News Service

Iowa State researchers developing software to improve colon exams

Two Iowa State University computer scientists are developing image-analysis software and related hardware that will measure the quality of colonoscopy procedures. Their goal is better procedures and better health for patients.

News release.

ISU sociologist explores modern American stepfamily in new book

Iowa State Assistant Professor of Sociology Susan Stewart analyzes the modern American stepfamily in her new book, "Brave New Stepfamilies: Diverse Paths Toward Stepfamily Living," which will be published in December by Sage Publications.

News release

Veishea 2007: 'A Timeless Tradition'

Veishea's executive board has announced the theme of the April 16-22, 2007 event: "A Timeless Tradition." Next spring's Veishea celebration also marks the official kickoff of Iowa State University's 150th birthday, or sesquicentennial.

News release.

ISU prof co-authored national video game report card, sees mixed results

ISU Assistant Professor of Psychology Douglas Gentile co-authored the 11th Annual MediaWise Video Game Report Card announced today in Washington, D.C. Gentile is director of research for the Minneapolis-based National Institute on Media and the Family, which issued the report.

News release

Feeling lonely? ISU prof recommends forgetting ghosts of Christmas past

Dan Russell, a professor of human development and family studies and a researcher with ISU's Institute for Social and Behavioral Research, has been studying loneliness since the early 1980s. He provides some tips on how individuals can cope with or overcome loneliness at the holidays.

News release

Chizik

Chizik is new ISU football coach

Gene Chizik, the assistant head coach at the University of Texas whose resume includes a national championship with the Longhorns and league championships in three different Bowl Championship Series (BCS) conferences, is the new head football coach at Iowa State.

News release.

Nonnecke honored for teaching

Horticulture professor Gail Nonnecke is one of only two people to receive the annual USDA Food and Agricultural Sciences Excellence in Teaching Award. The national award, which encompasses all the food and agricultural disciplines, honors teaching quality, philosophy, methodology and service to the profession and students.

News release.

Every winter is a crash course in driving across snow and ice

Now is the time to drive extra carefully when the forecast calls for snow. A paper by researchers at Iowa State University's Center for Transportation Research and Education reports that the rate of winter weather crashes on Iowa's primary roads is highest in November. The rate plummets as drivers relearn winter driving skills.

News release.

ISU prof sees Christian privilege in public schools, offers advice for religious equity

Warren Blumenfeld, an assistant professor of multicultural and international curriculum studies at Iowa State, authored an article titled "Christian Privilege and the Promotion of 'Secular' and Not-So 'Secular' Mainline Christianity in Public Schooling and in the Larger Society," for a professional journal. It documents examples of Christian privilege -- including celebration of Christian holidays -- and offers guidelines for bringing about more religious equity.

News release.

Transition to college is made easier with Iowa State 'star'

Iowa State University's Jennifer Farrell is one of five admissions counselors nationwide to receive the "Rising Star Award" from the National Association for College Admission Counseling.

News release.

Iowa State-based transportation center to focus on safety

Iowa State University, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa are working together to establish a transportation center supported by $3 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation. The center will support research aimed at developing tools so departments of transportation can consider safety when planning and managing roadways.

News release.

'Talk' to explore Iowa's role in bioeconomy

Iowa's role in the bioeconomy is the topic on Iowa Public Radio's "Talk of Iowa" Thursday, Nov. 30. Host Katherine Perkins will talk with ISU professors Robert C. Brown and Bruce Babcock and State Sen. Jack Kibbie of Emmetsburg. The call-in show airs 9 to 10 a.m. on WOI AM 640 and WSUI AM 910.

New agricultural law center created

A new Center for Agricultural Law and Taxation has been established at Iowa State. The center addresses a need for expertise in agricultural decisions that are an increasingly shaped by legal and tax issues.

News release.

ISU forensic statisticians hunting for hidden messages

Two Iowa State mathematicians have developed software that will detect secret files in seemingly innocent digital images. Jennifer Davidson and Cliff Bergman, both professors in the math department, are fine-tuning the artificial neural net (ANN). When plopped into a computer, the ANN will work like radar that culls out suspicious images.

News release.

Holiday recording features Simon Estes

A recently released CD, "Holiday Classics With Simon Estes," features the internally acclaimed bass-baritone along with two ISU groups -- ISU Wind Ensemble and the Ames Piano Quartet. Estes is the F. Wendell Miller Distinguished Artist-in-Residence at Iowa State.

News release.

