Fifteen current students at the University of Iowa have been invited to participate in the 2021 Obermann Graduate Institute, a 3 1/2-day interdisciplinary institute at Iowa in which graduate students from across campus and at any point in their graduate studies explore how public engagement can enhance teaching, research, and creative work.

The Writing University -- a collaborative, interdisciplinary initiative sponsored by the Graduate College and the Office of the Provost at the University of Iowa - periodically interviews with writers in the various writing programs at Iowa. The Writing University recently visited with Sam Eliasen, an English and Creative Writing major and the Editor-in-Chief of INK LIT Magazine.

Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Writing University -- a collaborative, interdisciplinary initiative sponsored by the Graduate College and the Office of the Provost at the University of Iowa -- has continued its series of interviews with writers in the various Iowa writing programs. The Writing University recently visited with Signe Nettum, a junior double majoring in creative writing, and Journalism and Mass Communication.

An essay by Mishma Nixon, a junior at the University of Iowa majoring in English and creative writing and one of two recipients of Iowa's 2020 Global Student Award, recently was published in Teen Vogue. Titled "Classes on Racial Justice Can End Up Burdening Students, Faculty of Color," the essay "talks about how students of color are often the ones asked to educate and share their experiences during conversations on race."

More than 80 University of Iowa student-athletes have been named to the 2020 Big Ten Fall Academic All-Conference team. The list includes student-athletes from Iowa's men's cross country (5), women's cross country (15), field hockey (11), football (26), women's soccer (19), and volleyball (10) teams and four student-athletes who had perfect grade point averages.

Ten University of Iowa students currently serving on the University Lecture Committee (ULC) have helped to guide the committee through the challenges presented by the pandemic while also helping to land a series of speaker very relevant to the topics of the day. The ULC is a presidential charter committee whose mission is to stimulate thought, discussion, and engagement by bringing notable thinkers and speakers to campus, and the Iowa City community each academic year.

At Iowa, we believe great teams, not individuals, will find solutions to important issues. Our Fall 2020 graduates collaborated with people across campus and in the community under challenging circumstances.

December graduates from the University of Iowa parlayed their academic and research experiences into prominent jobs in industry or advances into graduate and postgraduate programs.

Four soon-to-be graduates took full advantage of world-renowned University of Iowa writing resources to prepare for their future, regardless of academic area or job field.

Ten current students at the University of Iowa will deliver messages alongside other Iowa and Board of Regents representatives in live-streamed, virtual commencement ceremonies at which almost 1,900 students will receive their degrees. The student speakers represent the full gamut of academic experiences with undergraduate, master's and doctoral degree recipients in the mix. The series of commencements begins with the College of Education's undergraduate and Teacher Education Program recognition on Dec. 17 and concludes with the College of Education's ceremony for undergraduates on Dec. 20.

More than 70 current Doctor of Pharmacy students at the University of Iowa recently received the UI College of Pharmacy's Student Pharmacist ExCELS Award. The award is presented to students for their commitment to service and leadership.

Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Writing University -- a collaborative, interdisciplinary initiative sponsored by the Graduate College and the Office of the Provost at the University of Iowa -- has continued its series of interviews with writers in the various Iowa writing programs. The Writing University recently visited with Mallory Truckenmiller Saylor, an MFA Iowa Arts Fellow in literary translation at the University of Iowa.

University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine students Becky Peoples and Bryn Myers created a chapter of the White Coats for Black Lives, a national organization that calls on medical students across the country to take action. The chapter began meeting this fall with 20 members.

As part of its ongoing "5Q" series of interviews, the Writing University -- a collaborative, interdisciplinary initiative sponsored by the Graduate College and the Office of the Provost at the University of Iowa -- recently visited with Rishika Avvari, a senior working towards a bachelors degree in Biomedical Sciences on a pre-medicine track and a student in the Magid Center Certificate in Writing. As is the custom, the conversation was about her work, her process, and her descriptions of home.

Even in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic, the Writing University -- a collaborative, interdisciplinary initiative sponsored by the Graduate College and the Office of the Provost at the University of Iowa -- has continued its series of interviews with writers in the various Iowa writing programs. The Writing University recently visited with Ellie Zupancic, a senior English and Creative Writing major and the former Editor-in-Chief of Fools Magazine and, as always, it asked about her work, her process and her descriptions of home.

With its copyright set to expire, the literary classic is being reimagined by University of Iowa students in what's thought to be a first-of-its-kind class.

It's been a whirlwind 12 months since Suman Sherwani graduated from Iowa. She's working on NASA-funded rocket and satellite missions in the UI Department of Physics and Astronomy, and is featured on Forbes' "30 Under 30" list for science.

