Every spring, a small group of faculty sets out to see Iowa through the eyes of folks outside Iowa City. They meet with Iowans and listen to stories of triumph and challenge, and they return with a new perspective on the state, their students and their lives as UI faculty.

Never mind that Iowa Summer Rep provides audiences with top-notch productions. UI theatre arts students get to rub shoulders with professional stage actors, and the pros find themselves re-energized by the students' enthusiasm for their art.

The University of Iowa's Obermann Center conference on "Get Ready, Iowa" is cited as an example of a new emphasis on "civic science" in column co-written by UI's John Spencer.

Author Larry Baker, a University of Iowa alumnus and faculty member, is interviewed about his new novel.

Jodie Plumert, chair of the University of Iowa Psychology Department, says riding a virtual bike "offers a way to look at this real-world problem in a very safe but systematic way.”

University of Iowa new-media specialist Jon Winet is co-founder of an experiment to learn if a novel can be written through Twitter.

Harold Adams, University of Iowa professor of neurology and director of the UI Stroke Center, demonstrates a robot used to diagnose stroke at remote hospitals.

A University of Iowa law professor encourages nursing homes to expand their policies so residents can keep pets, and states to change laws and regulations where necessary to make it easier.

Deborah Linebarger, who studies children and the media, is concerned about iPhone apps for kids.

A recent study by Gautam Pant compared how search engine results correlated to merchants’ Better Business Bureau reviews, finding that merchants who used dollar signs in their results earned markedly lower grades from the BBB.

Dan Gable learns a bit about another kind of pinning.

University of Iowa research found that big noses defend against disease and allergies.