George Horace Gallup came up with the idea of doing a more sophisticated poll while lecturing in journalism at the University of Iowa and studying for his Ph.D. The genesis of Gallup was noted in a story on the organization announcing it will refine its methodology, emphasizing the preference of voters most likely to vote.

Four University of Iowa faculty members (A. Allen Bradley Jr., Jay Christensen-Szalanski, Caroline K. Sheerin, and Jodi Tate) have won the 2012 President and Provost Award for Teaching Excellence in recognition of their years of outstanding teaching.

The University of Iowa will announce the results of its latest Hawkeye Poll of likely presidential election voters in key battleground states, including Iowa, during a news conference at 1:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 31.

The top bands of the University of Iowa School of Music will take center stage with the annual Band Extravaganza at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 6, in Carver-Hawkeye Arena. The Band Extravaganza is a popular showcase for the Johnson County Landmark jazz band, the Symphony Band, and the Hawkeye Marching Band.

Iowa Percussion, a program in the University of Iowa School of Music, will present “Percussion from Outer Space,” a free performance set for 3 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 28, in Riverside Recital Hall on the UI campus.

Ophthalmology lab to study whether cellular stress in eye cells has link to glaucoma.

Dance Gala 2012, the University of Iowa Department of Dance’s major annual event, kicks off tonight in Space Place Theater. Iowa Now provides this peek at dress rehearsal.

The University of Iowa’s student and community-based group TransCollaborations announces the schedule for the fourth annual TransWeek! Nov. 2 through 5 with the theme, "Organizing Against Transnormativity," a week that celebrates trans-identified people and gender variance.

The federal government will pay to replace three University of Iowa flood-damaged buildings at new locations, settling a months-long federal dispute over how much money the university will get for those projects.

For many Americans, the Qur'an is difficult to read, its organization obscure, its messages cryptic or even threatening. Professor Carl W. Ernst will discuss strategies for making sense of the Qur'an's complex text during a series of events Nov. 1-2.

John Westefeld, a counseling psychology professor in the University of Iowa College of Education, says that if someone is ever worried about a family member or friend considering suicide, they should ask him or her about it.

The University of Iowa Center for New Music (CNM) will present a free concert featuring guest artist Michael Norsworthy on clarinet and CNM director David Gompper on piano at 2 p.m., Sunday, Oct. 28, in the Senate Chamber of Old Capitol on the UI campus.