News

Iowa State University classes canceled March 1 beginning at 1 p.m. (Classes beginning at 12:40 p.m. also are canceled.)
ISU has canceled all classes beginning after 1 p.m. today, March 1, due to severe winter weather. Classes will continue as scheduled until that time. News release. (Thurs, 01 Mar 2007 10:40:00 CST)

Exercise physiologist to discuss youth obesity prevention as ISU Pease Scholar April 19
Russell Pate, associate vice president for health sciences and professor in exercise science at the University of South Carolina and author of the 2006 book "Physical Activity Intervention for Youth," is the visiting Pease Family Scholar at Iowa State. He will present a free public lecture on Thursday, April 19.News release. (Thu, 29 Mar 2007 14:15:00 CST)

College of Veterinary Medicine earns full accreditation status
Iowa State's College of Veterinary Medicine has been granted full accreditation status by the Council On Education of the American Veterinary Medical Association. The accreditation covers the complete academic program including the addition of a new professional program in veterinary medical education being offered with the University of Nebraska - Lincoln (UNL).News release. (Mon, 28 Mar 2007 15:45:00 CST)

Foreign policy expert, author to speak, meet with students at Iowa State
Francis Fukuyama, a foreign policy expert, will speak at 8 p.m., Monday, April 2, in the Sun Room/South Ballroom, Memorial Union. News release. (Wed, 28 Mar 2007 15:00:00 CST)

Students create furniture from tree felled by 2005 campus tornado
Some Iowa State University furniture design students and their professor have created furniture from a historic tree downed by a tornado that hit campus in 2005. The sculptural furniture is being used in the new Christian Petersen Art Museum. News release. (Wed, 28 Mar 2007 11:45:00 CST)

Nearly 550 students to compete at 50th State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa
The 50th State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa will be Friday and Saturday, March 30 and 31, at Iowa State University's Hilton Coliseum. The fair is free and open to the public from noon to 5 p.m. on Friday; 9:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday; and 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday for the award ceremony. News release. (Tue, 27 Mar 2007 16:30:00 CST)

Former ag dean Woteki will return to ISU for food safety symposium April 12
Catherine Woteki, global director of scientific affairs for Mars, Inc., and former dean of Iowa State's College of Agriculture, will deliver the keynote address on food safety and public health at the Institute for Food Safety and Security's annual symposium, Thursday, April 12, at the Gateway Center in Ames. News release (PDF). (Tue, 27 Mar 2007 10:25:00 CST)

Iowa State to unveil the most realistic virtual reality room in the world
Iowa State University's Virtual Reality Applications Center will unveil improvements to C6, its six-sided virtual reality room, on April 26. The unveiling will be part of this year's Emerging Technologies Conference 07. News release. (Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:55:00 CST)

Sequicentennial fun
Iowa State's 150th birthday bash will span an entire year. The fun starts with the Veishea celebration April 21. Sesquicentennial details. (Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:40:00 CST)

Ladybug taint: Not fine in wine
The odor produced by ladybugs as a defense mechanism is increasingly being found in wines. "Even tiny amounts can be detected by the human nose," says Jacek Koziel, assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State. Koziel and his team's study of "ladybug taint" was presented at last week's national meeting of the American Chemical Society. News story. (Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:40:00 CST)

Botanist discover new bamboo species
For more than 200 years, North America was known to have two native species of bamboo. Now, two Iowa State botanists and their colleague from North Carolina have found a third. The "hill cane" was discovered in the Appalachian Mountains. News story. (Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:40:00 CST)

Will straight talk work for McCain?
It's all on the record, all the time for Republican presidential hopeful John McCain. But how will You Tube and blogs portray gaffes and the occasional shift on position? "I'm not sure you can do what worked some years ago and have it work over again," ISU's Steffen Schmidt says of McCain's openness. News story. (Mon, 26 Mar 2007 10:40:00 CST)

Bugeja presents Presidential Lecture on April 4, will plug into today's technology
The director of Iowa State's Greenlee School of Journalism and Communication, Michael Bugeja present updated research from his book "Interpersonal Divide: The Search for Community in a Technological Age" (Oxford University Press, 2005) for this year's Presidential Lecture on Wednesday, April 4, at 8 p.m. in the Memorial Union's Sun Room.News release. (Fri, 23 Mar 2007 16:00:00 CST)

