Yeasts are the focus of a class, Biochemistry of Beer Laboratory, offered through Iowa State University’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Scott Nelson, a professor in the Roy J. Carver Department of Biochemistry, Biophysics and Molecular Biology, teaches the course and developed it through the CALS Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows Program in 2024.

With a focus on innovation and ideation, Kate Gilbert has dedicated her College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows (IEFF) project to enhance FSHN 4120 Food Product Development. The course challenges students to develop a new food product using the knowledge they have gained from prerequisite courses. 

What role does gene expression play in predicting whether someone prefers salty over sweet snacks or tends to be more of a night owl than an early riser? That is just one of the topics students explore in Jelena Kraft’s Biology 3130(L): Principles of Genetics class and lab. Kraft modified her sections thanks to funding received through participation in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows program.

Offering college students opportunities to enhance their skills in lesson planning and teaching while engaging elementary students in scientific exploration are two goals Tim Stewart has for the new Field Ecology Teaching course. Alongside Professor Jan Thompson, students in NREM 380: Field Ecology Research and Teaching now focus on getting younger students excited about wildlife animals and habitat.

Iowa State University students of all majors had the opportunity to enroll in Culinary Boot Camp, gaining valuable food safety, meal prepping and grocery shopping tips and tricks.

The new class was made possible by Erica Beirman’s involvement in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows (IEFF) program, where she proposed the creation of FSHN 4930, a two-credit course known as the Culinary Boot Camp.

What happens when you challenge people to find the intersection of art and science? Something beautiful!

Dior Kelley, assistant professor of genetics, development and cell biology, asked the Iowa State community to create works of art that reflected the theme “Crosspollinating Art and Science” as part of her Innovation and Entrepreneurship Faculty Fellows project.

During the first session, Innovation Interns heard from leaders in agriculture and academia on the exciting opportunities ahead to grow an innovation mindset and play a role in shaping innovation and sustainability in the food and agriculture ecosystem.

Coming soon: the AI tutor - a computerized personal assistant that can go over lessons, tailor study sessions based on students' needs and quiz students on what they have learned in class.

A leaner option than beef, chicken or pork, goat meat is a product Gavin Tindle wants to make more people aware of through his new business. Just two months after launching, he is already seeing high demand.

Conversations about contemporary issues in agriculture can be intimidating for students, especially when they involve controversial topics.

An important goal for Fally Masambuka-Kanchewa is to empower her students to feel more confident addressing and communicating about such issues before they graduate.

Megan Decker, senior in agricultural and rural policy studies, and international agriculture, credits her success at Iowa State University to the peers and mentors she had to lean on and draw inspiration from.

Projects using artificial intelligence to solve agricultural problems, cultivating Iowa's wild yeast, and enhancing a food product development class are just a sampling of what faculty will be working on this coming year.

America's Cultivation Corridor is a public private partnership working to advance agriculture innovation in the state of Iowa. Iowa has a high concentration of agricultural industries, which allows a program such as the Next Gen Innovation internship to show students opportunities for after graduation.