Astronaut/Alum is '09 commencement speaker

"Greetings Earthlings," said Astronaut Clayton Anderson as he opened his commencement address to Iowa State's spring graduates. Anderson, who earned his master's in aerospace engineering in 1983, is the first Iowa State alum to become an astronaut. In 2007, he spent nearly five months living and working on the International Space Station, 220 miles above the earth. NASA recently announced Anderson will return to space in March of 2010. (News release)

Drawing on his own experience of having applied to become an astronaut 15 times before being accepted, Anderson told the graduates, "Be persistent, be passionate, and be practical as you chart the course for the rest of your life. . . . Set your sites and dreams on something that may seem out of reach, like flying around the earth, but be practical." Anderson noted that during the years before he was accepted into astronaut training, he was doing what he loved--working with the space program--but he kept adding to his skill set to give him a better chance to be accepted and ultimately achieve his dream of becoming an astronaut. (Commencement video)

McAninch receives honorary doctorate

J. Dwayne McAninch received an honorary doctor of science degree at Iowa State's 2009 commencement. McAninch Corporation is recognized as one of the Midwest's largest earthmoving and underground contracting companies. "Dwayne has single-handedly contributed innovations to his field that are remarkable and with a degree of international impact that few of us in academia will ever reach on our own accounts," says Jim Alleman, CCEE professor and chair. McAninch is known for being on the cutting edge in applying new technologies to his industry including geotechnical engineering, global positioning systems, and computer-aided systems.

U.S.News rankings draw attention to college's drive to meet strategic goals

While the College of Engineering retained its overall position in U.S.News & World Report's 2010 edition of America's Best Graduate Schools, its work to address pressing global issues shows that education and research today are aimed at a better world in 2050. The annual publication placed the college in the top 25 percent of all engineering graduate programs (No. 42 overall). Five of the colleges eight departments also ranked in the top 25 percent of their respective disciplines with a No. 3 ranking assigned in the category of agricultural/biological. (Full story)

Shanks named Hoppe professor

Jacqueline Vanni Shanks, professor of chemical and biological engineering, has been named the first holder of the Manley R. Hoppe Professorship in Chemical Engineering. Hoppe was the chairman emeritus of Parr Instrument Company, a privately held corporation that engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of laboratory instruments and apparatus for testing fuels and for conducting chemical reactions and tests under heat and pressure. (News release)

NSF graduate fellowships announced

Kleinheksel	Miller	Molian

Three of this year's National Science Foundation (NSF) graduate fellowship winners have ties to Iowa State. Cory Kleinheksel, a senior in computer engineering; Joseph Miller, a PhD student in mechanical engineering; and Raathai Molian, a 2008 mechanical engineering graduate, were recently awarded fellowships through the NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program. This program funds three years of study--up to $121,500--in master's or doctoral degrees focusing on research in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. (News release)

Diversity recruitment efforts paying off

	Donathan L. Morgan (left) and Jonathan D. Morgan

As assistant dean for diversity in the College of Engineering, Derrick Rollins is focused on tripling the number of underserved students in the college by 2013. For 2008-2009, about 4% (184 students) of the engineering student body were minorities. "Our enrollment needs to better reflect the U.S. population, which means steady growth is needed in the numbers of both minorities and women," Rollins says.

This year, Rollins focused recruitment efforts on four inner-city Kansas City schools. Three students from these schools have received exceptional scholarships. Jonathan DeBarge Morgan, mechanical engineering, and Donathan LeBarge Morgan, electrical engineering, have both received Gates Millennium Scholarships from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. In addition, Donathan has been selected to receive a college E2020 scholarship. The twins were featured in the stltoday.com article "Mirror-image twins in Kansas City are rare winners of a Gates scholarship." Steve Johnson, industrial manufacturing systems engineering and business, has been selected as a George Washington Carver Scholar. (Full article on diversity recruitment efforts)

Mars rover ready to roll

Iowa State engineering students have designed and built a Mars rover to compete in the 2009 Mars Society University Rover Challenge May 28-30 in Utah. The rover features a unique hybrid track design so the vehicle can move quickly across the desert-like terrain and also climb over obstacles, according to Andy Frick, senior in aerospace engineering and MAVRIC (Mars analog vehicle for robotic inspection and construction) team leader. (News release)

Cyclone Power Pullers hope to improve on third-place finish

The students of Iowa State's Cyclone Power Pullers finished third overall in last year's American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers 1/4-scale tractor competition and want to improve on that in the 2009 event. This year's four-engine machine features some of the best ideas from both the 2007 and 2008 models. The competition is May 28-31 in Peoria, Illinois. (News release)

News Releases and Media Spotlights

Iowa State Formula SAE racer takes shape: News release

Student-built vertical airplane 'takes off': News release

Aluru receives Carver Trust Award to support high-performance computing: News release

First portable cell phone calls on ISU: Video spotlight

HS students put to the test in IT-Olympics: Video spotlight

Meet Cory McDermott, civil and construction engineering graduate student and one of the founders of CyBuild: 2MW