17 Jul 2015

USDA Announces Funding to Improve Nearly 350 Miles of Electric Lines in Eastern Iowa

By USDA Office of Communications

$44 Million Loan Includes Investment in Smart Grid Technology

WILTON, Iowa, July 17, 2015 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack visited Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative's headquarters in Wilton, Iowa, today to announce a $44 million U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) electric loan that will help improve nearly 350 miles of electric distribution lines throughout eastern Iowa.

The $44 million loan to Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative is the largest electric distribution loan ever issued by USDA's Rural Utilities Services in Iowa. It will assist the electric cooperative with implementing its four-year construction and system-improvement plan.

The loan includes $580,000 in smart-grid technology and other improvements such as the installation of automated substation re-closers, or large circuit breakers that can be controlled remotely to turn off power during storms, new advanced metering infrastructure for system users and 60 new substation control buildings to protect the new equipment and technologies.

More than $5.3 million of the loan will be used to improve electric lines that were damaged during historic ice storms impacting eastern Iowa from 2007 to 2009. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) assisted Eastern Iowa Light & Power Cooperative with the recovery and restoration of electric services immediately following the storms. The cooperative is using USDA's electric loan program to complete additional upgrades to electric lines to help protect them against future storm damages.

"Eighty years ago, USDA took on the challenge of bringing power to rural America and it helped make this the greatest, most productive country on Earth," said Vilsack. "Today we are continuing that commitment by investing in the next generation of power transmission - smart grid technology - to make our electric system more reliable, efficient and effective. Upgrading the electric grid will not only improve reliability and better manage costs, but it will also bring jobs and increased economic opportunities, helping to build a sustainable and dynamic future for communities in Eastern Iowa."

Eastern Iowa Light and Power Cooperative provides power to nearly 19,000 homes, farms and businesses in Cedar, Clinton, Louisa, Muscatine and Scott Counties, as well as portions of Des Moines, Henry, Jackson, Johnson, Jones, Linn and Washington Counties.

The funding is being provided through USDA Rural Development's Electric Program, which makes insured loans and loan guarantees to non-profit and cooperative associations, public bodies and other utilities. The loans primarily finance the construction of electric distribution facilities in rural areas.

Smart grid increases the reliability of electric power by helping utilities better manage the electric grid to improve operational efficiencies. It includes metering, substation automation, computer applications, two-way communications, geospatial information systems, and other system improvements.

USDA has been committed to improving production and transmission of electricity for rural America since the creation of the Rural Electrification Administration in 1935. In 2014 alone, USDA's Rural Utilities Service awarded $2.7 billion in electric loans. These loans helped 4.6 million rural residents receive improved electric service.

Since 2009, nearly $31 billion in USDA electric loans have helped improve and modernize rural electric infrastructure that serves more than 8.6 million rural residents and businesses including168,000 miles of electric transmission and distribution lines across the nation, and 9,348 miles in Iowa.

In addition, USDA has made strategic investments in renewable energy, smart grid technology and air quality improvement technologies.

For an idea of the scale of these investments, consider this: The 350 miles of repaired line in eastern Iowa announced today would more than stretch from one end of Iowa to the other and the more than nine thousand miles of line that USDA has invested in since 2009 would encircle the state more than nine times.

President Obama's plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President's leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way - strengthening America's economy, small towns and rural communities.

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17 Jul 2015

Loebsack, Kinzinger Lead Bipartisan Effort to Increase Rural Communities' Access to Wireless Broadband

By Rick Martin

Bill would provide incentives for wireless carriers to make unused spectrum available for use by rural and smaller carriers in order to expand wireless coverage in rural communities

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Congressman Dave Loebsack (D-IA) and Congressman Adam Kinzinger (R-IL) today introduced the bipartisan Rural Spectrum Accessibility Act. This bill would provide incentives for wireless carriers to lease unused spectrum to rural or smaller carriers in order to expand wireless coverage in rural communities. Both Congressmen serve on the Energy and Commerce Committee which oversees the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).

