100 Notable alumni of
Iowa State University
Updated:
Iowa State University is 267th in the world, 113th in North America, and 107th in the United States by aggregated alumni prominence. Below is the list of 100 notable alumni from Iowa State University sorted by their wiki pages popularity. The directory includes famous graduates and former students along with research and academic staff.
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Brock Purdy
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Brock Purdy is an American professional football quarterback for the San Francisco 49ers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the 49ers with the final pick in the 2022 NFL draft, becoming that year's Mr. Irrelevant.
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Lee Teng-hui
- Years
- 1923-2020 (aged 97)
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- 1952-1953 graduated with master's degree
- Occupations
- agricultural economistpolitician
- Biography
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Lee Teng-hui was a Taiwanese politician and agricultural scientist who served as the 4th president of the Republic of China (Taiwan) under the 1947 Constitution and chairman of the Kuomintang (KMT) from 1988 to 2000. He was the first president to be born in Taiwan, the last to be indirectly elected and the first to be directly elected.
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George Washington Carver
- Occupations
- inventorchemistbotanistmycologistbiologist
- Biography
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George Washington Carver was an American agricultural scientist and inventor who promoted alternative crops to cotton and methods to prevent soil depletion. He was one of the most prominent black scientists of the early 20th century.
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Henry A. Wallace
- Occupations
- horticulturistpoliticianwriter
- Biography
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Henry Agard Wallace was the 33rd vice president of the United States, serving from 1941 to 1945, under President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He served as the 11th U.S. secretary of agriculture and the 10th U.S. secretary of commerce. He was the nominee of the new Progressive Party in the 1948 presidential election.
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Tyrese Haliburton
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Tyrese John Haliburton is an American professional basketball player for the Indiana Pacers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). A point guard, he played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones and was selected by the Sacramento Kings 12th overall in the 2020 NBA draft.
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Joni Ernst
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 1992 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Joni Kay Ernst is an American politician and former military officer serving since 2015 as the junior United States senator from Iowa. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served in the Iowa State Senate from 2011 to 2014 and as auditor of Montgomery County from 2004 to 2011. As Chair of the Senate Republican Policy Committee from 2023 to 2025, after having been vice chair of the Senate Republican Conference since 2019, Ernst was the fourth-ranking Republican in the Senate.
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Betty Gabriel
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in animal science
- Occupations
- stage actorfilm actor
- Biography
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Betty Gabriel is an American actress. For her work in horror films, particularly Blumhouse films, Gabriel has been established as a scream queen. She has been nominated for two Black Reel Awards, an NAACP Image Award and a Screen Actors Guild Award.
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Jeff Hornacek
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Jeffrey John Hornacek is an American professional basketball coach and a former player who is a coaching consultant for the Utah Jazz of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He previously was the head coach for both the Phoenix Suns (2013–2016) and the New York Knicks (2016–2018). He was also an assistant coach for the Houston Rockets. He played shooting guard in the NBA from 1986 through 2000 and played collegiately at Iowa State University.
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Alan Mozo
- Occupations
- inventorphysicistcomputer scientistuniversity teachermathematician
- Biography
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John Vincent Atanasoff OCM was an American physicist and inventor credited with inventing the first electronic digital computer. Atanasoff invented the first electronic digital computer in the 1930s at Iowa State College (now known as Iowa State University). Challenges to his claim were resolved in 1973 when the Honeywell v. Sperry Rand lawsuit ruled that Atanasoff was the inventor of the computer. His special-purpose machine has come to be called the Atanasoff–Berry Computer.
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Kim Reynolds
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Liberal Studies
- Occupations
- pharmacy technicianpolitician
- Biography
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Kimberly Kay Reynolds is an American politician serving as the 43rd governor of Iowa since 2017. A member of the Republican Party, she served as the 46th lieutenant governor of Iowa from 2011 to 2017.
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Fred Hoiberg
- Occupations
- basketball playerbasketball coach
- Biography
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Fredrick Kristian Hoiberg is an American college basketball coach and former player. He has served as the men's head basketball coach at the University of Nebraska since 2019. Hoiberg grew up in Ames, Iowa, and played college basketball at Iowa State University in Ames where he earned the nickname "the Mayor". He was drafted into the National Basketball Association (NBA) where, over his 10-year career, he played for the Indiana Pacers, Chicago Bulls, and Minnesota Timberwolves. After retiring as a player, he served as vice president for basketball operations for the Minnesota Timberwolves before beginning his coaching career at his alma mater, Iowa State University. He was there from 2010 to 2015 before coaching in the NBA for the Chicago Bulls from 2015 to 2018.
