Inside Iowa State for faculty and staff
Nov. 2, 2023
Inside news
Two plant pathology, entomology and microbiology employees devised a YouTube series about crop pests that combines expertise and humor. It offers a template for injecting niche topics into the mainstream.

Iowa State welcomed 68 new faculty to campus this semester, a diverse group of nearly a dozen already tenured faculty members and the rest distributed among term and tenure-track appointments.

The online program in Adventure2 provides insight to topics such as retirement, budgeting, mortgages and student loans. It's another useful tool for employees to use during the benefits enrollment window.

A subcommittee structure lets University Sustainability Committee members focus on categories in the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education's STARS assessment tool. The goal is a more accurate and complete data set for the next submission in 2025.

Iowa State's four-year partnership with the Jed Foundation began Aug. 1. The first year is about developing the strategic plan; subsequent years are for implementation and, later, regular planning to keep its content relevant.
Announcements
The following announcements were added this week:
  • Single-match Cyclone wrestling tickets go on sale Nov. 2
  • Lunch and learn: ISU Startup Factory and I-Corps opportunities
  • Winter, spring instructors: Submit course materials to department coordinator
  • Goldfinch Room series announces two November concert dates
  • P&S Council is collecting food for SHOP during November
  • Bookstore hosts appreciation event on Nov. 9
  • CyThx can be submitted throughout November
  • Regent universities adopt federally-set reimbursements for in-state travel
  • Half-day flu clinic is Nov. 9
Around campus
The athletics department, via ISU Surplus, will sell pieces of the 2020-23 Hilton Coliseum basketball floor in a Nov. 6 online sale. Each piece comes with court location details.

Endowed chair of food science and human nutrition Jane Armstrong's survey suggests a positive attitude about physical activity is related to less anxiety about aging. Gender, age, marital status and income affect perspectives on exercise and aging, but reframing messages about both can lead to healthier behaviors.
Arts and events
A modern musical fairy tale set to the music of the 1980s female rock band, The Go-Go's, this funny love story will be performed Thursday and Friday evenings (7:30 p.m.) and Sunday afternoon (3 p.m.) in Fisher Theater. Tickets are $25.

Homecoming events continue Friday with the honors and awards ceremony (1:30 p.m.), happy hour and pep rally (4:30-8 p.m.) and ExCYtment in the Streets (8-10 p.m.), and Saturday with the football game against Kansas (6 p.m.). You don't have to be an alumnus to partake.

The university community will honor three veterans who made the ultimate sacrifice during its annual Gold Star Hall ceremony on Monday, Nov. 6 (4:15 p.m., MU Great Hall, reception follows). The honorees all were native Iowans, one who served in WWII, one in World War II and Korea, and one in Vietnam.

An early peek at Cyclone basketball
The Cyclone women's and men's basketball teams open their regular seasons Monday, Nov. 6, in Hilton Coliseum. The women host Butler University at 11 a.m., the men host University of Wisconsin, Green Bay, at 7 p.m. Tickets are available for both contests.
Learning opportunities
Center for Excellence in Learning and Teaching programming
Register.

ISU WorkLife programming
  • Des Moines experts panel, Lifting The Veil: Improving Mental Health in the Workplace, practical strategies, Nov. 9 (noon-1 p.m.), register
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About us
Inside Update is published Thursday mornings by Strategic Relations and Communications. Questions? Email inside@iastate.edu or call 515-294-7065.