Iowa State President Gregory L. Geoffroy (in the cab with ABE graduate student Jeremiah Johnson) breaks the ground for the Bionewables Research Laboratory.

A groundbreaking ceremony for the Biorenewables Research Laboratory, the first phase of the $99 million Biorenewables Complex, was held September 8. The 166,000-square-foot complex will be located on the Iowa State campus north of Howe Hall and will eventually include two additional buildings to house the nationally ranked agricultural and biosystems engineering department, as well as an open atrium connecting all three sections. (News article)


Faculty meeting is September 12

Please join Interim Dean Jim Bernard for the first College of Engineering fall faculty and staff meeting on Friday, September 12, at 3:10 p.m. in Howe Hall Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium. This meeting will address three important areas for the coming year: strategic planning and the 2050 Challenge, the Board of Regents review of the college, and the college’s financial planning as the Resource Management Model takes effect.


‘Tour the World’ on September 16

More than 30 engineering-friendly programs will be featured in the “Tour the World” Engineering Study and Work Abroad Fair on Tuesday, September 16, from 5:30 to 7:00 p.m. in the Howe Hall atrium. Students, faculty, and staff are welcome to explore the variety of international opportunities available to engineering students. Printed materials will be available to take, and Iowa State program coordinators, students, and academic advisers will be on hand to answer questions.


‘Thematic Year’ program announced

The Engineering Policy and Leadership Institute has announced the program of speakers for its initial thematic year, Energy Security and Sustainability. The series of presentations and moderated roundtable discussions will cover energy and its relationship to national security, politics, conservation, supply and demand, economic prosperity, alternative energies, and agriculture.

The first presentation, Energy and Its Relationship to National Security, will be Thursday, September 25, from 6 to 8 p.m. in Howe Hall Alliant Energy-Lee Liu Auditorium. R. James Woolsey, venture partner with VantagePoint Venture Partners of San Bruno, California, and former director of Central Intelligence, is the featured speaker. David Yepsen, chief political correspondent for The Des Moines Register, will moderate the roundtable discussion following the presentation.


Faculty flexibility is topic of national conference

ISU ADVANCE will co-host the national conference, “The New Norm of Faculty Flexibility: Transforming the Culture in Science and Engineering,” October 10-11 at the Scheman Continuing Education Building. Iowa State faculty, staff, and students may register for a reduced rate of $75 until September 15 and $100 after September 15.

Keynote speakers are Shirley Malcom, head of the Directorate for Education and Human Resources Programs of the American Association for the Advancement of Science; Mary Ann Mason, Graduate Division dean (2000-2007), University of California, Berkley; Joan C. Williams, Distinguished Professor, University of California Hastings College of the Law; and Laura Sherbin, a vice president at the Center for Work-Life Policy. Visit the ADVANCE Web site for more details.