Chinese author Mo Yan (photo, right), a 2004 participant of the UI International Writing Program (IWP), recently assumed the post of chairing the newly-established Beijing Normal University International Writing Center.

A celebratory moment—the bestowment of the 2013 Yale Drama Series Award—is one that grew out of painful loss and honest conversation between a University of Iowa professor and a student (now alumna) of the Iowa Playwrights Workshop.

Daniel Reed, the University of Iowa’s vice president for research and economic development, will urge congressional lawmakers to support exascale computing, the next-generation of supercomputers designed to tackle complex societal questions, from climate change to the human mind. Reed will testify at a hearing of the House Subcommittee on Energy on Wednesday, May 22.

Mary Cohen, UI associate professor of music education, applauds the efforts of community music educators and projects for providing opportunities for meaningful self-expression. (Note: A paid subscription may be required.)

Some 5,000 new graduates receive University of Iowa degrees this spring, and many marked the achievement in May 16-18 commencement ceremonies.

University of Iowa student Zach Wahls has been named a 2013 Truman Scholar—the university's sixth in as many years.

Deborah Taffa, a Master of Fine Arts candidate in nonfiction writing, who is among the nearly 5,200 UI students graduating this weekend, is writing a book about growing up on a reservation and her complicated views on her ancestry. (Note: A paid subscription may be required.)

Jacqueline Victoria Brookes, an actress and UI alumna who earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree with a major in dramatic art in 1951, died at the age of 82 after appearing in numerous films, television shows, and in New York Off Broadway productions.

Hearing conservation is the auditory equivalent of brushing to protect your teeth or putting on sunscreen to protect your skin. The campus organization UI SAFE offers advice and programming that helps guard against hearing loss in the future.

Ellen Lewin, UI professor of gender, women, and sexuality studies and anthropology, writes about lesbian and gay parenthood, and how society is taking baby steps toward marriage equality.

Michael Flatté, Sarah Larsen, Ann Marie McCarthy, Gary Rosenthal, Sara Rynes, and Curt Sigmund recognized by the Iowa Board of Regents for advancing public higher education.

UPDATE: Because of the flood situation and closure of the University of Iowa arts campus this week, the UI School of Music has canceled its summer music camp, scheduled to take place June 9-28.