Groundbreaking research. Millions of dollars raised for kids with cancer. A top 30 public institution providing students with countless opportunities to learn, grow, and succeed.

It was a busy year on campus, and we've got you covered. Take a look at this video to see highlights from 2014 at the University of Iowa.

Top-10 Iowa Now Stories

From scientific research to UI connections in Hollywood, Iowa Now covered the content spectrum. Here are the 10-most viewed stories in Iowa Now in 2014.

#1: UI study finds diet drinks associated with heart trouble for older women
Drinking two or more diet drinks a day may increase the risk of heart disease, including heart attack and stroke, in otherwise healthy postmenopausal women, according to a new University of Iowa study. 

#2: Parents, listen next time your baby babbles
Parents who try to understand their baby's babbling let their infants know they can communicate, which leads to children forming complex sounds and using language more quickly. That’s according to a new study by the University of Iowa and Indiana University.

#3: UI's Monuments Man
In 1919, all undergraduates at the University of Iowa were required to take a drawing class. Were it not for that requirement, it’s possible that some of Europe’s greatest artistic treasures would have been destroyed by the Nazis during World War II.

#4: Classroom Pass
On Wednesday, Oct. 22, Iowa Now sent teams of writers, photographers, and videographers to 15 undergraduate classes across campus to showcase the breadth and strength of the University of Iowa's academic offerings as well as its dynamic faculty and state-of-the-art facilities. 

#5: UI researchers find early predictor for preeclampsia
University of Iowa researchers have discovered a biomarker that could give expecting mothers and their doctors the first simple blood test to reliably predict that a pregnant woman may develop preeclampsia, at least as early as 6 weeks into the pregnancy.

#6: Predicting stock prices
A new study from the University of Iowa shows evidence that stock price movements are predictable in short windows, a finding that challenges conventional wisdom that stock prices moves randomly.

#7: Stress hormone linked to short-term memory loss as we age
A new UI study reports a potential link between stress hormones and short-term memory loss in older adults. The study, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, reveals that having high levels of cortisol—a natural hormone in our body whose levels surge when we are stressed—can lead to memory lapses as we age.

#8: Biggest and best yet
Welcoming one of the largest first-year classes in University of Iowa history, the On Iowa! program featured an all-star Kickoff at Kinnick, a tradition-charged Convocation, and a one-time-only finish for the President’s Block Party.

#9: UI four-year grad rate surpasses 50 percent
The University of Iowa’s four-year graduation rate reached 51.1 percent for undergraduate students who enrolled in 2009—the highest rate in recent memory.

#10: Building for the future
The University of Iowa is in the midst of a $1.2 billion historic transformation with a number of major building projects underway. UI photographers captured construction updates of several of these major building projects that illustrate the UI's commitment to creating high performance buildings for high performing students.