University of Iowa

In a "this-doesn't-happen-in-real-life kind of moment," 19 University of Iowa students get a crash course in the film business, landing a deal for their rewriting of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic.

The Iowa Reading Research Center at the University of Iowa introduces families to assistive technology that may help their children with reading and writing, and Karah Kluck is deeply involved in making it happen.

University of Iowa PharmD student Brittany Nguyen witnessed Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds as she signed into law new legislation that expanded the services pharmacists are able to provide while at the same time expanding access to healthcare for all Iowans. All of Iowa's 99 counties have local pharmacies, but not all have the same access to health care facilities.

During Asian American Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Lela Fossett, a first-year student in the UI Carver College of Medicine's master of physician assistant studies program, reflected recently on her heritage and how that has shaped her into who she is today-a physician assistant student who enjoys singing, learning, and helping the community.

A group of pharmacy students led by Sydney Ross spearheaded the creation of a new student organization whose charge is to educate students, develop and support their passions, and provide resources to achieve career goals in industry pharmacy.

Kaelen Novak seemed to make a huge jump upon completing his bachelor's degree in integrative biology and joining the University of Iowa's MFA program in theatre arts. It turns out his educational trajectory has been full of many unexpected but meaningful pivots.

Luka Garza is an elite basketball player, but he's not a one-dimensional person. The Iowa economics major was out front on NFTs-an endeavor that will benefit UI Stead Family Children's Hospital-and looks to be a resource for athletes as name, image, and likeness laws take effect.

University of Iowa student Sam Bornstein leads one of college baseball's largest analytics staffs, giving the Hawkeyes an edge on the diamond.

Bikere Ikoba graduated from the University of Iowa with a Master of Public Health degree in May 2021. She studied community and behavioral health.

Students and organizations at the University of Iowa were recently honored by the Office of Leadership, Service and Civic Engagement for their contributions to the robust collection of student-run organizations on the Iowa campus. In addition to the annual Hawkeye Awards, Iowa also announced this year's winners of the Dr. Tom Rocklin Meet the Challenge Awards and the Sean Wu Awards.

Fifth-year University of Iowa PhD candidate Qing Zou is on a roll. The graduate research assistant at the Iowa Technology Institute placed first for the Best Paper Award at the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers-International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (IEEE-ISBI) 2021 on April 16. On April 19, he defended his PhD dissertation in the multidisciplinary Applied Mathematics & Computational Sciences (AMCS) program.

Nineteen students will speak at commencement ceremonies to be staged at the University of Iowa beginning May 13. About 5,300 students at Iowa will receive their degrees in livestreamed, virtual commencement ceremonies, beginning with the College of Pharmacy's Doctor of Pharmacy ceremony on May 13 and concluding with the College of Dentistry's ceremony on June 4. Additional virtual ceremonies will take place between May 13 and May 22.

Brian Shanahan is heading into the workforce armed with a degree in civil engineering, a resume full of research experience gained at the Iowa Technology Institute (ITI), and the title of 2021 College of Engineering "Outstanding Student Researcher."

Stevland Sonnier, an Master in Public Health in Policy student, co-authored an issue brief on telehealth expansion and the potential for fraud that helped inform testimony at a recent Ways and Means Committee hearing in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Master of Public Health student Bikere Ikoba has been awarded the 2021 Sprince Zwerling Award for Social Justice. This honor is given to a distinguished, well-deserving graduate student in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health who is pursuing an interest in addressing health disparities and alleviating social injustice.

Ten current students at the University of Iowa were among those honored at the 2021 Hancher-Finkbine Dinner. Since its beginning, the Hancher-Finkbine Dinner has recognized the importance and value of learning, leadership, and loyalty. With the introduction of the first Hancher-Finkbine medallion, awarded to Dennis L. Pauling in 1966, a new tradition was born in recognizing individuals that best exemplify those qualities.

The Henry Fund, the University of Iowa's graduate student-managed investment fund, recently was named the top fund in its class based on its performance in 2020. The fund took top honors in the graduate category at the Global Asset Management Education Forum by returning 29.99% in 2020, the best performance of any other fund and beating the S&P 500 index by better than 11%.