Iowa State's Warren Madden honored for leadership by 11-university distance education program
Warren Madden, ISU vice president for business and finance, will receive the inaugural Friend of Great Plains IDEA Award from the Great Plains Interactive Distance Education Alliance at its annual meeting on April 3 in Omaha, Neb. News release. (Thu, 22 Mar 2007 9:30:00 CST)

ISU psychologists publish three new studies on violent video game effects on youths
ISU psychologists Craig Anderson, Douglas Gentile and Katherine Buckley share the results of three new studies in their book, "Violent Video Game Effects on Children and Adolescents" -- research Anderson and Gentile will be presenting at the Society for Research in Child Development Biennial Meeting next week.News release. (Thu, 22 Mar 2007 18:00:00 CST)

Iowa State joins global marathon to encourage women to study engineering
Iowa State engineers will join a global marathon designed to encourage young women to consider engineering as a career. The Iowa Staters' presentation will feature engineering students, alumni and administrators talking about the opportunities for leadership in engineering. The Iowa State presentation will be 9-9:30 a.m. on Friday, March 23, at http://www.eng.iastate.edu/prospective/global_marathon.asp. News release. (Thu, 22 Mar 2007 16:45:00 CST)

International biotech company to open office at the Iowa State Research Park
Novozymes, a Denmark-based biotechnology company, expects to open its first Midwest office at the Iowa State University Research Park in April. The office staff will support customers in the ethanol industry, offer training for customers and research new technologies to help make ethanol from plant fiber. Some of the company's researchers may work with Iowa State University scientists. News release. (Wed, 21 Mar 2007 9:05:00 CST)

Gov. Culver to keynote ISU conference on the small town in the bioeconomy April 10
An address by Iowa Gov. Chet Culver will lead off discussion of the implications of the emerging bioeconomy for Iowa's rural communities at the "Community Futures: The Small Town in the Bioeconomy," conference at ISU on April 10. News release. (Wed, 21 Mar 2007 9:50:00 CST)

ISU College of Business Hosts Severe Weather Awareness Day March 28
The Iowa State College of Business will host Severe Weather Awareness Day on Wednesday, March 28, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the first floor of the Gerdin Business Building.News release. (Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:45:00 CST)

Lectures, tours on sustainable architecture and design, March 28-29
Events focusing on architecture and design for energy sustainability will take place at ISU and in central Iowa, March 28 and 29. BIGe will feature a keynote address by Architecture for Humanity co-founder Cameron Sinclair, and include presentations, a panel discussion and tours. News release. (Tue, 20 Mar 2007 17:25:00 CST)

Uganda's children are subject of film, discussion at Iowa State
The movie "Invisible Children: Rough Cut" will be presented on March 25 in the Memorial Union. The event is free and open to the public. News release. (Tue, 20 Mar 2007 15:10:00 CST)

Veishea 2007 announces entertainment lineup
Hip-hop artist Biz Markie, funnyman Bill Burr and more than a dozen music concerts will entertain Veishea visitors April 16-22. Country star Chris Cagle, hit rapper Mike Jones and rock group Saliva are among the musical acts headlining April 21's "Live @ Veishea" concert series. More info. (Mon, 19 Mar 2007 16:50:00 CST)

Summer programs for youth
Looking for summer activities for the kids? The Iowa State Programs for Youth web site lists all kinds of ISU-sponsored programs for youth, ranging from pre-kindergarten through high school age. Iowa State programs for youth. (Mon, 19 Mar 2007 10:15:00 CST)

Wie named Coffman Faculty Chair
Bong Wie has been named Iowa State University's first endowed Vance D. Coffman Faculty Chair in Aerospace Engineering. News release. (Tue, 15 Mar 2007 13:50:00 CST)

25th Anniversary ISU fashion show is March 31
"Reflect"--a showcase of more than 100 garments created by Iowa State students--will take the runway on Saturday, March 31 at Stephens Auditorium. Tickets are $15 for students and $20 for others, available through Ticketmaster. News release. (Tue, 13 Mar 2007 9:40:00 CST)

