News

Spraytec Joins Iowa Soybean Research Center as Industry Partner

The Iowa-based company Spraytec is the newest industry partner of the Soybean Research Center at Iowa State University. A representative from the company will serve on the ISRC’s industry advisory council, which provides guidance on research needs and funding priorities for the center.

Zebrafish research ignites students’ scientific curiosity

“A lot of buzz” was generated for the Biology 4230L lab when the gene-editing technology, CRISPR (Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats), was introduced in 2013. The increase in course enrollment - from 10 students to now more than 60 students - can be attributed not only to the introduction of CRISPR, but to the hands-on, student-driven learning structure of the lab.

Meats Lab turns students into educated consumers

Students in AnSci 2700: Foods of Animal Origin learn how to grade beef, chicken, lamb and pork carcasses and assign value to them. Once the class has honed their meat cutting skills, the meat is packaged and frozen or further processed before being distributed to food pantries or sold at the Meats Lab sales room in Kildee Hall.

Vitamin B supplementation shown to benefit stressed cattle

Shoki Hirano, a graduate student in animal science, has been working on a research project to gain insight into the role B vitamin supplements play in preventing illness in cattle.

Driving the future of smart agriculture

For the past two years, Elnaz Ebrahimi has been improving student learning with smart rhizoboxes, transparent containers used to study plant growth.

Iowa State University researcher studies relationship between freezing and ‘natural thermometer’ of some plants

 The mystery of how plants survive freezing temperatures and rebound after winter has long fascinated scientists, including Iowa State University professor of horticulture, Rajeev Arora, an expert in the cold physiology of plants. He is particularly interested in the “fascinating phenomenon” of cold-induced “thermonasty,” characterized by the curling and drooping of leaves, which some plants use to adapt to cold temperatures. His research demonstrates that the freezing precedes thermonasty, supporting theories that it serves as a “natural thermometer.”   

New associate director of career services to join CALS in February

Eric Anderson will join the CALS Career Services office on Feb. 25, where he will continue and build upon the office’s long history of supporting students as they seek experiences to enhance their resumes and apply for internships and jobs.

Class captures wild yeasts for brewing, learning

Seven faculty members join 2026 IEFF cohort

Teaching about world food issues, forging partnerships between environmental health and safety and discovering the secrets of the marshes are among the projects selected for the 2026 Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows program.

Q&A with Sam Martin, fall 2025 student speaker

Sam Martin, graduating senior in animal science, is the fall 2025 CALS Convocation speaker.

Emma Bastian represents CALS as Fall 2025 Student Marshal

Emma Bastian, graduating senior in nutritional science, is the fall 2025 CALS marshal.