Iowa State University of Science and Technology (Iowa State) is a flagship public land-grant and space-grant research university in Ames, Iowa. It is the largest university in the state of Iowa and the third largest university in the Big 12 athletic conference. Iowa State is classified as a research university with "highest research activity" by the Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching. Iowa State is also a member of the prestigious Association of American Universities (AAU), which consists of 60 leading research universities in North America.