Alyssa Billmeyer of Marion, Iowa, is the first University of Iowa College of Pharmacy student to serve as president of the Graduate and Professional Student Government.

The University of Iowa is preparing to celebrate Homecoming Oct. 4-11. This year’s theme is “Gold and Black Take Me Back.”

The UI College of Education's Belin Blank Center has received a $500,000 grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the nation's largest scholarship foundation, to expand the center's STEM Excellence and Literacy program.

Donna Parsons, a lecturer in the UI School of Music and the Honors Program, invites university and community members down "The Long and Winding Road" of the formative years for young John, Paul, George, and Ringo with “Magical Mythical Tour: In Search of the Beatles,” on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

UI College of Law Professor Mark Osiel recently spent several days in Bogotá, Colombia, consulting with officials at the High Commissioner for Peace, concerning legal issues involved in ending the country’s longstanding civil war.

The University of Iowa Graduate College honors Aaron Buss (psychology) and David Gaebler (mathematics) with the D.C. Spriesterbach Dissertation Prize and Laura Whitmore (molecular and cellular biology) with the Rex Montgomery Dissertation Prize.

The University of Iowa Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development will share information about new and accelerating business development initiatives during an Economic Development Showcase from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, in the McCord Club Lounge of Kinnick Stadium.

While sports can be fun for both children and adults, they can put participants at risk for serious injuries such as concussions. Dr. Andy Peterson, an assistant professor in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa, will discuss treatment of sports-related concussions in a public talk at the Old Capitol Museum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 8.

At a UI conference Monday focused on Iowa’s military veterans, author and U.S. Army sergeant Kayla Williams said she supports expanding the roles of women in combat, particularly in cases where women already serve in “attached” combat units.

The University of Iowa College of Engineering’s Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL), in collaboration with Rockwell Collins, recently completed successful testing of a commercial avionics system that may one day lead to safe, unmanned flight over U.S. skies.

The University of Iowa College of Public Health is recognizing four leaders whose contributions across a range of disciplines are helping to promote better health and prevent disease throughout the state of Iowa. The 2014 Iowa Public Health Heroes Awards will be presented Oct. 7 at the 15th annual Iowa Public Health Practice Colloquium in Iowa City.

On Oct. 7 and 8, Hancher is inviting members of the public to sign a steel beam that will then be lifted into place in the organization’s new facility.