News Archive
Saturday, February 16 2019
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Municipal spending outpaces population, income growth in both growing, shrinking counties
While it’s not surprising that growing counties across the U.S. are increasing total spending as well as capital spending, a new Iowa State University study shows shrinking counties are doing the same. This increased spending puts shrinking counties in an exacerbated downward cycle.
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Climate change increases potential for conflict and violence
Images of extensive flooding or fire-ravaged communities help us see how climate change is accelerating the severity of natural disasters. Iowa State researchers say what is not as clear is the indirect effect of these disasters and rapid climate change on violence and aggression. They have identified three ways climate change will increase the likelihood of violence.
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Astronaut Scott Kelly will share story of endurance in Iowa State lecture
Capt. Scott Kelly set the American record for the most consecutive days in space and the longest space mission after returning to Earth from a yearlong mission to the International Space Station. Kelly will deliver the keynote lecture, “The Sky Is Not the Limit,” for the 10th annual Iowa State University Symposium on Sustainability on Feb. 18 at Stephens Auditorium.
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Prescription opioid overdose deaths falling in Iowa; synthetics and heroin spike new concern
Stronger regulation and efforts to prescribe fewer opioids have helped reduce overdose deaths in Iowa, but an Iowa State University researcher says another crisis is on the horizon. David Peters, associate professor of rural sociology, expects in the next two to three years the state will see an uptick in overdose deaths from heroin and synthetic opioids, such as fentanyl.
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Data mining brings new clarity to plant breeding, according to new Iowa State University study
Data mining methods that draw on computer science and statistics can bring new clarity for plant scientists trying to design better crop varieties, according to newly published research from an ISU agronomist. The study outlines several data management approaches that can help plant breeders predict the traits of potential hybrids faster and cheaper than growing and testing the plants.
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Iowa State students come together to study the Beatles
Jennifer Leptien translated her lifelong passion for the Beatles into a learning opportunity for Iowa State University students. Each spring, students enroll in Leptien and Jason Chrystal’s one-credit honors seminar for a deep-dive into Beatlemania. Over spring break, they’ll travel to Liverpool and London to see where the Fab Four got their start.
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Crowdsourcing effort aims to unearth new discoveries in “lost” collection at Iowa Lakeside Laboratory
Citizen scientists can contribute to an effort to enter thousands of preserved organism samples from the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory into an easily searchable database. An ISU scientist overseeing the project said there’s no telling what kind of discoveries may await among the various specimens of plants, insects and animals.
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Black History Month events planned at Iowa State
Celebrate Black History Month at Iowa State University with a variety of events recognizing and honoring the achievements and contributions of African Americans. Events range from film screenings to workshops to the annual Iowa State Conference on Race and Ethnicity (ISCORE).
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Giving high school students the tools to question classic literature
Generations of students have read Shakespeare and Hemingway for high school literature class and Jeanne Dyches, assistant professor in Iowa State University’s School of Education, would like students to question that tradition. Assigning these texts without questioning issues of race or gender may exclude students who do not see themselves in the text, and make them feel their voices are not valued, she said.
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ISU wildlife ecologist looks at the future of chronic wasting disease in Iowa deer
An ISU wildlife ecologist looks at the future of chronic wasting disease in Iowa deer after the recent confirmation of a case in Dubuque County. Chronic wasting disease, a neurological disorder that arises from misfolded proteins that affect the brains of deer, has been confirmed in four Iowa counties. There’s no evidence humans can contract the disease, but hunters are urged to have harvested deer tested if they suspect the disease is present, and no one should eat venison from infected deer.
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Iowa State engineers use big data tools to assist Iowa DOT, improve highway safety
Researchers with Iowa State's Institute for Transportation are using artificial intelligence and machine learning tools to manage, sort and analyze the traffic data collected by the Iowa Department of Transportation. The idea is for researchers to use the latest computing tools to mine the huge data sets for useful information that could lead to safer roads.
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Patented technology cloaks location on mobile devices to protect privacy
An Iowa State researcher has developed a cloaking technology that makes it possible to use location-based apps and services on mobile devices while keeping your privacy under control.
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Iowa State fashion merchandising student wins life-changing award
It will be difficult for Jennifer Junker to ever top her 22nd birthday. On that day earlier this month, the Iowa State University senior in apparel, merchandising and design won the prestigious $35,000 YMA Fashion Scholarship Fund case study competition with her plan to expand a fashion company to a global market.
In the news
Brian Burt: A focused future
Brian Burt, an assistant professor in Iowa State's School of Education, has been selected as one of 15 emerging scholars nationwide who represent the future of the academy. He appears on the cover of the current issue of Diverse: Issues in Higher Education.
'We are going backward': How the justice system ignores science in the pursuit of convictions
Across the country, forensic techniques found tenuous by independent researchers representing a variety of specialties are still being used as evidence to convict people. And that, critics say, can lead to wrongful convictions. "If we don't have technologies that are objective, repeatable and reliable, then we have no idea how many times we're making the wrong decision," said Iowa State's Alicia Carriquiry, director of the Center for Statistics and Applications in Forensic Evidence (CSAFE), a government-funded project to measure the limits of forensic methods. "We don't even have a way to estimate how many times we're making the wrong decisions."
Keeping Iowa roads safe with AI
Iowa State engineers are using artificial intelligence tools to help the Iowa Department of Transportation manage traffic -- and help school districts get students to school, even when the snow is flying.