The UI’s Iowa Initiative for Sustainable Communities (IISC) and the City of Muscatine are launching a partnership focusing on key projects for the city’s long-term sustainability. Students in art, business, engineering, public health, rhetoric, and urban planning will work under the direction of UI faculty and Muscatine leaders.

The Pentacrest will be a busy place on Thursday, Sept. 12 as two campus events will take place near the Old Capitol.

The UI Army ROTC Cadets will continue a tradition of running the Cy-Hawk football series game ball from Iowa City to Ames Friday, Sept. 13 as part of the Army ROTC 28th Annual Game Ball Run, collecting nonperishable items for the Iowa Troop Pantry in advance and along the way.

Sydney Johnson, a Des Moines native, was determined to study abroad while at the UI. She chose a small Italian town off the beaten path to hone her language skills.

Bruce Sterling, American science fiction author whose work helped to define the steampunk genre, will read from and talk about his work at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 17, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City.

Liz Lerman, founding artistic director of the Dance Exchange and recipient of a MacArthur “Genius Grant,” will be in Iowa City as part of the Ida Cordelia Beam Visiting Professorships Program in September.

University of Iowa Student Health and Wellness has achieved another three year accreditation by the Accreditation Association for Ambulatory Health Care, earning recognition for providing the highest quality care.

University of Iowa psychiatry professor Nancy Andreasen has published a study using brain scans to document the effects of schizophrenia on brain tissue. The findings may help doctors better understand the origin of the illness and the best ways to treat it.

University of Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumnus John Falsey will offer a free presentation, “Basics of Screenwriting for Fiction Writers and Poets,” at 4 p.m. Friday, Sept. 20, in the Frank Conroy Reading Room of the Glenn Schaeffer Library, adjacent to the Dey House.

The University of Iowa ranks 29th among the nation's best public universities, according to the latest rankings published by the magazine "U.S. News & World Report." The ranking places the UI in a tie with Michigan State University.

Susan Branch, author of 12 best-selling Heart of the Home books, will sign copies of her new book, "A Fine Romance: Falling in Love With the English Countryside," at 1 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 14, at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City.

The performing arts component of University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Project Art will present a musical performance by jazz pianist extraordinaire Dave Burrell at noon Wednesday, Sept. 18, in the atrium of the John Colloton Pavilion at University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics. The performance is free and open to the public.