College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Ari Ariel

Among American Chefs, the Israel-Hamas War Has Spread to Food

A recent petition signed by nearly 900 food professionals calling for a cease-fire raises, once again, questions of contested cuisines.
Gregory Howes

UI professor receives NASA grant

Monday, November 20, 2023
University of Iowa professor Gregory Howes has received a grant from NASA to study how particles in space are accelerated to high energy.
Valerie Payré

NASA’s robotic prospectors are helping scientists understand what asteroids are made of – setting the stage for miners to follow someday

The commercialization of asteroid mining is still a ways off, but in October 2023, NASA launched a scientific mission to explore the metal-rich asteroid Psyche. The main goal of the mission is studying the composition and structure of this asteroid, which could tell scientists more about Earth’s core since the two objects might have a similar makeup.
Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories

UI plans remodeling, expansion of Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories

Tuesday, October 31, 2023
The University of Iowa plans to remodel and expand the Iowa Advanced Technology Laboratories—one of its most unique buildings—to create a permanent home for one of its fast-growing programs of study.
Photo of Milli Vanilli

In 1990, Milli Vanilli Was Canceled — And No One Cared About The Whole Truth

The fact that the lip-syncing duo was exploited and the result of industry-wide issues in pop music was irrelevant. That myopic public scorn feels familiar today. Kembrew McLeod, professor of communication studies at the University of Iowa and author of several books such as “Cutting Across Media: Appropriation Art, Interventionist Collage and Copyright Law,” provides his insight.
Flowers on the Pentacrest

UI honors 37 faculty and staff award winners

Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Thirty-seven University of Iowa faculty and staff members will be honored at the UI’s 2023 Faculty and Staff Awards Celebration on Oct. 26 for achievements ranging from excellence in service and teaching to leadership in outreach and student recruitment.
Photo of Waltraud Maierhofer

Were midwives the OG witches? How the history of mystic medicine and reproductive health intertwine

There is a unique power contained in a room where a woman is giving birth. There is power in the women surrounding her. It's a time of transformation, an alchemy unlike any other. No wonder, in so many places in the world, that power would be regarded as suspicious. Midwives and witches — they've always had a lot in common.
Photo of Waltraud Maierhofer

Possessed? UI expert shares a bewitching history

Tuesday, October 24, 2023
Just as it has for decades, Halloween remains synonymous with witches. But what’s the history behind the plastic cauldrons and pointy hats? University of Iowa German professor Waltraud Maierhofer is an expert on how the history of witchcraft trials in Europe and the United States continues to haunt the modern world. She not only teaches a class on witch trials, but recently translated a noteworthy book on the witchcraft trials of children.
Photo of Sarah Bond

Social media trend explained: The appeal of ancient history on TikTok

Friday, October 6, 2023
The Roman Empire may have peaked about 2,000 years ago, but many men can’t stop thinking about it—at least according to a recent TikTok trend that has generated more than 1.6 billion views. Sarah Bond, the Erling B. “Jack” Holtsmark Associate Professor of Classics at Iowa who also is a renowned historian of the ancient world, says she welcomes the attention with a few caveats.
Photo of Allison Jaynes

Jaynes awarded the 2023 AGU James B. Macelwane Medal

Allison Jaynes, professor of physics and astronomy, was selected to receive the AGU James B. Macelwane Medal, which is given annually to early career scientists in recognition of their significant contributions to Earth and space science. AGU, the world's largest Earth and space science association, annually recognizes a select number of individuals for its highest honors.
Photo of David Miles

Miles named PI of TRACERS Mission

Associate Professor of Physics and Astronomy David Miles has been named Principal Investigator of the Tandem Reconnection and Cusp Electrodynamics Reconnaissance Satellites (TRACERS) Mission following the death of Craig Kletzing in August. In 2019, a team led by Kletzing won a $115 million contract from NASA for TRACERS, the single largest externally funded research project in University of Iowa history.