University of Iowa Spanish and Portuguese professor Adriana Mendez Rodenas, a native of Cuba, discusses the impact of renewed diplomatic ties between the U.S. and Cuba.

Eight University of Iowa students are scheduled to leave Dec. 26 for a three-week program in Havana.

It was a busy year on campus and we've got you covered. Take a look at this video to see highlights from 2014 at the University of Iowa.

The December 2014 UI Undergraduate commencement ceremony, including the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Tippie College of Business, University College, and the Bachelor of Science degree candidates in the Carver College of Medicine, will be streamed live to "Iowa Now." Streaming will begin shortly before the ceremony begins.

A newly published study involving the University of Iowa finds crows have the brainpower to solve higher-order, relational-matching tasks, and they can do so spontaneously. That means crows join humans, apes, and monkeys in exhibiting advanced relational thinking, according to the research. Results appear in the journal Current Biology.

The first data from NASA's MAVEN mission is giving researchers clues about what happened to the water on Mars. UI professor Jasper Halekas is playing a major role in the discovery.

The University of Iowa will honor December 2014 graduates during a series of commencement ceremonies and other events, Friday and Saturday, Dec. 19-20.

"Iowa Now Minute" is a 60-second roundup highlighting recent UI activities, research, public engagement, and campus life. Look for a new video every Thursday in Iowa Now.

You might recognize Forrest Saunders and Lauren Moss, two graduates of the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication, who now work at different eastern Iowa television stations.

All works choreographed by graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Iowa Department of Dance will come to life in the Graduate/Undergraduate Concert at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Dec. 11-13, in Space Place Theater , 101 North Hall, UI Campus.

Students from the UI Department of Dance, School of Music, School of Art and Art History, and Department of Theatre Arts will present an interdisciplinary performance created through the collaboration of choreographers, musicians, poets, composers, designers, and stage managers.

Gear up for the holidays with the musical holiday delight "Striking 12," produced by the University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts. This production is on stage at 8 p.m. Dec. 5-6 and Dec. 10-13 and at 2 p.m. Dec. 7 in the Mabie Theatre at the UI Theatre Building (200 N. Riverside Drive, Iowa City).