Vocalist Lila Downs blends Mexican roots music with a host of other styles to create a sound all her own. Hancher will present her at the Englert Theatre on Oct. 13 at 7:30 p.m.

Iowa Public Radio's River to River talks with Greg Touzani, president of the the University of Iowa Veterans Association, and John Mikelson, UI Veterans Center coordinator, who describe challenges they've faced adapting to civilian life and their efforts to help other veterans.

Two University of Iowa physicians are teaming up to start University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics’ first Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Clinic. (Note: A paid subscription may be required.)

Mike Apicella really knows how to bring out the best in his fellow scientists. On Thursday, Oct. 4, Apicella, senior associate dean for scientific affairs and professor of microbiology, will be honored for his exceptional mentoring skills with the 2012 UI Carver College of Medicine’s Distinguished Mentor Award.

"A World of Citizens: Women, History, and the Vision of Linda K. Kerber," will take place Friday and Saturday, Oct. 5-6, in the Senate Chambers of the Old Capitol. Kerber is professor emerita in the Department of History in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.

Twelve nationally recognized health and environmental experts recently gathered in Coralville for the inaugural meeting of the State Hygienic Laboratory’s Board of External Advisors. The board will advise, assess, and contribute expertise to the strategic direction of Iowa’s environmental and public health laboratory.

A University of Iowa-led research team has created the most detailed, three-dimensional rendering of a key region of a mammal lung. The model is important, because it can help scientists understand where and how lung diseases emerge as well as advance how drugs are delivered through the respiratory system. Results appear in the "Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences."

University of Iowa College of Education Associate Dean Susan Lagos Lavenz says while the intent of No Child Left Behind was good, the implementation and interpretation leaves many people thinking there is too much emphasis on testing.

The University of Iowa College of Education will host a discussion on the importance of skillful instruction and teacher preparation in a talk Monday, Oct. 15. Deborah Loewenberg Ball, dean of the University of Michigan’s School of Education, will discuss “(How) Can all Children get Great Teaching?” at 10 a.m. in Jones Commons, Room N300 in the Lindquist Center.

Researchers at the University of Iowa and UT Southwestern have identified a new class of small molecules that block nerve cell death in animal models of Parkinson’s disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. These small molecules could be a starting point for developing drugs that might help treat patients with these diseases.

The Board of Regents, State of Iowa, recently approved plans to establish the Iowa Institute of Human Genetics as a statewide resource to promote personalized genomic clinical medicine, research, and education focused on medical and scientific advances around the human genome.

Deborah Linebarger, a UI College of Education associate professor and lead author of a study on children's exposure to background television, says she was floored by the results that revealed U.S. children are exposed to nearly four hours of background television on the average day.