A soon-to-be published study co-authored by Min Zhang, graduate student in informatics, finds that companies can find ideas for innovative new products in the consumer review sections on e-commerce websites like Amazon. The review sections are essentially free focus groups where consumers can leave ideas for new or improved products, says Weiguo Fan, professor of business analytics in the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business and study co-author. Finding those nuggets of consumer wisdom can be a challenge, though. Few companies have the resources to sift through thousands of comments across dozens of e-commerce sites, only a small number of which offer any kind of information that could be used for product innovation.

Brett Bahle, an alumnus of the University of Iowa's Psychology PhD program, has been recognized with the Spriestersbach Dissertation Award. Using visual search tasks in his thesis experiments, he found several factors were key in explaining how we focus our visual attention.

Doctoral student Serena (Banu) Gumusoglu recently received the prestigious Rex Montgomery Dissertation Prize, which recognizes the most meritorious dissertation by a University of Iowa doctoral student conducting research in prevention of disease and/or the translation of research into clinical practice. "It's nice to feel that the work is recognized at this level given the peers that I have," Gumusoglu says. "It's definitely representative of the program that nominated me-that I was able to perform at this level and do this work. The strength of the Neuroscience Program at the University of Iowa is what makes it such a destination program for people."

The Speculative Literature Foundation recently announced University of Iowa graduate student Tatiana Schlote-Bonne the winner of its 2020 Diverse Worlds Grant. Schlote-Bonne was honored for her work "The Afterlife Memoirs." She is a second year MFA candidate in the Nonfiction Writing Program inside Iowa's Department of English.

Cynthia Febrina Maharani, a University of Iowa College of Public Health doctoral student in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, has been awarded a 2020-21 International Doctoral Fellowship by the American Association of University Women (AAUW).

Two University of Iowa undergraduate research assistants in the Atmospheric and Environmental Research (AER) Lab of the Iowa Technology Institute leveraged data analysis skills learned at the University of Iowa to study emissions-related weather phenomenons while working for the Marine Meteorology Division of the Naval Research Lab (NRL) last summer.

Students in the Carver College of Medicine Department of Physician Assistant Studies and Services are approaching commencement after a year that has required plenty of flexibility and adjustment. Student body president Amalia Leveille reflects on training during a pandemic and the major strengths of the nationally ranked program.

As an athlete on the Iowa women's track and field team, Marissa Mueller has worked hard at remaining calm under pressure. She used those skills Saturday as she interviewed for the most prestigious opportunity of her college career. Mueller, who will graduate in May with a degree in biomedical engineering, is from Petrolia, Ontario, Canada, and was named one of that country's 11 Rhodes Scholars. She is the 22nd UI student to receive the honor, and the second female.

Eight University of Iowa students on the executive committee for the Food Pantry at Iowa have collaborated to guide the student-run organization through its most challenging -- and rewarding -- year since its introduction four years ago.

The COVID-19 pandemic has halted many longtime traditions this year. But the University of Iowa Department of Dance did not allow it stop the 39th edition of Dance Gala. Dance Gala maintained its high level of professionalism and artistry, but it with a slightly different viewing experience. Instead of watching at Hancher Auditorium or Space Place Theater, audiences tuned in online to watch more than 35 students bring to life works created by six Department of Dance faculty members.

Moala Keshei Bannavti has firsthand experience with PCBs in schools. "I grew up in a town with a lot of underrepresented minorities, and we were all from low-income families," she says. She and her classmates went to an old school with air that likely had high levels of polychlorinated biphenyl (PCBs), an invisible but common compound that she didn't realize can cause an array of health problems until she became a graduate student at the Iowa College of Engineering. "They can cause cancer, disrupt hormones, they're just horrible, and they're found in the air everywhere," she says. To help schools identify and inexpensively remove materials that cause PCBs from their older buildings, Keshei Bannavti is developing a targeted materials-remediation plan as a civil and environmental engineering doctoral student. The research captured first place in the Graduate College's annual Three Minute Thesis competition earlier this month. The 3MT competition helps graduate students learn how to articulate their often complex and complicated research to non-experts clearly and concisely in three minutes or less. That isn't always easy for grad students, most of whom have been taught to go into great depth and speak with a certain language that a non-academic, and sometimes even an academic from another field, may not understand.

A Hawkeye view from the highest coastal mountain in Brazil. A celebration of international LGBTQ+ students living in the Midwest. A leap for joy in the Highlands of Scotland. These moments were experienced and captured in photos by current and former University of Iowa students-including U.S. students who studied abroad, international students on campus, and alumni. They are among the winning images selected for the 2020 International Programs annual photo contest as part of International Education Week -- a way to inspire greater awareness of the many ways UI students can experience international education.

Six University of Iowa students who served in leadership positions helped guide the University of Iowa's Hawk The Vote effort to great success in its first year. The student-led initiative focused on voter education, registration, and turnout for the 2020 Iowa Caucuses, local elections, and the recent federal election.