Two Iowa State University inventors have developed an improved design for electrical transmission poles that makes them less susceptible to cascading collapse during natural disasters such as tornadoes, ice storms and earthquakes. Jon “Matt” Rouse, an Iowa State lecturer in civil, construction and environmental engineering, and Casey Faber, an ISU graduate, formed Summit Technology Group LLC, which has entered into a license agreement with the ISU Research Foundation Inc. for rights to commercialize the invention. The new design that allows the poles to bend but not break and absorb the forces when one pole fails, which allows for cheaper construction.