"The future of economic development in Iowa and across the country depends, in large part, on access to the internet and mobility," said Congressman Loebsack. "I have met with many small businesses, farmers, and rural telecommunication companies who have stressed the importance of mobile internet access in rural areas. I am pleased to work with Rep. Kinzinger to introduce this legislation that will increase access to wireless broadband to help boost economic development, education opportunities and job growth in rural areas."

"The Rural Spectrum Accessibility Act promotes better utilization of spectrum to help rural America reap the full benefits of communications technology," said Congressman Kinzinger. "From small businesses trying to stay competitive in a global market or remote health clinics working to deliver expert telemedicine to underserved populations, expanding wireless coverage will help rural communities overcome the challenges they face. I am glad we could work together on this important legislation that will boost economic development in the 16th District as well as across the country."

The Rural Spectrum Accessibility Act would direct the FCC to establish a program that would provide a 3-year extension of the spectrum license to wireless carriers that lease unused spectrum to rural and smaller carriers, encouraging collaboration between companies to bridge service gaps in rural areas.

Click here for the text of the Rural Spectrum Accessibility Act.

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16 Jul 2015

Rock Island Library July Tech Help Classes Conclude with Download & Device Programs

By Lisa Lockheart

Rock Island, IL: A July series of tech help classes at the Rock Island Library will help participants learn how to get maximum use out of the library's mobile content services and how to use smartphones and tablets.

"Download This," a class on using free library content services such as hoopla, Flipster, and Freegal Music, will be offered at 6:30 pm on Monday, July 20 at the Main Library. Participants can bring their devices and Rock Island Library card and try out the services, which currently include hoopla digital for movies, music, comics, and audiobooks, Flipster for popular magazines, and Freegal Music.

Library guests can also take advantage of free classes with information on using Android, Apple, and Kindle Fire devices. The "Getting to Know your Device" classes cover basic functions, settings, organizing apps, tips, and more general information. Participants should bring their devices. Classes include :

  • Getting to Know Your Android device: 6:30 pm, Monday, July 27, Rock Island Main Library Community Room, 401 19th Street.
  • Getting to Know Your Apple device (iPad/iPhone): 6:30 pm, Tuesday, July 28, also at the Main Library.
  • Getting to Know Your Kindle Fire tablet: 6:30 pm on Wednesday, July 29 at the Main Library.

No registration is necessary for any of the above programs.

To check upcoming events at Rock Island Public Libraries, visit the library website at www.rockislandlibrary.org, follow the library on Facebook or Twitter, or call 309-732-7323.

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Founded in 1872, the Rock Island Public Library serves the area through three locations, which include the Main, 30/31 and Southwest Branches, community outreach efforts, and online opportunities that provide resources to enhance personal achievement and stimulate the imagination.
16 Jul 2015

Genesis Health System "Most Wired" For 12th Straight Year

By Craig Cooper

DAVENPORT, Iowa - July 15, 2015 -- The health professionals providing patient care at Genesis Medical Center hospitals have education, experience, critical-thinking skills and one more important tool.

They also have nationally recognized information technology available to improve quality and safety of care, resulting in better patient outcomes.

For the 12th consecutive year, Genesis Health System has been named Most Wired by Hospitals & Health Networks magazine based on the use of information technology to accomplish key goals, including safety and quality objectives.

Genesis Health System is the only Iowa hospital or health system to be recognized as Most Wired 12 consecutive years.

Genesis has consistently adopted innovative technologies to accomplish key goals of safety and quality.

In the past year, Genesis has expanded the reach of MyGenesis, a patient portal allowing patients to have convenient access to their health records through a secured website.  No matter where a Genesis patient may be, they have access to their health records, including medication records and records from previous physician appointments and hospitalizations.

The MyGenesis portal for access to the physicians of Genesis Health Group is connected with 16,716 patients.  The MyGenesis portal for access to Genesis Medical Center records had 9,219 connections.

In the coming months, patients connected to MyGenesis will also have access to radiology and pathology documents.

MyGenesis is also available via smart phone.

"Genesis continues to stand well ahead of most health care organizations in the country in its use of technology to benefit our patients,'' said Rob Frieden, Vice President of Information Services, Genesis Health System. "Genesis leadership has been very supportive of the purchase and implementation of new technology benefitting patient care.''

