Focus: Hidden - Iowa

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A partnership with the city of Ames is giving Iowa State University students an opportunity to propose the redesign of an area of the city with the goals of reducing nutrient runoff and improving recreation.

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Iowa State's rural smart shrinkage project has received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to build upon its pilot study examining whether there were towns in Iowa that have lost population but perception of quality of life has remained stable or improved.

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Residents in 70 rural Iowa communities soon will receive surveys that will help to inform state and federal officials as they orchestrate the response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The survey, orchestrated by researchers at Iowa State University and the University of Iowa, will cover topics ranging from the availability of health care services to the reliability of high-speed internet to the economic stresses placed on a community by the pandemic.

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A team of Iowa State University researchers has developed a mathematical model that reveals critical characteristics about COVID-19—such as how contagious the virus is and how rapidly it spreads through populations.

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Twenty years after leaving Ecuador during its economic crisis, Maria Alcívar-Zúñiga learned she had received a prestigious national award recognizing her leadership, academic accomplishments and community work empowering Latinx youth and families in Iowa. Next stop: finishing her dissertation at Iowa State University.

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Every four years, U.S. presidential candidates compete in a series of state contests to gain their party’s nomination. The political process is one of the most complex and expensive in the world.

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Sen. Bernie Sanders is leading the Iowa State University/Civiqs poll for the first time in the five months of polling leading up to the Iowa caucuses. Maintaining a stable base and picking up supporters from other candidates have contributed to his surge.

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Iowans have had ample opportunities to meet the Democratic presidential candidates, but likely caucus-goers say this access is not their most important source of information, according to a new Iowa State University survey.

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Young people are poised for a potentially historic turnout in the upcoming Iowa caucuses, and young Democrats prefer Sen. Bernie Sanders, according to an exclusive CIRCLE-Tisch College/Suffolk University Iowa youth poll released today by Tufts University.

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Support for Sen. Elizabeth Warren has dropped by nearly 10% over the past month, according to the latest Iowa State University/Civiqs poll. This shift has helped propel Mayor Pete Buttigieg to the top of the poll, with 26% of those surveyed selecting Buttigieg as their top choice.

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Ryan Byrnes, an Iowa State University senior in technical communication, is an entrepreneurial author. After years of writing, self-publishing and marketing his novels, Byrnes’ most recent work, a historical fiction novel set in World War I, was picked up by a publishing company.

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An Iowa State University scientist is coordinating experiments across more than a dozen states to determine how the timing of cover crop termination affects the susceptibility of corn to disease. The experiments are part of a USDA-funded initiative that includes 100 scientists and 35 institutions to develop a suite of new tools to help farmers.

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Mayor Pete Buttigieg is building momentum in Iowa, according to the latest Iowa State University/Civiqs poll. Of likely caucus-goers, 20% said Buttigieg is their top choice. That moves him to second just behind Sen. Elizabeth Warren who maintained her lead at 28%.

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Iowans may notice combines harvesting corn deep into November due to the late start to planting last spring, according to Iowa State University agronomists. Much of the Iowa corn crop remains weeks behind schedule, and farmers will be paying close attention to temperature as their crop nears maturity and dries down.

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Researchers have determined there's economic value to expanding the connections between the country's eastern and western power grids. Expanding the connections could allow wind power from the Midwest and solar power from the Southwest to move back and forth across the country.

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A sizable population of monarch butterflies is fluttering toward Iowa this spring. What can Iowans do to put the species on a more sustainable footing after years of declines? An Iowa State University expert discusses best practices for monarch conservation.

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Policies requiring landlords to disclose bedbug infestations are an effective way to reduce the prevalence of infestations, according to a just-published study. The study's mathematical model says policies can lead to modest, short-term costs to landlords, but ultimately result in savings to landlords and tenants.

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A research team managed to overcome the challenges inherent in the DNA of the soybean cyst nematode to sequence its genome. The project could lead to better management practices to combat the top pest that threatens Iowa soybeans and allows plant breeders to see both sides of the “arms race” between soybean cyst nematodes and the defense mechanisms of soybeans.

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Scientists at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory have developed a method to accurately measure the “exact edge” or onset at which a magnetic field enters a superconducting material.

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University of Iowa study is the first to dig deep into the differences in the way men and women handle excessive alcohol consumption.

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March is Women’s History Month. The directors of two women’s centers at Iowa State University say it is a time to celebrate, but also an opportunity to recognize challenges that still persist, such as the gender pay gap and equity for all women.

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Iowa Attorney General Tom Miller and Rev. Dr. David Vasquez-Levy are coming to Iowa State University this week to discuss immigration laws and the current immigration narrative in the United States.

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Maintaining momentum after CYstarters is not always easy as entrepreneurs return to class or move on to a full-time job. The progress made after the 10-week summer accelerator ends exemplifies their dedication to get their product to market.

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Iowa State's Nicole Hashemi has used her expertise in microfluidics to lead development of a device that models a human placenta. She and her research team have used the "placenta-on-a-chip" to study transport of caffeine from the mother, across the placental barrier, to the fetus.

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In 1965, three Des Moines teenagers wore black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. Their suspension led to a 1969 U.S. Supreme Court decision that was a turning point for students’ First Amendment rights. On Feb. 25, siblings Mary Beth Tinker and John Tinker will discuss the significance of their case at Iowa State University.

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Data mining methods that draw on computer science and statistics can bring new clarity for plant scientists trying to design better crop varieties, according to newly published research from an ISU agronomist. The study outlines several data management approaches that can help plant breeders predict the traits of potential hybrids faster and cheaper than growing and testing the plants.

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Climate change is accelerating the severity of natural disasters, which will have a direct and indirect effect on violence and aggression, according to a new study. Iowa State researchers have identified three ways climate change will increase the likelihood of violence.

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While it’s not surprising that growing counties across the U.S. are increasing total spending as well as capital spending, a new Iowa State University study shows shrinking counties are doing the same. This increased spending puts shrinking counties in an exacerbated downward cycle.

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Parents know they need to work with their child’s school to prevent cyberbullying, but a new study from the University of Iowa shows many wonder how.

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Capt. Scott Kelly set the American record for the most consecutive days in space and the longest space mission after returning to Earth from a yearlong mission to the International Space Station. Kelly will deliver the keynote lecture, “The Sky Is Not the Limit,” for the 10th annual Iowa State University Symposium on Sustainability on Feb. 18 at Stephens Auditorium.

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Jennifer Leptien translated her lifelong passion for the Beatles into a learning opportunity for Iowa State University students. Each spring, students enroll in Leptien and Jason Chrystal’s one-credit honors seminar for a deep-dive into Beatlemania. Over spring break, they’ll travel to Liverpool and London to see where the Fab Four got their start.