College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Iowa State professor participates in Vatican food waste conference

The Pontifical Academy of Sciences (PAS) hosted an international conference at the Vatican Nov. 11-12 aimed at reducing food loss and food waste worldwide. Dr. Dirk Maier, professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University in Ames, was one of more than 50 scientists, engineers, economists, corporate leaders and United Nations officials from 24 countries brought together to develop a plan to cut world food waste and loss in half by 2030. Fellow Iowan, Dr. Kenneth Quinn, retired president of the World Food Prize, was also a participant.

Going bio-based

What if all agricultural waste could be bio-based? Researchers at Iowa State University’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering are exploring the viability of creating more bio-based supply chains. The approach could not only inform future agricultural sector decisions, but could be used right now.

Going off road

In spring 2020, ISU ABE will attain a rare piece of equipment. An off-highway vehicle chassis dynomometer will allow researchers and industry partners to test the all-terrain abilities of anything from a four-wheeler to a combine.

Outstanding senior fall 2019 – Nathaniel Hall

Nathaniel Hall Major: Agricultural engineering with emphasis in power and machinery GPA: 3.81 Hometown: Brooklyn, Iowa Career goal: My goal is to design machines that improve people’s lives. Clubs/activities: Theta Chi Fraternity, ISU ITEC Robotics Club, ABE Peer Mentor, Student Innovation Center Lab Technician Favorite place on campus:  I enjoy hanging out and talking with …Continue reading “Outstanding senior fall 2019 – Nathaniel Hall”

Retaining students through relationship-building

The origin of ISU ABE’s successful learning community is rooted in long-term retention efforts  In the fall of 1997, Iowa State University’s Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering (ISU ABE) Department saw a 33% decline in retaining incoming students. This threw a then-new associate chair of teaching into a sticky situation. Steve Mickelson needed to find the …Continue reading “Retaining students through relationship-building”

Gene Haas Foundation Manufacturing Scholarship awarded to ISU ABE

Students studying industrial technology (ITec) will benefit from a brand new scholarship opportunity recently awarded on campus. ITec students taking Technology Systems Management 240: Introduction to Manufacturing Processes for Metals received the Gene Haas Foundation Manufacturing Scholarship in the amount of $15,000 on Thursday, Nov. 21 during an afternoon laboratory session. Hope Riska and Brent …Continue reading “Gene Haas Foundation Manufacturing Scholarship awarded to ISU ABE”

Iowa State University Names New Director of Egg Industry Center

Richard Gates has been named director of the Egg Industry Center at Iowa State University. Gates, currently a professor of agricultural and biological engineering at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign, will start his new duties with the center on Jan. 1.

Iowa State takes learning beyond traditional classroom with new minor

Iowa State University (ISU) broke ground on a new state-of-the-art facility this month, a facility that will help propel the University into answering a major need.

Iowa State researcher weighs in on new solar-powered dehydrator to help small farmers reduce food waste

“If it takes energy and takes resources that folks don’t have to use or to burn, they’re not going to use it,” says Gretchen Mosher, a professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University. “And it will just become one of those projects that the Western people come in and develop and then it sits there after they leave.”

Alumni Blue Chip Network bridges gap between undergraduate students and seasoned professionals

“There’s nothing more powerful than feeling like you are part of a community.”

That’s Steven Bell’s philosophy. Bell, a senior lecturer of agricultural and biosystems engineering, wanted to close the gap between alumni and undergraduate students. So he founded the Blue Chip Network (BCN) earlier this year. The network of more than 80 professionals has grown since the group’s founding earlier in 2019, and it is a unique tool for students as they begin to understand the ins and outs of industry.

Loading...