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Thursday, October 1 2009

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Iowa State researchers looking for catalyst that allows plants to produce hydrocarbons

Iowa State University researchers are working to understand how a catalyst allows certain plants and algae to create simple hydrocarbons that could be a new source of liquid fuels. The project is supported by a four-year, $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation's Office of Emerging Frontiers in Research and Innovation.

News release.

Innovative Lighting founder Handsaker will lead Pappajohn Center Entrepreneur Forums

Jerry Handsaker, founder and president of Innovative Lighting Inc. of Roland, will be the featured speaker at the first of four ISU Pappajohn Center Entrepreneur Forums on Friday, Oct. 9. His presentation is scheduled from noon to 1 p.m. in the Memorial Union Cardinal Room. Other forums are scheduled for Dec. 18, Feb. 12 and Apr. 9.

Reuben Peters

Reuben Peters

Iowa State University researcher uncovers potential key to curing tuberculosis

Researchers at Iowa State University have identified an enzyme that helps make tuberculosis resistant to a human's natural defense system. Researchers have also found a method to possibly neutralize that enzyme, which may someday lead to a cure for tuberculosis, a contagious disease that kills 1.5 to 2 million people worldwide annually.

News release.

Ambassador leading U.S. efforts to combat human trafficking will speak Oct. 15

Ambassador Luis CdeBaca, President Obama's appointee to direct the State Department's Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, will speak on "U.S. Leadership in the Global Fight Against Slavery" at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 15. A Huxley native and ISU alumnus, CdeBaca has worked under three presidential administrations to combat human trafficking and modern forms of slavery. His talk will be in the Memorial Union Sun Room and is free and open to the public.

News release.

ISU fall blood drive under way

There's still time to donate blood to the student-run blood drive, which runs through Friday, Oct. 2. Donors should drop by the Memorial Union Great Hall between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. now through Wednesday; 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday, or 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday.

More information.

Des Moines Public Schools, ISU receive $1.5 million grant to strengthen history education

Iowa State University history and curriculum and instruction faculty will be working with teachers in the Des Moines Public Schools -- the state's largest school district -- over the next five years to make history education more effective through a new $1.5 million Teaching American History grant from the U.S. Department of Education.

The 2009 World Food Prize winner to present Borlaug Lecture Oct. 12

Gebisa Ejeta, the 2009 World Food Prize recipient, will present the eighth annual Norman Borlaug Lecture at Iowa State on Monday, Oct. 12. Ejeta's presentation, "Revitalizing Agricultural Research for Global Food Security," will be at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union Sun Room. A reception and student poster competition on world food issues will be at 7 p.m. in the South Ballroom. Ejeta will receive the World Food Prize in Des Moines on Thursday, Oct. 15. He is being honored for his development of sorghum hybrids that are resistant to drought and the devastating Striga weed. The hybrids have dramatically increased the production and availability of one of the world's five principal grains and enhanced the food supply of hundreds of millions of people in sub-Saharan Africa.

James Bushnell named Iowa State’s first Cargill Endowed Chair in Energy Economics

James Bushnell, formerly of the University of California Energy Institute, has been named Iowa State University's first Cargill Endowed Chair in Energy Economics. He'll also lead Iowa State's Biobased Industry Center. He hopes to make the center a place for formal and informal discussions.

News release.

Iowa State to train the next set of cyber warriors for the government

Iowa State's Information Assurance Center receive funding from the National Science Foundation that provides 24 full-ride scholarships for students to receive a master's degree in information assurance.

News release

Vanity Fair writer and co-author of "The Smartest Guys in the Room" will speak

Vanity Fair contributing editor Bethany McLean, who co-wrote "The Smartest Guys in the Room: The Amazing Rise and Scandalous Fall of Enron," will speak at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8 in the Memorial Union Sun Room. McLean, who was with Fortune from 1995 to 2008, wrote the first article to raise questions about the immense profitability of Enron, then a darling of the stock market. Her talk, "Following the Money: From Enron to Hedge Funds," is free and open to the public.

News release.