Inside Update

ISU BioBus is changing the future of fuel
If you happen to pass CyRide bus No. 18 and start to crave French fries, it's not your imagination. Students involved with ISU BioBus are converting used vegetable oil from ISU Dining into biofuel to help power the bus. And, yes, the exhaust can smell like fried food.

Regents get first look at parking fees, residence rates for next year
Meeting Wednesday in Iowa City, the state Board of Regents gave a first look at proposed parking permit fees and student residence and meal plan rates for next year. The board will take action on the proposals next month.

Hira named interim ISU Foundation president
Labh Hira, who'd planned to retire from his position as dean of the College of Business on June 30, is making the move several months early to serve as interim president of the ISU Foundation.

Students hit the road to tell state universities' stories
Students will take to the road next month to talk about the value of Iowa's public universities and urge legislative support for the schools.

Extension and Outreach Week starts March 25
ISU Extension and Outreach will mark its special week by thanking the volunteers, communities, agencies and staff who support Iowa State's extraordinary 99-county educational network.

More news: Inside Iowa State

The following announcements were added this week:
-- Summer tutoring in reading available on campus for 1-12 graders
-- STEM education is focus of joint CESMEE and SP@ISU event
-- Registration (free for ISU participants) is open for hybrid processing symposium
-- Internal candidates sought for lab coordinator position in ME department
-- Judges still needed for State Science and Technology Fair of Iowa
-- MBA informational lunch is March 29
-- Storm spotter training is April 2; register now
-- Iowa House honored former president Geoffroy March 14
-- Club offers lawnmower servicing March 23-24
-- Spring EH&S Safety Summit is March 23
-- Student Activities Center seeks award nominations

See: Announcements

CELT programs
Register via AccessPlus (click on Employee > HRS Training > Courses).
-- Blackboard: Real Examples for Using Adaptive Release, March 27 (noon-1 p.m., 1230 Communications)
-- Academic Writing Learning Community, March 29 and April 5, 12, 19, 26 (3:10-4 p.m., 101 Carver)

See: Descriptions and times

The following conference was added this week:
-- BIGMAP Symposium, April 18 (8 a.m.-5 p.m., Gateway Hotel and Conference Center)

See: Announcements

-- Jodi Sterle, ISU associate professor of animal science, to the Eldred and Donna Harman Professorship for Excellence in Teaching and Learning

Lend a hand on Saturday
Saturday, March 24, is the Ames/ISU community's annual Stash the Trash/Veishea Service Day. There are dozens of waysides around town that need to be de-trashed; there also are indoor opportunities to help out. The full lineup is posted on the Veishea website. It's not too late to pull together friends or family members and volunteer for a task.

Foreign policy post-Iraq and Afghanistan is topic of March 27 lecture
Former Indiana Congressman and 9/11 Commission vice chair Lee Hamilton will talk on "American Foreign Policy after Iraq and Afghanistan" March 27 (8 p.m., MU Great Hall). His talk is the 10th annual Manatt-Phelps Lecture in Political Science, which each year focuses on significant developments in international political economy during the previous year.

Soil documentary has public premiere on campus March 28
Filmed on four continents, Symphony of the Soil explores the living organism that sustains all life on Earth. One of two Iowa premiere screenings will be at ISU March 28 (6 p.m., Coover Hall auditorium). Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow at the Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, appears in the film.

ISU researchers receive $1.7 million award to improve electricity markets
An Iowa State interdisciplinary faculty team is developing a new approach for scheduling and pricing wholesale electric power. The goal is to help electricity market managers meet energy demands in the face of uncertainties arising from the growth of renewable resources such as wind and solar power.

Your Library
In this issue of Your Library newsletter: Cabell's Directories of Publishing Opportunities and the Chicago Manual of Style are now available in the e-library; March and April seminars discuss the Knovel eBook collection and funding sources for grant proposals; and university archives seeks old ISU homecoming memorabilia.

Residence department names four finalists for facilities position
The department of residence will host an open forum (9:15-10:30 a.m.) for each of four finalists for its associate director for facilities position. Members of the university community are welcome to attend these forums:
-- Mark Huss, ISU facilities planning and management, March 27, 136 Union Drive Community Center
-- Leroy Brown, ISU facilities planning and management, March 30, 1132 Eaton
-- Todd Sirotiak, Diversified Construction Services, Ames, April 3, 136 UDCC
-- Roger Graden, ISU facilities planning and management, April 5, 136 UDCC

Upcoming
-- Reception, with artist Norie Sato, contributor to the Art on Campus collection, April 4 (5:30-7 p.m., lobby, Hach Hall)
-- Welcome reception, Beate Schmittmann, LAS dean, April 9 (4:30-6:30 p.m., MU Sun Room)

Details about these events are on the university calendar.

Blooms at Brunnier this weekend
University Museums will host its 4th annual Brunnier in Bloom March 23-25. The show invites local florists and garden clubs to create flower arrangements inspired by art in a current exhibition at the Brunnier Art Museum, Scheman Building.

Go global
The 7th annual Global Gala, which promotes and celebrates the diversity of Iowa State, is March 23 in the MU Great Hall. Festivities kick off at 6 p.m. with the Global Gallery (featuring cultural activities and some artwork for sale) followed by multicultural appetizers at 6:30 p.m. and the festival show (showcasing cultural performances and ethnic costumes by student organizations) at 8 p.m. The gala is free and open to the public.

Cyclone softball at home
After 26 spring games in warmer locales, the Cyclone softball team opens Big 12 Conference play this weekend with three home games against the Texas Longhorns, March 23 (4 p.m.), 24 (2 p.m.) and 25 (noon), all at the Southwest Athletics Complex, corner of Knapp and Sheldon streets. Admission is free.

The Fab Four pays tribute to the Beatles
It will be 1964 again when The Fab Four, a Beatles tribute band, performs Beatles classics March 23 (7:30 p.m., Stephens). Tickets, $35-$39 ($25 for youth; $20 for students), are available at the Iowa State Center ticket office and through Ticketmaster. ISU professor of music David Stuart will give a concert preview at the Celebrity Café (north side of Stephens) 30 minutes before the performance.

Road to Final Four goes through Des Moines
March Madness continues in Iowa, with the NCAA Women's Basketball Des Moines Regional at Wells Fargo Arena, March 24 (11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.) and 26 (6 p.m.). Baylor, the Big 12 Conference champion and nation's top-ranked team, joins league foe Kansas, Tennessee and Georgia Tech in Des Moines. Tickets range from $22 to $45, with discounts for groups of 10 or more.