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Royce White
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Royce Alexander White is an American former political candidate and former professional basketball player. He was the Republican Party's nominee in the 2024 United States Senate election in Minnesota.
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Talen Horton-Tucker
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Talen Jalee Horton-Tucker is an American professional basketball player for the Chicago Bulls of the National Basketball Association (NBA). Horton-Tucker played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones.
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Dennis Muilenburg
- Occupations
- businesspersonchief executive officer
- Biography
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Dennis A. Muilenburg is an American engineer, business executive and a former president and chief executive officer (CEO) of Boeing, a multinational aerospace and defense company. He was CEO from 2015 to 2019, when he was fired in the aftermath of two crashes of the 737 MAX and its subsequent groundings.
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Firouz Naderi
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 1969 graduated with Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering
- Occupations
- electrical engineerastronomer
- Biography
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Firouz Michael Naderi was an Iranian American scientist who spent 36 years in various technical and executive positions at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), where he contributed to some of America's robotic space missions.
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James Daly
- Occupations
- film actortelevision actorstage actoractor
- Biography
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James Firman Daly was an American theater, film, and television actor, who is perhaps best known for his role as Paul Lochner in the hospital drama series Medical Center, in which he played Chad Everett's superior.
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Georges Niang
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Georges Niang, nicknamed "The Minivan", is an American professional basketball player for the Atlanta Hawks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He was an All-American college player for Iowa State University.
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Dan Gable
- Occupations
- amateur wrestler
- Biography
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Danny Mack Gable is an American former folkstyle and freestyle wrestler and coach. Considered to be one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Gable is a two-time NCAA Division I national champion, a World gold medalist, and an Olympic gold medalist. Gable was only the third wrestler to be inducted into the United World Wrestling's Hall of Fame in the Legend category. In 2014, Gable was inducted into the International Sports Hall of Fame and awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2020.
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John Garang
- Occupations
- politicianpartisan
- Biography
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Dr. John Garang De Mabior was a Sudanese politician and revolutionary leader. From 1983 to 2005, he led the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLA/M, Now known as South Sudan People's Defense Forces) as a commander in chief during the Second Sudanese Civil War. He served as First Vice President of Sudan for three weeks, from the comprehensive peace agreement of 2005 until his death in a helicopter crash on July 30, 2005. A developmental economist by profession, Garang was one of the major influences on the movement that led to the foundation of South Sudan’s independence from the rule of Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir.
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Wesley Johnson
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Wesley JaMarr Johnson is an American professional basketball coach and former player who is a player development assistant for the Los Angeles Clippers of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for Syracuse University and Iowa State University. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2010 NBA draft by the Minnesota Timberwolves.
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Monté Morris
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Monté Robert Morris is an American professional basketball player for the Phoenix Suns of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones.
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Ezra Taft Benson
- Occupations
- prophetpolitician
- Biography
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Ezra Taft Benson was an American farmer, government official, and religious leader who served as the 15th United States Secretary of Agriculture during both presidential terms of Dwight D. Eisenhower and as the 13th president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church) from 1985 until his death in 1994.
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Tom Harkin
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- Studied in 1962
- Occupations
- politicianmilitary officerlawyer
- Biography
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Thomas Richard Harkin is an American lawyer, author, and politician who served as a United States senator from Iowa from 1985 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously was the U.S. representative for Iowa's 5th congressional district from 1975 to 1985. He is the longest-serving senator to spend the entire tenure as a state's junior senator.
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Breece Hall
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Breece Hall is an American professional football running back for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State, where he was a two-time All-American and Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year. Hall was selected by the Jets in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft.
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Florin Cîțu
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 1999 graduated with master's degree in monetary policy
- Occupations
- politicianeconomistblogger
- Biography
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Florin Vasile Cîțu is a Romanian politician who served as Prime Minister of Romania between December 2020 and November 2021 (acting/ad interim between October and November 2021). Sometimes labeled as Romania's first libertarian Prime Minister, he was also the leader of the National Liberal Party (PNL) between September 2021 and April 2022.
