Iowa State University of Science and Technology, more commonly known as Iowa State University (ISU), is a public land-grant and space-grant research university located in Ames, Iowa, United States. Iowa State has produced astronauts, scientists, and Nobel and Pulitzer Prize winners, along with a host of other notable individuals in their respective fields. Until 1959 it was known as the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts. Founded in 1858 and coeducational from its start, ISU is classified as a Research University with very high research activity (RU/VH) by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. The university is a group member of the prestigious American Association of Universities, Universities Research Association, and the Big 12 Conference. Iowa State is a leader in agriculture, engineering, extension, and home economics, and created the nation's first state veterinary medicine school in 1879. In 1933, Iowa State established the Statistical Laboratory. It was and is the first research and consulting institute of its kind in the country.