New research by University of Iowa computer scientists uses Twitter data to study how satisfied users are with their lives.

UI biologists have homed in on the genes that tell brain cells to grow the tendrils critical for passing messages throughout the body. In a new study, they report certain genes in nearby neurons need to be exact matches in order for the signaling branches to grow properly.

On Tuesday, April 26, the UI announced the first candidate for the position of assistant vice president and director of public safety. Marc Cossich, executive director of public safety and chief of police at Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas, will visit campus April 26 and 27.

Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and F. Wendell Miller Professor of English and Creative Writing in the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, was named one of Time magazine’s 100 most influential people of 2016.

Julie Holloway, chair of the Department of Prosthodontics, participates in an annual event called National Prosthodontists Awareness Week. Since 2011, Dr. Holloway’s department has used that week to provide free dentures for veterans and those in need who lack dental health benefits.

The University of Iowa has made significant progress on its 2020 Vision Sustainability Goals. Liz Christiansen, director of the Office of Sustainability, reported on the mid-term progress of the goals from 2010 to 2015 at an Earth Day open house April 22 in the Office of Sustainability.

Preservation Hall Jazz Band! Steve Martin and Martin Short! "The Book of Mormon"! The first season of shows at the new Hancher Auditorium is jam-packed with wonderful acts. Hancher donors can purchase tickets now; the general public can purchase tickets June 10.

Edwin Stone, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences at the University of Iowa and is the director of the Wynn Institute of Vision Research, was named in "The Ophthalmologist’s" 2016 Power List of the world's 100 most influential people in ophthalmology.

Construction is underway on the South Annex, a 65,000-square-foot addition to the UI Seamans Center for the Engineering Arts and Sciences. Opening in the fall of 2017, the addition will create opportunities for students, faculty, and staff and help the college prepare its graduates for a global job market.

UI researchers find an association between financials stress and severe domestic abuse, but the discovery doesn't prove one leads to the other.

The Iowa Board of Regents’ granted approval of the description, budget, and schematic design of a new $33.5 million building for psychological and brain sciences on April 21. Construction of the new 66,470-square-foot facility at Gilbert Street and Iowa Avenue will begin in the summer of 2017.

[Updated May 4] Open forums taking place through September 2016 are part of an accelerated development process for the upcoming UI Strategic Plan 2016-21.