News Archive
Tuesday, December 17 2019
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Engineers developing machine-learning tools to quickly, cheaply design better solar cells
Iowa State engineers are working with collaborators to develop machine learning theories and software tools that can quickly and cheaply design better solar cells. Those theories and tools could also be applied to the rapid design of all kinds of new technologies. The engineers' research is supported by a grant of up to $2 million from the U.S. Department of Energy's Advanced Research Projects Agency -- Energy.
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Study shows integrated organic crop and livestock production systems can conform to food safety standards
The integration of crop and livestock production on organic farms doesn’t appear to pose substantial food safety risks and could yield benefits for producers, according to a study involving Iowa State University scientists. The experiments involved three sites in the Midwest on which acres were rotated between organic crop and livestock production.
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2019 Year in Review
As 2019 comes to an end, the Iowa State University News Service staff is looking back and sharing some of its favorite and more popular stories of the year.
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Iowa State commencement is Dec. 21
The Iowa State University community will honor an estimated 2,231 graduating students during two commencement ceremonies this weekend in Hilton Coliseum. That number marks a fourth straight December graduating class of 2,000-plus students and, in part, reflects fall enrollments from 2013 to 2015 that grew by 1,200 to 2,000 students annually.
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Fascination with flying: Refugee camp math whiz turns into Iowa State aerospace engineering all-star
The Rwandan genocide forced Kwizera Imani and his family to spend nine years in a refugee camp. There, Imani fell in love with school, math in particular. Imani is now a senior in aerospace engineering at Iowa State University, and he’s graduating this weekend with five internships under his belt and a new adventure: a job at Collins Aerospace.
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Iowa State student balances school, children, journalism in pursuit of passion
Manichanh Naonady is a mother, journalist, non-traditional student and so much more. She’ll soon have another identity: college graduate. She graduates from Iowa State University this weekend with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and mass communication and a newfound passion for food journalism.
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Burial traditions are evolving, designers see call to action
Iowa State University interior design students are responding to changing beliefs and traditions surrounding funerals and burials in the United States by studying cemeteries, funeral homes, mortuaries and interment practices. By the end of this semester, each student designed a unique, never-before-seen space for the future of burial.
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Contributions of Iowa athletes featured in new book
You don’t have to be a sports fan or athlete to find inspiration from the stories and artwork in an Iowa State professor's new book "Amazing Iowa Athletes." Katy Swalwell says all the athletes featured in the book faced various forms of oppression, but used their sport to do incredible things.
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Sorghum study illuminates relationship between humans, crops and the environment in domestication
A new study illustrates the concept of a domestication triangle, in which human genetics interact with sorghum genetics and the environment to influence the traits farmers select in their crops. The concept gives a more complete systemic picture of domestication.
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Regional trends in overdose deaths reveal multiple opioid epidemics, according to new study
A recently published study shows the United States in the grip of several simultaneously occurring opioid epidemics, rather than just a single crisis. The epidemics came to light after the researchers analyzed county-level data on drug overdose deaths. The study highlights the importance of different policy responses to the epidemics rather than a single set of policies.
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National Academy of Inventors recognizes Iowa State’s Narasimhan, Rao
Iowa State's Balaji Narasimhan and Guru Rao are part of the latest class of fellows elected to the National Academy of Inventors. Narasimhan is being recognized for his work in nanomedicines and biomedical engineering; Rao for his work in biochemistry.
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AAAS recognizes six researchers for distinguished work advancing science
The American Association for the Advancement of Science has named six researchers affiliated with Iowa State University to this year's class of AAAS fellows. The researchers are being recognized for distinguished work in biological sciences, chemistry, engineering and agriculture.
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Warren slipping as Buttigieg continues to surge
Support for Sen. Elizabeth Warren has dropped by nearly 10% over the past month, according to the latest Iowa State University/Civiqs poll of Democratic presidential candidates. This shift has helped propel Mayor Pete Buttigieg to the top of the poll, with 26% of those surveyed s electing Buttigieg as their top choice.
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Six books and counting: Iowa State student gets jump-start on writing career
Ryan Byrnes, an Iowa State University senior in technical communication, is an entrepreneurial author. After years of writing, self-publishing and marketing his novels, Byrnes’ most recent work, a historical fiction novel set in World War I, was picked up by a publishing company.
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NASA’s TESS helps astronomers study red-giant stars, examine a too-close planet
Iowa State astronomers are part of an international team that has been analyzing data from NASA's TESS Mission. The astronomers describe their study of two red-giant stars -- older, “retired” stars no longer burning hydrogen in their cores -- in a paper recently published by The Astrophysical Journal.
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Iowa State University scientists organize software competition to advance understanding of genetic function
Sequencing a genome doesn't necessarily reveal the functions of individual genes. An Iowa State University scientist helps to organize a competition to evaluate the accuracy of software programs that predict gene function. The recently published results of the latest competition included 144 entries from 68 teams.
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Money spent on beer ads linked to underage drinking
Advertising budgets and strategies used by beer companies appear to influence underage drinking, according to new research from Iowa State University. The findings show that the amount of money spent on advertising strongly predicted the percentage of teens who had heard of, preferred and tried different beer brands.