College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

'Others Had It Worse' available from UI Press

Thursday, September 5, 2013
"Others Had It Worse: Sour Dock, Moonshine, and Hard Times in Davis County, Iowa" by Chris Baker, alumnus of the University of Iowa School of Journalism and Mass Communication, is now available from the University of Iowa Press.

UI research office names first faculty fellows

Thursday, September 5, 2013
The Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development at the University of Iowa has named two faculty to the newly created Administrative Research Fellows Program. The two chosen are Meenakshi Gigi Durham, professor in the School of Journalism and Mass Communication, and Thomas Scholz, a doctor and pediatrics professor in the Carver College of Medicine.

Writers' Workshop alum Orner to read Sept. 16

Thursday, September 5, 2013
University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumnus Peter Orner will present a free reading at 8 p.m. Monday, Sept. 16, in the Frank Conroy Reading Room of the Glenn Schaeffer Library, adjacent to the Dey House. He will read from "Last Car Over Sagamore Bridge," his second collection of short stories.

$500,000 gift to benefit UI Museum of Art's statewide collections-sharing project

Thursday, September 5, 2013
A recent gift from Matthew and Kay Bucksbaum, of Chicago, Ill., will support a University of Iowa Museum of Art collection-sharing project that began after a historic 2008 flood damaged the museum and 21 other campus buildings.

Pulse in finger reveals your heart's health

Thursday, September 5, 2013
UI physiologist Gary Pierce has developed a new technique to measure a person's heart health with the help of their finger's pulse, which is easier to record and also works better with obese patients, whose femoral pulse can be difficult to obtain reliably.

Humanities gone spatial

Thursday, September 5, 2013
When you think of map-makers, you probably don't picture English professors, philosophers, or art historians. But more and more humanities scholars, especially at the University of Iowa, are using geographic information system (GIS) technology to create digital maps that answer exciting new questions and engage the public.

The four-day workweek

Wednesday, September 4, 2013
Decades ago, experts predicted we would all be working just 14 to 15 hours a week by now, and would have so much free time we wouldn’t even know what to do with ourselves. UI historian Benjamin Hunnicutt calls the shorter workweek the “forgotten American dream."

Your finger's pulse holds the key to your heart's health

Wednesday, September 4, 2013
A University of Iowa physiologist has a new technique to measure the stiffness of the aorta, a common risk factor for heart disease. The procedure involves measuring the pulse in the finger or on the arm, combined with an individual's age and body mass index.

Lin receives $3.2 million NIH grant for lung study

Tuesday, September 3, 2013
A University of Iowa professor has received a $3.2 million National Institutes of Health grant to develop computerized models of the human lung that are easily seen by physicians and patients.
magnified image of atmospheric particulate matter

Making sense of atmospheric dust

Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Vicki Grassian, director of the UI Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Institute and professor of chemistry, describes her award-winning work on the role of mineral dust in the atmosphere.
shadow of person wearing headphones

Fruit flies suffer from loud noise

Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Fruit flies are as susceptible to loud noise as teenagers attending rock concerts, scientists have learned. The discovery that being blasted by sound has the same effect on the tiny insects as it does on humans could open up new avenues of research into hearing loss.
bright sun, thermometer indicating heat

Your body will adapt to the heat over time

Tuesday, September 3, 2013
A lot has been made of the hot temperatures and taking precautions to prevent health problems, but UI physiology professor, Kevin Kregel, says you don’t have to be a prisoner of an air conditioned room—your body has the ability to adjust to the conditions.