Finding new uses for familiar Iowa-grown plants is part of the goal behind a conference on bio-energy wrapping up this afternoon in Ames. Jill Euken is the ag team leader at Iowa Industries of the Future, which sponsored the symposium that gathered everyone from farmers to federal officials.The daylong meeting called “Bio-based Products and Bio-energy Symposium” has gathered about 300 people. Euken says corn, soybeans, plant residue, wood waste and animal droppings can be converted to energy, chemicals, plastics, fiber, food products and pharmaceuticals. She says this gathering was designed to get people with good ideas for bio-energy together.Iowa Industries of the Future is a cooperative effort of I-S-U, the Ames Lab, the Center for Industrial Research and Services, the Iowa D-N-R and the Iowa Energy Center.