College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

ABE’s Helmers named director for Iowa Nutrient Research Center

Matt Helmers, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, has been named director of the Iowa Nutrient Research Center. The center funds research by scientists at Iowa State, the University of Iowa and the University of Northern Iowa to address nitrogen and phosphorus nutrient losses to surface waters.

Engineering faculty and staff awarded top honors during annual university awards ceremony

Fifteen College of Engineering faculty and staff received the highest Iowa State University honors at the annual awards ceremony on Friday, Sept. 14.

Faculty and staff recognized for excellence at 2018 Convocation

At the 2018 Convocation on Sept. 13, James L. and Katherine S. Melsa Dean of Engineering Sarah Rajala recognized engineering faculty and staff for excellence in teaching, research, extension and student experience.

Boosting diversity in engineering with evidence-based strategies

College of Engineering faculty are developing evidence-based strategies to ensure diversity and inclusion in engineering education – all with an aim of boosting diversity in STEM fields. Here are four of our research projects studying teaching methods and student experience.

Stronger, cheaper, greener foundations for offshore renewable energy generation

Cassandra Rutherford, assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, is studying how to improve foundation design of tidal current turbines – with an aim of helping offshore renewable energy generation go mainstream. Her project examining suction caissons as an economical and green option for tidal turbines is supported by an NSF CAREER award.

Trishelle Copeland-Johnson launched materials engineering research career in national lab internships

Materials science and engineering Ph.D. student Trishelle Copeland-Johnson launched her research career with internships at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory, located right here on the Iowa State campus, and Oak Ridge National Laboratory. Now, Copeland-Johnson works at Brookhaven Lab to improve materials used to prevent potential disasters at nuclear reactors.

Researchers use crowdsourcing to speed up data analysis in corn plants

An interdisciplinary research team at Iowa State University, including professor of mechanical engineering Baskar Ganapathysubramanian, turned to crowdsourcing to help them design a machine-learning algorithm that could speed up the process of breeding new crop varieties with desirable traits. The recently published research focuses on identifying tassels in images of corn plants, but the work could have implications for other crops as well.

ABE’s Banadda awarded Vatican research award

Noble Banadda, affiliate professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, has been awarded the 2018 Pius XI Medal by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences at the Vatican. The award recognizes Banadda, who is also chair of the Department of Agricultural and Biogystems Engineering at Markerere University in Uganda, for his outstanding scientific research.

ABE’s Kaleita on team examining perennial grass as an option for flood-prone land

Amy Kaleita, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, is part of a team that received a grant to study how well the perennial grass miscanthus performs in low-lying areas of agricultural fields that are prone to flooding. The research has the potential to identify more efficient uses of such land while also providing environmental benefits.

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