Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff
Oct. 13, 2022
Inside news
Patrick Klepcyk talks about the Office of Innovation Commercialization, an umbrella for two workhorse units that seek uses for research inventions: ISU Research Foundation and Office of Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer. Learn more about working with them.

For Iowa State employees with student loan debt, October is a big month. Within days, borrowers will be able to apply for a one-time reduction of student loan debt up to $20,000. They also have until Oct. 31 to take advantage of temporarily relaxed requirements for a different federal loan relief program.

From October to April, a monthly "readiness" series will provide updates on specific student or receivables functions moving to Workday and give participants a chance to ask questions. Attend them all, if you choose.

Faculty rankings placed ISU in the top two of a six-member peer group in 19 categories, the middle in five and the bottom of one -- department collegiality -- where it ranked fifth.

Cost center and business unit managers will have comprehensive, on-demand training available in Workday to better assist them with many tasks. Previously, their training came from things like desk manuals or word of mouth. The first of three levels of training launches in January.
Announcements
The following announcements were added this week:
  • Landscape students offer design sessions to homeowners
  • Register by Nov. 9 for Active Learning Institute
  • An update on ISU's United Way campaign
  • Learn more about LGBTQ+ history this month
  • 'Ask Me Anything' series for faculty and staff begins Oct. 27
  • Chamber music concert season opens Thursday
  • Shipping snafu suspends flu shot clinic at State Gym
  • Second Monday of October is Indigenous Peoples' Day
  • Extension offers two training programs in mental health first aid
Around campus
Thousands of students benefited from the generosity of 44,491 Iowa State alumni and friends who contributed nearly $230 million to Iowa State during the fiscal year that ended June 30.

Iowa State has joined the Higher Education Leadership Initiative for Open Scholarship (HELIOS), a collective of more than 80 colleges and universities (and growing) working together to develop policies, resources, metrics and infrastructure to advance open scholarship.

This year, the College of Veterinary Medicine is celebrating 100 years since Frederick Douglass Patterson earned his DVM. Patterson went on to lead Tuskegee University for 20 years, started its College of Veterinary Medicine and founded the United Negro College Fund, among other accomplishments. The college's plans include a monthly spirit award to recognize inclusivity efforts among employees and students, and a campaign to endow a $1 million fund to support special projects in innovation, leadership, equity and humanity.

ISU researchers found accounting for ethnicity and social contact factors may improve vaccination strategies for future pandemics. Not considering them can lead to different, even wrong, predictions about how to prevent deaths.

The Polymer and Food Protection Consortium creates new uses for waste materials that otherwise would be landfilled. That includes single-use plastics and food and agricultural wastes as diverse as rice hulls, chaff from roasted coffee beans and corn cobs.
Retirements
Upcoming
  • Rose Wilbanks, office of the senior vice president for student affairs, Oct. 25 (come and go 10:30 a.m.-noon, remarks at 11 a.m., 3560 Memorial Union) 
  • Pat Hahn, office of admissions, Nov. 1 (no public event), post well wishes to her Kudoboard

Employees, their colleagues or supervisors are invited to submit retirements and departures to inside@iastate.edu. University human resources doesn't provide them for publication.
Seminars and conferences
  • Conference, Women Who Create, hosted by ISU Pappajohn Center for Entrepreneurship, Oct. 19 (9 a.m.-4:30 p.m., Core Facility, ISU Research Park), $50
  • Conversation about Carbon series, Lessons from Forestry Carbon Markets, with Brent Sohngen, Ohio State University, Oct. 19 (noon-12:50 p.m., via Zoom)
Arts and events
Chris Schell, University of California, Berkeley, studies the intersection of society, ecology and evolution to understand how wildlife (mainly mammalian carnivores) are adapting to life in cities. He'll give a public lecture Thursday, Oct. 13 (7 p.m., MU Great Hall).

Central campus is transitioning from greens and yellows to vibrant hues just in time to help welcome thousands of Cyclone guests for Family Weekend, Oct. 14-16.

The 2022 Iowa State Bacon Expo is Saturday, Oct. 15 (11 a.m.-2 p.m, Hansen Agriculture Student Learning Center). The family-friendly event will have bacon treat samples, live entertainment and displays about the pork industry. Tickets, available at the door, are $10 ($5 for students and children 5 and older). Those younger than 5 are free.

Student club offers martial arts demonstration
Members of the student martial arts club will present an outdoor demonstration of the club's three martial arts: Judo, hapkido and taekwondo, on Saturday, Oct. 15 (1-4 p.m., south of the campanile).
Learning opportunities
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.