College of Engineering News • Iowa State University

Applying mechanical engineering to pharmaceutical research

Conducting research within the field of pharmaceuticals might be the last place you’d expect to find a mechanical engineer but Michael Olsen would prove you wrong. Olsen, a professor of mechanical engineering (ME) at Iowa State University, is getting ready to begin his newest research project with his colleague Dennis Vigil, professor of chemical and …Continue reading “Applying mechanical engineering to pharmaceutical research”

Applying data analytics to study the HIV/AIDs Virus

Researchers at Iowa State University are combining their industrial engineering and data analytics knowledge with the medical expertise of researchers at the University of Iowa for a project that could understand the progression of HIV and eventually improve treatment of the virus. Hillel Haim, assistant professor of microbiology and immunology at the University of Iowa, …Continue reading “Applying data analytics to study the HIV/AIDs Virus”

Examining and mitigating musculoskeletal strains experienced by medical professionals

Surgeons and other medical professionals can develop musculoskeletal problems because of the excessive amount of time they spend on their feet and the awkward postures that they assume during their work tasks. Researchers in Iowa State University’s Department of Industrial and Manufacturing Systems Engineering (IMSE) aim to better understand these issues so they can be …Continue reading “Examining and mitigating musculoskeletal strains experienced by medical professionals”

Cyclone Engineer Tom Mansell receives prestigious NSF CAREER award

Tom Mansell, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, has received a National Science Foundation CAREER award to create engineered probiotics that may be a new way to treat illnesses like obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

From engineering consultant to doctor

Former industrial engineering department chair Joseph Walkup used to say “engineers can do anything.” For one department alumnus, that “anything” involves practicing medicine. Michael Baker grew up on a farm in State Center, Iowa, roughly 30 miles east of Ames. Despite working around the farm as a kid, he knew that a career in agriculture …Continue reading “From engineering consultant to doctor”

Medical mechanical engineer

Emily Alexander credits an Engineering and Beyond summer camp she attended in high school as one of her most influential exposures to engineering and the Iowa State University campus. Having grown up just a half hour away in Des Moines, attending Iowa State was the easy decision when it came time for college, but she …Continue reading “Medical mechanical engineer”

IE student pursues degree to honor her late father

An industrial engineering (IE) student wants to honor her late father by following in his footsteps and graduating from Iowa State. Lydia Dawson, a junior in IE, grew up in Urbandale and remembers watching Cyclone football games with her father, Tim Dawson. This was her earliest exposure to Iowa State University and because of it …Continue reading “IE student pursues degree to honor her late father”

Biomaterials research at Iowa State searches to find solutions to control tumor growth and boost tissue regeneration

Kaitlin Bratlie is an associate professor in the Departments of Materials Science and Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering. She has been a biomaterial researcher and professor at Iowa State since 2011. Bratlie earned her bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of Minnesota and doctorate in Physical Chemistry from the University of California Berkeley …Continue reading “Biomaterials research at Iowa State searches to find solutions to control tumor growth and boost tissue regeneration”

Researchers demonstrate engineering approach to combine drugs, control parasitic worms

Cyclone engineer Santosh Pandey helped lead a project that demonstrates an engineering technology used in cell studies can also be used for drug testing on parasitic roundworms used as a model whole organism. In this case, the technology quickly developed a cocktail of four drugs that was effective in paralyzing the roundworms.

$2.2 million grant will study bioprosthetic heart valve durability with computer simulations

Ming-Chen Hsu, an assistant professor in mechanical engineering, is part of a research team recently awarded more than $2 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to develop computer simulations that improve the durability of bioprosthetic heart valves (BHV). The new study aims to build on existing research in the field of BHV and develop …Continue reading “$2.2 million grant will study bioprosthetic heart valve durability with computer simulations”

Iowa State receives two Grand Challenges Explorations grants to improve global health and development

By Annette Hacker News Service Director Iowa State University Iowa State researchers have received two, $100,000 grants from Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. The grants provide funding for individuals worldwide to explore ideas toward solving persistent global health and development challenges. Initial grants of $100,000 are awarded …Continue reading “Iowa State receives two Grand Challenges Explorations grants to improve global health and development”

Developing polymer drugs for cancer treatment

Through research on drug delivery systems, Kaitlin Bratlie, assistant professor of materials science and engineering and chemical and biological engineering at Iowa State, is working on a way to treat cancers that don’t respond well to current treatments. Her project has been underway for just a year and is several years away from clinical trials, …Continue reading “Developing polymer drugs for cancer treatment”

Developing polymer drugs for cancer treatment

Through research on drug delivery systems, Kaitlin Bratlie, assistant professor of materials science and engineering and chemical and biological engineering at Iowa State, is working on a way to treat cancers that don’t respond well to current treatments. Her project has been underway for just a year and is several years away from clinical trials, …Continue reading “Developing polymer drugs for cancer treatment”

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