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Nawal El Moutawakel
- Occupations
- politicianathletics competitor
- Biography
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Nawal El Moutawakel is a Moroccan former hurdler, who won the inaugural women's 400 metres hurdles event at the 1984 Summer Olympics, and is the first Moroccan, Arab, African, and Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold. In 2007, El Moutawakel was named the Minister of Sports in the upcoming cabinet of Morocco.
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Howard R. Hughes Sr
- Occupations
- entrepreneurbusinesspersoninventor
- Biography
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Howard Robard Hughes Sr. was an American businessman and inventor who founded the Hughes Tool Company. He invented the "Sharp–Hughes" two-cone rotary drill bit during the Texas Oil Boom. Hughes was the father and namesake of Howard Hughes (Howard Robard Hughes Jr.) the American business tycoon and founder of Hughes Aircraft.
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Carrie Chapman Catt
- Occupations
- politicianjournalistwriterpeace activistwomen's rights activist
- Biography
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Carrie Chapman Catt was an American women's suffrage leader who campaigned for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gave U.S. women the right to vote in 1920. Catt served as president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association from 1900 to 1904 and 1915 to 1920. She founded the League of Women Voters in 1920 and the International Woman Suffrage Alliance in 1904, which was later named International Alliance of Women. She "led an army of voteless women in 1919 to pressure Congress to pass the constitutional amendment giving them the right to vote and convinced state legislatures to ratify it in 1920". She "was one of the best-known women in the United States in the first half of the twentieth century and was on all lists of famous American women."
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Matt Thomas
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Matthew William Thomas is an American professional basketball player for Alba Berlin of the German Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones before starting his professional career in Europe, then moving to the NBA, and back to Europe again.
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Kelechi Osemele
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Kelechi Keith Ayo Osemele is an American former professional football player who was an offensive guard in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Iowa State Cyclones. He was selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2012 NFL draft, and was a rookie starter throughout the team's Super Bowl XLVII championship run that season.
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Hadley Wickham
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 2008 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- software developercomputer scientistdata scientiststatistician
- Biography
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Hadley Alexander Wickham is a New Zealand statistician known for his work on open-source software for the R statistical programming environment. He is the chief scientist at Posit PBC and an adjunct professor of statistics at the University of Auckland, Stanford University, and Rice University. His work includes the data visualisation system ggplot2 and the tidyverse, a collection of R packages for data science based on the concept of tidy data.
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Antti Herlin
- Occupations
- entrepreneurbusinessperson
- Biography
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Antti Herlin is a Finnish billionaire businessman and the chairman of the Finnish KONE Corporation, as well as the richest person in Finland – as of January 2025 Forbes reported his net worth as $4.1 billion, naming him the 819st richest person in the world. He is also the former chairman of the Confederation of Finnish Industries (Elinkeinoelämän Keskusliitto EK).
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A. J. Klein
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Aaron James Klein is an American former professional football linebacker who played eleven seasons in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State. He was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft.
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Naz Mitrou-Long
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Nazareth Jersey Mitrou-Long is a Canadian-Greek professional basketball player for Olympiacos of the Greek Basket League and the EuroLeague. He played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones. Born in Mississauga, Ontario, he played high school basketball at Father Michael Goetz in his hometown. In 2012, he started playing college basketball for Iowa State. He played in the 2017 NBA Summer League for the Sacramento Kings. He later played a total of 20 regular-season games with the Utah Jazz and the Indiana Pacers.
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John Cooper
- Occupations
- head coachAmerican football player
- Biography
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John Harold Cooper is an American former college football coach and player. Cooper was an assistant coach at Iowa State, Oregon State, UCLA, Kansas, and Kentucky. Then, he embarked on a head coaching career, as he served as the head coach at the University of Tulsa (1977–1984), Arizona State University (1985–1987), and Ohio State University (1988–2000), compiling a career record of 192–84–6.
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Terry A. Anderson
- Occupations
- journalistpolitician
- Biography
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Terry Alan Anderson was an American journalist and combat veteran. He reported for the Associated Press. In 1985, he was taken hostage by Shia Hezbollah militants of the Islamic Jihad Organization in Lebanon and held until 1991. In 2004, he ran unsuccessfully for the Ohio State Senate.
