July 14, 2022 Newsletter

July 14, 2022

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Research News

Iowa State Receives Record $284.2 Million in External Research Funding in FY2022

The Iowa State research enterprise received $284.2 million in external sponsored research funding for the 2022 fiscal year that closed on June 30, 2022, a new record for the university. This total included $198.2 million in federal research funding and $86 million in non-federal research support, both new university benchmarks. This fiscal year is a rebound from the pandemic-impacted 2021 fiscal year. Read more…

Matthew Sivils Appointed New Director of Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities

The Office of the Vice President for Research has selected Matthew Sivils to serve as the new director of the Center for Excellence in the Arts and Humanities (CEAH) at Iowa State. Sivils, a Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean’s Professor in the Department of English, began this three-year appointment on July 1, 2022. He follows Carlton Basmajian who served in this role since 2017. Read more…

New Iowa State Study Gauges Public Acceptance of Gene-Edited Foods

A new study from Iowa State is the first to gauge public acceptance of gene-edited foods using a nationally representative sample of 2,000 U.S. residents. The researchers surveyed participants to understand if they would eat or actively avoid gene-edited foods; and to understand the factors that shape their decisions. The researchers plan to repeat the survey every two years for the next decade. Read more…

Announcements

DARPA Forward Hosting Regional Conference Series

From August to December 2022, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) Forward will be hosting six regional events held at leading research and development universities nationwide. The conferences will connect DARPA leaders with new communities of talent and partnerships, with the ultimate goal of energizing regional and national innovation ecosystems, fueling breakthroughs in national security, and helping to deliver the U.S. technological advantage. DARPA Forward participants will hear from world-renowned scientists, accomplished innovators, and senior defense leaders about new capabilities as well as the rapidly evolving challenges faced by warfighters. Each of these events can be attended in-person or virtually. Register here. 

ISU Startup Factory Incubator Program Deadline Extended

The application deadline for the ISU Startup Factory Incubator program’s fall cohort has been extended to July 17, 2022. The ISU Startup Factory is for researchers, inventors, and founders looking to validate their scalable startup idea. Entrepreneurs receive training, resources, guidance, and access to a network of mentors, alumni, and advisors. During the 18-week program, innovators will develop their business acumen, enhance their communication skills, and learn deeply about their customers. This curriculum will prepare them to pursue non-dilutive funding as they continue developing their technology and commercialization plans. Options to graduate to one of Iowa’s accelerators or other startup programs are available, along with programming to sustain regular mentorship, supported through the ISU Startup Factory.  The fall program runs from August 2 – December 6. Questions can be directed to Peter Hong (petehong@iastate.edu). Apply here.

Internal Funding Opportunities

Digital and Precision Agriculture Seed Grants

Applications are now being accepted for Digital and Precision Agriculture Seed Grants. This opportunity focuses on seeding Digital and Precision Agriculture platform opportunities. Project duration is expected to be six to 12 months with a maximum of $50,000 in funding available per project. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis.

Digital and Precision Agriculture Commercialization Grants

Applications are now being accepted for Digital and Precision Agriculture Commercialization grants. This opportunity focuses on Digital and Precision Agriculture platform initiatives with a well-defined path to commercialization. The project duration is expected to be six to 12 months with a maximum of $100,000 in funding available per project. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis.

Digital and Precision Agriculture Fellowship Program

Applications are currently being accepted for the Digital and Precision Agriculture Fellowship Program. The program focuses on Digital and Precision Agriculture platform opportunities specifically aimed at supporting Iowa State University PIs strengthening the expertise of companies developing digital agriculture solutions. Project duration is expected to be 12 months with a maximum of $50,000 in funding available per project. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis.

Digital and Precision Agriculture Demonstration Funds

Applications are currently being accepted for Digital and Precision Agriculture Demonstration funds. This opportunity focuses on Digital and Precision Agriculture platform initiatives that specifically include product testing of a digital agriculture product. Project duration is expected to be six to 12 months with a maximum of $50,000 in funding available per project. Applications will be accepted on an ongoing basis.

External Funding Opportunities

Iowa Space Grant Consortium Curriculum Development Program

The Iowa Space Grant Consortium (ISGC) is seeking proposals for the Curriculum Development program, which will support the development of STEM related curricula with a focus on improving student skills. The ISGC plans to award four projects with emerging curriculum aligning with any of the five NASA Mission Directorates: Aeronautics Research, Science, Exploration Systems Development, Space Operations, and Space Technology. Proposals are due by September 16, 2022.

Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program

The Freeman Hrabowski Scholars Program is accepting applications from outstanding basic biomedical researchers, including physician-scientists, who are strongly committed to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion in science. Each Scholar will be appointed to a five-year term, renewable once with evaluation. Applications are due by September 28, 2022 at 3 p.m. (ET).

Training & Development

NIAMRRE 2022 Summer Symposium: AMR Career Pathways

July 27 — 1 p.m. – 4 p.m. — Virtual

This symposium — hosted by the National Institute of Antimicrobial Resistance Research and Education (NIAMRRE) — will welcome a diverse panel of AMR professionals to share their career paths and what they wish they would have known earlier in their careers. This event is geared towards graduate students and early career scientists, with the goal of expanding knowledge of AMR related career opportunities. The event’s panel of speakers will share their respective journeys, what it’s like in their current fields, and what advice they would give themselves as graduate students. Following the panel, there will be discussion-based breakout rooms for smaller, more in-depth conversations with each panelist. Register here.

Voices in Research

“I love doing nerdy stuff that’s actually making a difference. Seeing government decisions inform program improvements or resource allocations for children and families who don’t have a voice – we get to help be that voice because of the science, and that’s what I love. That’s what makes me proud to be an ISU faculty member.”

Heather Rouse, associate professor, Human Development and Family Studies

“From this study, we found urban nighttime light has significant impact on urban plant phenology. Urban environments can serve as natural laboratories to study responses of plants to changing climate. Urban research can be used as a lens to give us clues on how carbon and water cycles of the Earth system will evolve under a changing climate.”

Yuyu Zhou, associate professor, Geological and Atmospheric Sciences

“Due to changing climate, there’s been sooner ice melt and larger storms, so these things have caused the rivers to flood more often and carry larger debris, causing erosion. Permafrost is melting, so there is more erosion from that. So communities that have based their houses or infrastructure around the rivers are actually starting to lose some of their infrastructure into the river.”

Cassie Rutherford, assistant professor, Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering