Written by Fred Love, Iowa State University News Service They say space is the final frontier, but it’s just another day at the office at Iowa State University’s Virtual Reality Applications Center. Instead of boldly going in a starship capable of warp speeds, Nir Keren, an associate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, can reach …Continue reading “Iowa State University virtual reality system simulates the International Space Station”
The compression-ignition, internal-combustion engine goes all the way back to the 1890s and the work of one Rudolf Diesel. All these decades later, engineers have developed advanced diesels featuring higher pressures, lighter parts, cleaner emissions and better efficiencies. Turbo diesels have even won the 24 Hours of Le Mans sports car race. So, engineers have it all figured out? …Continue reading “Iowa State engineer helps Army Lab study the fundamental physics of diesel engines”
New faculty positions are approved for funding The Presidential High-Impact Hires Initiative is focused on hiring new tenured or tenure-track faculty in areas of strategic importance to the university and state of Iowa. The positions span many departments, from agronomy to statistics. Under the same initiative last year, Iowa State hired 20 new faculty. As …Continue reading “College of Engineering to recruit new faculty for second year under president’s hiring initiative”
With the 2014-2015 academic year well under way, several newly and reappointed named faculty appointments within Iowa State’s College of Engineering are able to bring creativity and insight to students and research activity thanks to many generous donors. The college believes named positions help retain and recruit great faculty while also inspiring leadership, innovative research and …Continue reading “Fall 2014 named faculty positions continue tradition of excellence in engineering”
“Out of an excellent show, it was just picking the aces,” explained Iowa NSF EPSCoR Annual All-Hands Meeting Poster Competition judge Ganesh Rajagopalan. Rajagopalan was one of five judges who scored almost fifty student research posters at the competition July 22, 2014. The top three posters of the competition were given cash awards by Iowa …Continue reading “ABE grad wins first place at Iowa NSF EPSCoR poster competition”
Written by Carole Gieseke – Chief Communications Officer, Iowa State University Alumni Association Photography by Jim Heemstra Looking back, an odd series of unrelated events led Robi Polikar to Iowa State for graduate studies. Robi grew up in Istanbul, Turkey. He really thought he’d choose an American grad school near Washington, D.C., an area he …Continue reading “Visions Across America: Robi Polikar”
Written by Carole Gieseke – Chief Communications Officer, Iowa State University Alumni Association Photography by Jim Heemstra Matt Dunker scraped together enough money to buy his first car when he was still too young to drive it. It was a red 1966 Ford Mustang. He was 15 years old. “It was a great-looking car,” he …Continue reading “Visions Across America: Matt Dunker”
Iowa State University not only attracts students from all over the country, but all over the world. With growing programs and opportunities, Iowa State is the top choice for prospective students—especially those interested in civil engineering. Among those who chose Iowa State as their college, six are from Guam. Of those six, five study civil …Continue reading “Guam-native Iowa State students typically study civil engineering”
W. Mark Saltzman (’81BSChE) receives one of the highest honors in the fields of health and medicine The Institute of Medicine, the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, recently elected 70 new members and 10 foreign associates for outstanding professional achievement and commitment to service. Among those recognized is W. Mark Saltzman, a …Continue reading “Chemical engineering alumnus elected to the Institute of Medicine”
AMES, Iowa – Fuyuan Jing reached for the top shelf of his university cubicle and pulled down a box of business cards. He picked out a slick and glossy card, the company logo printed in bright blue, yellow, orange, red and green. That card identified Jing as president of VariFAS Biorenewables LLC. Jing said his …Continue reading “Center for Biorenewable Chemicals helps Iowa State researchers launch startup companies”
Biodiesel is shedding past myths, as production processes and quality standards have evolved. Biorefiners, including Renewable Energy Group, Inc., now utilize inedible corn oil, animal fats, vegetable oils and used restaurant oil and grease to produce biodiesel. Industry standards have provided consistency in quality, allowing biodiesel to be blended year round with petroleum diesel at …Continue reading “Not your dad’s biodiesel: REG explains what makes 2014 biodiesel better”
Subra Suresh (MSME’79) will be inducted into the Institute of Medicine (IOM) in recognition of his research into cell mechanics related to malaria, blood diseases and certain types of cancer. Suresh would be one of the only 16 living Americans to be elected to all three national academies — IOM, National Academy of Sciences and National Academy …Continue reading “Mechanical engineering alum and Indian American doctor Subra Suresh honoured”
Five years after its implementation, the minor in music technology has proven to be very successful. Its creator, Dr. Christopher Hopkins, and music department advisor Kevin Judge have witnessed high enrollment and completion of the required coursework supporting its popularity among students. The program is designed to help students creatively apply the use of technology …Continue reading “Minor in music technology: 5 years later”
On Feb. 15, 2013, an asteroid exploded over Russia that was believed to be 19 meters in diameter. The asteroid struck the city of Chelyabinsk and injured more than 1,000 people, according to bbc.com. The Chelyabinsk asteroid caused panic around the world. It sparked a serious international interest in developing a plan for what to …Continue reading “Researchers study distances from Earth, the use of nuclear weapons to destroy anticipated asteroids”
Shift plastic chips, and roll a single die. Do your part to maintain flow of a project. These are methods Iowa State University construction engineering students use in Parade of Trades, a game that demonstrates “how the consistent flow of work, or inconsistent flow work, impacts the progress of a construction project,” said Larry Cormicle, …Continue reading “‘Parade of Trades’ a popular method to teach construction management”
