NASA announced in a ceremony Friday that the recently launched mission studying the Van Allen Probes was renamed to honor the late James Van Allen, the head of the physics department at the University of Iowa who discovered the radiation belts encircling Earth in 1958.

Thomas Wassink, UI professor of psychiatry and co-director of the UI Children's Hospital Autism Center, discusses new findings about illness in pregnancy and autism and explains progress being made in understanding the genetics of autism.

UI researchers and clinicians talk about advances for treating age-related macular degeneration.

To raise money for cancer charities, University of Iowa alumnus Steve Cannon ran 40 marathons in 40 consecutive days around Lake Michigan.

This year's UI Mom and Dad of the Year, Patti and Rich Schmitz of Waterloo, have experienced devastation and tragedy firsthand. Both were nominated by their daughter, UI student Anna Schmitz. Within the past 10 years, their home was struck by a tornado, in 2002 and 2007, respectively.

The Hawkeye Marching Band was singled out on Oct. 26 as one of the best college bands in the nation on CNN Headline News. Fans were able to nominate their favorite band; videos of the bands were then collected by the cable news network. Based on the submissions, CNN chose 14 bands from across the country for broadcast on their Morning Express show.

David D. Permutter and David Dowling, director and assistant director, respectively, for the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication, write how the demand for in-depth stories can promote a return to the humanitarian origins of journalism.

Greg Touzani, president of the UI Veterans Association, says that the UI does a great job providing a support system to student veterans in a story on how locals remember peace as well as veterans this Veterans Day.

John Solow, professor of economics in the Tippie College of Business, says bad things will happen if Congress and the president can't agree on spending cuts and revenue increases and the federal budget goes over the fiscal cliff.

Daniel McGehee, who studies distracted driving and vehicle safety at the University of Iowa, says that emailing is the "trifecta of distraction," because it takes your eyes, hands, and attention off the road.