Asian soybean rust confirmed on soybean plant tissue submitted to Iowa State University
Asian soybean rust has been confirmed on soybean plant tissue submitted to Iowa State University. This soybean residue was recovered from a bin of soybeans produced in Iowa in 2006. Bill Northey, Secretary of Agriculture with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship, said the finding does not necessarily increase the risk for the 2007 crop. News release. (Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:30:00 CST)

Nutrition and Wellness Research Center finalists
Two finalists for director of the Nutrition and Wellness Research Center will visit campus. Mindy Kurzer, director of the graduate program in nutrition at the University of Minnesota, St. Paul, will visit March 21-22. Michael Lefevre, chief of functional foods research at the Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, La., will visit March 27-28. Finalists will give two open forums each -- a research presentation and vision discussion. News release. (Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:30:00 CST)

Iowa State wins international turf bowl competition for sixth straight year
An ISU team won first place in the 13th Annual Collegiate Turf Bowl at the annual Golf Industry Show in Anaheim, CA, last month. News release. (Tue, 13 Mar 2007 11:20:00 CST)

Open house, tours, reception mark art museum opening
Visitors will get their first glimpse of the new Christian Petersen Art Museum in the renovated Morrill Hall on March 22. Events include a free open house (11 a.m. to 4 p.m.), tours of the art on campus collection and an evening reception (7:30-10 p.m.). Tickets are required for the evening event. Event details (Tue, 13 Mar 2007 10:05:00 CST)

Iowa State botanists identify new species of North American bamboo
For more than 200 years, North America was known to have two native species of bamboo. Now there are three, thanks to the work of two Iowa State botanists and their colleague from North Carolina. News release. (Mon, 12 Mar 2007 15:25:00 CST)

Football throwback game recalls 1977 Peach Bowl appearance
Celebrating the 30th anniversary of Iowa State's 1977 Peach Bowl squad, the Cyclone football team will wear throwback uniforms from that season in the Sept. 15 game vs. Iowa at Jack Trice Stadium. Fans will have an opportunity to acquire the game-worn gear through two online auctions this fall. News release. (Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:35:00 CST)

Cyclone lineman tackles new role
Cyclone lineman Brent Curvey will star in ISU Theatre production "Intimate Apparel," at the Maintenence Shop March 22-24 at 7:30 p.m. and on March 25 at 2 p.m. News release. (Thu, 08 Mar 2007 17:35:00 CST)

ISU team places second at international MBA Case competition
ISU's logistics and supply chain management Case team placed second in the FedEx Freight International Graduate Logistics Case Competition held at the University of Arkansas late last month. News release. (Wed, 07 Mar 2007 15:30:00 CST)

For ISU, Big 12 tournament weekend is all business
Four ISU students head to the University of Oklahoma to compete in the Final Four Big 12 MBA Case Competition March 9-11. News release. (Tue, 06 Mar 2007 16:50:00 CST)

2007 FAPRI Outlook shows impact of bioenergy expansion and trade resumption in meat products
The Food and Agricultural Policy Research Institute's 2007 agricultural outlook presented March 6 to Congress shows the impact of bioenergy expansion and trade resumption in meat products. Despite high crude oil prices and various policy incentives, profit margins in bioenergy are expected to deteriorate. For example, FAPRI expects the world ethanol price to fall to $1.50 per gallon in 2007 in response to a 2.4 percent decline in the price of crude oil, and with declining U.S. ethanol net imports. FAPRI is an economic research group with centers at Iowa State and the University of Missouri-Columbia. News release. (Tue, 06 Mar 2007 11:00:00 CST)

Weight club to welcome world-class strength training expert for lecture, seminar
Noted author, coach and lecturer Charles Stanley will demonstrate effective weight training techniques March 10 at Lied Recreation Center. News release. (Fri, 05 Mar 2007 15:21:00 CST)

15th Annual Voorhees Business Conference on supply chain management is March 23
The 15th Annual Voorhees Business Conference featuring supply chain management experts from around the nation will take place on Friday, March 23, in the Scheman Building at the Iowa State Center.News release. (Fri, 02 Mar 2007 12:00:00 CST)

Long-time ISU prof establishes chemistry professorship
Long-time ISU chemistry professor John D. Corbett has established a professorship in the chemistry department. "This is designed to reward outstanding faculty members," said Corbett, a Distinguished Professor of liberal arts and sciences. News release. (Thu, 01 Mar 2007 20:30:00 CST)