University of Iowa

Temyia Holcomb, a 2022 graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in speech and hearing science, and Evita Woolsey, a 2022 recipient of a Bachelor of Arts in psychology, recently received the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences Dean's Achievement Award. With this award, CLAS recognizes outstanding undergraduate students who are eligible for services from the Center for Inclusive Academic Excellence.

International Studies and Chinese major Marissa Schooley of Allerton, Iowa, has been awarded a 2022 U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship (CLS) for an intensive Mandarin language program this summer.

Graduate students in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Experimental Therapeutics (PSET) were recognized at the inaugural Graduate Student Recognition event held on May 6, 2022, at the College of Pharmacy Building. After opening remarks by Department Chair and Professor Jonathan Doorn, students were honored for their outstanding publications, fellowship awards, masterful teaching assistantships, and overall scholar of the year.

Fifth-year Biomedical Engineering PhD student Mallory Tollefson is imagining the possibilities of personalized medicine. And when she says personalized, she means it. She envisions a future where patients diagnosed as deaf would get their genomes sequenced so that she and other researchers could "identify variants that are unique to their genetics."

After completing a bachelor's degree in dental surgery and a master's degree in health administration from Bangalore, India, Khyathi Gadag chose to apply to the University of Iowa's College of Public Health after conducting comprehensive research on the university's rankings, principles, and community.

A new student-led study from the University of Iowa College of Public Health examines the role that user-generated content on the social media platform TikTok plays in promoting Puff Bar culture. Puff Bar is a brand of disposable e-cigarette available in flavors that appeal to youth.

Hannah Zadeh, a first-year PhD student in the University of Iowa's Sociology and Criminology department, is already challenging people to rethink medical research's presumed impartiality. "I think we sometimes look at medical research and data as a sort of impenetrable black box," they explained, "and certainly it is very valuable, but it's also important I think to come at it in a lot of different ways critically." For Zadeh, that means delving into the biases behind seemingly objective clinical algorithms, especially as they relate to race.

Sociology and Criminology graduate student, Kendall Riley, has witnessed firsthand the profound affects incarceration has on families while tutoring a child whose parents oscillated in and out of prison. She recognized how incarceration can drastically alter one's life trajectory, especially the lives of Black children and families. This experience pushed Riley into her current doctoral research where she explores how the legal system can affect a multitude of health outcomes.

25 students enrolled in the Henry B. Tippie College of Business at the University of Iowa recently received annual awards presented by the Department of Accounting.

Samantha Kruse's research interests are incredibly specific, yet they promise large-scale impacts. A second-year graduate student in the University of Iowa's chemistry department, Kruse is researching how radiation impacts organic materials, or as she described it, "incorporat[ing] my two loves in the area of chemistry: organic solid-state chemistry and radio chemistry."

Nine University of Iowa students and recent graduates were named recipients of the highly-competitive Graduate Research Fellowship Program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF).

Thomas Pak, who will receive joint doctorate and medical degrees through the UI Medical Scientist Training Program, aims to combine his interests in medicine, research, and advocacy to advance the welfare for all patients, regardless of ethnicity, socioeconomic status, or health.

The 19 students at the University of Iowa who will speak to their peers at next week's commencement events share their thoughts about the once-in-a-lifetime opportunity and their experiences as an Iowa Hawkeye. More than 5,100 undergraduate and graduate students at Iowa will receive degrees during in-person and livestreamed commencement ceremonies beginning with the College of Pharmacy's Doctor of Pharmacy ceremony on May 12 and concluding with the College of Dentistry's ceremony on June 4.

Teaching runs in Zac Gavin's blood. The soon-to-be University of Iowa graduate will become part of the third generation of teachers in his family, and he can't wait to inspire future generations at his alma mater in Maquoketa, Iowa.

From the National Guard to the classroom, Josh Brown continues to serve others by helping veteran and military-connected students make a smooth transition into higher education.

A life-changing boating accident just before starting college didn't throw Rylee Petitgout off course. Instead, she persisted and now is set to earn a University of Iowa nursing degree.

Dubbed "the mom of the siblings" by her family due to her caring nature, Marissa Stewart is excited to apply her University of Iowa pharmacy training to better help those in need.

A dozen years after first thinking seriously about being a dentist, Kobi Voshell graduates in June from the UI College of Dentistry. Voshell overcame academic malaise, changed careers, and balanced school and family life to realize his ambition to open his own practice in Iowa City.

Joshua Doucette found his academic and career paths through research, joining faculty-led teams in space physics and particle physics during his undergraduate years at Iowa. These rewarding experiences have launched his next phase: the pursuit of a doctorate in physics.

Tyler Strickland will graduate having conducted the Hawkeye Marching Band on some of the biggest stages: Kinnick Stadium, a Big Ten Championship game, and the Citrus Bowl.

Madelyn Swaim came to the University of Iowa knowing she wanted to major in business. Here, she learned she could put her business skills to use in another area she loves: sports.

Seventeen University of Iowa students and alumni were chosen from about 10,000 Fulbright Award applicants nationwide to serve as representatives of the U.S. State Department to teach English abroad and to undertake public health research and creative writing projects in 16 countries during the 2022-23 academic year.

Three University of Iowa College of Public Health students recently competed in a MHA case competition featuring teams from accredited public health programs from around the country.

Greta Becker, a Doctor of Medicine student at UI Carver College of Medicine, is the winner of a Fulbright Study/Research grant in Public Health to Vietnam for 2022-23.

Camellia Pham, a University of Iowa student graduating in May 2022 with a BA in comparative literature Asian languages and literature (Chinese) and a 2021 recipient of a Stanley Undergraduate Award for International Research to conduct research in China, took an unconventional, yet effective, path to completing her research project. Though COVID-19 impacted her plans to travel to China, she persevered and used resources both here at the university and connections abroad to conduct her research and utilize her findings when applying to PhD and master's programs across the country.

Anna Correa, a graduate student who will receive a Master of Public Health in community and behavior health from the University of Iowa in May 2022, is the winner of a Fulbright Study/Research grant in Public Health to India for 2022-23.

As a University of Iowa computer science and percussion performance double major, Ben Stone finds joy in creating things-whether it's a musical performance or a piece of software. The fourth-year student and Des Moines, Iowa, native has put his programming and leadership skills to good use working at the Iowa Reading Research Center (IRRC), which helps improve literacy skills for thousands of Iowa children each year.

Doctor of Pharmacy student Jose Rodriguez's dad was one of eight children of Mexican immigrants to Chicago. He has spent his working life as a Ford mechanic. Now, Rodriguez has charted a new path for his family: a college student.

Michaela Bobenhouse's orthodontist in Des Moines, Iowa, inspired her to become a dentist. Now, the third-year UI College of Dentistry student looks forward to creating strong connections with her own patients in the Hawkeye State.

The 2022 class of Tippie 21 award winners have been revealed by the Tippie College of Business. The 21 undergraduates have excelled in the areas of scholarship, leadership, experiential learning, and advancing diversity, inclusion, and global engagement.