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Justin Hamilton
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Justin Anthony Hamilton is a Croatian-American professional basketball coach and former player who is a video coordinator and player development coach for the Golden State Warriors of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones and the LSU Tigers.
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Nate Mooney
- Occupations
- actor
- Biography
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Nate Mooney is an American actor best known for his recurring role as Ryan McPoyle on the FX comedy series It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
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Randy Feenstra
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Randall Lee Feenstra is an American politician and businessman serving as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 4th congressional district. The district covers the state's western border and its northwestern quadrant, including Sioux City, Ames, Council Bluffs, and Marshalltown.
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Chris Taylor
- Occupations
- professional wrestleractoramateur wrestler
- Biography
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Christopher J. Taylor was an American super-heavyweight wrestler. He competed in freestyle and Greco-Roman events at the 1972 Summer Olympics and won a bronze medal in the freestyle. At 412 pounds (187 kg), he was the heaviest Olympian ever until the appearance of judoka Ricardo Blas Jr. in 2008 (weight limits have since been imposed).
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Graham Spanier
- Occupations
- announcer
- Biography
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Graham Basil Spanier is a South African-born American sociologist and university administrator who became the 16th president of Pennsylvania State University on September 1, 1995. On November 9, 2011, in the wake of the Penn State child sex abuse scandal, Spanier and longtime football coach Joe Paterno were “removed from their positions” by the Penn State board of trustees.
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Kevin Jackson
- Occupations
- amateur wrestler
- Biography
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Kevin Andre Jackson is an American retired freestyle and folkstyle wrestler, and mixed martial artist. Following his competitive career, Jackson would become a wrestling coach.
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Jamaal Tinsley
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jamaal Lee Tinsley is an American former professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association (NBA). Tinsley played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones. Following his senior year, he was drafted by the Vancouver Grizzlies with the 27th pick of the 2001 NBA draft and was immediately dealt to the Atlanta Hawks, and then to the Indiana Pacers on draft night. Tinsley played 11 seasons in the NBA, primarily with the Pacers, as well as the Grizzlies and Jazz.
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Jackson Vroman
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jackson Brett Vroman was an American-born Lebanese professional basketball player who starred at Iowa State University. Mr. Vroman was naturalized as a Lebanese citizen to play for the Lebanon national basketball team, replacing the other naturalized American Lebanese player, Joe Vogel. He is the son of former NBA player Brett Vroman, who played briefly for the Utah Jazz in the 1980–81 NBA season.
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Isa Kalantari
- Occupations
- managerpolitician
- Biography
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Isa Kalantari is an Iranian politician and former vice president, former head of Urmia Lake Restoration Program, and the former head of Department of Environment, serving from 2017 to 2021. He served as minister of agriculture in last year of Khamenei's presidency, in both terms of Rafsanjani's presidency and also in first term of President Khatami.
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Marcus Fizer
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Darnell Marcus Lamar Fizer is an American former professional basketball player.
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Harvey Gantt
- Occupations
- architectpolitician
- Biography
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Harvey Bernard Gantt is an American architect and Democratic politician active in North Carolina. The first African-American student admitted to Clemson University after attending Iowa State University, Gantt graduated with honors in architecture, earned a master's at MIT, and established an architectural practice in Charlotte with a partner.
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Subra Suresh
- Occupations
- academicuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Subra Suresh is an Indian-born American engineer, materials scientist, and academic leader. He is currently Professor at Large at Brown University and Vannevar Bush Professor of Engineering Emeritus at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and board member at the Villars Institute. He was Dean of the School of Engineering at MIT from 2007 to 2010 before being appointed as Director of the National Science Foundation (NSF) by Barack Obama, where he served from 2010 to 2013. He was the president of Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) from 2013 to 2017. Between 2018 and 2022, he was the fourth President of Singapore's Nanyang Technological University (NTU), where he was also the inaugural Distinguished University Professor.
