Dr. Diana Cochran wants to know if farmers in Iowa can grow hops. If you take a drive out in the countryside you will see a lot of corn and soybeans, but you won’t see any hops.
The objective for this research was to determine the lipid-energy digestibility of three lipids commonly used in the human food industry; palm kernel oil, palm oil, and soybean oil and how hydrogenation affects their digestibility in growing pigs. Utilization of these lipids would reduce waste across industry sectors.
This past semester, I have worked closely with Dr. Carmen Bain who is a professor at Iowa State University in the Sociology Department. I had the pleasure of working with Dr. Bain on her gene edited foods project.
The trade war between the US and China has created major tariffs across multiple industries. A tariff is a tax on a specific good that is put in place by one country on another.
For my semester project, I was a teaching assistant for a class called Sociology 350: Women in Agriculture and the Food System. This class was taught by Dr. Carmen Bain.
This project examined the effects of transit duration on inflammation and oxidative stress in beef cattle along with feedlot performance. Transit durations are variable which may produce physiological responses in cattle. We developed a nutritional strategy using injectable vitamin c to reduce the negative implications of transit on animal production.
This Science With Practice project consisted of obtaining honey samples from different Honeybee colony locations that were integrated in prairie strip areas under the mentorship from Dr. Matthew O’Neal and supervision from graduate student Ge Zhang, with meeting the end goal of collecting data on the amount of pollen particles found in it to make sure if the honeybee’s found in it are “fatter” than those on the control groups and in the end, identify from where do the different honeybee colonies obtain their pollen which is found on the honey.
This project focuses on developing a microdevice to be used for biosensing of biological elements. The device uses bipolar interdigitated electrodes connected to a voltage supply and a Cyclic Voltammetry (CV) signal processor. When activated, the CV processor generates a readable signal that provides specific information about the biological elements.
Iowa State University Research and Demonstration Farms contain many unique natural areas and conservation practices but awareness of these areas among researchers and educators at Iowa State is limited. This project aimed to bridge that gap using a web application to help researchers and educators locate and utilize these features. On this application, we wanted to highlight natural areas, conservation practices, and contact information.
Brandi’s project was titled ‘Investigation of injectable Vitamin C before and after transit on feedlot performance and blood metabolites in beef steers’. Brandi worked under Dr. Hansen and graduate student Erin Deters in the Ruminant Nutrition Laboratory. This project was partially funded by Iowa Beef Checkoff program.
This study investigates the impact of laser enrichment on broiler behavior during a 7-week study. Our results showed laser enrichment increased time spent at the feeder during the first week of life, but did not negatively impact broiler behavior throughout the 7-week study
The ammonium-nitrate ratio and the concentration of phosphorus delivered to a plant can affect growth. In this project, basil plants were grown for four weeks before being treated with one of six fertilizer formulations at a constant rate of 100 ppm of nitrogen. Our results show no significant differences between the formulations.
I used Prohexadione-Calcium on flowering potted crops in a controlled environment to establish proper concentrations. Previous research has only focused on vegetable plug seedlings and will establish a new label for the production of flowering potted crops to expand the market and research into the chemistry and product.
As funding for conservation efforts decreases, it is important to provide wildlife managers with tools to identify areas of conservation need. This project uses species distribution models to create an ArcGIS Online web map and associated user manual that will be available to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
This project aims to improve public understanding of Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) by explaining its diagnostic process. It highlights laboratory methods such as ELISA and immunohistochemistry (IHC), emphasizing the importance of early detection in wildlife management. Educational materials were made to raise awareness about CWD’s impact and its detection methods.
Liver abscesses harm ruminant growth, feed efficiency, and finances. The absence of a good research model limits understanding and treatment. This project will develop a consistent calf model by mimicking likely causes. This controlled system will support research into reducing these abscesses, potentially enhancing cattle management and nutrition.
This project highlights a Science With Practice internship at the Iowa Pork Industry Center focused on agricultural communication. Tasks included drafting news releases, supporting digital outreach, and coordinating conference materials. Through hands-on experience, Lauren developed professional writing skills and deepened her understanding of communication's role in the pork industry.
