Research News Releases

Iowa State research using UV light produces safer, cleaner air that ‘smells like toothpaste’

May 5th, 2022
Breathing cleaner air has become more relevant than ever in the last few years. What if, along with cleaner air, it smelled fresh and minty, too? For Iowa State University Department of Agricultural and...

Research shows significant environmental benefits of local food production

April 22nd, 2022
Freshly harvested vegetables, including red cabbage and kale
AMES, Iowa – A new study examining a range of environmental impacts of vegetable production and distribution found local production offers significant benefits overall when compared to the large-scale methods that represent most of current...

Distillers Grains Technology Council hosts 26th annual symposium in Omaha, May 11-12

April 18th, 2022
View of  downtown Omaha with buildings reflected in blue river..
AMES, Iowa — The Distillers Grains Technology Council, administered at Iowa State University, will highlight the latest in research and practice for industries that produce and use distillers grains at its 26th annual symposium, May 11-12, 2022,...

Innovative research explores impacts of tile drainage water quality on streams

April 7th, 2022
Two young scientists in a laboratory with vials of water
AMES, Iowa — Cover crops were almost as effective as restored prairie at reducing nitrate concentrations in tile-drained water, according to recent research at Iowa State University. This was one of the key findings from a study led by Marshall...

Beck’s partners with the Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University

April 5th, 2022
Soybean field with plants in clean rows.
AMES, Iowa — Beck's has joined the Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University as an industry partner. In this role, Beck’s provides financial support to the center and will have a representative serving on the ISRC’s industry advisory...

Iowa State research on game fish gains better picture of fish fate, escapement

March 31st, 2022
3 college students handle large muskie (fish).
AMES, Iowa — In 2021, Iowa licensed nearly 270,000 anglers, whose pastime is estimated to represent more than $500 million annually in economic activity.   Michael Weber, associate professor in the Department of Natural Resource Ecology and...

Iowa Nutrient Research Center invites new water quality research proposals

March 28th, 2022
INRC logo
AMES, Iowa - The Iowa Nutrient Research Center is accepting new proposals for research projects designed to reduce nitrate and phosphorus in Iowa’s water. The center invites proposals for water quality projects that will benefit farmers,...

Incorporating gender equality into agricultural research

March 25th, 2022
Hale Tufan shared her research into gender equality within plant breeding programs during a lecture March 24 in the Sun Room of the Memorial Union. By Whitney Baxter Hale Tufan, research professor in the Department of Global Development at Cornell...

Iowa State research on swine sire fertility has implications for cattle, humans

March 22nd, 2022
Karl Kerns in white lab coat front of lab equipment.
AMES, Iowa — Sire infertility is a problem for the reproductive performance of swine, despite the greater attention that has long been given to the female side of the equation. “We know that 25% of the boar herd has less than 80% conception...

Solving the complex puzzle of dissolved phosphorus loss from farmland

March 21st, 2022
Antonio Mallarino kneeling in a field.
AMES, Iowa — A research project by Iowa State University soil scientists provides new insight into the complex picture of phosphorus loss from farmland and evidence proving phosphorus runoff is often underestimated. One of the project’s primary...

Peterson Genetics partners with the Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University

March 10th, 2022
Soybean plants emerging from the ground
AMES, Iowa — Peterson Genetics, Inc. has joined the Iowa Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University as an industry partner. In this role, Peterson Genetics, headquartered in Cedar Falls, Iowa, will provide financial support to the center and...

Four CALS graduate students receive Brown Graduate Fellowships

March 8th, 2022
Collage of photos of students with a red background
Four College of Agriculture and Life Sciences graduate students are among the 12 Iowa State University graduate students selected to receive $120,000 in Brown Graduate Fellowship Program funding to support strategic university research over the...

Iowa State part of wide-ranging study exploring links between health of soils, plants, humans

March 7th, 2022
Woman in blue jacket in front of tall corn speaking to group at field day
AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University is part of a new study funded by the Foundation for...