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Sehat Sutardja
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- Graduated with Bachelor of Science in electrical engineering
- Occupations
- businessperson
- Biography
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Sehat Sutardja was an Indonesian-born American billionaire businessman who was the co-founder of Marvell Technology. Marvell was involved with industry segments including data storage, mobile and smart TVs. At the time of his death, Forbes estimated his net worth at US$1.3 billion, making him the 2,390th richest person in the world.
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Jared Homan
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jared William Homan is an American professional basketball player who last played for Maccabi Ashdod of the Israeli Premier League. His natural position is power forward, but he is also an accomplished center.
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Melvin Ejim
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Melvin Obinna Ejim is a Nigerian-Canadian professional basketball player for Unicaja of the Liga ACB. He played college basketball for Iowa State University before playing professionally in Italy, Russia and Spain, as well as the NBA G League.
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Theaster Gates
- Occupations
- performance artistartistceramicist
- Biography
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Theaster Gates is an American social practice installation artist and a professor in the Department of Visual Arts at the University of Chicago. He was born in Chicago, Illinois, where he still lives and works.
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Danny Harris
- Occupations
- athletics competitor
- Biography
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Danny Lee Harris is an American former track and field athlete who specialized in the 400-meter hurdles (400 mH), in which he won silver medals at the 1984 Olympics and the 1987 World Championships.
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David Loebsack
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 1974 graduated with Bachelor of Science
- Occupations
- politicianuniversity teacherpolitical scientist
- Biography
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David Wayne Loebsack is an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 2nd congressional district from 2007 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he also is an emeritus professor of political science at Cornell College, where he had taught since 1982. On April 12, 2019, Loebsack announced he would not seek reelection.
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Lindell Wigginton
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Lindell Shamar Wigginton is a Canadian professional basketball player who last played for the Shandong Hi-Speed Kirin of the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA). He played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones.
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Maxx Payne
- Occupations
- writertelevision actorprofessional wrestleractor
- Biography
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Darryl Peterson is an American musician, actor and retired professional wrestler. He is best known for his time in World Championship Wrestling as Maxx Payne, and in the World Wrestling Federation as Man Mountain Rock.
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Will McDonald IV
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Wilbert McDonald IV is an American professional football defensive end for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Iowa State and was selected by the Jets as the 15th pick in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft.
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Michael M. Crow
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 1977 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- opinion journalistuniversity teacheracademic administrator
- Biography
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Michael M. Crow is an American professor, science and technology policy scholar and expert in university design. He is the 16th and current president of Arizona State University, having succeeded Lattie F. Coor on July 1, 2002. He is credited with designing the New American University model, which demonstrates simultaneous educational access, comprehensive excellence and social impact.
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Diante Garrett
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Diante Maurice Garrett is an American basketball coach and former professional player who is an assistant coach for the Iowa State Cyclones. He played college basketball for the Cyclones from 2007 to 2011.
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Deonte Burton
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Deonte DeAngelo Burton is an American professional basketball player for the Anyang Jung Kwan Jang Red Boosters of the Korean Basketball League (KBL). He played college basketball for the Marquette Golden Eagles and the Iowa State Cyclones.
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Clayton Anderson
- Occupations
- engineerradio operatorastronautaerospace engineermilitary flight engineer
- Biography
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Clayton Conrad Anderson is a retired NASA astronaut. Launched on STS-117, he replaced Sunita Williams on June 10, 2007, as a member of the ISS Expedition 15 crew. He is currently an author, a motivational speaker, and a Professor of Practice at Iowa State University in Ames, Iowa. In 2022 he became the president and CEO of the Strategic Air Command & Aerospace Museum.
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LeRoy E. Cain
- Occupations
- engineer
- Biography
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LeRoy Edward Cain is an American aerospace engineer who worked for NASA as a flight director, launch integration manager and deputy manager of the Space Shuttle Program. Cain may be best known to the public from footage and documentaries showing his work as the entry flight director for STS-107, the mission that ended in the catastrophic disintegration of Space Shuttle Columbia, February 1, 2003. Cain issued the famous "Lock the doors" command, initiating contingency procedures in mission control for the first time since the Space Shuttle Challenger disaster 17 years earlier.
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Eugene Burton Ely
- Occupations
- aircraft pilot
- Biography
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Eugene Burton Ely was an American aviation pioneer, credited with the first shipboard aircraft takeoff and landing.
