As 2021 comes to an end, the Iowa State University News Service team is looking back and sharing some of its favorite and more popular stories of the year. Click on each headline to read the full story.
An unusual request of a teacher
Alan Constant says it was, "possibly the strangest conversation I've ever had in my life." But the Iowa State instructor says the conversation with one of his students led to one of the greatest honors he's ever received as a teacher.
STEM outreach programs join forces to expand reach across state
Seven years and 80,000 people later, Iowa State University’s design and STEM outreach program FLEx is expanding its reach even more to include undergraduate student role models who are traveling the state to inspire Iowa's K-12 youth.
Studying how microbiome affects immunity could improve vaccine effectiveness
Not everyone responds to vaccines in identical ways, which is why Iowa State researchers are searching for ways humans can adjust their microbiomes to optimize vaccine response.
Skroot Laboratory Inc. helps labs make medicine
Nigel Reuel and a team of his students have developed technology that helps laboratories use cell factories to produce cell- and protein-based therapies, industrial enzymes and small molecules.
Advancing diversity, inclusion in business requires common language, knowledge
Despite growing momentum for diversity and inclusion initiatives, several barriers still exist. To implement meaningful change, a team of researchers says a holistic and systematic approach is needed to ensure everyone is working from the same playbook.
New evidence may change timeline for when people first arrived in North America
An unexpected discovery by an Iowa State University researcher suggests that the first humans may have arrived in North America more than 30,000 years ago – nearly 20,000 years earlier than originally thought.
Honors students learn disaster response during simulated tornado
To give students hands-on experience in disaster response, a campus apartment turned into a simulated disaster area. Students had to assess, triage and treat the wounded.
Regional climate forecast troubling, but there is hope
Iowa State's William Gutowski is one of 15 lead authors of a 228-page chapter within the latest report by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The report provides an unprecedented look at regional climate data, including fact sheets and an interactive, online atlas.
After comparing 17.5 million strategies, researchers validate CDC's vaccine rollout
Researchers evaluated 17.5 million possible strategies the CDC could have recommended for COVID-19 vaccine rollouts. While the researchers generally validate the CDC’s plan, they did highlight some improvements, which could inform future vaccination strategies.
Field study shows icing can cost wind turbines up to 80% of power production
Researchers took their studies of wind-turbine icing out of the lab and into the field to learn how and where ice accumulates on rotating blades. They learned ice on the blades can reduce power production by up to 80%. The field study also validated experimental findings, theories and predictions.
How do you plan a mass vaccination clinic? ISU students are working on it
This spring, students in an undergraduate research program started studying what was then an abstract idea: designing a mass vaccination clinic. They then assisted with ISU's clinics on campus.
Soil study shows why nitrous oxide emission should factor into climate change mitigation
Researchers found a range of agricultural soils produce nitrous oxide emissions in sufficient quantities to contribute to climate change. They compared soils with various moisture content and found agricultural soils are capable of high nitrous oxide emissions across a wide range of environmental conditions.