Health Care's Most Wired Survey asked hospitals and health systems nationwide to answer questions regarding their IT initiatives.  Respondents completed 741 surveys, representing more than 2,200 hospitals, or more than 39 percent of U.S. Hospitals.

According to the survey, hospitals are taking more aggressive privacy and security measures to protect and safeguard patient data. Top growth areas in security among this year's Most Wired organizations include privacy audit systems, provisioning systems, data loss prevention, single sign-on and identity management. The survey also found:

• 96 percent of Most Wired organizations, including Genesis, use intrusion detection systems compared to 85 percent of the all respondents. Privacy audit systems (94 percent) and security incident event management (93 percent) are also widely used.

•79 percent of Most Wired organizations conduct incident response exercises or tabletop tests annually, a high-level estimate of the current potential for success of a cybersecurity incident response plan, compared to 37 percent of all responding hospitals.

•83 percent of Most Wired organizations report that hospital board oversight of risk management and reduction includes cybersecurity risk.

"We continue to move toward a seamless and secure approach to medical records, which makes health care safer, more convenient and less stressful for patients,'' Frieden said.

The nation's Most Wired hospitals and health systems demonstrate better outcomes in patient safety, risk-adjusted mortality rates and other key quality measures through the use of information technology, according to analysis.

"Our focus is always patient safety and quality of care,'' Frieden said.  "Will the new technology make our patients safer? Will it provide them with a better patient experience?

"And finally, will the new technology also create efficiencies for our caregivers and staff?''

The Most Wired winners are featured in the July edition of Hospitals and Health Networks (H&HN) magazine, the publication of the American Hospital Association.

About Genesis Health System

Genesis Health System, its affiliates and partners offer a full continuum of health care services in a 12-county region of Eastern Iowa and Western Illinois. Our affiliates include : acute and tertiary hospital care at Genesis Medical Centers in Davenport, DeWitt, Iowa, Silvis, Ill., and Aledo, Ill.; home health and hospice services through Genesis VNA and Hospice; Genesis Workplace Services, including occupational health, employee assistance program and wellness services for employers and their employees; the Clarissa C. Cook Hospice House; senior living communities offering rehabilitation and long-term care; Genesis Health Group, with more than 170 primary care physicians and specialists; the Genesis Quad Cities Family Medicine Residency Program; Genesis Psychology Associates; three Convenient Care clinics; and Genesis Home Medical Equipment.  Partners include the Genesis Medical Park, Crow Valley and Spring Street Surgical Center, Davenport. Genesis Health System also manages Jackson County Regional Health Center, Maquoketa, Iowa.  For more information, visit our Web site at www.genesishealth.com.


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02 Jul 2015

STEM Council grants 'Seal of Approval' to four new programs

By Rick Martin

Recognition endorses non-Council STEM programs and events across the state

CEDAR FALLS, Iowa - The Iowa Governor's Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) Advisory Council awarded four new programs with the Seal of Approval. The endorsement recognizes STEM programming happening organically across Iowa and those programs or events not affiliated with the STEM Council that help advance the goals of the STEM Council, especially to inspire the next generation of innovators.

"The Seal of Approval expands the umbrella of STEM across our state by recognizing and partnering with excellent, local and homegrown programs and events that strongly align with the STEM Council's goals and high standards," said Lt. Governor Kim Reynolds who co-chairs the STEM Council.

To receive the Seal of Approval, programs or events must advance STEM Council goals and the needs of the community and provide benefits and offerings to meet those needs. Recipients may use the Seal of Approval for promotion, to seek external funding, community awareness and other types of support.

So far, a committee of the STEM Council has reviewed and approved nine programs for the Seal of Approval since March, including the following four new programs added in June:

  • "Agriculture in the Classroom" program of the Iowa Agriculture Literacy Foundation
  • CoderDojo Muscatine
  • Wednesday Workshops at the Science Center of Iowa
  • Youth Environmental Agriculture Field Days with Iowa State University Extension and Outreach

For more information about each of these programs, visit http://www.iowastem.gov/seal/recipients. The STEM Council will review applications for the Seal of Approval three times per year. Programs to be recognized would not be currently affiliated with the STEM Council and include STEM events or programs in Iowa, such as hack-a-thons, conferences, after school programs, citizen engagement, showcase events and more. For more information on the STEM Council's Seal of Approval or to apply, visit www.iowastem.gov/seal.

