Center for Communication Excellence

Summer intramurals are back for graduate students! ☀️🏐🏀⚽️🏸

The Graduate and Professional Student Senate (GPSS) and the Grad Mixer Club have partnered with ISU Student Health and Wellness to offer graduate students no-cost access to intramural sports this summer.

Graduate students can participate in FREE summer sports leagues through Iowa State Recreation Services, including sand volleyball, pickleball doubles, basketball pickup, 3x3 soccer, and badminton doubles.

Students who are not taking summer classes can participate without a gym membership.

Registration is open May 14–28. Scan the QR code or visit the Recreation Services website under Intramural Sports for registration details.

Stay active, connect with other graduate students, and have some fun this summer!

https://cyclonehealth.iastate.edu/recreation/im/schedule

The I-Corps program is a five-week training experience designed for innovators to explore the commercial potential of their technology or ideas. The curriculum focuses on customer discovery to support the transition of research, devices, processes, or intellectual work into the marketplace or broader societal impact. Teams that complete the program are eligible to receive up to $1,500 in travel reimbursement to support continued customer discovery efforts.

Kickoff session: May 22

https://greatlakesicorps.org/programs/regional-icorps/isu/

🎉 Congratulations to Heather Greenlee on being named dean of the Iowa State University Graduate College!

Greenlee has been a dedicated leader within the Graduate College, supporting graduate education, student success, and program growth across the university. We look forward to her continued leadership and vision for graduate education at Iowa State. 💛❤️

https://www.inside.iastate.edu/article/2026/05/14/greenlee-named-graduate-college-dean

2026 Grantsmanship Summer Intensive: Registration is open now for CCE's annual grantsmanship program. Participate in one-on-one support culminating in two grantsmanship microcredentials and a submittable grant application.

https://go.iastate.edu/QRK1UX

Please join us in congratulating Dr. Connor Thorpe, recipient of the 2026 Karas Dissertation Award! 🎉

Dr. Thorpe, from the Department of Materials Science and Engineering at Iowa State University, conducted groundbreaking research focused on advancing plant genetic engineering technologies. His work combined engineering design, materials science, and molecular biology to improve the efficiency and precision of delivering DNA, RNA, and proteins into plant cells.

These innovations have the potential to support crop improvement, agricultural biotechnology, and next-generation genome editing approaches that could shape the future of sustainable agriculture.

Congratulations on this outstanding achievement! 👏

Congratulations to Araz Hasheminezhad, recipient of the 2026 Zaffarano Prize! 🎉

Araz earned his Ph.D. in Civil Engineering (Geotechnical Engineering) from Iowa State University in 2025, following the completion of an additional master’s degree during his studies.

His research focuses on improving the sustainability and resilience of unpaved roads through the use of recycled plastic-based geosynthetics. His team developed and evaluated the first geogrid made entirely from recycled plastic, demonstrating that these materials can perform comparably to virgin materials while supporting more sustainable transportation infrastructure and circular economy solutions.

Congratulations on this well-deserved recognition and impactful research! 👏

Join us on May 21 | 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. for Graduate Mentor Training!

This interactive session covers the essentials of mentoring undergraduate students, blending expert insights from experienced faculty with hands-on practice through real-world case studies.

Free for all graduate students and postdocs.

Spots fill quickly—don’t miss it!