Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff
Jan. 21, 2021
Inside news
The innovative vaccines approved to protect against COVID-19 are safe and effective but unfortunately still relatively scarce, leaving the timeline for campuswide availability out of the university's control.

Testing at Johnny's in Hilton Coliseum for staff, faculty and students with symptoms will be supplemented by strategic testing of asymptomatic individuals based on campus trends and needs.

Five panelists participated in the virtual event designed to help employees deal with the pandemic's mental toll. They addressed strategies for combating stress and anger as well as methods to find balance in daily life.

Faculty mentoring provides guidance to those on the tenure track while helping them settle into a new environment. It also provides a way to address informal questions and concerns.
Announcements
The following announcements were added this week:
  • Food Science Club is accepting fudge preorders through Jan. 29
  • Eight slides: Campus effort last fall to manage the pandemic
  • ISU Creamery has afternoon hours during spring semester
  • W-2s are available in Workday
  • Free student face coverings available Jan. 22, 25
  • Pipette calibration offered on campus Feb. 1-5
  • Reminder: Research Days proposals due Jan. 29
  • Session proposals sought for virtual STEM career conference for girls
Around campus
Iowa State won the 2021 USASBE Model Program Award for excellence in entrepreneurship education. The award recognizes colleges and universities that provide comprehensive, bold, high-quality educational programs to train future entrepreneurs.

During 2020, Iowa State and Ames Laboratory research teams received funding that ultimately could total over $20 million to explore new ways to upcycle plastic waste into value-added compounds, from fuel to food.

When he's not conducting research in the laboratories of the Bioeconomy Institute, director Robert C. Brown might be working in another lab -- his advanced home-brewing setup in his basement.

Iowa State has signed a three-year transitional open access agreement with Wiley, among the first-of-its-kind in the U.S. The agreement will advance the library's goal to increase open access publishing and expand its open access offerings.
Appointments
  • Peter Hong, New Tech Ceramics Inc., to director of ISU Startup Factory, effective Feb. 1
Retirements and farewells
This week
  • Retirement, Marjorie Smith, School of Education, Jan. 20
  • Retirement, Guru Rao, office of the vice president for research and biochemistry, biophysics and molecular biology, Jan. 22 (4-5 p.m., via Zoom), post messages to his Kudoboard
  • Farewell, Jackie Rees Ulmer, Ivy College of Business, Jan. 22, post messages to her Kudoboard by Jan. 22

Upcoming
  • Retirement, Pat Trammell, Ames Laboratory, Feb. 5
Seminars and conferences
Learning opportunities
Provost office programming

Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching (CELT) programming
Previous Inside coverage
About us
Inside Update is published Thursday mornings by Strategic Relations and Communications. Questions may be directed to 515-294-7065.