Steve Mickelson, chair of agricultural and biosystems engineering at Iowa State University, sat down with The Des Moines Register to talk about the newly constructed Elings Hall and Sukup Hall, which now house ABE on the campus’ west end. The Register also featured the artwork, “Floating World,” which is a tribute to agricultural progress hanging …Continue reading “A glimpse into the completed Biorenewables Complex”
Education has always been a passion for Raj Raman. He finished graduate school with the realization that undergraduate education was somewhat undervalued, and he knew then that he wanted to make a difference in that area. In the eight and a half years Raman has worked at Iowa State, he’s worn many hats. He is …Continue reading “Agricultural and biosystems engineering professor Raj Raman puts people and education first”
Floating World, a public art piece, was installed in early July in the Biorenewables Complex on the west side of campus. The piece was created by artist Ralph Helmick who worked with a committee of faculty and staff from the agricultural and biosystems engineering department. The piece is located in the Sukup Hall and Atrium …Continue reading “Floating World Installation in Biorenewables Complex”
If you stand in just the right spot in the lobby of the shiny new Biorenewables Complex at Iowa State University, you can see centuries of agricultural history stretching up to the 75-foot ceiling. The story evolves — from an ancient prairie dragonfly to Dolly the cloned sheep — in a series of laser-cut steel …Continue reading “Agriculture, history and art coalesce at ISU exhibit”
Nineteen curious undergraduates gathered with five peer mentors in the lobby of the Biorenewables Research Laboratory (BRL) at Iowa State University for the annual “BRL Experience” on April 4. This event gives undergraduate students an opportunity to meet bioenergy researchers and graduate students, and tour the BRL engineering research labs. Throughout the visit, the undergraduate …Continue reading “Multicultural Learning Community Explores Biorenewables”
The biological systems engineering (BSE) program at Iowa State University teaches students how to use life sciences and engineering principles together to solve complex problems, such as those related to food security and next generation biofuels. It’s a diverse program that lets students tailor their educational experiences to their interests through an option structure that …Continue reading “BSE combines engineering and life sciences to create a new generation of professionals”
Kenny McCabe and James Schrader grabbed two pots of marigolds and placed them on a greenhouse bench. On the left, in a pot made from a biorenewable mix of soy protein and polylactic acid, was a thick plant with three orange-gold blooms and four buds about to pop, its leaves a rich and dark green. …Continue reading “Iowa State building research and development program for bioplastics”
The Iowa State University Leadership through Engineering Academic Diversity (LEAD) Learning Community participated in the “BRL Experience,” organized by Dr. Jacqulyn Baughman, Biorenewable Resources and Technology (BRT) Director of Graduate Education (DOGE), April 5, 2013. Students toured three floors of the Biorenewables Research Laboratory (BRL) on Iowa State University’s campus. Students are participants in Engineering …Continue reading “Student learning community tours Biorenewables Research Laboratory”
Kaige Wang, a researcher with the Center for Sustainable Environmental Technologies (CSET), and Robert C. Brown, CSET and BEI director, are featured with a inside-front cover story in Green Chemistry’s March 2013 issue. Wang and Brown are also affiliated with Iowa State University’s department of mechanical engineering. In the article, “Catalytic pyrolysis of microalgae for production of …Continue reading “CSET Research Featured in Green Chemistry Journal”
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”
Professor Michael Kessler has teamed up with Byron Brehm-Stecher, associate professor of food science and human nutrition, and Richard Larock, distinguished professor emeritus of chemistry, to develop soybean oil-based coatings that have antibacterial properties. The coatings could have applications in many areas, such as hospital sterilization, food processing and food packaging. The paper on this …Continue reading “Kessler Helps Create Biobased Coatings with Antibacterial Properties”
MSE professor Mike Kessler and the rest of the Biopolymers and Biocomposites Research Team (BBRT) are currently working on developing biorenewables and biodegradable containers for the specialty crop industry. They are researching biorenewable polymers and composites to find containers that function the same as the current petroleum-based plastic containers without the disadvantages.
The National Science Foundation Engineering Research Center for Biorenewable Chemicals (CBiRC) is supporting researchers who have found three proteins involved in the accumulation of fatty acids in plants. The discovery, published by nature.com, could help plant scientists boost seed oil production in crops. And that could boost the production of biorenewable fuels and chemicals. Read …Continue reading “Iowa State, Salk researchers make plant protein discovery that could boost bioeconomy”
Three teams of Iowa State University researchers will use grants from the Iowa Energy Center to develop biorenewable technologies. All three projects involve the thermochemical conversion of biomass to biorenewable fuels, chemicals, and products. The grants are part of the center’s mission to improve energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. Up to a three-year, $468,000 …Continue reading “Iowa Energy Center supports research aimed at building Iowa’s bioeconomy”
Regardless of race, sexual orientation, origin or political affiliation, there is one thing students and faculty at Iowa State can agree on: The state of Iowa has corn — and lots of it. In addition to Iowa being known as the Hawkeye State, after the Sauk Indian Black Hawk, the state of Iowa is also …Continue reading “Ethanol debate asks: Is corn food or fuel?”
