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Physicist steers light into 'forbidden' region

Monday, May 3, 2021
A University of Iowa physicist is part of an international group of scientists that has succeeded in steering light waves deep into “forbidden” regions of photonic crystals by manipulating the shape of the waves. The technique could find use in a host of applications, including lasers, efficient solar cells, and so-called invisibility cloaks. Ravitej Uppu, assistant professor in the Department of...

UI student cites uncle's work at Fermilab for his love of physics

Monday, April 19, 2021
Steve Tammes, a senior at the University of Iowa, says his love of physics and decision to pursue physics research stems from his uncle's stories about working at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory in Illinois. “(My uncle) inspired science in me,” Tammes says, “so I’m inspired to do science for him.”

Power moves: Chuy Renteria on dance, language and growing up Mexican-American in small-town Iowa

Wednesday, April 7, 2021
Hancher Auditorium's public engagement coordinator, Chuy Renteria, talks about being a dancer, an artist, and an author. In his upcoming book, We Heard It When We Were Young: Tales of Growing Up Mexican American in Small Town Iowa, Renteria writes about growing up in West Liberty, Iowa. The book is forthcoming from University of Iowa Press.

An Author Replies To The Unspeakable In Her 'Elegy' For Lynching Victim Mary Turner

Monday, March 22, 2021
A March 7 story about the trial of Derek Chauvin, the police officer whose May 2020 killing of George Floyd ignited a nationwide racial reckoning, shows why Rachel Marie-Crane Williams' new book is so essential right now. Williams is an assistant professor in the School of Art and Art History and Gender, Women's and Sexuality Studies.

Oprah Announces New Book Club Picks: The Gilead Novels by Marilynne Robinson

Tuesday, March 16, 2021
Oprah Winfrey announced the selection of Marilynne Robinson’s four acclaimed “Gilead” novels for her next book club selection. Robinson won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for “Gilead,” the first of her books set in the fictional town of Gilead, Iowa. She followed with “Home,” “Lila” and “Jack.” Robinson was a faculty member in the acclaimed Iowa Writers’ Workshop and the UI Department of English for...

Researchers report "Midwest water hose" weather events occurring more frequently

Thursday, March 4, 2021
A new University of Iowa study says rising greenhouse gas concentrations caused by human activity are producing an increased frequency of a weather phenomenon that researchers call the "Midwest water hose." The weather event has been occurring more frequently over the last 40 years, researchers Wei Zhang and Gabriele Villarini wrote in a recently published study.

Cold gas streams fed early, massive galaxies

Wednesday, March 3, 2021
Astronomers led by the University of Iowa report the first direct, observational evidence that massive galaxies formed in the early universe were provisioned by steady streams of cold gas. These cold gas pipelines survived despite being surrounded by hotter surroundings. The study's lead author is Hai Fu, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy.

UI professor separates fact from fiction in ‘Judas And The Black Messiah’

Tuesday, February 23, 2021
Simon Balto, assistant professor of history and African American studies at the University of Iowa, who’s currently working on a biography of Fred Hampton, says as beautifully as the film was shot and acted, “We didn’t really get a movie that had a lot to say coherently about what the Panthers were doing and why that was important.”

Researchers untangle elusive radioactive element

Monday, February 15, 2021
Researchers including a chemist at the University of Iowa have untangled the elusive, highly radioactive element einsteinium. The researchers report in the journal Nature that they have worked out the basic chemical properties of the element, which was discovered in the explosive debris of the first hydrogen bomb in 1952. Korey Carter, assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry, is co...

Study finds ag workers at significantly higher risk of developing dementia

Monday, February 8, 2021
A study from the University of Iowa College of Public Health finds ag workers have a 46% greater chance of developing dementia than workers in other fields.