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Luis Ernesto Derbez
- Occupations
- diplomatministereconomist
- Biography
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Luis Ernesto Derbez Bautista is a Mexican politician and rector of the Universidad de las Américas Puebla (UDLAP). He served as Mexico's Secretary of Economy from 2000 to 2002 and Secretary of Foreign Affairs from 2003 to 2006.
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Philip J. Klass
- Occupations
- engineerjournalistufologist
- Biography
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Philip Julian Klass was an American aviation/aerospace journalist and UFO researcher, best known for his skepticism regarding UFOs. In the ufological and skeptical communities, Klass inspires polarized appraisals. He has been called the "Sherlock Holmes of UFOlogy". Klass demonstrated "the crusader's zeal for what seems 'right,' regardless of whether it brings popular acclaim," a trait he claimed his father instilled in him. "I've found," said Klass, "that roughly 97, 98 percent of the people who report seeing UFOs are fundamentally intelligent, honest people who have seen something—usually at night, in darkness—that is unfamiliar, that they cannot explain." The rest, he said, were frauds.
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Parviz Davoodi
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 1981 graduated with Doctor of Economics
- Occupations
- politicianeconomist
- Biography
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Parviz Davoodi was an Iranian education and conservative politician who was the third first vice president from 2005 to 2009. He was a member of the Expediency Discernment Council.
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Eric Cooper
- Occupations
- baseball umpire
- Biography
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Eric Richard Cooper was an American professional baseball umpire, whose Major League Baseball (MLB) career spanned 1999 until his death in October 2019. He wore umpire uniform number 56. As a Major League umpire, Cooper officiated in ten Division Series, four League Championship Series, three Wild Card Games, one All-Star Game, and one World Series.
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Lauro Cavazos
- Occupations
- academic administratoreducatoruniversity teacherpoliticianzoologist
- Biography
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Lauro Fred Cavazos Jr. was an American educator and politician. He served as the United States Secretary of Education, and was the first Hispanic to serve in the United States Cabinet.
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Frank Steunenberg
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Frank Steunenberg was the fourth governor of the State of Idaho, serving from 1897 until 1901. He was assassinated in 1905 by one-time union member Harry Orchard, who was also a paid informant for the Cripple Creek Mine Owners' Association. Orchard attempted to implicate leaders of the radical Western Federation of Miners in the assassination. The labor leaders were found not guilty in two trials, but Orchard spent the rest of his life in prison.
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Bridget Carleton
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- 2015-2019 studied kinesiology
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Bridget Carleton is a Canadian professional basketball player for the Minnesota Lynx of the Women's National Basketball Association (WNBA) and for Çukurova Basketbol of the Turkish Super League. She played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones and competed internationally with the Canada national team.
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Theresa Greenfield
- Occupations
- real estate agentpoliticianurban planner
- Biography
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Theresa Greenfield is an American businesswoman, government official, and former political candidate. She was the Democratic nominee for the 2020 United States Senate election in Iowa, losing to incumbent Republican Joni Ernst.
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Tyrus McGee
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Tyrus McGee is an American professional basketball player who last played for SIG Strasbourg of the French LNB Pro A. He has previously played for Iowa State.
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Julian Banzon
- Occupations
- biochemistchemist
- Biography
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Julián Arca Banzón was a Filipino biochemist and a National Scientist of the Philippines. Banzon is credited for his research in alternative fuel. He researched on the production of ethyl ester fuels from sugarcane and coconuts and devised a method of extracting residual coconut oil through chemical means.
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Matt Blair
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Matthew Albert Blair was an American professional football linebacker who played for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL) for all 12 seasons of his career from 1974 to 1985. He played college football for the Northeastern Oklahoma A&M Golden Norsemen and the Iowa State Cyclones.
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Bourke B. Hickenlooper
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- Studied in 1919
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Bourke Blakemore Hickenlooper, was an American politician and member of the Republican Party, first elected to statewide office in Iowa as lieutenant governor, serving from 1939 to 1943 and then as the 29th Governor of Iowa from 1943 to 1945. Hickenlooper was first elected to the United States Senate in 1944. He served in the Senate from 1945 to 1969.
