Institute for Physical Research and Technology

Contact Us

Toll-free (877) 251-6520
(515) 294-8902
iprtinfo@iastate.edu

Institute for Physical
Research and Technology

Iowa State University
305 TASF
Ames, IA 50011-3020

The Institute for Physical Research and Technology, also known as IPRT, is a network of scientific research centers at Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa. In addition to performing world-class scientific research, IPRT provides a wide variety of technical assistance to Iowa companies. IPRT has a close working relationship with the Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory.

IPRT's broad mission is to promote interdisciplinary research in the physical sciences and engineering and specifically to foster development of new technologies.

Staffed by world-class faculty and scientists and backed by unique facilities and equipment, IPRT helps develop Iowa's economy through research, company assistance and educational programs.

IPRT works for Iowa. To learn more, please browse our pages or email iprtinfo@iastate.edu.

IPRT News & Updates

IPRT Scientists Work to Turn Waste into Ethanol

By combining gasification with high-tech nanoscale porous catalysts, researchers from IPRT and the U.S. Department of Energy's Ames Laboratory hope to create ethanol from a wide range of biomass, including distiller’s grain left over from ethanol production, corn stover from the field, grass, wood pulp, animal waste, and garbage. See Ames Lab news release.

IPRT Among ISU’s “150 Contributions”

IPRT centers and scientists were noted in several entries in the “150 Contributions: How Iowa State has Changed the World” article in the Summer 2008 issue of Visions, Iowa State’s alumni magazine.  In honor of Iowa State’s sesquicentennial, the article summarized 150 of the thousands of contributions made by the university to the state of Iowa, the country and the world. Among the IPRT-related entries: Virtual Reality, Rare Earth Materials, Nondestructive Evaluation, Coal Combustion Monitor, Ramanprobe System and Spacecraft Leaks.

Des Moines High School Students Qualify For Science Scholarships

Seventeen high school students from Des Moines Public Schools have completed IPRT's SCIENCE BOUND program, qualifying them for full-tuition scholarships to Iowa State University. See news release.

Other News

• CNDE Featured in
  Inspection Magazine
• NASA Selects Spacecraft Leak Detection System Proposal
• Grad Students Show Off
  Tech at Conference
• IPRT Key in Ethanol Project
• VRAC's Galvin Profiled
• IPRT's Thompson Wins
  Excellence Award
• IPRT Success Story:
  The Power of Materials

Publications

• IPRT News, Summer 2008
• IPRT Annual Report 2007 (PDF)

  Latest News Releases

  IPRT in the News

Join the "Change a Light" Campaign

George Kraus, IPRT director, is inviting IPRT employees to join the "Change a Light, Change the World" campaign sponsored by the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection Agency.  Sign up to take the ENERGY STAR® Change a Light pledge.  More info.