AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University’s Robert C. Brown keeps a small vial of brown, sweet-smelling liquid on his office table. “It looks like something you could pour on your pancakes,” he said. “In many respects, it is similar to molasses.” Brown, in fact, calls it “pyrolytic molasses.” That’s because it was produced by the …Continue reading “Iowa State researchers produce cheap sugars for sustainable biofuel production”
During the Iowa State University Convocation ceremonies held on September 26, seven outstanding College of Engineering faculty and staff members were among those honored with awards for their positive impact on the university in a range of fields from research to teaching. This year was President Gregory Geoffroy’s final year of giving the convocation address. …Continue reading “Seven with engineering ties honored at university convocation”
Iowa State University will soon become the first institution to award students PhD degrees in Wind Energy Science, Engineering, and Policy (WESEP) thanks to a $3.1 million, five-year grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) Integrative Graduate Education and Research Traineeship (IGERT) program. James McCalley, Murray J. and Ruth M. Harpole Professor in Electrical Engineering, …Continue reading “Iowa State receives multi-million dollar grant to develop new PhD program in Wind Energy Science, Engineering, and Policy”
Iowa and football are synonymous, and now, so is Iowa and wind power. Appropriately, top-flight gridiron action and clean, affordable, homegrown energy will share the same stage on Saturday, when wind power features prominently throughout the Iowa State Cyclones-Texas Longhorns football game at Jack Trice Stadium. As the No. 1 state for wind power penetration …Continue reading “Iowa State-Texas football game to showcase power of Wind”
AMES, Iowa – Iowa State University’s Robert C. Brown keeps a small vial of brown, sweet-smelling liquid on his office table. “It looks like something you could pour on your pancakes,” he said. “In many respects, it is similar to molasses.” Brown, in fact, calls it “pyrolytic molasses.” That’s because it was produced by the …Continue reading “Iowa State researchers produce cheap sugars for sustainable biofuel production”
AMES, Iowa – Perhaps the three largest issues to face agriculture in this century are the food-versus-fuel debate in biofuel production, water and nutrient runoff, and soil erosion. Now, an Iowa State University-based study over the next five years will examine whether a single, coordinated production system can address all of these concerns while making …Continue reading “ISU-led group awarded $25 million grant for land use, biofuel production study”
Richard Wlezien, professor and chair of aerospace engineering, is ramping up an effort to get more students from the state of Iowa involved in the Real World Design Challenge, a program started in 2008 to get younger students engaged in solving real problems facing the engineering world today. Last year, though three Iowa teams started …Continue reading “Freshmen mentor Real World Design Challenge teams”
To Iowa State alumnus Jon Walker, moving brings exciting and new adventures. His work on a variety of influential construction engineering projects over the years has landed him in more than a dozen states, and with every move he has acquired a little more experience and knowledge. These skills will prove useful as he begins …Continue reading “New homes, new experiences”
The National Science Foundation (NSF) recently gave ISU chemical engineering Assistant Professor Laura Jarboe and her team a $300,000 grant to produce biorenewable chemicals from bacteria and microalgae more efficiently in the presence of bio-oil. This is Jarboe’s first major research grant. “I am delighted that we can develop a process that is so broadly …Continue reading “Biorenewables team earns $300,000 NSF grant”
Iowa State alumna Daniela Faas has had an enthralling journey that began with a move from Germany to the US as a teen, beginning what she calls her own version of the “American Dream.” That dream has included excellent education and research opportunities that have taken her places she never envisioned, and ultimately landed her …Continue reading “Faas finds her fit at MIT”
Valery Levitas, Schafer 2050 Challenge Professor and faculty member in both aerospace and mechanical engineering, has received a title of Honorary Doctor in Materials from the Institute for Superhard Materials of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, Kiev, Ukraine. This title was newly established to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Institute for Superhard Materials. …Continue reading “Levitas receives honorary title”
Isiah Warner, Louisiana State University Boyd Professor, will kick off this year’s College of Engineering Diversity Workshop on October 6, 2011, at 5 p.m. with the talk “A Diversity Model That Works: The Mentoring Ladder.” The presentation will be held in the Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium of Howe Hall. Warner will then join college faculty …Continue reading “Isiah Warner is keynote speaker for this year’s Diversity Workshop”
IOWA CITY — West High seniors Sam Glenn and James Kincade and junior Dalton Strauser recently stood at a workbench in a metal shop, each with a pair of scissors in one hand and a piece of aluminum in the other. Their goal: to turn the aluminum into an airfoil or wings to be attached …Continue reading “Students experimenting with aerospace engineering”
Humpty Dumpty might’ve stood a chance had University of Iowa doctors Don Anderson and Larry Marsh and their colleagues been around to help. Anderson and Marsh are two of the founding partners of a new medical business venture that could one day provide a digital blueprint for surgeons piecing badly fractured joints such as ankles, …Continue reading “Offering a ‘puzzle box’ image to doctors”
The Iowa State University chapter of National Electrical Contracting Association (NECA) recently placed fifth nationally in The NECA Green Energy Challenge. NECA members Jeremy Bruecken, Kathleen Miller, Mathew Santee, Jon Schrobilgen, Megan Vollstedt and Alex Weiss formed the Cyclone Energy team to complete an energy audit and proposal for Helser Hall on campus. To compete …Continue reading “NECA chapter places fifth in National Green Energy Challenge”
