University of Iowa

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Jocelyn Roof served as executive director and founder for the University of Iowa's Hawk the Vote, a student-led initiative that is part of a greater commitment the university has made to fostering the development of more thoughtful and engaged students. Hawk The Vote focused on voter education, registration, and turnout for the 2020 Iowa Caucuses, local elections, and the recent federal election.

Jacob Schillo received a warm welcome for his military service when he visited the University of Iowa. The fourth-year grad student in genetics has returned the gesture by creating programs to help student veterans succeed academically.

Growing up in rural, northwest Iowa, Gabe Conley's pathway as a first-generation student in medicine seem suniversally different from other classmates and colleagues.

Dominique Badajoz was drawn to the University of Iowa by the prospect of learning more about her Native American heritage with the nearby Meskwaki community. She also found an academic track that is preparing her for a dream job at Apple.

Iowa undergraduate Keely Driscoll is passionate about learning about other cultures-and helping people better understand her own.

Holden Day's great-grandparents were forced to give up their Potawatomi language and culture; the Iowa-trained linguist wants to honor them and their heritage by saving Potawatomi from extinction.

More than 45 current students at the University of Iowa's College of Public Health are working part-time as contact tracers at Johnson County Public Health in Iowa City. These students have the unique experience of helping the local public health department and greater community handle the coronavirus pandemic while gaining valuable skills.

More than 45 current students at the University of Iowa's College of Public Health are working part-time as contact tracers at Johnson County Public Health in Iowa City. These students have the unique experience of helping the local public health department and greater community handle the coronavirus pandemic while gaining valuable skills.

More than 45 current students at the University of Iowa's College of Public Health are working part-time as contact tracers at Johnson County Public Health in Iowa City. These students have the unique experience of helping the local public health department and greater community handle the coronavirus pandemic while gaining valuable skills.

Jacob Fields is one of more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students currently conducting hands-on experimental research in the labs and center at the University of Iowa's Iowa Technology Institute. MORELLI is also among a handful of student researchers profiled on the ITI website.

Nicole Corcoran is one of more than 100 undergraduate and graduate students currently conducting hands-on experimental research in the labs and center at the University of Iowa's Iowa Technology Institute. She is also among a handful of student researchers profiled on the ITI website.

More than 45 current students at the University of Iowa's College of Public Health are working part-time as contact tracers at Johnson County Public Health in Iowa City. These students have the unique experience of helping the local public health department and greater community handle the coronavirus pandemic while gaining valuable skills.

First-gen college student Elizabeth Folkers credits the support from Iowa faculty, resources on campus, and a significant scholarship established for students with backgrounds like hers with her success on campus and furthering her path toward law school.

PTSD and Alzheimer's are two devasting neurological conditions that impact millions of people with no readily available cure. To solve these memory mysteries, scientists must first understand how the brain functions at a more basic level. Krista Wahlstrom, a doctoral candidate in Psychological and Brain Sciences at the University of Iowa, is investigating how the almond-shaped brain region called the amygdala plays a role in the storage of spatial memories. She uses a technique called optogenetics, which allows her to stimulate brain regions and pathways using light, to excite or inhibit certain neural circuits. Krista Wahlstrom on a cloudy day in Scotland.

Nathaniel Ferguson is a master's student in the Jazz Studies Program who is focused on understanding the processes of music production. Although he initially planned to become a school music teacher, Ferguson was ultimately drawn to the University of Iowa's graduate program as a performer and educator because of his experiences in the UI's School of Music. Ferguson has dedicated his thesis project to producing an album based on his experiences in Iowa City. He plans to premier Iowa Nice in December 2020 as the culmination of his project.

Armando Revelez wanted to understand how his high school math classes could be useful later in life. He's now putting that knowledge to use at the University of Iowa, pursuing a joint BS/MS degree in electrical and computer engineering.

Daniel Poncer, an undergraduate in the University of Iowa Tippie College of Business, is doing all the right things to succeed as a student and in a career in finance.

Crystal Garcia's parents were adamant about pursuing an education and giving back to others. The University of Iowa grad student is making good on those demands through her research in the College of Public Health.

Christopher Vazquez has found a supportive community on campus through groups, programs, and the Latino Native American Cultural Center, but he also knows firsthand the challenges that minority students face on campus.

Aileen Ponce, a fourth-year biomedical engineering major at the University of Iowa, is a first-generation American and first in her family to go to college. In the College of Engineering, she helps welcome and encourage students with backgrounds like her own.

Gabriella Estlund's goal of becoming a photojournalist is taking shape at the University of Iowa. Camera in hand, the first-generation student often can be found around a campus and community where's she found no shortage of exciting photo opportunities.