The University of Iowa men's and women's basketball teams made their first public appearances of the 2013-14 season on Friday at the annual Black and Gold Blowout.

The UI's selection for 2013 Mom and Dad of the Year are, respectively, Tammy Taylor of Callender, Iowa, and Willie Delfs of Sioux City, Iowa. The parents were nominated by their students and then honored during Family Weekend festivities.

The East Central Iowa Council of Governments will hold a meeting on the University of Iowa campus Thursday, Oct. 31, to gather information as part of an effort to develop a comprehensive, multi-jurisdictional hazard mitigation plan for Johnson County.

The top bands of the University of Iowa School of Music will take center stage with the annual Band Extravaganza at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 5, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Band Extravaganza is a popular showcase for the Johnson County Landmark jazz band, the Symphony Band, and the Hawkeye Marching Band.

The University of Iowa School of Music will present a free recital by the Tuba/Euphonium Studio at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, in the University Capitol Centre Recital Hall. The recital will feature solo and ensemble performances by tuba and euphonium students of professor John Manning.

Construction crews set to build the future UI music building stumbled upon pieces of Iowa City’s past this month when workers found several pieces of historic artifacts, which archaeologists then spent a week excavating.

A group of UI 3-D design students has been selected to exhibit their work at Structural Objects Functional Art + Design, known as SOFA, an art fair in Chicago that attracts close to 34,000 people each year.

A University of Iowa Faculty and Staff Health Fair will be held Wednesday, Nov. 6, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the UI Field House main deck.

University staff, faculty, students, and alumni are accomplishing great things every day. See who's making news with awards, publications, promotion and tenure, and more.

University of Iowa College of Education alumna Rachel DeMaris has earned the Iowa Children’s Museum’s second-annual Robert E. Yager Active Learning Award, which recognizes Iowa teachers who provide students “opportunities to become engaged learners, innovative thinkers, and creative problem-solvers.”

Death notices for current and retired UI employees. Links to online obituaries provided when available.

Kristy Nabhan-Warren, associate professor of religious studies in the UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will read from her new book, "The Cursillo Movement in America: Catholics, Protestants, and Fourth-Day Spirituality," at 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 3, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City.