College of Engineering News

Sid Pathak, assistant professor of materials science and engineering, is the university lead in a project selected by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Advanced Research Projects Agency (ARPA-E) to develop next-generation materials critical to commercializing fusion power.

Kaylee Herrig set out early on her engineering journey, encouraged by the confident women in STEM fields whom she admired. But it was an “aha” moment in seventh grade that solidified her path — a news story about a man receiving an artificial hand. “I realized you could apply the fundamentals of engineering to solve the problem of a lost limb,” she says. “When I learned I could study this in college, I thought, this is the way I can help the world.”

Macie VanNurden’s (B.S. ’22, industrial engineering) first stop in her journey from Wisconsin to Los Angeles was at Iowa State University majoring in industrial engineering with a sales engineering minor. This past July, VanNurden officially completed the program and rolled off as an outside sales engineer in Los Angeles, a place she’s always wanted to live and with a job that is much more customer-facing and dynamic. “I have direct ownership of customer relationships and personal brand—it is almost entrepreneurial in that sense. I look forward to further developing my sales style and strategy while continuing to learn and serve in everything I do,” says VanNurden.

The American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Annual Student Conference is in the books, and the tradition of strong recognition for ISU CBE students has continued.

For Boom it is important to spend time on being a positive role model for female employees. She mentors several female leaders at Winnebago Industries and is committed to the success of STEM programming for young students in high school.

“I love cybersecurity because of the ability to help and protect others. It’s the ability to have real-world impact, and I never have to question whether my work matters,” says John Beuter, cybersecurity engineering major.

“Cyber House Rock!” is a fresh and helpful way for people to learn a few basics about securing their digital information. The series of music videos, with more to come, launched today during Cybersecurity Awareness Month.

“To me, being a Cyclone Engineer means believing in yourself to rise to a challenge, being willing to lean on others around you to learn from, and letting yourself enjoy the journey,” – Morgan Ambourn (BS ‘21, MS ‘22 CprE).

After transferring to Iowa State, Nick Tader found a passion and declared materials engineering as his major.

Rudy Herrmann (’73 indust engr), Scott Carver (’98 PhD chem engr), David Meline (’80 mech engr), Alan Naumann (’82 comp engr), and Ann Gilman (’11 chem engr) have been recognized with the College of Engineering’s top alumni awards.

Software Engineering’s Allison Arnold helps incoming transfer students find their place as Cyclone Engineers just like she did.

An Iowa State engineer is leading development of cybersecurity tools to guard power grids that carry renewable energy resources such as such as wind or solar farms. The researchers will develop “zero-trust” tools to reduce cyber exposure. The U.S. Department of Energy is supporting the project.

Teaching Excellence (TEX) and Research Excellence (REX) Awards for summer 2024 have been presented to four Department of Aerospace Engineering graduate students.

The Iowa Cyber Hub is bringing Iowa high school students to the Iowa State University campus for a Youth Cyber Summit. They’ll meet, learn about cybersecurity, and maybe do some “adversarial thinking.” It’s part of a Cybersecurity Ambassador Program established a year ago to train and post “a legion of cyber guardians” around the state to help improve hometown cybersecurity for Iowans.

Sougata Roy and his DREAM-TEAM collaborators are studying 3D printing as an alternative way to process tungsten for use as shields and other components in nuclear reactors. The project is supported by a new, $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.