University of Iowa

The parade floats, Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, and Pentacrest concert will all have to wait a year. But, thanks to the work of the 15 student members of the University of Iowa's Homecoming Executive Council, that doesn't mean the University of Iowa's Homecoming, a century-old fall tradition on the UI campus in Iowa City, will be entirely dampened by the pandemic.

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.

The University of Iowa Hospital and Clinic's Department of Radiology has announced the three recipients of the 2020-21 Scot Heery Scholarship. Heery enjoyed a distinguished career at UIHC. He served as a senior imaging technologist UIHC for more than 30 years, with expertise in computed tomography and demonstrated on a daily basis an unrelenting dedication to excellence in patient care.

University of Iowa shared governance bodies elect new leadership each spring semester. Two of the four groups are led by students at the UI: Undergraduate Student Government (USG) and Graduate and Professional Student Government (GPSG). Together with Faculty Senate, Staff Council, and Graduate and Professional Student Government, students involved in USG shape policies and inform decisions that affect Iowa's students, faculty, and staff, and represent their constituents to the UI administration; the Board of Regents, State of Iowa; the public; and state and federal government. Read about the skills and experience the president and vice president of USG bring to their positions and what they aim to accomplish this year. Also, meet all of the students involved in USG in 2020-21

Quick thinking by University of Iowa Tippie College of Business leaders arranges last-minute summer work experiences for students whose internships vanished in the pandemic haze.

Anne Abbott is a PhD student in community and behavioral health at the University of Iowa College of Public Health. Her research is focused on health communication campaigns, adolescent and young adult health, and program evaluation. In the spring, Anne began a collaboration with local parks and recreation departments to produce materials that build awareness of social distancing etiquette while using outdoor public spaces during the COVID-19 pandemic

Briante Najev, a first-year graduate student in the University of Iowa's Department of Biology, won a European Society for Evolutionary Biology Outreach Fund grant to create outreach activities explaining climate issues. With the award, Najev will lead an activity, called EcoStax, with people across eastern Iowa, particularly Muscatine and Davenport. In this activity, which was created by the National Center for Science Education, participants build an ecosystem, then try to keep it stable under the duress of climate change, helping to make climate issues local and personal.

Darcell Stokes came to Iowa not knowing what she wanted to study. The Waterloo native found her academic passion studying social justice issues, became integrated in the LGBTQ community through the Pride Alliance Center, and now aims to study law.

When the pandemic forced research labs to shutter across campus this spring, a group of graduate students sought to help address the crisis by volunteering with the University of Iowa's State Hygienic Lab. Representing a variety of programs, these students were similarly motivated to help and played crucial roles in the initial setup of the lab and validation of testing methods. One student even chose to forego their PhD program to instead master out and take a full-time position with SHL.

Ninety University of Iowa student-athletes have been named Big Ten Conference Distinguished Scholars. Among the Iowa honorees, 29 maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average during the 2019-20 academic year.

Inside and outside the classroom, University of Iowa junior Joseph Haggerty is combining his interests in the environment and issues facing the LGBTQ community while developing skills for a successful career in advocacy.

University of Iowa graduate and undergraduate students are helping develop the state's budding winemaking industry, connecting grape growers with winemakers throughout Iowa

The University of Iowa awarded more than 5,700 degrees at the close of the spring 2020 semester.

Jacob Lensing tackles research challenges with an athlete's drive. The first-year College of Dentistry student from Pella, Iowa, has made great strides comparing the efficacy of materials used to seal and protect the inside of a tooth after a root canal.

Jon Lensing always knew he wanted to pursue a career in medicine. But deep into his medical-school path, he focused on launching a business-one he and his co-founders designed to meet a need in the medical industry-and soon saw its numbers skyrocket due to COVID-19.

More than 8,500 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa were named to the dean's list for the 2020 spring semester.

The Zada Cooper Leadership Committee recently announced the 2019-2020 recipients of the Zada Cooper Student Leadership Award. Three students received this honor for embodying the leadership qualities of Zada Cooper, a UI College of Pharmacy student and faculty member in the late 1800s and early 1900s. The nominees for the leadership award have made meaningful contributions to students and the surrounding communities through service and provided exemplary leadership and commitment to an organization. Nominees have mentored future leaders, inspired and motivated others to act through service, and demonstrated initiative, creativity, and perseverance to challenge the present and enrich the future.

More than 800 undergraduate students at the University of Iowa named to the president's list for the 2020 spring semester.

Laurence Chan was trying to figure out what he wanted in life when he realized he wanted to help people figure out what they wanted in life.

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.

Savannah DeGroot is driven to serve the LGBTQ+ community and the homeless.

Inspired years ago by a school speech pathologist, New Jersey native Ally Valde aims to make a similar impact-to help others who struggle with communicating-and has grown into an advocate for equal access for students and individuals with disabilities.

Two current graduate students, two incoming graduate students and three undergraduates have been awarded the prestigious National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship to support their graduate studies. The award provides the students with three years of financial support ($34,000 annual stipend and $12,000 cost-of-education allowance to the graduate institution) for graduate study that leads to a research-based master's or doctoral degree in chemistry, computer & information sciences, engineering, geosciences, life sciences, materials research, mathematical sciences, physics & astronomy, psychology, social sciences, and STEM education & learning research.

While studying neuroscience at the University of Iowa, Suraj Rao has been able to maintain a connection to his cultural heritage in Southeast Asia.

Gordon Louie is committed to creating a more welcoming and inclusive environment within higher education. One way he hopes to help do that is by serving as an inaugural member of the UI Pan Asian Council at the University of Iowa.

Laxmi Annapureddy grew up straddling her Indian traditions and American culture. The sophomore from Urbandale credits the University of Iowa with deepening her appreciation of her ancestral roots and connecting to her Indian identity.

A University of Iowa graduate student in physics has been selected to conduct research at a U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) facility. Lucas Beving studies low-temperature plasmas in the Department of Physics and Astronomy. He is one of 62 graduate students from across the nation selected for DOE's Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) Program.

Many students and alumni will say they 'bleed black and gold' as an expression of their allegiance to the University of Iowa. Yet, for the Kollasch siblings, it is easy to say Hawkeye blood runs in their family. Anna Kate, Zachary, and Anthony Kollasch all came to the University of Iowa to pursue their graduate degrees. While many Hawkeyes can boast having multiple family members graduate from Iowa, the timing worked out this year for all three Kollasch siblings to be on campus simultaneously. The siblings from Whittemore, in north central Iowa, appreciate being close to each other in Iowa City as they complete degrees in their respective programs. Yet, they each were drawn to the university with different career interests.

In April, the University of Iowa's John Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center (Iowa JPEC) in the Tippie College of Business partnered with the UI's Office of the Vice President for Research, University of Iowa Research Foundation, and UI Ventures to host the second phase of the Iowa Innovation Challenge. The second phase of the Challenge was business model canvas (BMC) pitch competition. A total of 52 UI businesses applied to compete in the business model competition. Thirty-six were selected as finalists to compete virtually due to COVID-19. In a separate division of the Challenge, University of Iowa alumni, Venture School alumni, and UI business consulting clients were invited to submit a 60-second video and an executive summary of their business. Thirty-seven submission were received.

Tippie College of Business graduate Matt Tolton is taking over his father's Atlantic-based business while starting his own cybersecurity firm.