resilience of plants and animals in response to climate change, next-generation education programs and advanced manufacturing.
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Discovery could lead to treatment to better regulate insulin
A recent discovery made by an Iowa State University professor and a team of researchers holds promise for those who are obese or diabetic and do not benefit from medications to regulate their glucose and insulin levels.
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Iowa State research shows perennials would reduce nutrient runoff to the Gulf of Mexico’s dead zone
Computer-generated models show perennial plants such as switchgrass could reduce nitrogen runoff from farm fields into the Gulf of Mexico. The ISU agronomist who led the study said perennials could be an important tool in combatting the Gulf of Mexico’s hypoxic zone.
Postcard from Campus: Calm Before the Storm
Iowa State’s campus waits in quiet anticipation of students’ return for the fall.
Change Agent: Mark Edelman
Mark Edelman takes some unconventional approaches to helping Iowans turn their ideas into new businesses.