Iowa State standout and Olympic wrestler Cael Sanderson is featured, along with other U.S. Olympians, in a special collectors' edition of Vanity Fair magazine. The September issue is currently on newsstands.

ISU alumni named poet laureate

Iowa native and 1962 Iowa State graduate Ted Kooser recently was named the next poet laureate of the United States. CBS News.

ISU ag engineer's award-winning design advances fertilizer application technology

One of the year's best new technologies in agriculture was designed by a team led by ISU Extension ag engineer Mark Hanna. The Impellicone is a fertilizer application system that has the potential to reduce the amount of ammonia typically used on crops. The American Society of Agricultural Engineers gave it their top technology award.

See news release.

ISU chemistry professor elected to International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science

Mark Gordon, Distinguished Professor of Liberal Arts and Sciences and professor of chemistry, has been recognized by the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science for his innovative work in the development and application of new methods in scalable electronic structure theory.

See news release.

Rover named ISU interim engineering associate dean

Diane Rover, professor of electrical and computer engineering, has been named the College of Engineering interim associate dean for academic programs and budget. This appointment will run through June 2005, when incoming dean Mark Kushner announces the permanent appointment.

See news release.

Iowa State University public policy and administration program earns accreditation

Iowa State University's master of public administration program has received accreditation from the National Association of Schools of Public Affairs and Administration (NASPAA). The accreditation will be for seven years and is the only NASPAA accredited program in Iowa.

See news release.

"TV is the key medium between politicians and voters,"says ISU journalism and communications expert Daniela Dimitrova. "Each year, politicians enter the television battleground equipped with TV spots, sound bites, and TV camera smiles."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

"The injection of John Edwards has changed the 'karma' of the discussion overnight because Edwards is a difficult candidate for the GOP to run against," says ISU political scientist Steffen Schmidt. "The ratings for the Democratic National convention are likely to break records as people watch to see the new superstar perform on stage."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

"The 2004 presidential election is likely to turn on national security issues, unlike any other recent election since the height of the Cold War," says ISU political scientist James McCormick. "While foreign policy issues are rarely decisive in presidential elections, 2004 could well be the exception."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

"2004 proves once again that you can't take money out of American political campaigns, but you can affect the way it is raised and the route that it takes," says ISU political scientist Robert Lowry.

ISU political experts on election year issues.

"Turnout will be the important issue in this election," says political scientist Kim Conger. "We are really a 50-50 country and the campaign that best turns out its supporters will benefit."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

"From Wendell Willkie in 1940 to Ronald Reagan in 1980 and 1984, Republicans nominees for president used the "crusade" metaphor to describe their campaigns," says ISU political scientist Ray Dearin. "Since George H. W. Bush departed from the tradition and chose the "mission" metaphor to describe his quest in 1988, the GOP candidate has eschewed the more heroic label."

ISU political experts on election year issues.

"Appealing to young voters remains an elusive endeavor," says Dianne Bystrom, director of the Catt Center for Women and Politics. "They are not as loyal to partisan political organizations as older citizens and their motivating interests encompass a broad range of issues."

ISU political experts on election year issues.