Distracted driving is a public health and safety issue. That’s what legislators heard last week from professor Shaun Vecera, a psychologist at the University of Iowa who does research on distraction.

The University of Iowa’s premier touring repertory company, Dancers in Company, splashes onto campus with its hugely popular home concert at 8 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, Feb. 27-March 1, in Space Place Theater, 101 North Hall.

Illusionist Kevin Spencer worked recently with University of Iowa physical therapy students to show them how magic can help make rehabilitation more fun and less frustrating for patients.

The UI College of Education hosted its annual Martin Luther King Jr. Research Symposium on Feb. 7. The event highlighted student research on issues of diversity, covering topics ranging from student interest in STEM to differences in moral reasoning in a religiously diverse student body.

The University of Iowa Department of Theatre Arts will hold auditions Feb. 22 and 23 for four, Non-Equity actresses/singers for the 2014 summer tour of Respect: A Musical Journey of Women, part of the Iowa Summer Rep Tour 2014.

Hancher is presenting the Jupiter String Quartet in collaboration with the University of Iowa’s String Quartet Residency Program Feb. 28 at the Riverside Recital Hall in Iowa City.

Ben Mauk, UI adjunct associate professor of communications, writes of the controversy about what kinds of intellectual property can or cannot be used by artists as fair use.

University of Iowa undergraduate, graduate, and professional students who have secured summer internships with human rights organizations in the United States or internationally should consider applying for the Kenneth J. Cmiel Funded Human Rights Internship Program.

One hundred years ago, a young woman and her husband left behind their teaching jobs in Iowa to become homesteaders in Wyoming. Thanks to a University of Iowa alumnus, and his research at the Iowa Women’s Archives, the couple’s adventure has been brought to light.

The news media and the public are invited to participate in the free Iowa City Darwin Day activities set for Feb. 21 and 22 on the University of Iowa campus.

A University of Iowa official told state lawmakers on Thursday that freshman retention rates are the highest in the university’s history, student financial aid opportunities are being expanded, and an array of enhancements are being developed to make a college degree accessible and attainable to more Iowans.

The University of Iowa awarded an estimated 1,500 degrees at the close of the 2013 fall session.