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Bruce Braley
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 1980 graduated with Bachelor of Arts
- Occupations
- lawyerpolitician
- Biography
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Bruce Lowell Braley is an American politician and attorney who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 1st congressional district from 2007 to 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, he was defeated in his attempt to win an open seat in the 2014 United States Senate election in Iowa.
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H. Otley Beyer
- Occupations
- anthropologistuniversity teacher
- Biography
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Henry Otley Beyer was an American anthropologist, who spent most of his adult life in the Philippines teaching Philippine indigenous culture. A.V.H. Hartendorp called Beyer the "Dean of Philippine ethnology, archaeology, and prehistory".
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John Melcher
- Occupations
- veterinarianpolitician
- Biography
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John David Melcher was an American politician of the Democratic Party who represented Montana for four terms as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1969 to 1977 and as a United States Senator for two terms from 1977 until 1989.
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Berkley Bedell
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Berkley Warren Bedell was an American Democratic Party politician and businessman who served as the U.S. representative for Iowa's 6th congressional district from 1975 to 1987. After starting a successful business in his youth, Berkley Fly Co., he ran for Congress in 1972, but was defeated by incumbent Wiley Mayne. In 1974 however, Bedell beat Mayne and was elected to the U.S. House.
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Henry Cantwell Wallace
- Occupations
- university teacherpoliticianwriterjournalistpublisher
- Biography
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Henry Cantwell Wallace was an American farmer, journalist, and political activist who served as the secretary of agriculture from 1921 to 1924 under Republican presidents Warren G. Harding and Calvin Coolidge. He was the father of Henry A. Wallace, who would follow in his father's footsteps as secretary of agriculture and later became vice president under Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He was an editor of Wallaces' Farmer from 1916 to 1921.
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Craig Brackins
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Craig Lee Brackins is an American former professional basketball player.
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Lauretta Bender
- Occupations
- child psychiatristphysicianpsychiatrist
- Biography
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Lauretta Bender was an American child neuropsychiatrist known for developing the Bender-Gestalt Test, a psychological test designed to evaluate visual-motor maturation in children. First published by Bender in 1938, the test became widely used for assessing children's neurological function and screening for developmental disorders. She performed research in the areas of autism spectrum disorders in children, suicide and violence. She was one of the first researchers to suggest that mental disorders in children might have a neurological basis, rather than attributing them to the child's bad behavior or poor upbringing.
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Darleane C. Hoffman
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 1951 graduated with Doctor of Philosophy
- Occupations
- university teacherchemist
- Biography
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Darleane Christian Hoffman is an American nuclear chemist who was among the researchers who confirmed the existence of seaborgium, element 106. She is a faculty senior scientist in the Nuclear Science Division of Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and a professor in the graduate school at UC Berkeley. In acknowledgment of her many achievements, Discover magazine recognized her in 2002 as one of the 50 most important women in science.
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Yang Hung-duen
- Occupations
- politicianphysicistresearcher
- Biography
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Yang Hung-duen is a Taiwanese physicist. Yang was the president of National Sun Yat-sen University from 2008 to 2016, when he was selected to lead the National Science and Technology Council.
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Ashley Joens
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- Studied in 2018-2023
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Ashley Rose Joens is an American professional basketball player who most recently played for the Tauranga Whai of the Tauihi Basketball Aotearoa. She played college basketball for the Iowa State Cyclones of the Big 12 Conference. She plays both the small forward and shooting guard positions. Joens had been considered one of the top prospects in the 2022 WNBA draft, but chose not to enter the draft and returned for a fifth season in 2022–23.
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Donald Cressey
- Occupations
- sociologistuniversity teachercriminologist
- Biography
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Donald Ray Cressey was an American penologist, sociologist, and criminologist who made innovative contributions to the study of organized crime, prisons, criminology, the sociology of criminal law, white-collar crime.
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Guor Marial
- Occupations
- marathon runnerathletics competitor
- Biography
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Guor Mading Maker, also known as Guor Marial, is a South Sudanese Olympic track and field athlete. He is a Dinka tribesman.
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Frank Cownie
- Occupations
- politician
- Biography
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Thomas Michael Franklin "Frank" Cownie is an American politician who served as mayor of Des Moines, Iowa from 2004 to 2024. He also owns and operates Cownie Furs, a store that has been in his family for generations.
