It was not an engineering challenge for mere mortals. It was for no less a superhero than Fluoride Man, defender of good dental hygiene, that Iowa State engineering students Ryan Betters and Ryan Francois designed, built and flew the glider “Bristle Buster F2” in Red Bull Flugtag, a human-powered flight competition held in Singapore Oct. …Continue reading “Iowa State students launch “Bristle Buster F2” glider in flight contest”
Two scientists at the U. S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have developed a computational method that will make the search for new catalysts more precise and less painstaking. In turn, the discovery could speed the development of efficient hydrogen storage materials, one of the technological obstacles for getting greener, cleaner hydrogen fuel cell vehicles …Continue reading “Ames Laboratory scientists develop better search tool for nanoalloys”
This week, Iowa State’s College of Engineering launched leading-edge classroom technology in an open concept room carved from unused atrium space. Tucked in a large alcove near the central stairs of Howe Hall, the classroom for up to 120 students features 12 monitors throughout, backlit white boards, moveable chairs, and a large display screen, projector, …Continue reading “Howe Hall features new open concept classroom”
A recent paper on virtual melting by Valery Levitas, Schafer 2050 Challenge Professor and aerospace engineering and mechanical engineering faculty member, has been featured in Nature Materials. The paper, by Levitas and Ramon Ravelo, a collaborator from Los Alamos National Laboratory, “Virtual melting as a new mechanism of stress relaxation under high strain rate loading,” …Continue reading “Levitas’ virtual melting research featured in Nature Materials”
Zengyi Shao, who will join the chemical and biological engineering department at Iowa State in January 2013, says she was encouraged to pursue the field early on by a high school teacher. “Mr. Yuduo Tang first suggested I consider biochemistry as my undergraduate major because I was very interested in the life sciences and always …Continue reading “Zengyi Shao: advancing the science of bioengineering”
Hyung Seok “David” Jeong, who joined the College of Engineering as associate professor in CCEE in August, believes construction engineering is facing a huge leap forward in the 21st century as the industry learns to take advantage of innovations in information technology. “The rapid IT advancements in data collection methods, digital data storage technologies, and …Continue reading “Jeong takes construction industry forward with IT advances”
Meng Lu, who will be joining the ECpE department as an assistant professor in January 2013, believes that label-free biosensors, which use biological or chemical receptors to detect analytes, will make the leap from laboratory research to applications in a variety of disciplines, including medical screening, pharmaceutical research, and environmental testing. “In the past decade, …Continue reading “Meng Lu: taking label-free sensing from research to practice”
Qun Wang, an assistant professor with a joint appointment in CCEE and CBE, is using his multidisciplinary background in environmental, chemical, and petroleum engineering to create novel functional materials—materials specifically designed to possess certain properties or functions—to improve human and public health. “Some of the most challenging problems in the fields of medicine and healthcare …Continue reading “Qun Wang: developing functional materials for a cleaner, healthier world”
Jing Dong, a new assistant professor in the civil, construction, and environmental engineering department, believes transportation engineering is a multidisciplinary field necessary to solving fundamental challenges. “Transportation research deals with everyday problems—moving people or freight from one place to another—yet it involves some of the most complex systems,” says Dong. “As a transportation researcher, I …Continue reading “Dong researches ways to expand electric car market”
New construction engineering adjunct instructor Maria “Catalina” Miller has experienced both the challenge and reward of applying her skills in one of the most difficult circumstances, trying to help refugees of armed political conflict. Colombian by birth, Miller has worked with the Colombian Red Cross Society to build basic infrastructure for rural families fleeing civil …Continue reading “Miller: engineering to improve the lives of others”
Julie Rursch, a new lecturer in the College of Engineering’s electrical and computer engineering department, is interested in solving some of emergency management’s knottiest problems. Her goal: answer the question “What happens to infrastructure systems when a disaster occurs?” As part of her pursuit of a PhD in computer engineering at Iowa State this year, …Continue reading “Rursch: improving emergency response and cyber security”
Building information modeling (BIM) is a relatively new process that involves generating and managing digital representations of a facility’s physical and functional characteristics. Integrating it into construction practices is something Yelda Turkan will continue to emphasize in her research and teaching as a new assistant professor in the College of Engineering’s civil, construction, and environmental …Continue reading “Turkan researches ways to streamline construction processes”
Sourabh Bhattacharya, new assistant professor in mechanical engineering, says his interest in math and science was inspired by his father, who is an electrical engineer. Bhattacharya, however, opted for a career in academia for the atmosphere of creative and imaginative problem solving. A native of Bombay, India, Bhattacharya attended the Indian Institute of Technology in …Continue reading “Bhattacharya seeks clean, low-cost energy solutions”
Iowa State University has been named by the Federal Aviation Administration to a team of universities forming a new Air Transportation Center of Excellence for general aviation. U.S. Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood made the announcement Thursday, September 27. The team is called the FAA Center of Excellence Partnership to Enhance General Aviation Safety, Accessibility, and …Continue reading “Iowa State named member of FAA Center of Excellence”
Inter-disciplinary approach trains students for wind energy careers As part of the Wind Energy Initiative, Iowa State University has launched an inter-disciplinary minor designed to prepare its students for a career in one of the most rapidly growing technology sectors, wind energy. A collaboration among of the university’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, College …Continue reading “Iowa State launches wind energy minor”
