Scott Daly, assistant professor in chemistry and an Army veteran, started the Chemistry Platoon after learning UI student veterans weren’t performing as well as their peers. The program has been so successful that Daly has obtained National Science Foundation funding to expand it.

The 2018–19 season for the University of Iowa’s Hancher Auditorium once again features an array of world-class artists who will engage the campus and community both on the stage and in a variety of other settings. Read on to learn about this season’s upcoming performances.

Hancher Auditorium’s new programming director, Paul Brohan, says he plans to maintain and honor Hancher’s traditions while pushing forward on new initiatives and developing unique collaborations.

Eastern Iowa resident Aulanda Krause worried that her mother, Monna Metcalf, would never ride her horse again because her prosthetic leg rubbed her skin, causing painful sores. Krause enlisted the help of four University of Iowa biomedical engineering students to create a device that solved the problem.

Ohio University President M. Duane Nellis has appointed Chaden Djalali, professor in the UI Department of Physics and Astronomy and dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, to be their university’s next executive vice president and provost. Djalali’s last day at the UI will be June 30.

As part of the Climate for Change Theme Semester, UI urban and regional planning students reimagined a portion of an Iowa City park as a sanctuary for native plants and wildlife. Students recently presented their adaptation plan for the Terry Trueblood Recreation Area to President Harreld and city officials.

Only days after "Avengers: Infinity War" debuted with the biggest box office opening weekend in cinematic history, Joe Russo—who co-directed the Marvel blockbuster with his brother, Anthony—returned to the University of Iowa campus, where his passionate pursuit of storytelling first took flight.

For the seventh consecutive year, black and gold bows and signs stating “Phil Was Here” were tagged on buildings that have benefited from donations. UI faculty, staff, and students also signed thank-you postcards for donors and wore “I am Phil” stickers to symbolize their connection to this cause.

UI College of Education professors and students are partnering with Kirkwood Elementary School in Coralville as part of a new college prep program called Advancement Via Individual Determination (AVID). The program, which encourages children to attend college, will expand to other schools in the fall.

More than 4,300 University of Iowa students will receive their degrees at spring 2018 commencement ceremonies, which begin Thursday, May 10, with the College of Pharmacy and end on Friday, May 25, with the College of Dentistry. All other ceremonies will take place May 11–13.

Calvin Phillips, associate vice president of student affairs (senior student affairs officer) at Eastern Michigan University in Ypsilanti, Michigan, is the fourth finalist for the next UI associate vice president and dean of students. He will give a public presentation from 1 to 1:50 p.m. Thursday, May 3.

Michèle Crider, one of the world’s preeminent sopranos, will receive an Honorary Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Iowa during the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences commencement ceremony at 9 a.m. on Saturday, May 12.