News Releases

Two recent studies by Iowa State University researchers modeled the impact of using anaerobic digestion to produce renewable natural gas from grassy biomass in different settings and from varying perspectives, analysis that helps flesh out the system’s potential.

Iowa State researchers attracted a record $346.2 million in external funding for the fiscal year that ended June 30, the third straight year of record research funding. Overall, Iowa State’s total external funding for fiscal year 2024 increased to $544.6 million.

Semiconductors are the backbone of modern electronics and energy-efficient ones will be critical for the future of artificial intelligence and quantum computing. Matthew Panthani, an associate professor and Herbert L. Stiles Faculty Fellow in Chemical Engineering, discusses developing next-generation semiconductors.

A new study by a broad team of researchers at Iowa State University’s College of Veterinary Medicine helps explain why dairy cows infected by highly pathogenic avian influenza are shedding the virus in their milk. Their findings could help develop biosecurity measures aimed at slowing the spread of the illness.

For students and faculty at Iowa State University, a storm chasing class has been a long time coming, reports meteorologist Gabe Prough. Faculty members were finally able to make it happen this spring. And the weather was perfect for storm chasing.

Matthew Panthani and his research group are developing new materials that allow semiconductors to emit light. The resulting integrated photonic circuits could make computers, phones and other electronics faster and more energy efficient. The National Science Foundation is supporting the work with a $552,000 grant.  

An innovative collaboration merges Iowa State University’s research and 3D-printing facilities with a private design firm’s digital tools and vision to create an outdoor seating space to be installed this summer at the new Rudd Public Library. The old Rudd library was destroyed by a tornado in December 2021. The pieces designed for the library are as much an art installation as public seating, featuring seven separate concrete pieces that will allow patrons to sit or recline, similar to benches.

Victoria Kyveryga, who just completed a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering and chemistry at Iowa State at the conclusion of the spring 2024 semester, will begin a Ph.D. program at Stanford later this year as part of the prestigious Knight-Hennessy program. The Knight-Hennessy Scholars program aims to develop an interdisciplinary community of future global leaders to address the world's complex challenges through collaboration and innovation.

A new course this spring, "Field Observations of Thunderstorms," took 13 Iowa State students and their three instructors across "Tornado Alley" for eight days. They found storms, collected data and shared information with national forecasters. It all could have been straight out of the 1996 movie “Twister” or this summer’s sequel, “Twisters.”

Researchers at Iowa State University’s Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory have developed a diagnostic test for swine to detect Japanese encephalitis virus, a mosquito-borne disease common in southeast Asia. While the disease hasn’t been detected in the U.S., it spread to Australia two years ago.