Student athlete's bird's-eye view of a career in research

February 15th, 2022
Annie Hatch grew up in Mesa, Arizona, where she developed an affinity for nature. This ultimately led her to pursue an education in animal ecology at Iowa State and has inspired her to pursue a career in wildlife research.  By Amber...

Food and fuel required to meet global challenges, say ag leaders

January 31st, 2022
Aerial view of farm overlaid with graphic of loops.
AMES, Iowa — Food and fuel -- not food versus fuel -- is the focus of a hopeful new commentary in the peer-reviewed scientific journal “Nature Sustainability,” authored by innovative thought leaders in agriculture from Iowa State University and...

Graduate student awarded national fellowship to support scientific career

January 21st, 2022
Logan Ott wearing a white lab coat, sitting next to a counter in a laboratory. A microscope and computer screen with an image on it are in the background.
AMES, Iowa - From computer science to microbiology, Logan Ott has found his calling in the research lab and recently received funding for his work to fight the threat of antimicrobial resistance. Ott, graduate student in the interdepartmental...

Iowa State University innovator gaining national interest for new ‘healthy’ fat technology

January 18th, 2022
Man in lab coat in laboratory
AMES, Iowa — An Iowa State University meat scientist is a leading innovator in the search for new fats that offer more choices to health-conscious consumers. Rodrigo Tarté, an assistant professor in the Department of Animal Science, is at the...

Second round of Grants awarded in Agricultural Genome-to-Phenome Research

January 13th, 2022
Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative Logo
Ames, IA The Agricultural Genome to Phenome Initiative has awarded 11 grants to institutions across the country for projects that help advance multidisciplinary crop and livestock genetics research. “The AG2PI project’s...

Iowa Nutrient Research Center Spring 2022 Water Quality Research Seminar series will ‘Focus on Phosphorus’

January 11th, 2022
Algal blooms along an Iowa beach.
AMES, Iowa – This spring, the Iowa Nutrient Research Center’s water quality research seminar series will “Focus on Phosphorus,” beginning Wednesday, Jan. 26, 2022. The presentations will take place the fourth Wednesday of each month, from 3:10-4:...

Iowa Nutrient Research Center Researcher Directory facilitates connection to Iowa scientists

January 6th, 2022
INRC Researcher Director web page
AMES, Iowa - A new Researcher Directory being launched this week highlights Iowa scientists engaged in nutrient reduction research. The online search tool is hosted by the Iowa Nutrient Research Center, at...

Science with Practice program helps students reach education, career goals

January 4th, 2022
Science with Practice participant Deidra Green, junior in animal science, explains her research project to Bill Foell, CALS Agricultural Endowment Board member, during a student poster session Dec. 7, 2021, in the Curtiss Hall rotunda. The...

Iowa State University researchers discover new approach to fight Salmonella in poultry

December 16th, 2021
AMES, Iowa — Researchers in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Iowa State University have discovered an innovative approach to fight bacteria and their antimicrobial resistance in poultry by exploiting linkages between the gut...

Planning grant sows seeds for future urban tree diversity

December 6th, 2021
Two street scenes with trees. On the left, trees leafed out in green. On the right, trees with leaves denuded.
An Iowa State University researcher is leading a national USDA Specialty Crop Research Initiative (SCRI) planning grant to dig up the dirt on low tree diversity in urban areas. Only six species comprise the majority of trees planted along...

Researchers work to make spray application more cost-effective, sustainable for apple growers

December 3rd, 2021
Rows of apple trees. Tractor-pulled airblast sprayer traveling between the rows of trees.
AMES, Iowa - Spraying pesticides in apple orchards can prove beneficial in the fight against harmful pests and diseases. The question is what is the best method and timing of spraying in order to make the most impact with the least negative...

Watershed game app developed by Iowa State reaching wide audience as platform for fun, learning

November 18th, 2021
PEWI computer app homepage screen
AMES, Iowa — It’s a computer game for teenagers. It’s a web-based learning application for college ag and natural resource classes. It’s a training tool for professional conservation planners. It’s PEWI! People in Ecosystems Watershed...

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