The Get to Know series asks University of Iowa faculty and staff a few questions about their work and their outside interests. Today we visit with Mary Cohen, who administers the music education program.

UI lecturer David Gould says downtown Las Vegas is the coolest sandbox he could imagine playing in, referring to a new course he is teaching, Reimagining Downtown, with support from Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh, that will culminate in a hands-on project for UI students in Vegas.

The Department of Gender, Women's & Sexuality Studies in the College of Liberal Arts & Sciences emphasizes scholarly research and social engagement.

Students in the UI Department of Theatre Arts are working with the Moving Company, a Twin Cities-based theater organization, on developing the latter's tale of modern-day poverty and isolation, set in the fantastical world of fairy tales. The fruits of their labor will be unveiled Feb. 7.

Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumnus Aaron McCollough will read from his latest book, "Underlight," at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.

Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning author and faculty member in the University of Iowa Writers' Workshop, has been shortlisted for the Man Booker International Prize, along with writers from India, Russia, and China.

A unique study abroad program in Peru allowed University of Iowa sophomore Macz Norton to blend study, service, and immersion for an unforgettable experience last summer.

The University of Iowa Martha-Ellen Tye Opera Theater will perform "Trouble in Tahiti" by Leonard Bernstein and "Amelia Goes to the Ball" by Giancarlo Menotti at 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 1 and 2, and at 2 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 3, in the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City.

John Manning, associate professor of tuba in the University of Iowa School of Music, will give a faculty recital at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 30, in Riverside Recital Hall on the UI campus. The performance is free and open to the public.

The MFA program in Spanish Creative Writing in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences draws upon traditional Hispanic views of art and the role of the writer in the community to prepare students for careers as writers and teachers, in addition to helping local populations tell their stories.

In the 21st century, the notion of graceful living has lost its meaning. We would do well to look to the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr., for a lesson in living with grace.

Ten University of Iowa undergraduate students have been selected to participate in a unique pilot course for the spring 2013 semester. The course will allow the students to apply their education and creativity to help Zappos CEO Tony Hsieh and others transform downtown Las Vegas.