Thirteen students were recognized with scholarships to honor their work and commitment to women's issues, diversity, and social activism at the University of Iowa's annual Celebration of Excellence and Achievement Among Women They were honored alongside two exceptional female University of Iowa leaders and educators were awarded the Susan C. Buckley Distinguished Achievement Award for Staff and May Brodbeck Distinguished Achievement Award for Faculty.

University of Iowa students, faculty and staff continued making great strides in research, scholarship, and innovation this past year-despite the pandemic-as standout investigators, inventors, and mentors. While the Office of the Vice President for Research (OVPR) had to forego a public ceremony recognizing their work, Vice President for Research Marty Scholtz said it's just as valued and essential to advance understanding in medicine, engineering, the arts, and the humanities. "While some of the work honored by these awards began prior COVID-19, it's incredible that these researchers and scholars have been able to continue making tremendous progress in spite of the monumental challenges of this past year," Scholtz said. "We're grateful for all these faculty members, staff, and students do to support the university's mission and bring new light to ongoing challenges in the world today."

University of Iowa College of Education doctoral student Carly D. Armour received the National Disability Leadership Award for her dedication to advocating for individuals with disabilities in higher education.

Current Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) student Michaela Inman has been named the University of Iowa's Student Employee of the Year. Inman is a research assistant for College of Nursing Assistant Professor Julie Vignato, PhD, RN. She was nominated by Dr. Vignato and selected as the winner, beating out the other 67 nominees from this year's campaign.

After someone is diagnosed with breast cancer, they can face countless hurdles to treat their disease. Even after treatment is complete, however, survivors are many times left with lasting and unexpected symptoms and changes to their bodies. Many breast cancer survivors experience debilitating fatigue, severe fear of cancer recurrence, depression, anxiety, and a now unfamiliar body, amongst other setbacks in the transition. Recognizing these adversities, University of Iowa graduate student Ariana Shahnazi focused her dissertation on analyzing the various challenges survivors face and the types of support that can help them better cope with these challenges.

As a sculptor, Kelly Clare is drawn to creating installations where anything can happen. Clare, a third-year MFA student in the School of Art and Art History, makes her artistic magic by presenting everyday objects such as orange juice, pancakes, construction equipment, bread, and prairie soil in new and exciting ways.

Abylay Zhexembay has been drawn to math since middle school, but actuarial science was nowhere on his radar. He first learned about the field as he left his hometown in Kazakhstan to pursue his bachelor's degree in the United States. While he had little exposure to actuarial science growing up, his experiences with the field in college have led him to study it on an advanced level in his program now at the University of Iowa.

Black History Month at the University of Iowa is a time to celebrate love-be it familial, based in friendship, or otherwise. Four Iowa students share their stories about the mentors and student groups with whom they developed a special bond.

Sometimes some members of the greater University of Iowa community are lucky enough to work with a professor who not only helps us excel in our studies, but also sparks the spirit of giving back to the community. Such is the case this winter in Iowa's College of Public Health.

While the coronavirus pandemic has made life challenging for everyone at the University of Iowa, one area that has been especially hit hard has been Multicultural and International Student Support and Engagement and the student cohorts it seeks to serve.

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 Nicholas Runyon is a junior studying English and creative writing at the University of Iowa. He is the editor-in-chief of New Moon Magazine and a fiction editor at earthwords: the undergraduate literary review.

The pandemic cancelled the University of Iowa's annual Iowa Brain Bee competition, but thanks to neuroscience PhD student Carolina Deifelt Streese that didn't mean high school students across the state of Iowa interested in learning more about neuroscience were left empty-handed.

To celebrate the ingenuity, resilience, and innovation of student researchers at the University of Iowa, the Office of the Vice President for Research is again sponsoring the Dare to Discover campaign. The annual program this year highlights the work of 52 undergraduate and graduate students who are making waves in disciplines across campus, from music education to neuroscience, business analytics, public health, chemistry, French and Italian, law, engineering, sociology, physics and astronomy, and much more.