Research

Wenyu Huang, Ph.D in the lab

We’re changing the world with research and innovation

Every day, scientists and scholars in Iowa State’s academically diverse College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (LAS) positively impact Iowa, the nation and the world with innovative research that pushes the boundaries of science, technology and the humanities.

Whether it’s in one of our virtual reality or robotics labs or in a state-of-the-art classroom, our community of LAS researchers is forging new paths—both individually and collaboratively.

Student conducts experiment with stem cells in a labStudent solutions

Research is a key component of experiential learning, so LAS encourages undergraduate and graduate students to work with faculty to develop solutions to pressing global challenges. Our students are in the thick of research discoveries, like tracking superflares in space, measuring NBA basketball players’ participation in activism or improving vocal music education for children.

Creative collaborations

To address the grand challenges of our generation and enable new discoveries, many LAS researchers form collaborations across disciplines and continents. From the U.S. Department of Energy’s Ames Laboratory here on campus to esteemed government, industry and community partners across Iowa and the world, we build teams to drive research for the common good.

But we don’t stop there. LAS recently created a new interdisciplinary science communication certificate that equips our students with the knowledge, reasoning and ethics to effectively communicate scientific research advances while also addressing public controversy and misinformation.

True success

We are proud of our faculty members who have been elected to the National Academy of Sciences and earned the National Science Foundation’s prestigious NSF CAREER award. However, the depth of our pride resides in the research conducted by our LAS students and faculty, which truly makes a difference in the world.

Our research matters

Recent discoveries

  • 4 decades after the landmark book ‘Alone in a Crowd,’ women in the trades still battle bias

    Jo Mackiewicz, professor in the Department English and a welder, reflects on whether women still battle equality in trade occupations, decades after the publication of Jean Reith Schroedel’s landmark book, "Alone in a Crowd: Women in the Trades Tell Their Stories."
  • Robbyn Anand leads team that will tackle critical water challenges

    The leaders of the latest Presidential Interdisciplinary Research Initiative (PIRI), led my Associate Professor Robbyn Anand, Department of Chemistry, are leveraging the best insight and knowledge and latest technology of our time to deliver innovative and impactful solutions for improving water purification for human health and national defense purposes.
  • Tracking Gulf of Maine acidity, outlook for commercial shellfisheries

    A team of researchers led by Alan Wanamaker, professor in the Department of the Earth, Atmosphere, and Climate, studied the annual bands built by crustose coralline algae to help build a history of seawater chemistry in the Gulf of Maine.

Help us change the world