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Monday, August 4 2014

  • Astronaut Clayton Anderson inspires, organizes Iowa State workshop on spaceflight ops

    Clayton Anderson, a retired NASA astronaut and a distinguished faculty fellow in aerospace engineering, has worked with Iowa State engineers to develop a prototype workshop in spaceflight operations. The workshop includes training in scuba diving, wilderness survival and skydiving. The goal is to give students a taste of training in spaceflight operations and to give Iowa State educators a first look at preparing students for new employment opportunities in commercial spaceflight.

  • Iowa State chosen for new Navy officer-commissioning program in nuclear power

    A U.S. Navy officer-commissioning program for active duty sailors to receive a college degree before entering the Navy’s nuclear power training school has been approved for Iowa State University. ISU becomes the 19th university selected for the nuclear option of the Navy’s STA-21 (Seaman-to-Admiral) program. The program is designed to meet the Navy’s 21st century goals and provide a system to educate future officers.

  • Industrial design professor's trashed idea promises valuable future

    Sometimes in the high-stakes world of commercial design, even the best ideas get shelved. That happened to Will Prindle about 10 years ago when he was vice president of design and development at Forms + Surfaces. His idea and designs for an explosion-resistant public trash receptacle were scrapped. Now an assistant professor of industrial design, Prindle has retrieved his discarded idea from the corporate junkyard. And he intends to see it through to the marketplace.

  • Shimkat to continue growing economic opportunities for Iowa businesses in new role

    Lisa Shimkat, a regional director for the Iowa Small Business Development Center, will start her new role as statewide director of the organization on August 18. She succeeds Jim Heckmann, who retired in February.

  • Peach recall generating a lot of questions for consumers

    An Iowa State University food science expert says consumers need to throw out peaches included in a recall because of possible Listeria monocytogenes contamination. Angela Shaw, an assistant professor of food science and human nutrition, is fielding dozens of calls from consumers with concerns about possible contamination.

  • Iowa State University agronomist says miscanthus would yield more biomass than originally thought in Iowa soil

    Miscanthus, a perennial grass with vast potential to produce biomass, would deliver even better yields than once thought in Iowa, according to research by agronomists at Iowa State University. Planting the towering grass in low-yielding sections of fields could create a wealth of new biomass and benefit the environment.

  • Iowa State University entomologists warn travelers about Chikungunya virus

    The two mosquito species known to transmit Chikungunya virus are exceedingly rare in Iowa, but travelers should still pay attention to new reports of disease outbreaks, according to Iowa State University entomologists. The first locally acquired cases of the virus in the United States were confirmed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention this week.

  • ISU experts develop food safety campaign to keep older adults safe

    Iowa State University researchers are targeting leafy greens in an effort to protect older adults from foodborne illnesses. Leafy greens are a common source of contamination in such outbreaks, according to a 2013 report by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and older adults are often most susceptible to severe illness or death.

  • Veishea Task Force report delivered to President Leath

    The Veishea Task Force's final report and recommendations were delivered to Iowa State University President Steven Leath the afternoon of July 11. President Leath will review the report and announce his decision with respect to the recommendations by early August. The task force report is available here.

  • Iowa African-American Hall of Fame announces 2014 inductees and leadership award recipients

    The Iowa African-American Hall of Fame, housed in Iowa State's Black Cultural Center, will induct three new members and award scholarships to two Iowa students on Aug. 1 in Des Moines. Tickets to the reception and banquet are available by calling Rose Wilbanks at 515-294-1909.

  • Iowa State University research sheds light on feed efficiency in pigs

    Research conducted at Iowa State University is dispelling myths about the practice of breeding pigs to improve feed efficiency, a measurement of how well swine convert the feed they consume into mass. The research has the potential to help pork producers save money and lower prices for consumers.