College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

ISU researchers to study blockchain technology to improve sustainability in food markets

Food production systems could become more environmentally sustainable and K-12 students could become more educated about it as part of a new research project. A team of Iowa State University researchers, led by mechanical engineering (ME) associate professor Mark Mba-Wright, recently received a $300,000 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for a research project …Continue reading “ISU researchers to study blockchain technology to improve sustainability in food markets”

French exchange students study ancient grains during summer research program

If what is old is new again, is there a way to make ancient grains new to 21st-century taste buds?
Kurt Rosentrater, executive director of the Distillers Grains Technology Council and associate professor at Iowa State University’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering (ISU ABE) is exploring this question with help from a group of six students from southern France.

CoE researchers to develop safer, more reliable machines with new grant

Mechanical failures in agricultural and industrial machinery could become easier to predict with the help of a new grant awarded to a team of Iowa State University researchers. Chao Hu, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, and his research team have received a $239,509 award from the NSF Partnerships for Innovation (PFI) program for a …Continue reading “CoE researchers to develop safer, more reliable machines with new grant”

ME’s Bai partners with industry to develop sustainable, low-cost carbon fiber

A mechanical engineering professor is collaborating with industry on a research project that aims to develop the technology to produce environmentally sustainable, low-cost carbon fiber using lignin. Xianglan Bai, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering, is working with Attis Industries, a diversified innovation and technology holding company based in Milton, Georgia, on a project with …Continue reading “ME’s Bai partners with industry to develop sustainable, low-cost carbon fiber”

ABE professor issued patent for agricultural weighing device

Matthew Darr, a professor in Iowa State University’s Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering Department (ISU ABE), was recently issued a U.S. patent. Titled “Round Module Weighing Using Differential Pressure Sensing,” the patent was issued on Oct. 9, 2018. It was filed as U.S. Patent No. 10,091,943. From the patent file, it states that the invention “…relates …Continue reading “ABE professor issued patent for agricultural weighing device”

IE and agronomy team up for $2 million NSF research project

A team of industrial engineering and agronomy researchers have been awarded a $2 million grant by the National Science Foundation to study ways that Operations Research and Analytics techniques can be applied to improve plant breeding. Lizhi Wang, an associate professor of industrial and manufacturing systems engineering (IMSE), is the project’s Principal Investigator (PI). He …Continue reading “IE and agronomy team up for $2 million NSF research project”

NSF grant aims to train research-based graduate students for various career paths

A National Science Foundation (NSF) grant awarded to an interdisciplinary team led by an industrial engineering faculty member will combine elements of engineering with agriculture, economics and sociology to prepare research-based graduate students for an array of career paths. Sarah Ryan, Joseph Walkup Professor in industrial engineering (IE), will serve as the Principal Investigator (PI) …Continue reading “NSF grant aims to train research-based graduate students for various career paths”

ME’s Gomes organizes USDA symposium

A mechanical engineering faculty member is part of a symposium that will focus on nanotechnology in food manufacturing. Carmen Gomes, an associate professor of ME, has helped to organize a symposium entitled Convergence of (nano)Technology and Food Manufacturing (CoNFoMA). The event, which will take place Sept. 8 and 9 on the University of Minnesota campus …Continue reading “ME’s Gomes organizes USDA symposium”

IMSE researcher aims to use optimized management and planning to improve plant breeding

An industrial and manufacturing systems engineering (IMSE) researcher who was recently named a Plant Science Institute (PSI) Faculty Scholar is working on a series of projects that she thinks can help farmers in Iowa and beyond. Guiping Hu, an associate professor from IMSE, was recently named to PSI’s second cohort of faculty scholars. Hu is …Continue reading “IMSE researcher aims to use optimized management and planning to improve plant breeding”

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