News Archive
Tuesday, January 28 2020
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Iowa caucus-goers rely on variety of sources to make decision
Iowans have had ample opportunities to meet the Democratic presidential candidates, but likely caucus-goers say this access is not their most important source of information, according to a new Iowa State University survey. In fact, seeing the candidates in person was at the bottom of the list of 12 most frequently used sources of information, with national network news at the top.
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Major NSF-sponsored grant will help researchers discover ways to improve urban sustainability
A new $2.5 million grant will help an interdisciplinary team of researchers analyze innovative approaches to improving urban sustainability. The team will study various approaches to bolstering local food production in Des Moines and the surrounding area and how those approaches could affect nutrition, waste and environmental impacts.
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Students, Iowa State police join forces to design new police gear
Iowa State University industrial design students are collaborating with the ISU Police Department to examine the issues police officers face with their uniforms, gear and vehicles – and what designers can do to help solve those problems.
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Diverse cropping systems don’t increase carbon storage compared to corn-soybean rotations
Diversified crop rotations protect water quality and have other environmental benefits, but recent experiments show that farms can’t rely on such rotations to improve carbon storage in the soil. The findings contradict widely held expectations that the extensive root systems of perennials and cover crops would deposit carbon in soils.
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Signs of economic recovery, but Iowa’s job growth lags behind nation
In the decade since the Great Recession, Iowa’s job rate has grown by 7.1%, according to a new employment analysis. Dave Swenson, an associate scientist of economics at Iowa State University who conducted the study, says much of the growth occurred in metropolitan counties.
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Iowa FIRST LEGO League Championships: Students build better cities, crowd cheers
The state’s best teams of FIRST® LEGO® Leaguers – 120 of them – will demonstrate their robot, research and thinking skills during the annual Iowa championships this weekend, Jan. 18 and 19, at Iowa State University’s College of Engineering.
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Innovative mindset takes Iowa State student on the ride of his life
Charlie Wickham loved roller coasters as a child – but he didn’t want to ride them. He finally hopped on one at 10 years old. Now a senior in mechanical engineering at Iowa State University, Wickham has ridden 250 roller coasters around the world, and his knack for designing rides and networking has given him a front-row seat to the amusement park industry.
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Engineers develop “chameleon metals” that change surfaces in response to heat
Martin Thuo and his research group have found a way to use heat to predictably and precisely change the surface structure of a particle of liquid metal. It's like a chameleon changing skin color in response to its environment. And so Thuo and his team are calling the technology "chameleon metals."
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ISU researchers pave the way to make prairie strips eligible option for federal conservation program
Prairie strips are now an eligible and recognized practice under the federal Conservation Reserve Program, which grants farmers a yearly rental payment for taking environmentally sensitive acres out of production and establishing conservation practices on the land. Iowa State University scientists, who pioneered much of the research on prairie strips over the last decade, helped develop the USDA policy.
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Study examines biomarkers, economic factors that may increase risk for cognitive decline
An image of your retina may help Iowa State University researchers determine your risk for Alzheimer’s disease even before other symptoms are detectable. The researchers received a National Institute on Aging grant to collect retinal images, along with cognitive measurements and data on economic and social factors to determine if this information can identify risk for Alzheimer’s disease.
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Study of cardiac muscles in flies might help you keep your heart young
Iowa State University scientists restored the function of heart muscles in aging fruit flies, according to a newly published study. The genetic complex identified in the research could lead to new treatments for heart disease in humans.
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ISU experts available to discuss Iowa caucuses
As the Democratic candidates make their final push before the Iowa caucuses, Iowa State University experts are available to discuss campaign strategy, caucus history, the economy and more.
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Researchers create nanoscale sensors to better see how high pressure affects materials
Iowa State University's Valery Levitas is a co-author of two papers published within weeks by the high-profile journal Science. Levitas specializes in experimental testing and computational modeling of high-pressure mechanics, physics and mechanochemistry.