College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

From the gridirons of the Midwest to the sunny beaches of Florida

In 1954, 18-year old Robert “Bob” Bird had a difficult decision to make: play football at Iowa State College (now called Iowa State University), or play for the Cyclones’ cross-state rival – the University of Iowa Hawkeyes. Ultimately, he ended up in Ames, and he considers it one of the best decisions he has ever …Continue reading “From the gridirons of the Midwest to the sunny beaches of Florida”

An engineering entrepreneur with an athlete’s mindset

Gymnasts are often meticulous in their routines. They perfect their bodily mechanics to make their routine as efficient as possible. As a former student-athlete, Courtney Middelkoop is now applying this mindset to her company. After completing her M.S. in industrial engineering (IE) in fall 2019, Middelkoop returned to her hometown in suburban Dallas, Texas and …Continue reading “An engineering entrepreneur with an athlete’s mindset”

Cyclone Shields

With the start of the college football season upon us, we hear from two #CycloneEngineers who collaborated with equipment managers for Iowa State University to create an inexpensive way to modify the team’s helmets to be functional for the players, while also reducing the potential spread of COVID-19. The “Cyclone Shield” has made Iowa State’s …Continue reading “Cyclone Shields”

Engineering a career in marketing

Longtime industrial engineering chair Joseph Walkup (1942-1973) always said, “Engineers can do anything.” For industrial engineering alum Kim Ditter, that “anything” happened to be a career in marketing. Ditter grew up in Mason City, Iowa, and because of her strengths in math, her mother encouraged her to pursue a technical field. Ditter was exposed to …Continue reading “Engineering a career in marketing”

Engineers modify football helmet to reduce the spread of COVID-19

Click here for design plans and other info for how your team can create these plastic helmet inserts With the start of the college football season fast approaching, equipment managers for Iowa State University were searching for a way to modify the team’s helmets so they would be functional for the players, while also reducing …Continue reading “Engineers modify football helmet to reduce the spread of COVID-19”

Incoming ME faculty member returns to his roots

Some kids grow up wanting to be an astronaut or a doctor or any other number of careers. This wasn’t the case for Cody H. Fleming. He admits that growing up he was more interested in sports than his schoolwork. However, because of the persistence and encouragement from some of his teachers and mentors, he …Continue reading “Incoming ME faculty member returns to his roots”

NCAA champ says discipline applies to both sports and school

“Being an athlete you have to be disciplined. You can’t be successful without being disciplined.” As a NCAA champion in cross-country, Edwin Kurgat knows about the level of discipline required to reach goals. He also applies this same level of discipline to his study habits as an industrial engineering student. Growing up in Eldoret, Kenya, …Continue reading “NCAA champ says discipline applies to both sports and school”

Liggett Family Legacy – Part IV: Ian Liggett

A 1999 article in Visions magazine, produced by the Iowa State University Alumni Association, informed many aspects of the reporting in this four-part series Even though he was the fourth generation from his family to attend Iowa State, Ian Liggett did so because he liked the university, not because he wanted to be carry on …Continue reading “Liggett Family Legacy – Part IV: Ian Liggett”

Liggett Family Legacy – Part III: John M. Liggett

A 1999 article in Visions magazine, produced by the Iowa State University Alumni Association, informed many aspects of the reporting in this four-part series Though his father and grandfather’s interest in mechanical engineering may have played some role in his decision to attend Iowa State, John M. Liggett admits he was attracted to the school …Continue reading “Liggett Family Legacy – Part III: John M. Liggett”

Liggett Family Legacy – Part II: John R. (Jack) Liggett

A 1999 article in Visions magazine, produced by the Iowa State University Alumni Association, informed many aspects of the reporting in this four-part series John R. (Jack) Liggett followed in the footsteps of his father, John T. Liggett, by pursuing studies in mechanical engineering (ME) at Iowa State College. Nearly half a world away, the …Continue reading “Liggett Family Legacy – Part II: John R. (Jack) Liggett”

Juggling batons, engineering, sorority life and more

Imagine having roughly 120,000 eyes on you as you perform during halftime at a football game. This is almost a weekly occurrence for industrial engineering sophomore Alexis Ashton during the fall. Ashton is one of the Feature Twirlers for the Iowa State University Cyclone Football ‘Varsity’ Marching Band, which performs at all Cyclone home football …Continue reading “Juggling batons, engineering, sorority life and more”

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