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16 Jun 2015

USDA Begins Accepting Applications from States for $100 Million Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership

By USDA Office of Communications

WASHINGTON, June 12, 2015 - Following an announcement by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Secretary Tom Vilsack on May 29, 2015, the Commodity Credit Corporation (CCC) today announced that all 50 states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. may now apply for up to $100 million in grants under the Biofuels Infrastructure Partnership (BIP). The funding is to support the infrastructure needed to make more renewable fuel options available to American consumers. The Farm Service Agency will administer BIP.

USDA continues to aggressively pursue investments in American-grown renewable energy to create new markets for U.S. farmers and ranchers, help Americans save money on their energy bills, support America's clean energy economy, cut carbon pollution and reduce dependence on foreign oil and costly fossil fuels. A typical gas pump delivers fuel with 10 percent ethanol, which limits the amount of renewable energy most consumers can purchase at the pump.

Through BIP, USDA will award competitive grants, matched by states, to expand the infrastructure for distribution of higher blends of renewable fuel. These competitive grants are available to assist states, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and Washington, D.C. with infrastructure funding. States that offer funding equal to or greater than that provided by the federal government will receive higher consideration for grant funds. States may work with private entities to enhance their offer.

CCC funds must be used to pay a portion of the costs related to the installation of fuel pumps and related infrastructure dedicated to the distribution of higher ethanol blends, for example E15 and E85, at vehicle fueling locations. The matching contributions may be used for these items or for related costs such as additional infrastructure to support pumps, marketing, education, data collection, program evaluation and administrative costs.

This new investment seeks to double the number of fuel pumps capable of supplying higher blends of renewable fuel to consumers. This will expand markets for farmers, support rural economic growth and the jobs that come with it, and ultimately give consumers more choices at the pump.

Applications must be submitted by July 15, 2015, using www.grants.gov. To locate, search by funding opportunity number "USDA-FSA-2015-22."

12 Jun 2015

USDA Invests $6.7 Million in 544 Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency Projects Nationwide

By USDA Office of Communications

Grants for renewable energy and conservation will cut energy costs, create jobs, promote energy independence

WASHINGTON, June 10, 2015 - Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack today announced that USDA is investing more than $6.7 million in 544 renewable energy and energy efficiency projects nationwide.

Secretary Vilsack made the announcement during a visit to the Snake River Brewing Company, in Jackson, Wyo. The company received a $13,810 USDA Rural Development Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant to install a solar panel to generate energy for the business.

"These grants will help farmers, ranchers and small business owners use more renewable energy, which cuts carbon pollution, reduces our dependence on foreign oil, saves businesses money on their energy bills and creates American jobs," Vilsack said. "All of these are crucial components to developing healthier, more economically vibrant rural communities."

REAP was created by the 2002 Farm Bill and was reauthorized by the 2014 Farm Bill. REAP funding has helped farmers expand renewable energy use in recent years. The new Census of Agriculture shows the number of farms utilizing renewable energy production has doubled in the last five years.

Since 2009, USDA has awarded $545 million to support more than 8,800 REAP projects nationwide. This includes $361 million in grants and loans for almost 2,900 renewable energy systems. For the remaining 5,900 projects, USDA provided $184 million to help rural small businesses and agricultural producers make energy efficiency improvements such as lighting; heating, ventilation and cooling; irrigation; insulation and motor replacements. When fully operational, these projects are estimated to generate and save 7.3 billion kilowatt hours of electricity annually - enough to power more than 660,000 homes for a year.

Eligible agricultural producers and rural small businesses may use REAP funds to make energy efficiency improvements or install renewable energy systems, including solar, wind, renewable biomass (including anaerobic digesters), small hydroelectric, ocean energy, hydrogen and geothermal.

The awards list announced today is contingent upon the recipients meeting the terms of the grant agreement.

