News
Ames Teams Triumph at Iowa Science Olympiad State Tournament
Congratulations to Ames Middle School and Ames High School for earning top honors in Division B and Division C. Your hard work and passion for STEM inspire us all. Thank you to all the participating schools, dedicated volunteers, and sponsors for making the Iowa Science Olympiad State Tournament a resounding success. Best of luck to the advancing teams at Nationals!
Final results are posted here.
Dr. Aliasger Salem Awarded Iowa Regents Award
Dr. Aliasger Salem, Bighley Chair and Professor at The University of Iowa, has been honored with the 2025 Regents Award for Faculty Excellence, one of only six UI faculty to receive this distinction this year. The award, established by the Iowa Board of Regents, recognizes Salem’s outstanding achievements in teaching, scholarship, and service. With over 270 peer-reviewed publications, 11 patents, and more than $80 million in grant funding, Dr. Salem has made significant advances in pharmaceutical sciences, particularly in cancer and regenerative medicine, and has successfully launched two biotech companies. He is also an elected fellow of several leading scientific organizations.
In related news, The University of Iowa have been named to the 2024 Top 100 Worldwide Universities Granted U.S. Utility Patents list by the National Academy of Inventors, highlighting the impact of their research and innovation on real-world progress and economic growth.
Explore Dr. Salem’s latest work as well as the rest of our team’s research here.
Dr. Monica Lamm Promoted to Professor
We are thrilled to announce that Dr. Monica Lamm, our Associate Director for Education, Workforce Development, and Broadening Participation, has been promoted to Professor in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering as part of Iowa State University's 2025-2026 Promotion & Tenure cohort.
Dr. Lamm’s leadership continues to drive our mission to expand educational opportunities and foster a diverse, skilled workforce in STEM.
Learn more about Dr. Lamm and her impactful work by revisiting her Meet the Team profile video.
Student Highlights
Q&A with Pre-Service STEM Teacher, Joshua Selep
We’re pleased to share an update from Joshua Selep, one of our three pre-service STEM teachers in this summer’s research and professional development program. Joshua, a senior at Iowa State majoring in chemistry and secondary education, has gained valuable experience in both research and classroom teaching. In this Q&A, he discusses his journey, commitment to STEM education, and lessons learned so far.
What have been some of the most rewarding moments during your student teaching at Johnston Middle School, and how do you think these experiences will shape your teaching style?
My most rewarding experience during my student teaching at Johnston Middle School was building my relationships with my students and learning their names and personalities. My first day where I was the full-time teacher in the room, was also so rewarding because I felt like a real teacher instead of just a student teacher. My cooperating teacher, Mr. Kleve, also started a research club at Johnston Middle School because of his time being an RET a few years ago. So, helping that club was very rewarding. On that same note, I supervised a few research club students on a field trip to Iowa State and took them on a tour through Balaji’s lab. The students loved it, and seeing them want to do research was so rewarding.
How has your participation in the RET/REU program and your student teaching experiences evolved your teaching philosophy, especially in terms of incorporating research into your curriculum?
The ideas and topics covered during the RET/REU program set my teaching philosophy's core tenets. I realized that philosophy with my student teaching, where I got to put my abstract philosophy into practice and ground it with experience. Incorporating the scientific method and research is the core of how I want to teach. It has made me do more phenomenon and inquiry-based teaching where the students are driven by curiosity.
How has your experience in Balaji's lab influenced your approach to teaching chemistry, and what specific research methods do you plan to integrate into your classroom?
My experience in Balaji’s lab has influenced my approach to teaching chemistry by making me focus on getting the students to ask questions and not just take what is written down as fact. I also make the student design the procedure for their labs instead of just doing cookie-cutter labs.
What advice would you give to other pre-service teachers considering similar programs or experiences, based on your journey so far?
It's a great experience if you can do it. Before the experience, I was worried that I couldn’t do it because I've never done research. The researchers understand, and you get integrated very smoothly. I also think I couldn't have deep discussions with teachers because I was only an undergrad, but I had so many I can't even count it. It was revolutionary to my philosophy and ideology. It also helped me decrease my stress about not being good enough. The whole experience and program helped me develop a sense of belonging in the teaching and research industries.
Looking ahead, how do you see your experiences in research and teaching shaping your career goals in education?
The REU/RET experience helped me set goals for my education career, whereas before, I only had goals of getting a job and hoping to survive. I now have concrete goals for setting up my classroom culture/environment and lessons/labs I want to implement into my curriculum. With my experience from Johnston, I also want to set up or assist an already established research club in the future.
Senior set to make biomedical industry more affordable
Originally highlighted by the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Arianna Hyczko is a senior in industrial technology and one of the first students enrolled in the new Biological and Biomanufacturing Systems Technology (BBST) degree option at Iowa State. Arianna is advancing affordable biomedical solutions through hands-on research, including 3D-printed prosthetics and bionic devices, making aging and disability more manageable. Her work demonstrates the real-world impact of bio-based innovation.
Read the full story here.
Events
NSF EPSCoR Live!
A virtual session on "Cyberinfrastructure in EPSCoR Jurisdictions" will be held Wednesday, May 21, from 3-4 p.m. CT. This event is designed for researchers, IT professionals, and research administrators in NSF EPSCoR jurisdictions. Program directors will discuss current challenges, opportunities, and resources related to cyberinfrastructure.
Advance registration is required; please use an institutional email to register.
Submit questions via the registration form or email epscor-live@nsf.gov.
Register here.
2025 Iowa NSF EPSCoR Symposium
The second annual Iowa NSF EPSCoR Symposium will be held on July 24, 2025, at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls.
More details (schedule, presenters, etc.) to come in spring.
Stay up-to-date with our Events here!
Student Spotlight: "What is...?"
This month’s “What Is…” presentation comes from ISU graduate student Bret Lange, who presented on “ Improved Methods for Rapid Nanobody Expression and Characterization“ during our “all hands” monthly meeting this month (January 2025).
In the presentation, Bret explains his recent work with nanobody proteins. Nanobodies are very small proteins derived from antibodies found in animals like camels that are capable of binding to biological molecules with high affinity and specificity. These properties make them useful tools for various research and medical applications. Throughout the presentation, Bret discusses new methods to rapidly create and test these proteins, allowing researchers to quickly develop nanobodies for novel applications.
Check out his presentation below.
This material is based upon work supported by the National Science Foundation under Award No.2242763