Jim Leach, chairman of the National Endowment for the Humanities, will speak at the first ever Iowa Humanities Festival in Des Moines on March 9. Collectors and collecting is the theme of this inaugural event, which brings together scholars, museum directors, librarians, and personal collectors from across the state.

The University of Iowa School of Music will present a free recital by guest artist Jessica Mathaes, an award-winning violinst, and Uriel Tsachor, professor of piano in the UI School of Music, at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 13, in Riverside Recital Hall.

Donald Black, UI professor of psychiatry, says that the behaviors displayed by people on the reality TV show Extreme Couponing could be considered variants of obsessive-compulsive disorder.

A University of Iowa study shows women's feet do indeed change from pregnancy. Why? Arch height and rigidity decrease in early pregnancy, causing increases in foot length that appear to be permanent. Results appear in the American Journal of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Death notices for current and retired UI employees. Links to online obituaries provided when available.

A new partnership with the UI Organ Transplant Center, Mercy Medical Center-Des Moines, and the Iowa Digestive Disease Center is improving care for patients with liver disease, especially in central and western Iowa.

Mary Noonan, a UI associate professor of sociology and co-author of the paper "The Hard Truth about Telecommuting," says that employees who work from home end up working five to seven hours more a week as part of a story on how Yahoo is requiring more face time of its employees.

Babies in Brazil of African ancestry, alone or mixed, are more likely to have low birth weights and to be born prematurely than those born to parents of European-only ancestry, according to a new study from the University of Iowa. The reasons may be less use of prenatal care facilities and where non-European-only ethnic groups live. Findings appear in the "American Journal of Public Health."

The University of Iowa School of Music will present a free recital by tenor Richard Fracker, associate professor of voice and Area Chair of Vocal Arts at the Michigan State University College of Music, at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 3, in the University Capitol Centre Recital Hall in downtown Iowa City.

Featuring two brilliant dancers and two live bands, "India Jazz Suites" is a cross-cultural celebration of fleet-footedness.

The University of Iowa has unveiled its new diversity website, UI Diversity@Iowa, with enhanced navigation features and a more robust platform for stories, social media, images, and a comprehensive diversity calendar.

A University of Iowa research team has been awarded nearly $2 million to study the effects on unborn babies from mothers who abuse alcohol during pregnancy.