President Obama's historic investments in rural America have made our rural communities stronger. Under his leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way - strengthening America's economy, small towns and rural communities.

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20 May 2015

Purdue Calumet students benefit from partnership with education technology company, Seelio

By Emily Keller-Logan
HAMMOND, Ind. – Career-minded Purdue University Calumet students intent on impressing prospective employers with the fruits of their Purdue education will be able to do so in a more revealing and accessible manner, thanks to a new high tech resource that goes beyond the traditional résumé.

Purdue Calumet announced this morning that it has contracted with educational service provider Seelio to enable students to showcase their academic accomplishments and provide immediate access to projects and publications via multimedia online portfolios. Essentially, students will be able to use their portfolio to readily demonstrate successful hands-on learning.

With experiential learning a requirement of all Purdue Calumet undergraduates, the opportunity for students to present evidence of related learning they have applied effectively in a real world environment is important, according to Peggy Gerard, Purdue Calumet vice chancellor for academic affairs and provost.

"Students who develop an online portfolio can distinguish themselves by capturing evidence of their successful learning," Gerard said. "Within a competitive job market, students can use such a portfolio effectively during an interview to show employers in an easy to access manner real examples of their educational achievements and application."

Since September 2014, students in experiential learning courses have been using Seelio to document learning and bring their skills to life with rich, digital portfolios. More than 300 students in disciplines from nursing to engineering have created 1,400+ pieces of content on Seelio, showcasing the unique aspects of experiential learning at Purdue Calumet.

In addition to making it easier for students to capture in-class learning, Purdue Calumet also has leveraged Seelio to connect students with regional industry partners at university events like Technology Day and gatherings of academic and industry leaders.

Junior Matthew Dombrowski was offered the opportunity to present his portfolio to 14 industry leaders at the College of Technology's Dean's Executive Council meeting last fall.

"The opportunity to actually show future employers my work instead of trying to explain it to them on a résumé is truly amazing," Dombrowski said. "It really gives people in fields like mine the chance to showcase their best work and actually show people what they are capable of doing."
Going forward, students in Purdue Calumet's College of Business; College of Engineering, Mathematics and Science; College of Technology; College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences; and Honors College will have access to Seelio's technology and services. Opportunities are expected to expand to additional students over the next four years.

Purdue Calumet also will be able to collect students' learning experiences and map them against learning objectives to better understand how curricula of various programs are preparing students to be successful.

Seelio CEO and Cofounder Moses Lee said, "We know how important it is to prepare students for success. That's why we're excited to partner with Purdue Calumet so students across campus can prepare for their careers from day one and graduate with the ability to present and showcase their important experiential learning."

About Seelio:
Seelio partners with colleges and universities to create the world's most prepared students through student lifecycle portfolios. With Seelio's services and technology, students are able to easily and beautifully capture their works, projects and passions; and institutions can better attract students, build awareness and prepare students for meaningful careers. Learn more at www.seelio.com.
11 May 2015

New Antennas Developed at SD Mines are First to Use Phase-Changing Material to Alter Shapes, Frequencies

By Fran LeFort

RAPID CITY, S.D. (May 7, 2015) - Two new antenna prototypes are the first to be developed using a special class of thin film material which allows them to alter their shape using temperature and radiate at varying frequencies within the popular GHz range. A single reconfigurable antenna could replace two or more traditional antennas, including those in cell phones, Wi-Fi and numerous military devices.

The revolutionary new antennas developed at the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, in collaboration with Michigan State University, were documented in the IEEE Antennas and Wireless Propagation Letters in February. They are made by integrating vanadium dioxide thin films, a type of "phase-change" material, meaning it is an insulator at room temperature and becomes metal when heated above 68 degrees Celsius. The heating-cooling cycle is repeatable and the phase-change is reversible.

Principal investigator and renowned expert Dimitris Anagnostou, Ph.D., of the South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, led the research with his graduate student Tarron Teeslink, collaborating with Nelson Sepulveda, Ph.D., and his student David Torres, from Michigan State University.

