The University of Iowa is the university for Iowa. In the coming weeks, we'll be sharing stories that illustrate the many ways that UI serves our state and shapes Iowa's future.

In the first edition we're focusing on the UI's core mission of education. Iowa natives Michelle Sullivan and Austin Kleinmeyer are among the 42 percent of UI undergraduates who participate in research.

Sullivan, a biology major from Urbandale who graduated in May, talks in this video feature about her major in biology, her challenging lab work, and how the creative problem solving of her dance minor complemented her scientific training. Starting in the fall, Sullivan will pursue her Ph.D. in biology.

Lisbon native Austin Kleinmeyer, a senior mechanical engineering major, assumed he would have his nose buried in textbooks. That changed once he started learning on the job at the College of Engineering’s renowned Operator Performance Laboratory,which performs research that aims to make pilots’ jobs easier and safer. In this video, Kleinmeyer discusses challenges that aren’t always easy to solve, improvising solutions, and developing the skills that will shape his professional career.