Iowa Stater, May 1996

Cyclones in Cyberspace

An Iowa Stater's guide to the Web

Now that you've found your way onto the Internet's World Wide Web, spend a little time in Cyclone Country. Iowa State's Web site, ranked among the top 5 percent on the Internet, contains thousands of pages of information on everything from how to extract DNA from an onion to managing money.

Here's a guide to some of the sites to see in Cyclone cyberspace. Start here and follow the links and your whimsy. There are many more interesting sites, so do some exploring.

Home.
This is the front door to ISU's web site, with links to all the other university homepages.

The Daily.
The student newspaper provides a daily dose of campus life --
with news, sports, music reviews and a lively letters to the editor section.

Please pass the beetle dip.
Tick and beetle movies, an electron microscope's up-close-and-scary view of a mystery bug, and the recipe for Rootworm Beetle Dip are part of the ISU entomology department's popular site.

ISU Extension.
Publications on such topics as managing money, pruning raspberries, ag market news, and child rearing are among Extension's variety of online offerings.

Iowa PROfiles.
Need the per capita personal income in Calhoun County, the number of children in Poweshiek County, the date for Hot Air Balloon Days in Creston? This site contains wealth of demographic information and other data about Iowa.

Sunny and mild?
Here's a good example of how the Web has entered the ISU classroom. Students in a meteorology class scrutinize on-line surface weather maps, satellite pictures and other data and submit forecasts via a daily Web quiz. Alums are welcome to test their skills. Register by clicking on the "getting started" icon,then scroll to the Classnet registration. When asked for class name, type in "mt206." At username and password, type your e-mail address and any password desired. (Leave "user I.D." blank.) It's recommended that you e-mail Douglas Yarger (doug@iastate.edu) and let him know you're registered.

Biotechnology for the scientifically challenged.
ISU's Office of Biotechnology teams with Extension to open the world of biotechnology to non-scientists. School teachers and others will find biotechnology news, resources, and lab experiments that include how to extract DNA from an onion and how to do DNA fingerprinting.

Pig genes.
And speaking of DNA, if you want to learn more about genetics generally, pig genetics specifically, or just want to see a pair of "pig jeans," try this page.

Cyclone athletics.
Information on ISU's 20 intercollegiate sports is available in this space. It includes background on teams, schedules and Iowa State Daily news stories about games and meets.

Personal homepages.
Any ISU student, faculty or staff member can create his or her own homepage. At last count, more than 3,000 had opted to do so. Photos of family and friends and pets and info on hobbies, hometowns and and scholarly research are common on these pages.

Admissions.
Know students who are interested in attending Iowa State? Send them here for information about scholarships, financial aid, campus visits and more.

Manufacturing to molecules.
If your computer has mpeg movie-playing capabilities, check out the Iowa Center for Emerging Manufacturing Technology, where you'll find a campus fly-by, fish swimming, manufacturing robots at work. Even if you can't play movies, the colorful, educational site is worth a stop. Don't miss the beautiful molecule graphics under "cave molecular modeling."

Alumni page. Check out the Homecoming schedule. Tap into a collection of stunning campus photos. Volunteer to recruit a student. Order the latest Cyclone merchandise.

Summer session.
School's never out for the summer at Iowa State. A varietyof classes for adults and learning workshops and camps for youth are offeredon-campus and off-campus each summer.

What's happening?
The campus calendar calendar will let you know whether the Clones or the Stones are playing Hilton Coliseum, who's on stage at Fisher Theater, and what's on the wall at the Brunnier Gallery.

Iowa State homepage