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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Three current or former University of Iowa students are co-authors of a study that determined our galaxy is surrounded by a clumpy halo of hot gases that is continually being supplied with material ejected by birthing or dying stars. In other words, they've discovered the Milky Way is in the recycling business.

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.

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

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

As Alexia Sanchez, a 2020 graduate of the University of Iowa, readies to begin her fellowship with Running Start, a non-profit, non-partisan organization with a mission of getting more women involved in politics, she recently took some time to reflect on the impact of her three global learning experiences as an undergraduate at Iowa.

Caitlin Ward, a doctoral student in the University of Iowa's College of Public Health, is using her statistical skills to tackle important public health issues like COVID-19. Originally from Iowa City, Ward found her calling close to home in Iowa's biostatistics program, where opportunities to engage in research and teaching and the chance to build relationships with faculty and other students has made an positive impact on her educational experience.

As a doctoral student in nursing at the University of Iowa, Elyse Laures is studying pain assessment in children who are sick. She hopes to decrease their lengths of stay in pediatric intensive care units and expedite their healing.

Abigail Carney came to the Iowa Writers' Workshop to write a novel. As she prepares to graduate, she has not only finished her novel, but also is developing a television series.

University of Iowa doctoral student Jackson Russo is researching temperature-sensitive polymers that could provide prolonged pain relief to patients with chronic wounds.

Marissa Mueller didn't plan to get involved with research in college. But the biomedical engineering student found a new love while studying the accuracy of devices similar to Fitbits and Nike Fuel Bands.

University of Iowa doctoral student Iurii Bakach is conducting research that helps delivery companies better prepare for the day when deliveries are made by automated vehicles.

Chad Rhym grew up running through the hallways of the psychology building at the University of Georgia, where his mother is associate dean of arts and sciences. "When I was 6 or 7, I would meet deans and I didn't know they were deans. I remember seeing those deans riding away on motorcycles," Rhym says. "I also remember my mom going through the tenure track process when I was 14 or 15." Given his exposure to higher education from a young age, it's no surprise that Rhym is pursuing his doctorate in sociology. The native of Athens, Ga., chose to pursue his graduate studies at the University of Iowa after a spending a successful summer on the Iowa City campus as part of the Summer Research Opportunities Program (SROP) in 2018.

The University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine experience is centered around community. This helps students build a support network that allows them to pursue their interests, wherever they may take them. For fourth-year medical student Luci Howard, they've taken her around the world.

Since enrolling at Iowa, Bernardo Pohl Duarte discovered a passion for social psychology and an appreciation for research. He aspires to uncover the genesis of people's prejudicial attitudes and determine how those biases can be diminished.

Briar Voy never wanted to be anything other than a dentist. The University of Iowa third-year dental student feels her educational and leadership opportunities are preparing her to jump right into the profession and confidently care for patients.

The University of Iowa's Carver College of Medicine periodically profiles graduate students in its program. Meet Chandler Jensen-Cody, a student in the molecular medicine graduate program.

University of Iowa graduate student Lynn Nakad was playing a scary virtual reality (VR) game with her brother when she wondered how this technology could help the medical field. "It immersed me so much that I got the idea that maybe there's more to this that could be applied to the medical fields," says Nakad. "At the time, I was in nursing school, so I was really looking at everything with a fresh new perspective." As a fourth year PhD student in nursing, Nakad's dissertation focuses on the effects that VR has on distracting people suffering from acute or chronic pain. Nakad is currently working on a project to implement VR as an alternative route for pain management therapy at UnityPoint Health - St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids.

University of Iowa undergraduates have myriad opportunities to participate in meaningful research. Sometimes, as Iowa biology student Marissa Roseman can attest, that research can lead to a rare discovery. The senior from Wheaton, Illinois, found a left-coiled snail while working in biologist Maurine Neiman's lab. The find is considered a one-in-a-million occurrence.

For first-year medical student Kenten Kingsbury, one day in high school sparked an interest that's fueled him ever since. "I remember my anatomy teacher brought in a deer to class that one of her colleagues hit that morning with their car," Kingsbury says. "She brought the deer in, and we dissected it on the back lawn of our school."

While medical school is already a mountain to climb for third-year medical student Claire Castaneda, she has an added challenge: she writes. But if you ask her, she'll tell you that her writing isn't work at all. "Writing has always been the way that I process the things I think about a lot," Castaneda says. "It's a way for me to access and ponder things that aren't necessarily related to medicine."

University of Iowa students will be able to take a class in which they will design, build, and fly instruments into space. The class, The Edge of Space: Mission and Instrument Design for Spaceflight, will debut in spring 2020 in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, with Iowa State University on board as a partner.

Not often do college students get the chance to make headlines with a class assignment, but that's what happens in the Hawkeye Poll class offered by the University of Iowa Department of Political Science. The class is an introduction to the mechanics of creating a public opinion poll-including survey design, sampling, and question wording-and provides students with a critical understanding of how polls work. It's also a hands-on learning experience: Students design and execute the Hawkeye Poll itself, writing the questions and helping call the more than 13,000 registered Iowa voters in the sample through the university's Iowa Social Science Research Center.

Two University of Iowa students are discovering that the skills and training that made them elite athletes are a surprisingly good fit with another role on campus - a researcher.