University of Iowa

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.

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

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.

The Department of Accounting within the Henry B. Tippie College of Business honored 28 of its top-performing students with the presentation of annual awards.

In a new study, physicists led by the University of Iowa report a new feature to Earth's atmospheric light show. Examining video taken nearly two decades ago, the researchers describe multiple instances where a section of the diffuse aurora-the faint, background-like glow accompanying the more vivid light commonly associated with auroras-goes dark, as if scrubbed by a giant blotter. Then, after a short period of time, the blacked-out section suddenly reappears.

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.

Jessica Quinn and Chelsea Hicks, both graduate students in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health of the University of Iowa's College of Public Health, were recently named the 2020-21 recipients of the Zwerling-Sprince Scholarship in Occupational and Environmental Health.

Kayla Boyd strives to defend the disadvantaged. The University of Iowa College of Law student has seized opportunities to show she is prepared to be a powerful advocate.

Iowa engineering graduate Elhadi Elhadi applied his knowledge of coding to streamline the inventory system for his family's Iowa City-based business. Next stop: a job as a data engineer at Goldman Sachs.

Graduating senior Emily Silich wants to be an astrophysicist, using her skills in instrumentation and observation to investigate a range of questions about the universe. She's well on her way, thanks to her research opportunities as an Iowa undergraduate.

As a counselor educator, University of Iowa PhD student Jiwon Kim plans to promote the lives of women and minorities and contribute to the betterment of society.

Public health grad Carson Peters uses her passion for public advocacy to address issues such as infectious diseases, gaps within the HIV care continuum, and links between medication and infection in elderly hospital patients.

Logan Mougin grew up in a family dedicated to the health sciences, and he will carry on the tradition when he earns a Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Iowa this May. The Bettendorf, Iowa, native plans to pursue his passion for community and outpatient pharmacy after graduation.

The coronavirus pandemic has provided Caitlin Ward with a timely application for her doctoral research in infectious disease modeling through the University of Iowa College of Public Health.

An Iowa nursing student is helping to develop a plan that educates students, faculty, and staff in Van Meter, Iowa, about anaphylactic reactions-all while working a full-time job, raising her child, and completing Iowa's Bachelor of Science in Nursing program.

The University of Iowa's strengths in accounting, writing, and athletics provided Stephanie Herzog the perfect place to succeed as a student, creative writer, and Hawkeye golfer.

It was a winding path that brought Leticia Fernandez-Fontecha Rumeu to Iowa for her MFA in Spanish creative writing, which the writer and historian calls a "beautiful experience."

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.

An accomplished spoken word poet, Steven Willis chose the nation's premier writing university to advance his performance skills.

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."

University of Iowa biomedical science student Aastha Chandra of Cedar Falls, Iowa, has been awarded a 2021 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for a summer virtual intensive language and cultural program in Hindi.

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.

Three recipients of the Richard Tyner Scholarship share their Honors Program experiences, impact the support had on their pursuits.

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%.

University of Iowa senior Amanda Thomas will serve as the band's next leading Hawkeye, one of just a handful of women to do so in the band's 140-year history

Josie Fischels was a finalist in the Personality/Profile Writing Competition of the 2021 Hearst Journalism Awards program. Fishels is majoring in Journalism and Mass Communication, and Theatre Arts at the University of Iowa.