News Releases

Iowa State University is ranked No. 1 in Iowa, No. 6 in the Midwest and No. 14 nationally in the 2025 Top 50 Entrepreneurship Undergraduate rankings by The Princeton Review and Entrepreneur. The rankings consider more than 40 data points including academic offerings, mentorship and experiential learning opportunities.

The interplay between the genetic makeup of crops and the conditions in which they grow is difficult to untangle. A research team led by an Iowa State University professor aims to help breeders analyze the interactions to make crops more resilient and productive.

A new study led by an Iowa State University evolutionary biologist described for the first time the three-dimensional architecture of turtle genomes, which fold in a configuration unlike any other animal observed so far.

Sidney Peterson was declared missing after the plane he was aboard drew German anti-aircraft fire. On the day he went missing, Peterson was supposed to end his tour of duty and reunite with his family. However, he decided to go on one more mission – taking the place of a friend in the Air Corps who was sick – before flying home. It was Peterson’s 60th mission.

James Herrick, Jr. was on a reconnaissance mission in 1969 when the plane he was piloting was lost near the North Vietnam border and he was never seen again. Six years later, the Iowa State University graduate was declared killed in action.

As a child, Max Harvey Collins was fascinated with airplanes and always wanted to fly. This love for flying eventually led Collins to pursue a degree in aeronautical engineering at Iowa State University. After completing two years at Iowa State, he enlisted in the Air Force.

Three former Iowa State students will be honored during the annual Gold Star Hall ceremony. This year’s three honorees include Army 1st Lt. Sidney Peterson, who served in World War II and died after taking on anti-aircraft fire aboard a B-26 Marauder; Air Force 2nd Lt. Max Harvey Collins, who died when his aircraft crashed on take-off during the Korean War; and Air Force Capt. James Wayne Herrick, Jr. 

An Iowa State University plant biologist received a $1.8 million federal grant to study a gene that affects both how plants grow and how they respond to environmental threats. Unraveling the balancing act between fortifying and flourishing could help scientists develop crops that are more resilient in challenging conditions.

Few Iowa farmers repeatedly plant soybeans on the same land, a little-researched and long-discouraged practice. But economic factors could lead to increased interest in growing continuous soybeans, so an Iowa State research team is studying the system to have answers ready when questions come.

An Iowa State engineer is leading development of cybersecurity tools to guard power grids that carry renewable energy resources such as such as wind or solar farms. The researchers will develop "zero-trust" tools to reduce cyber exposure. The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the project.