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Xavier Hutchinson
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- In 2022 graduated with bachelor's degree in criminal justice
- Occupations
- American football player
- Biography
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Xavier Hutchinson is an American professional football wide receiver for the Houston Texans of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Blinn and Iowa State.
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Robert D. Bullard
- Occupations
- sociologistuniversity teacherecologist
- Biography
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Robert Doyle Bullard is an American academic who is the former Dean of the Barbara Jordan - Mickey Leland School Of Public Affairs (October 2011 – August 2016) and is currently a Distinguished Professor at Texas Southern University. Previously Ware Professor of Sociology and Director of the Environmental Justice Resource Center at Clark Atlanta University, Bullard is known as the "father of environmental justice". He has been a leading campaigner against environmental racism, as well as the foremost scholar of the problem, and of the Environmental Justice Movement which sprung up in the United States in the 1980s.
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Lucca Staiger
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Lucca Staiger is a German former professional basketball player. Standing at 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m), he played the shooting guard position. He played collegiate basketball for Iowa State University.
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Betty Bumpers
- Occupations
- teacherpeace activist
- Biography
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Betty Lou Bumpers was an American politician, advocate for childhood immunizations, and world peace activist, who served as the First Lady of Arkansas from 1971 to 1975. Together, she and Rosalynn Carter ran a successful campaign to ensure that all American school children were immunized. Bumpers was the wife of Dale Bumpers, who served as governor of Arkansas from 1971 to 1975 and as a U.S. Senator from 1975 to 1999.
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Zaid Abdul-Aziz
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Zaid Abdul-Aziz is an American former professional basketball player. He was known as Don Smith until he changed his name to Zaid Abdul-Aziz in 1976 after he converted to Islam.
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Georgios Tsalmpouris
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Georgios Tsalmpouris is a Greek professional basketball player for Panionios of the Greek Basket League. Tsalmpouris is 7 ft 2 in (2.18 m) tall, weighs 240 pounds (110 kg), and plays at the power forward and center positions.
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Dustin Hogue
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Dustin Hogue is an American professional basketball player for Real Sebastiani Rieti of the Serie A2. He played college basketball for Indian Hills Community College and Iowa State Cyclones. Hogue entered the 2015 NBA draft, but was not selected in the draft's two rounds.
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Alex Hershaft
- Occupations
- chemist
- Biography
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Alex Hershaft is an American animal rights activist, Holocaust survivor, and co-founder and president of the Farm Animal Rights Movement, the nation's oldest (1976) organization devoted exclusively to promoting the rights of animals not to be raised for food. Previously, he has had a 30-year career in materials science and environmental consulting and a prominent role in movements for religious freedom and environmental quality.
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Tom Latham
- Enrolled in Iowa State University
- Studied in 1967-1970
- Occupations
- politicianbusiness executive
- Biography
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Thomas Paul Latham is an American politician who served as a U.S. representative for Iowa from 1995 to 2015. He is a member of the Republican Party. On December 17, 2013, Latham announced he would not seek reelection next term, becoming the third member of the U.S. House to announce his retirement on the same day (along with Frank Wolf from Virginia and Jim Matheson from Utah).
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Robert Truax
- Occupations
- engineermilitary flight engineermilitary officer
- Biography
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Captain Robert C. Truax was an American rocket engineer in the United States Navy, and companies such as Aerojet and Truax Engineering, which he founded. Truax was a proponent of low-cost rocket engine and vehicle designs.
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Thomas M. Hoenig
- Occupations
- economist
- Biography
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Thomas Michael Hoenig is a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Mercatus Center. He became a director of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation on April 16, 2012, and served as vice chairman from November 30, 2012 to April 30, 2018. From 1991 to 2011, he served as the eighth chief executive of the Tenth District Federal Reserve Bank, in Kansas City, United States. In 2010, he was serving as a voting member of the Federal Open Market Committee, as one of five of the twelve Federal Reserve Bank presidents that sit on the Committee on a yearly rotating basis. He is known as an "anti-inflation hawk".
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Jameel McKay
- Occupations
- basketball player
- Biography
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Jameel McKay is an American former professional basketball player. He played two seasons of college basketball for Iowa State, where as a junior in 2014–15, he was named Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year when he averaged 2.4 blocked shots per game. In 2017, he won an NBL championship with the Perth Wildcats.
