University of Iowa alumnus Shaun Harty first flew to Haiti while a student at UI to volunteer with the Community Health Initiative. He has since visited on five separate occasions, providing healthcare and conducting research in his efforts to serve the country's poor.

An event to mark Saturday, Oct. 20 as the National Day on Writing will combine Iowa City’s two passions: literature and football. The first-ever “Writing Tailgate” will take place at the Iowa City Public Library on Saturday from 3 to 5 p.m. in Meeting Room A.

Before the Hancher presentation of It Gets Better by the Los Angeles Gay Men’s Choir, the public is invited to join students and faculty for a lecture and discussion Friday, Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. in E105 Adler Journalism Building on the University of Iowa campus.

Several events in late October will allow Iowans to come together, share their unique stories, and participate in hands-on workshops to turn those stories into large-scale artistic masterpieces for the 2013 Iowa City Carnaval Parade.

The University of Iowa Electronic Music Studios will present a free event at 7:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 21, in Room 101 of Becker Communication Studies Building.

University of Iowa political science professor Tim Hagle writes about the top four books he believes have had an enduring impact on the national political discussion.

Three University of Iowa alumni—Joseph Dobrian, Justin Cronin, and Robert Grunst—will read from their work Oct. 23-26 at free events at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The readings will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website, www.writinguniversity.org.

A new study by researchers at the University of Iowa has determined that parental bonding early on could result in behavioral and emotional benefits for the child.

Kenneth Goldsmith will present a free reading at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 21, in the Frank Conroy Reading Room of the Glenn Schaeffer Library, adjacent to the Dey House.

The University of Iowa has a long tradition of fostering the highest level of string quartet playing and chamber music instruction—think the Stradivari String Quartet, or more recently, the Maia String Quartet. This storied history adds another chapter this academic year with the formation of the UI String Quartet Residency Program.

Marilynne Robinson, Pulitzer Prize–winning author and faculty member in the University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop, will join UI Nonfiction Writing Program alumna Eula Biss for a literary benefit at 7 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 24, in the Englert Theatre in downtown Iowa City.

University of Iowa undergraduates are increasingly planning their coursework with an eye toward the job market. Earning a certificate via one of the university's 21 interdisciplinary certificate programs gives students the opportunity to add credentials to their degrees and make their résumés and transcripts stand out.