College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

The four-day work week

Tuesday, July 9, 2013
Futurists once predicted that Americans would someday work only 12 or 15 hours a week. University of Iowa historian Benjamin Hunnicutt calls those predictions the forgotten American dream.

Robinson to receive National Humanities Medal

Monday, July 8, 2013
Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and faculty member in the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, will be awarded a 2012 National Humanities Medal by President Obama in a ceremony Wednesday, July 10, at the White House.
Melanie Martin (right) holds an Iowa flag in Morocco as part of a study abroad experience

Hawkeyes drawn to Morroco

Monday, July 8, 2013
Three UI students share their experiences in Morocco and describe why they find the opportunity to learn Arabic and study abroad there so irresistible.
Hesco barriers protect the U. of Iowa’s Iowa Memorial Union from the Iowa River, which overflowed its banks but caused minimal damage on the campus. (Photo by Tim Schoon, U. of Iowa)

UI makes plans to remove barriers as flood threat recedes

Monday, July 1, 2013
Just five years after flooding on the Iowa River damaged more than 20 structures at the University of Iowa, high-water forecasts in May forced the university to close buildings, put up seven miles’ worth of emergency flood walls, and cancel or reschedule some events.
A "No More War" sign from UI students' antiwar protests in the 1960s.

The real thing

Monday, July 1, 2013
In a technology-driven world, it turns out that digital isn’t everything. University of Iowa collections experts maintain that tangible artifacts leave a lasting impression on the human heart and mind.

New crocodile genus is named for UI researcher

Thursday, June 27, 2013
When researchers uncovered new information about a species of crocodile, they renamed it Brochuchus pigotti, thereby assigning it to a newly created genus of species called Brochuchus –- the name honoring Chris Brochu, associate professor in the University of Iowa Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences and internationally recognized crocodile expert.

Achievements: UI faculty, staff, and students making news

Thursday, June 27, 2013
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.
Photo of Claude and Kate Colp of Wayland, Mass., found a way to give each other advice without sparking bad feelings. They appear on a beach with Claude giving Kate a piggy back ride.

UI studies cited in story on the perils of giving too much advice

Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Erika Lawrence, UI associate professor of psychology, says that listening can be more effective than giving advice based on a series of six studies conducted at the UI in 2009 as part of a story on the perils of spouses giving each other too much advice.
teddy bear and toy duck illustrations, duck is partially erased

A look inside children's minds

Wednesday, June 26, 2013
Ever wondered what's going on inside young children's brains when they're looking at things? Researchers at the University of Iowa have used optical neuroimaging for the first time on 3-and 4-year-olds to determine which areas of the brain are activated in "visual working memory."
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New faculty cluster in public digital arts

Tuesday, June 25, 2013
The University of Iowa will hire eight new faculty members who'll galvanize the university's existing strengths in technology and the arts, explore uses for emerging technologies, and engage people across the university and beyond.
In a Feb. 18, 2013 file photo, dressed in boxes emptied from earlier cookie sales, Girl Scouts from Troop 20337 in Eugene fan out on the University of Oregon campus near the Erb Memorial Union in Eugene, Ore., in search of customers for their cookies.

Girl Scout experience kindles UI art historian's interest in Western art

Tuesday, June 25, 2013
Joni Kinsey, a UI art historian, credits her Girl Scout experience with kindling her interest in Western art, in a story on how dissension and fiscal woes are besetting the Girl Scouts.
A baby wrapped in a blue blanket with a blue cap sleeps with arms twitching in front of him

Blumberg's research says sleep movements don't result from dreaming

Monday, June 24, 2013
UI psychology professor Mark Blumberg's research shows that babies' brains are learning how to use their muscles and limbs while they are deep in slumber.