Welcome to the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station web site!
What Is the Experiment Station?
The Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station is the title of the research program that has addressed
immediate and long-term needs of Iowans for more than 115 years. Established at Iowa State in 1888, the Experiment
Station fulfilled a Congressional charge for land-grant universities to develop organizations to advance science
for the citizens of their states. The dean of the College of Agriculture serves as director of the Experiment Station.
Where Is the Experiment Station?
Because of its name, the Experiment Station sometimes is mistakenly viewed as Iowa State research farms and
labs. Those are important places for its work, but the Experiment Station is a vital research program involving
hundreds of people, hundreds of partners and connections to extension reaching Iowans in every county.
Why the Experiment Station?
The Experiment Station's advances in biological, physical and social sciences have contributed greatly
to Iowa. Experiment Station research and ISU Extension not only help Iowa remain a world leader in food production,
they address societal issues intimately linked to agriculture, including economic development, life-science frontiers,
the environment, public policy, and families and communities. Innovation resulting from Experiment Station research
is one reason why Iowa State University is among the nation's leading universities in transferring research and
technology into commercial uses. Experiment Station research makes up a significant portion of ISU's annual patent
disclosures and active licensing and commercial agreements.
The Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station is charged to conduct organized research in the biological, physical, and social sciences, to contribute to the advancement of all Iowa's agricultural industry, and to improve the economic and social condition of Iowa's families and communities.
| Dr. Wendy K. Wintersteen | Director | 294-2518 | 138 Curtiss Hall |
| Dr. Joe P. Colletti | Associate Director | 294-1823 | 138 Curtiss Hall |
| Dr. Donald L. Reynolds | Assistant Director (College of Veterinary Medicine) | 294-9348 | 2522 Vet. Med. |
| Dr. John Lawrence | Assistant Director (College of Agriculture) | 294-6290 | 468F Heady Hall |
| Dr. Thomas Andre | Assistant Director (College of Human Sciences) | 294-1754 | N131 Lagomarcino |
| Cathy Good | Administrator for Research Programs | 294-4544 | 133 Curtiss Hall |
| Josie Six | Director, Budget and Finance | 294-8920 | 133 Curtiss Hall |
| Rita Knight | Secretary | 294-0249 | 133 Curtiss Hall |
Resources for the Experiment Station
The Experiment Station receives funds from three primary sources: state appropriations, federal formula funds (allocated
to states based on their number of farmers and rural residents) and grants and contracts. Another funding source
is product sales, which are expenditures from sales of agricultural products or services resulting from research
programs (i.e., grain, livestock, seminar fees, publications).
The Importance of Public Funding
State funding for the Experiment Station and Extension pays for the people - faculty and staff - and the places
- infrastructure such as labs and farms - that keep Iowa State among the nation's leaders in agricultural research,
education and extension. Experiment Station scientists leverage state dollars to compete in bringing in grants
and contracts for work that addresses Iowa's needs. And they compete very successfully, bringing in millions of
dollars each year in grants and contracts. State funding supplies the resources crucial for retaining the best
and brightest scientists and for maintaining high-quality programs. It supports graduate students who will contribute
to Iowa's future economy in agriculture and life sciences. It helps provide the science-based information that
contributes to Iowa's economic development and quality of life.
Scope of the Experiment Station
Experiment Station research is the result of cooperation among researchers within and between departments and colleges
at all levels of activity. The Experiment Station's work represents the efforts of more than 300 scientists in
nearly 35 departments, centers and programs across the Iowa State University campus. Although the work primarily
focuses on areas in the College of Agriculture, the Experiment Station also supports research in the College of
Engineering, the College of Human Sciences, the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the College of Veterinary
Medicine. The Experiment Station cooperates with all other state agricultural experiment stations to ensure attention
to critical problems, to share research results and to avoid duplication (see Multistate
Research).
Research Areas Addressed
Experiment Station researchers work in areas that are both practical and fundmental, short-term and far-reaching.
Annual Experiment Station expenditures can be broken down into eight research categories:
Brief History of the Land-Grant College and IAHEES
Iowa was the first state to accept the provisions of the Morrill Land-Grant Act of 1862, receiving 204,000 acres of land scrip. By careful handling of the lease and sale of that land, Iowa eventually received more than $800,000 in endowment, far in excess of early estimates, and more than many other states who handled their grants less prudently.
The Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station was established March 2, 1888, the year after Congress passed the Hatch Act charging land-grant colleges to establish a research organization to advance science to solve problems for the food, agricultural and natural resource systems, and links with other land-grant university research programs across the nation in a vital research chain.
Several "firsts" arose out of experiment station research, including the nation's earliest social survey of rural communities and establishment of the first statistical laboratory applied to agricultural research. While on an experiment station research appointment, John Vincent Atanasoff designed and built the first electronic digital computer.
Today, research by the Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station serves producers, agribusinesses, rural communities and policymakers.
Iowa Agriculture and Home Economics Experiment Station
Curtiss Hall
Iowa State University
Ames IA 50011-1050
Telephone: 515/294-1823
Fax: 515/294-6800
e-mail: agexecdean@iastate.edu
Welcome