Anagnostou, associate professor in the Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, has been working on reconfigurable and tunable antennas for the past 15 years. Common methods to date have resulted in non-linearities, high losses, expensive fabrication equipment and often complicated biasing mechanisms.

His exploration of vanadium dioxide has shown the material can be used in linear devices, has minimal losses and can be activated using a variety of heat transfer methods.

Linear devices for radio-frequency communications applications involve usually passive components such as antennas and (microwave) filters, as well as resistors, capacitors and inductors.

Often antennas are tuned or reconfigured using non-linear components such as diodes, but these distort the electrical signals, especially over a wide range of frequencies. Vanadium dioxide is a linear material, meaning it affects all radio frequencies by the same amount causing no distortion, and is therefore suitable for narrowband and wideband tuning.

Vanadium dioxide was investigated as far back as 1959, when an article described the insulator-to-metal transition at approximately 68 degrees Celsius. Since then, it has been almost neglected, as the need for reconfigurable components, wireless communications and antennas was not as significant, Anagnostou said.

In the past decade vanadium dioxide has received widespread attention from researchers due to its properties for applications spanning from information storage to stronger artificial muscles and missile guidance.

This is the only known success achieving reconfigurability by altering the antenna's geometry with the special class of material. Several other universities are currently working in the area, indicating the strong scientific interest in this area.

"The novelty lies in obtaining the know-how of the integration and application of the material in antennas in the GHz range. There are still many things to learn. These prototype antennas prove the material is capable for use and should be further investigated," Anagnostou said, adding the material can find application in general antenna and microwave component design but ultimately has the potential for many military uses. "Our ongoing experiments in using the material for cloaking and thermal camouflage are also very encouraging," he said.

The National Science Foundation funded the work over three years as a collaborative proposal between South Dakota Mines and Michigan State University. While Anagnostou and Teeslink did the design and characterization at SD Mines, Michigan State researchers fabricated the antennas at the clean room of the Air Force Office of Scientific Research.

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08 May 2015

Iowa State University students participate in Science with Practice undergraduate research program.

By Carole Custer

AMES, IA (05/06/2015)(readMedia)-- A group of 30 Iowa State University undergraduate students stretched their learning through research and laboratory experience in the Science with Practice program. Science with Practice is a learning and work experience program in research and related laboratories for undergraduate students who work closely with faculty and graduate students to gain experience in their field of study. Students participating in Science with Practice this past semester include :

Joshua Byrne, from Davenport and majoring in Animal Ecology, was advised by Dr. Gregory Courtney, professor, on a project titled Iowa Biomonitoring with Aquatic Insects. This project had a goal of creating a simplified dichotomous key of aquatic insects which will be used by middle and high school students. The key involves written characteristics and diagnostic illustrations. Once completed, the aquatic insect key will be employed in educational programs to determine the health of local waterways.

Ellen Kaschke, from East Moline and majoring in Animal Science, was advised by Dr. John Patience, professor, on a project titled Evaluation of Phytase Enzyme and ?-Glucanase in Nuresery Pig Diets. This project was to evaluate effects of adding a phytase enzyme and ?-glucanase on nursery pig performance. A total of 437 weanling pigs were blocked by weight and randomly assigned one of the five dietary treatments. The growth and feed intake was then analyzed for results.

Jacob Smith, from Port Byron and majoring in Horticulture, was advised by Dr. Christopher Currey, assistant professor, on a project titled Quantifying the Effect of Mean Air Temperature on the Development of Annual Culinary Herb Species. This project had a goal to develop models to predict biomass accumulation and determine growth responses to various temperatures. Culinary herbs are a popular food crop to produce in hydroponic production systems in greenhouse and controlled environments. The air temperature has a strong impact on the rate of growth and development.

In the program, students develop individualized learning agreements and project goals with Iowa State faculty mentors. At the conclusion of the semester, participants presented their projects at a poster session open to the public.

The Science with Practice program has linked students with faculty research for 10 years. Students may participate in the program multiple semesters. For more information visit www.ageds.iastate.edu/SWP.

This program is funded by the ISU Agricultural Endowment Board, College of Agriculture and Life Sciences and the Van Wert Family Endowment

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