Landscape designer to discuss ecological stormwater solutions Nov. 27

Internationally known sustainable designer and teacher Penny Livingston-Stark will present the Iowa State University Department of Landscape Architecture's annual P.H. Elwood Lecture at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 27, in Kocimski Auditorium, College of Design. She will speak on "Water and the Landscape: Ecological Design Approaches and Innovative Solutions for Management of Stormwater Runoff." The lecture is free and open to the public.

News release.

ABC correspondent Lynn Sherr is fall Mary Louise Smith Chair in Women and Politics

A correspondent on ABC's Newsmagazine "20/20," Sherr will deliver a free, public presentation titled "Outside the Box: Women, Politics and Media" at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 28, in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union.

News release.

Summit comments

California is mounting a challenge to Iowa's current dominant position in ethanol production, biorenewables expert Robert Brown said during a Nov. 28 campus summit at Iowa State. More than 400 gathered at the summit to discuss ways to ensure Iowa's leadership role in the bioeconomy.

Brown's comments.

Leaders discuss Iowa's role in the bioeconomy

More than 400 leaders from Iowa industry, government and higher education gathered on campus Nov. 28 to participate in a summit on ensuring Iowa's leadership role in the bioeconomy.

View video of summit speakers.

Let's talk turkey

Procrastinators, unite: You can cook a frozen turkey safely. ISU Extension food science specialist Sam Beattie says the key is making sure the meat temperature reaches at least 165 degrees.

News release.

Thanksgiving break

Iowa State classes are in recess Monday-Friday, Nov. 20-24, for the Thanksgiving break. University offices will be closed on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 23-24.

ISU coordinating statewide Pappajohn new venture business plan competition

Officials from Iowa State's Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship are coordinating the statewide 2007 Pappajohn New Venture Business Plan Competition. The competition is open to any Iowa university or college student/team with an interest in starting a business.

News release.

Accrediting team notes 'noteworthy progress'

Iowa State's accreditation was continued recently by the Higher Learning Commission. An external review team noted that despite many challenges, "the university has made noteworthy progress in increasing the quality of its programs and services, responsiveness to various constituencies, student retention and graduation rates, fund raising and funded research, among others." The next comprehensive evaluation is scheduled for 2015-16.

News release.

Geoffroy, Anderson on WOI's 'Talk'

Video violence expert Craig Anderson will join ISU President Gregory Geoffroy on WOI Radio's "Talk of Iowa" Nov. 14. The call-in show airs from 9 to 10 a.m. on 640 WOI-AM. Listeners can mail questions in advance to talk@iastate.edu.

ISU taking lead on virtual career fair trend for Southwest MBA Alliance

Mark Peterson, director of MBA graduate career services in ISU's College of Business, is managing the software being used this year for the second annual Southeast MBA Alliance Virtual Career Fair from November 6-20.

News release.

An old discovery could boost ethanol production from plant fiber

A discovery some 40 years ago is showing promise as a chemical pre-treatment that breaks down plant fiber. That could release the simple sugars in corn stalks or switchgrass so they can be fermented into ethanol. And that could add value to Iowa's crops or the fibrous co-products of ethanol production.

News release.

McCarney to step down after season

Dan McCarney, the longest-tenured and winningest coach in ISU history, has decided to step down as head football coach. McCarney made the announcement jointly with director of athletics Jamie Pollard Nov. 8.

News release.

Panel will explore post-election foreign policy

Faculty members in the Department of Political Science will explore "U.S. Foreign Policy after the Mid-term Elections" in a panel discussion on Thursday, Nov. 9. The event will be held at 7 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Memorial Union.

News release.

ISU political experts mixed on whether candidates can count on youth vote

Dianne Bystrom, director of the Carrie Chapman Catt Center for Women and Politics at ISU, believes midterm candidates can count on the youth vote, but Steffen Schmidt, University Professor of political science, isn't so sure.

News release.

Alum will be on space shuttle next June

When NASA launches the space shuttle Endeavour in June 2007, its crew will include the first Iowa State alum to become an astronaut. Clayton C. Anderson, who earned his master's degree in aerospace engineering at ISU in 1983, will travel to the International Space Station where he will spend up to four months.

News release.

ISU professor studies gender differences in investment behavior

Tahira Hira, ISU executive assistant to the president and a professor of consumer economics, joined with a colleague to produce a report for NASD -- the world's largest private sector securities regulator -- titled "Gender Differences in Investment Behavior."

News release.