Despite overcast skies and rain showers, University of Iowa students kicked off the 2018–19 academic year with excitement and optimism, and also some last-minute jitters.

The Class of 2022 gathered the night before classes began to celebrate convocation and the President’s Block Party.

A welcome message from President Harreld and Provost Curry detailing some of the campus resources available to students, faculty, and staff.

There’s a wealth of opportunities provided on campus, and some free resources can get lost in the jumble. Here are five options for students looking for help studying or having a good time.

The University of Iowa will hold two open forums, on August 23 and 27, seeking input from campus on the search for a new executive vice president and provost.

Residence hall move-in for new University of Iowa students kicked off Tuesday, Aug. 14, running through Thursday, Aug. 16. Nearly 700 Iowa volunteers helped things run smoothly as hundreds of undergraduates and their families unloaded vehicles and unpacked belongings in residence hall rooms on both sides of the Iowa River.

The University of Iowa will welcome students back to campus with a host of entertaining and educational activities, including simulated volcanic eruptions, tours of Hancher Auditorium, composting tutorials, and an augmented-reality scavenger hunt in the College of Engineering library.

University of Iowa faculty and students are participating in a historic NASA mission to study the sun. The Iowa team will study the solar wind to better understand its effects on weather around Earth. The Parker Solar Probe mission launched on Aug. 11.

Residence hall move-in for new students will be scheduled in shifts from 9 a.m. to noon and 2–5 p.m. on Tuesday–Thursday, Aug. 14–16. Move-in will likely increase traffic and cause delays, so please be patient and plan accordingly. Returning students will move in on Saturday, Aug. 18.

Two separate research groups at the University of Iowa are helping design, build, and test subdetectors that will be part of an upgrade to the world’s most sophisticated particle detector. The teams are led by UI faculty Usha Mallik, Jane Nachtman, and Yasar Onel.

University of Iowa faculty, staff, students, and a representative of the Iowa City community have been named to the search committee to replace Georgina Dodge, the UI’s former chief diversity officer.

University of Iowa researchers have found that older people are less likely than younger people to realize when they’ve made a mistake. The finding offers new insight into how aging adults perceive their decisions and view their performance.