Report of Recommendations to the Iowa Department of Commerce, June 30, 2004

State Audit Reports

Report of Recommendations to the State University of Iowa, June 30, 2004

State University Audit Report

Report of Recommendations to the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, June 30, 2004

State Audit Reports

Report of Recommendations to the Iowa Department of Elder Affairs, June 30, 2004

State Audit Reports

Report of Recommendations to Iowa State University of Science and Technology, June 30, 2004

State University Audit Report

Iowa Turkey Marketing Council, Independent Auditor's Reports, Financial Statements, Schedule of Findings, December 31, 2003 & 2004

State Audit Reports

Iowa Liquor Quarterly, February 2004

Quarterly publication produced by Iowa Alcholic Beverages Division, Department of Commerce

Iowa Liquor Quarterly, May 2004

Quarterly publication produced by Iowa Alcholic Beverages Division, Department of Commerce

Iowa Liquor Quarterly, August 2004

Quarterly publication produced by Iowa Alcholic Beverages Division, Department of Commerce

Iowa Liquor Quarterly, November 2004

Quarterly publication produced by Iowa Alcholic Beverages Division, Department of Commerce

Report of Recommendations to the Iowa Judicial Branch - County Clerks of District Courts, June 30, 2004

Other Audit Reports - Iowa Judicial Branch

Report of Recommendations to the Iowa School for the Deaf, June 30, 2004

State University Audit Report - Iowa School for the Deaf

Developing an Effective Construction Training Program for Hispanic Supervisors and Craft Workers, January 2004

Hispanics make up a growing percentage of the craft workers entering the construction industry, and this has created several challenges for American construction companies. This study addresses the situation by investigating training needs for Hispanic construction craft workers and developing a training program for them within the industry. In order to evaluate current craft workers’ conditions within the construction industry, Iowa State University researchers conducted a survey, with 98 Hispanic craft workers as respondents from 10 construction companies, to determine current working conditions. The results confirm that the language barrier is an obstacle for both the Hispanic workers and the English-speaking employees involved in construction projects. As a part of this research, two training courses were designed to help both American construction companies and their Hispanic labor force to overcome the barriers that keep them from succeeding safely and productively. A training course titled English as a Second Language Survival Course was developed to facilitate basic communication between Hispanic workers and their American supervisors using construction-focused terminology. This course was delivered once as a trial run for a two-hour duration and twice for a full-length duration of eight hours. Important feedback was obtained from participants as part of the evaluations of the course. “How much of the course contents will be useful in your working environment” was asked; 40% of workers said “all of it” and 60% said “most of it.” Another question was “Was it worth taking the time to attend the course?” to which 94% answered “definitely” and 6% answered “yes.” A second training course titled Stepping Up to Supervisor Course for Hispanic Construction Workers was also developed to provide an effective tool to help companies promote those Hispanic craft workers whose willingness and skills meet the requirements to advance to a supervisory position in an American construction company. This course will be offered in the spring of 2004.

Defining the Attributes of Good In-Service Portland Cement Concrete Pavements, December 2004

Much of the current research in portland cement concrete (PCC) pavements deals with the analysis of early pavement life failures and seeks to find ways to prevent those from reoccurring. The Long Term Pavement Performance (LTPP) portion of the Strategic Highway Research Program (SHRP) has identified some of the key factors in designing and building new PCC pavements. This statement will build on the Iowa Highway Research Board (IHRB) project TR-463, Field Performance Study of Past Iowa Pavement Research: A Look Back. In Iowa and across the nation, there are multiple pavements that were built more than 20 years ago that have been and are continuing to provide very good service to the public. They are found on both state and local routes and in both low and high traffic volume areas. There is a need to learn what went into those pavements, from the subgrade through the surface, that makes them perform so well. The purpose of this research project was to conduct a scoping study that could be used to evaluate the need for additional research to study the attributes of well-performing concrete pavements. The concept of zero-maintenance jointed plain concrete pavements” was iterated in this study for long-lasting, well-performing portland cement concrete pavement sections. The scope of the study was limited to a brief literature survey, pavement performance data collection from many counties, cities, and primary and interstate roads in Iowa, field visits to many selected pavement sites, and analysis of the collected data. No laboratory orfield testing was conducted for this phase of the project. A problem statement with a research plan was created that could be used to guide the second phase of the project.

Enlgish and Spanish Terms for Concrete Paving Workers, November 2004

Proper storage practices are critical to protect materials from intermingling, contamination, or degradation, and to maintain consistent aggregate gradation throughout a project. Concrete Paving Workforce Reference no.4. Spanish version.