Historical Signs Build Our Brand
Historical signs build our brand
As the first land-grant university in the nation, Iowa State has a rich heritage of educating students, discovering new knowledge, and sharing that knowledge to make Iowa and the world a better place. The university's historical sign program commemorates those discoveries, inventions, events, and traditions on campus that make Iowa State unique and one of the best institutions in the nation in fulfilling its land-grant responsibilities. Each sign is required to represent a topic that has societal impact and is a "wow" for those pedestrian visitors who read it, regardless of their familiarity with Iowa State. Coordinated by the Office of University Marketing and funded by the Office of the President, the program consists of 17 signs. (see map) The subjects for the signs were submitted by academic departments and other units on campus. Together, they tell campus visitors, students, faculty and staff about the university's rich tradition of national and international achievement and excellence.
Click here to see a map of sign locations
The Signs
First Land-Grant
Iowa started an education revolution as the first state to
accept the 1862 Morrill Act terms. The act allowed Iowa to sell federal land to
finance a new college open to all regardless of wealth, race or gender;
offering a practical education in agriculture, engineering and military science
as well as classical studies; and sharing research knowledge with all Iowans.
Iowa State University officially opened in 1869 and was the first coeducational
land-grant school.
Location: Near Beardshear Hall
Birthplace of the Computer
The world's first electronic digital computer was
built on the Iowa State campus from 1939 through 1942 by John V. Atanasoff, a
professor of physics and mathematics, and Clifford Berry, an engineering
graduate student. Principles used in the Atanasoff-Berry Computer are the basis
of modern computing, and Atanasoff is now considered the father of the
computer.
Location: Near Physics Building
A Faster Fax
In 1971, Iowa State electrical engineering doctoral student David
Nicholas invented a process to more efficiently convert text into digital
information. Facsimile machine manufacturers adopted the technology in the
1980s, making fax machines an office staple for business correspondence around
the world.
Location: Near Coover Hall
Finest Blue Cheese
Iowa State is home to the process that produces the world's
finest blue cheese. In 1937, Iowa State dairy microbiology professors Clarence
Lane and Bernard Hammer developed a blue cheese process using homogenized milk.
The Lane and Hammer process is now the standard for the blue cheese industry.
Location: near Food Sciences Building
Pure Uranium
In 1942, a group of Iowa State scientists led by professors Frank
Spedding and Harley Wilhelm developed the process to produce highly pure
uranium. More than 2,000,000 pounds of uranium were produced at Iowa State for
the secret Manhattan Project, advancing the nation's wartime efforts. The
success of the Ames Process led to the establishment of the Ames Laboratory at
Iowa State.
Location: near Wilhelm Hall
First Statistical Laboratory
Established in 1933, the Statistical Laboratory at
Iowa State was the first research and consulting institute of its kind in the
country. Early emphasis on agriculture data analysis has continued, however the
laboratory's range of activities now includes statistical applications in
social, physical, engineering and biological sciences for clients world-wide.
Location: Near Snedecor Hall
Birthplace of Cooperative Extension
In 1903, the nation's first cooperative
agricultural extension program was launched when Iowa State professor Perry
Holden, a group of farmers in Sioux County, and the county's board of
supervisors created a plan for educating farmers about improving seed corn.
This massive effort included demonstration farms, farmer institutes and special
seed corn exhibit trains traveling from town to town on Iowa's railroads.
Cooperative extension nationwide is the result of this model of support and
funding.
Location: Between Catt Hall and Curtiss Hall
Largest Grant Wood Murals
Grant Wood's largest murals are located in Iowa
State's Parks Library. Wood, best known for his painting American Gothic that
depicts a stoic farm couple, was commissioned by Iowa State in the mid-1930s to
design Breaking the Prairie Sod and When Tillage Begins. A native Iowan, Wood
is considered a leading exponent of American Regionalist art.
Location: Near Parks Library
First Land-Grant Home Economics College
In 1871, Iowa State became the first
land-grant institution in the nation to teach domestic science. In 1872, Mary
B. Welch, wife of Iowa State President Adonijah Welch, became the first
domestic science instructor, giving lectures to support laboratory classes in
kitchen, dining room and laundry. From these beginnings grew the nation's first
land-grant college of family and consumer sciences.
Location: Near MacKay Hall
Round Hay Bales
Farmers were saved from the backbreaking chore of slinging hay
bales in the 1960s when Iowa State agricultural engineering professor Wesley
Buchele and a group of student researchers invented a baler that produced
large, round bales that could be moved by tractor. The baler has become the
predominant forage-handling machine in the United States.
Location: Near Davidson Hall
First Artist-In-Residence
Christian Petersen was the first artist-in-residence
at a university in the United States when he sculpted at Iowa State from 1934
through 1955. Petersen is becoming recognized as one of the best Regionalist
sculptors in the nation. His 12 monumental landmark sculptures on campus
include Marriage Ring and Joy. Petersen also created over 400 smaller studio
pieces during his residency tenure at Iowa State.
Location: Between Palmer Building and MacKay Hall
First Water Tower
The 168-foot-tall Marston Water Tower was the first elevated
steel water tank west of the Mississippi River when it was erected in 1897. It
is named for Anson Marston, Iowa State's first engineering dean, who designed
the tower and oversaw its construction. The Marston Water Tower is on the
National Register of Historic Places.
Location: Near Marston Water Tower
Chemical Analysis Innovation
Pioneering work in inductively coupled plasma
spectroscopy at Iowa State led to an analysis tool that's standard in thousands
of laboratories worldwide. Developed in 1966 by professor and Ames Laboratory
deputy director Velmer Fassel, ICP instruments rapidly determine almost all
elements to the parts per trillion level in substances such as oil, blood and
soils. In 1982, the analysis tool identified the poison in contaminated
Tylenol(TM) pain medicine that caused seven deaths.
Location: Near Gilman Hall
First Vet Med College
In 1879, Iowa State University established the first
public college of veterinary medicine in the United States. In 1903, Iowa State
began offering the nation's first four-year professional program in veterinary
medicine. Today, veterinary graduates of Iowa State are working as
professionals in animal health and public health in every state of the U.S. and
in dozens of countries around the globe.
Locations: Near Veterinary College and Near Lagomarcino Hall
First Ag Engineering Degree
The first agricultural engineering degree in the
world was granted at Iowa State University in 1910. J. Brownlee Davidson led
the development of the discipline, which applied engineering and agricultural
sciences to biological systems. The graduate, Jacob E. Waggoner, became widely
known, organizing similar departments at other universities, and specializing
in rural electrification and agricultural communications. Today, universities
around the world have agricultural and/or biological engineering departments.
Location: Near Davidson Hall
Campaniling
This beloved campanile was built in 1898 and is home to the Stanton
Memorial Carillon. The carillon bells ring daily and tradition states that a
student officially becomes an Iowa Stater when kissed under the campanile as
the carillon tolls midnight. The tradition is called "campaniling."
Location: Near Campanile
Largest Student-Organized Festival
Veishea, founded in 1922, is the nation's
largest student-run celebration. The name is an acronym for the colleges at
Iowa State in 1922 – Veterinary Medicine, Engineering, Industrial Science,
Home Economics and Agriculture. Each spring, Veishea attracts thousands of
people to campus for student performances, cherry pies, a huge parade featuring
student-built floats, and open houses sponsored by academic units and student
clubs.
Location: Central Campus South of Campanile
