ISU Researchers Looking Into Foundations of Autoimmune Disease Development, May Yield New Treatments

We’ve all heard their names: multiple sclerosis, Type 1 diabetes, Crohn’s disease, psoriasis, rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, to name a handful. Now, an Idaho State University biologist and her students are exploring new ways to fight the autoimmune diseases afflicting millions.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for the Dean’s Homecoming Breakfast! 

See you next year!

After making their debut at the Idaho Museum of Natural History earlier this year, a handful of works of art created by Idaho State University students are now on display at a national monument. 

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ISU’s American Chemical Society Chapter is hosting its free Halloween demo shows for both students and community members.

Cauldrons & Kaboom is this year’s student and faculty Halloween party on Friday, October 16, at 7:00 p.m. in Room 140 of the Physical Science Complex. Costumes are encouraged, and liquid nitrogen ice cream will be provided after the show. 

Spooktacular Science is an afternoon of fun for the whole family on Saturday, October 17, at 1:00 p.m. in Room 140 of the Physical Science Building. Costumes are encouraged, local business raffle tickets will be sold, and liquid nitrogen ice cream will be offered after the show!

Costain Nachuma, a doctoral student in computer science, presented Comprendia: AI-Augmented Code Comprehension at the 42nd IEEE International Conference on Software Maintenance and Evolution in Benevento, Italy, this past September.

Comprendia is an Eclipse plugin, a modular piece of code that extends functionality, that draws a Java project’s dependency graph and uses that same visualization to highlight code clones, duplicated or near-duplicated code, and ground the LLM explanation, tying the AI’s answer to the real project. 

Costain’s work was supported by the Software Engineering and Cybersecurity Research Team led by Minhaz Zibran, professor of computer science and associate dean of student success in the College of Science and Engineering.

Lynne Zummo, associate professor and curator of learning sciences with the University of Utah and Natural History Museum of Utah, will present Creating a Climate of Hope: Supporting Visitor Learning in a Museum Climate Exhibit on Thursday, October 22, at 4 p.m. in LC 10.

Zummo will share her research and explore how we communicate about challenging topics in formal and informal learning environments. This seminar may interest those interested in teaching, learning, science communication, and engaging learners in complex or potentially difficult subjects.

The Idaho Academy of Science and Engineering is looking for someone to serve on the Executive Board as the Trustee from Idaho State University.

A few of the duties include:

• Promoting academy membership at Idaho State University
• Attending meetings of the Executive Committee as well as General Meetings and Symposia
• Participating in advertising the annual Symposium. (In 2027, it will be at ICOM in Boise and likely in April or May)
• Promoting science and engineering statewide and in your community.

Please email Gene Stuffle or Rene Rodriguez if you're interested or have questions.

Idaho National Laboratory Career Day Comes to Campus October 29

Students across all majors and degree levels can connect directly with Idaho National Laboratory hiring managers, researchers, and ISU alumni at INL Career Day on Thursday, October 29, 2026, in the Salmon River Suites. The event runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., and students are welcome to drop in anytime throughout the day as their schedules allow. Lunch, snacks, and refreshments will be provided.

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Marketing and Communications Fall Semester Trainings

The Office of Marketing and Communications hosts a number of training workshops each semester to provide resources to our campuses on emerging trends, best practices, professional advice, procedural guidelines and more.

These workshops are open to everyone and designed to explore a variety of frequently asked questions while informing our campus community about marketing and communications strategies and processes for anyone who may need them.

See the schedule >>

Polar Bears, Brown Bears and a Historical Alaskan Mystery

On a little island in the North Pacific, there is a mystery that no one can quite explain—not yet, at least.

The National Science Foundation recently awarded a grant to fund an archaeological project on Unalaska Island, Alaska, spearheaded by Katherine Reedy, interim dean and professor of anthropology at Idaho State University College of Humanities, Education and Social Sciences. 

Reedy shared the mystery that she and her team intend to solve: How did brown and polar bears arrive on Unalaska Island thousands of years ago?

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Dean's Excellence Fund Accepting Requests from Students

The College of Science and Engineering Dean's Excellence Fund is intended to support students in their journey through ISU. The Dean's Office is particularly interested in providing financial assistance to students who might not be able to enroll in or complete the semester because of short-term financial hardships. Students seeking such support should be in good academic standing.

If you know of a student who is in need of short-term support, please have them complete this form.

October 19: Late 8-week courses begin

October 20: Early 8-week course grading closes at 5:00 pm

October 23: Last day to add/drop late 8-week courses

October 30: Last day to WITHDRAW from full-semester courses

November 2: 7:00 AM- Spring 2027 Class level registration for continuing ISU students begins (subject to change)

November 2: 7:00 AM - Registration begins for Seniors (90+ credits) and Graduate students 12pm

November 4: 7:00 AM - Registration begins for Juniors (58-89 credits)

November 6: 7:00 AM - Registration begins for Sophomores (26-57 credits)

November 9: 7:00 AM - Registration begins for Freshman and all others (0-25 credits)

November 20: Last day to WITHDRAW from late 8-week courses

November 23: Fall recess (no classes -- Thanksgiving Break)

Updates can also be found on Facebook, X (formerly Twitter), LinkedIn, Bluesky, and Instagram. To add events to the calendar, please contact the Administrative Assistants in your department. The university-wide calendar of events is available here.