As the damaging effects of climate change become more apparent, researchers are studying ways to generate energy with minimal impact on the environment. Computer simulations could be the key to making this process more efficient. Shankar Subramaniam, a professor of mechanical engineering at Iowa State University (ISU), is the principal investigator (PI) on a project…

An Iowa State University research project to understand how shrinking small towns maintain quality of life has received another major grant to expand the team’s work. The rural smart shrinkage project, led by Kimberly Zarecor, professor of architecture, received a three-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation – the largest federal grant ever awarded to…

A new federally funded project led by Iowa State University researchers will help farmers share data relevant to their operations with one another and improve production. The Smart Integrated Farm Network for Rural Agricultural Communities (SIRAC) project recently received a three-year, nearly $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation to develop technology that will…

Backed by experimental data from a laboratory machine that simulates the huge forces involved in glacier flow, glaciologists have written an equation that accounts for the motion of ice that rests on the soft, deformable ground underneath unusually fast-moving parts of ice sheets That equation – or “slip law” – is a tool that scientists…

Solutions to some of the problems Iowa communities are facing may be found in the data towns and cities already collect, but lack the resources to access and analyze. Iowa State University researchers are lending their expertise to help communities tap into that information. The team is part of a three-state Coordinated Innovation Network of…

Researchers are developing machine learning tools to help them flip the design script and accelerate technology development. They’re not interested in the traditional, incremental, costly way of running experiments, collecting data and applying those answers to technology designs. They want to start with the answer – in this case better solar cells – and use…

Anuj Sharma believes his new startup company can give traffic engineers “super powers” that will make our trips across town quicker and better for the environment. We’ve all driven from red light to red light, never getting very far very fast. We’re just idling away, exhaust rising, patience ebbing. We try different speeds, but we…

Since its start in 2015, Iowa State University’s Predictive Plant Phenomics (P3) graduate program has focused on changing the narrative surrounding plant biology to increase crop productivity and meet industry demands for food and fuel. This semester, the program is kicking off a new initiative to bring what has been illustrated through textbooks and lectures…

Driving along the highway, most people have seen parts of the U.S. power grid in the form of tall, metal towers carrying power lines. These power lines are transmitting much of the electricity we use daily to power microwaves, refrigerators, washers, dryers and more. But with this vast amount of electricity and power, many components…

Iowa State University scientists have issued a call to action for researchers in a wide range of disciplines to turn their attention to some of the most pressing challenges facing agriculture. The unorthodox approach to collaboration could spark innovative new approaches to how farmers produce commodities and interact with the environment. Carolyn Lawrence-Dill, professor of genetics,…