Iowa State University

The Iowa Stater
February 2002

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GREAT RETURNS

Many students say it's the variety at Iowa State that inspires them -- opportunities to interact with outstanding professors and students from around the world, lead campus organizations, conduct research, study abroad, volunteer in the community, compete in athletics and much more.

This diversity is made possible in large part by donors to the Iowa State University Foundation. Their gifts create and support scholarships, faculty positions, programs and other opportunities that allow students to learn, lead and succeed. Such "investments in people" reap big returns. Here are just a few students who are making the most of Iowa State's many opportunities.




Nate Brinkley


Hixson Scholar practices in his field

Nate Brinkley, Hampton, is getting a start on his aspiration to become a Division I athletics director. The sports management major was manager of the ISU football team for two and a half years, during which the team won its first bowl victory in school history.

A Christina Hixson Opportunity Award recipient, Brinkley also has coached other students in the program. Hixson awards are given to students from Iowa who have demonstrated the potential to succeed despite personal or financial hardship.

"I love Iowa State, so it was great to talk about the things I've been able to do here," he said. "The Hixson program started it all off for me."




Nate Kelso (left) and Norm Anderson


These guys have fun with science

Seniors Nate Kelso and Norm Anderson prove that physics is not all work and no play.

Kelso, a physics major from Omaha, is one of the few people in the world growing single grains of quasi-crystals, as well as single crystals of dozens of compounds. Anderson, a double major in physics and electrical engineering from Cedar Falls, did some of the pioneering work on new superconductors at Iowa State last spring; he then spent the summer interning at the Los Alamos National Laboratory.

At lunchtime, however, the published researchers typically play boules or bocc ball with associate physics professor Paul Canfield on the lawn between Lagomarcino and Science halls.

Canfield got the two students involved in research when they were freshmen. "They're like scientific hit men," Canfield joked. "I can give them any project, and they do a great job."




Marna Yandeau

Grad student watches her work take root

Graduate student Marna Yandeau loves investigating the genetic qualities and processes of corn. The Catskill, N.Y., native is researching the crop at the Plant Sciences Institute, a group of nine collaborative centers striving to lead the world in plant science research and education.

Yandeau decided to come to Iowa State after her supervisor at Pioneer Hi-Bred International Inc. (where she had an internship) recommended ISU plant genomics professor Patrick Schnable, director of the institute's Center for Plant Genomics and Center for Plant Transformation and Gene Expression.

"My research lets me work outside and in the lab with outstanding faculty," Yandeau said.

Graduate student Marna Yandeau's research is part of the Plant Sciences Institute's efforts to help feed the world's growing population, strengthen human health and nutrition, improve crop quality and yield, sustain the environment and expand the uses of plants.





Rob Rose

This student clicks on the ice and in his field

Rob Rose is a winner in academics and hockey. The management information systems major from Gander, Newfoundland, Canada, is the "system support guy" for continuing and extended education programs. He plays defense and man-ages the Web site for the ISU hockey team, which finished third in the American Collegiate Hockey Association national tournament last year.

"Hockey is tough mentally and physically. You have to make split decisions but keep your emotions in check," said Rose, who also helps coach minor-league hockey and youth roller hockey in Ames.

"There's one acceptable end, and that's to win," Rose said of his teammates. "That's the way we view academics, too."




Keianna Chatman

Education major seeks ways to serve others

Keianna Chatman, Chicago, who transferred to Iowa State after her sophomore year, chose her academic program -- an education major with an endorsement in English as a second language -- because she "wants to make a difference" in the lives of others.

Chatman is vice president of the Black Student Alliance, which offers academic and support services, and social activities for students. She's a community adviser in the Hawthorne Court residence center, where she plans activities and helps students learn about the university. She also is a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority, which emphasizes service to causes such as Habitat for Humanity and AIDS awareness programs.

And, no surprise, Chatman is helping plan events related to this year's all-university celebration, "Challenging students to become their best."

"At Iowa State, I've been much more active on campus and in community service. And I really enjoy my education program. I think it will prepare me well to teach."
-- Keianna Chatman





Luke Foster

Pre-dental music major seizes grand opportunities

Luke Foster hasn't spent his Iowa State years sitting on his hands. Already accepted into one of the nation's top dental schools, he's now pursuing a second bachelor's degree in music.

He researched the potential impact of certain soil bacteria on cystic fibrosis as a freshman in the Honors Program, and later worked one summer in the laboratory of the world's largest sugar factory, located in London.

Foster also has been a Cyclone Aide for New Student Orientation, rush chair for his fraternity and special events co-chair for Veishea. Next summer, he'll spend five weeks in Kenya, Africa, as an assistant in an interdisciplinary program. "ISU is full of leadership opportunities," he said. "My friends and I all live by our planners."