Factor Analysis

With the start of the college football season upon us, we hear from two #CycloneEngineers who collaborated with equipment managers for Iowa State University to create an inexpensive way to modify the team’s helmets to be functional for the players, while also reducing the potential spread of COVID-19. The "Cyclone Shield" has made Iowa State's football program safer, and plans have been made available at no cost to the general public, and have since been used by over 35 high school and club teams across the state of Iowa.

In this episode, we speak with Jesse White, a 2018 mechanical engineering graduate who is part of a team with the Army Corps of Engineers that built a field hospital in McCormick Place in Chicago, adding 3000 beds in under a month for Cook County's efforts to treat patients who test positive for COVID-19.

In this episode of Factor Analysis, we speak with electrical engineering expert Dr. Liang Dong, a professor in the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at Iowa State University. Dr. Dong is in the process of developing a Fitbit-like device for crops such as corn with the potential to lower the amount of money farmers put toward water — resulting in economical farming methods and cheaper foods on grocery store shelves.

In this special #SocialDistancing episode of Factor Analysis, we speak with CyberSecurity expert and University Professor Doug Jacobson about the need for extra precaution as the world moves even further online. Dr. Jacobson offers insight and tips on what to be looking for, and how to avoid potentially costly mishaps online.

James McCalley, London Professor of Power Systems Engineering in Iowa State's Department of Electrical Engineering, has spent more than a decade working with the National Renewable Energy Laboratory to evaluate methods of effectively connecting the main US power grid systems to allow efficient transfer of renewable energy from coast to coast. Dr. McCalley recently sat down with Factor Analysis to explain the challenges and obstacles, as well as the benefits of this study.

Take a look inside Iowa State's mentoring program designed to provide professional development for international students and build community between international and domestic graduate students.

When you are engineering a project for one of the largest and most profitable companies in the world, perfection isn’t an option … it’s a requirement. In this episode of Factor Analysis, we dive into conversation with Eric Borchers, a 2005 civil engineering graduate and one of the engineers to work on Apple Park, Apple’s new global headquarters in Cupertino, California. Borchers takes us inside some of the unique features of the campus and explains the complexities surrounding a project of this size and importance.

As a NCAA champion in cross-country, Edwin Kurgat knows about the level of discipline required to reach goals. He also applies this same level of discipline to his study habits as an industrial engineering student. Growing up in Eldoret, Kenya, Kurgat played field hockey and also enjoyed fiddling with electronics and other machines. “I knew that one day I wanted to be an engineer,” said Kurgat. “I wanted to see how things are built and how they work.”

Years from now, a child could walk into an implement dealership and see robots for sale alongside tractors and combines. So students at Iowa State are finding themselves on the edge of a new frontier in agricultural technology. How do Iowa State faculty prep those students for the future of precision agriculture? Hear from John Haughery, an assistant professor of agricultural and biosystems engineering, in this episode of Factor Analysis.

“Bringing people together over good beer,” is a motto for the owners of Limestone Brewers in Osage, Iowa. During this season of feasting and fine drink, we talk with Josh Olson, a 1999 graduate of Iowa State’s Department of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering and co-founder of the brewery. We’ll learn how Josh’s engineering mind is a perfect fit for the booming craft beer industry. Tune in to see what we’ve prepared for our listeners in this edition of Factor Analysis.

When was the last time that you slowed down to enjoy the beauty of nature? Civil engineer Brenna Fall is out to change our hurried mindset. In fact, her contribution to engineering includes an iconic landmark and favorite spot for hikers, bikers and nature lovers ... the High Trestle Trail Bridge. Learn about one of Iowa's favorite walkways and the history behind the bridge on this edition of Factor Analysis.

“I used to read about Iowa. It is one of the greatest producers of corn in the world. I thought, ‘my gosh, maybe one day I’ll get to see that. One day, I’ll be America and I’ll get to see those corn rows.’" Listen to Ugandan Moses Kalyango's experience as an undergraduate student visiting Iowa State. Tom Brumm, Mary and Charles Sukup Global Professor in Food Security and associate director of the Center for Sustainable Rural Livelihoods, is Moses' faculty mentor and also a guest on this episode of Factor Analysis.

In 2013, the Iowa State chapter of Engineers Without Borders partnered with the community of Ullo in northwestern Ghana in an effort to help the community meet their basic human needs. The students have made multiple trips to Ullo while planning and implementing a clean water system that allows the people of Ullo easier access to clean water within the community. This project was completed in January of 2019, and more projects are already underway. While several Cyclone Engineers have had the chance to visit Ullo, until recently, no representative from Ullo was able to make the journey to Ames. This October, with the help of donors through the Iowa State University Foundation’s FundISU program, Zack Saeed, the eldest son of the Chief of Ullo made a visit to Ames and the Iowa State campus. During his visit, EWB leadership member Michelle Friedmann sat down with Zack and talked about his trip, and the impact this student organization has had on the people of Ullo.

From blue roofs to rebuilds: why communities can (or cannot) construct after catastrophes A hurricane hits. You survive the storm, but your house doesn’t. And to complicate matters, you don’t have the documentation to prove the house was actually yours to begin with. What do you do? Construction engineering doctoral student Jess Talbot recently traveled to Puerto Rico, a country still reeling from the effects of Hurricane Maria back in 2017. Along with her mentor, Assistant Professor Cristina Poleacovschi, Jess studied how communities are … or are not … able to reconstruct after a catastrophic event. Special acknowledgement to the research team of Cristina Poleacovschi and Jess Talbot, including: Sara Hamideh (Stonybrook University), collaborating professor Carlos Santos, undergraduate student Luis Gallardo & Alison Chopel, Habitat for Humanity And thank you to the multiple UPR students and the stakeholders and community members tho shared their stories with us.

Digging into the Netflix Original Documentary "The Great Hack" with Iowa State University's Cyber Security expert Doug Jacobson.

We speak with recent Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering alum Maurice Washington about legalized cannabis cultivation and the environmental effects it's having in Northern California.

Matt Helmers, Iowa Nutrient Research Center Director and Professor of Agricultural and Biosystems Engineering talks about this spring's flooding in the midwest, and the effect it will have on agriculture in the state of Iowa. Resources mentioned in Ep E104: https://www.extension.iastate.edu https://www.iihr.uiowa.edu

Iowa State Mechanical Engineering senior Clare Lanaghan tells us about the ISU chapter of Engineers Without Borders, and the project they recently completed in Ullo, Ghana.

Today we talk with Cassandra Rutherford, Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering about Iowa's infrastructure crisis in their levee system, and how this spring's flooding will further impact our levees.

Let's look back to 1978, when the first woman undergraduate from Iowa State University's Department of Agricultural & Biosystems Engineering received her degree. Jill Fratini believes engineering teaches resilience and problem-solving. “I think that any woman who wants to pursue a STEM major must have an inherent drive,” she says. “Not to show the world, but to show herself that she can do it.”