Research Showcase

CALS research advances

Researchers in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences at Iowa State University’s Ag Experiment Station advance knowledge through basic science and its application in the fields of agronomy, animal science, food safety, ecology, plant pathology and the social sciences, building on more than 130 years of leadership. 

The Experiment Station's work also supports research in other Iowa State colleges and in cooperation with scientists in other states and countries. 

CALS research strengths

CALS Sponsored Fuding FY24 Total $59,742,032 Chart

The college's agriculture, life sciences and forestry programs are ranked No. 12 globally among 477 institutions. This is the 12th consecutive year CALS' programs have been among the top 4% worldwide. Compared to U.S. institutions, Iowa State ranked No. 6 (2025 QS World University Rankings). 

CALS ranks in the top five nationally for faculty with federal research grants out of 60 agricultural colleges, and in the top six for the total number of federal grants, according to Academic Analytics comparisons (2022). Iowa State's agricultural and biosystems engineering degree programs consistently rank among the top nationwide (U.S. News and World Report). 

Over the last five years, Experiment Station scientists successfully brought in more than $61 million in external funding annually to address critical needs and expand scientific frontiers (Feb. 2025).

CALS is a leader nationally in applying science and bringing it to commercialization. 

  • Many of the top income-producing technologies at Iowa State came from research in CALS and the Ag Experiment Station.
  • CALS students won the American Farm Bureau Federation's Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2015, 2016 and 2019. Five additional business ventures developed by our students have been named national semifinalists in the contest in 2017, 2019, 2020 and 2023. 

Research highlights

Remote sensing image with inset illustrations of plants and plant with raindrop

With NASA grant, ISU agronomist seeks to spot crop stress from space

A research team led by Iowa State University agronomy professor Brian Hornbuckle is studying how to use satellite-based sensors to remotely detect daily changes in water content and temperature of plants in fields across the Corn Belt, a system that could act as an early warning system for crop stress. More

Woman in lab holding beaker of unidentified materials

Researchers team up to break down, upcycle low-quality, rejected plastic wastes

Iowa State University scientists are integrating existing and new technologies to break down waste plastics and convert them into useful materials. New research projects, supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, aim to convert the lowest-quality plastics in the waste stream, now rejected for recycling, into materials for construction industries. The new grant teams include researchers in the Colleges of Engineering and the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. More

Woman with dark hair, white shirt, taking picture on red phone in field of green plants

Innovation at work: ISU technology gives farmers the tools to guess less. 

For more than 150 years, Iowa State University scientists have helped support agricultural production. Successful farming is increasingly fueled by data and automation, innovations that can boost yields and profits while improving sustainability. Often by building their own products or partnering with companies, ISU researchers give farmers tools for making better decisions. More