Participants are invited to register for the Iowa Regents Institutions 2013 Disability Awareness Summit Thursday, Oct. 17, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in Suite 2520 of the University Capitol Centre in downtown Iowa City. The theme is "Tools for Change."

Today the overwhelming majority of scientists in Iowa, the United States, and across the world agree that biological evolution explains the diversity of life on our planet.

Doctors learned Myles Peterman would be born with hydroencephalitis—a buildup of fluid inside the skull that puts pressure on the brain—and spina bifida, a birth defect in which the spinal column does not close completely while the baby is still in the womb. Now 13, he's had a variety of surgeries and comes to UI Children's Hospital a few times a year.

Tranquility and beauty were plentiful during a daytrip to Winterset and the bridges of Madison County. Our University Communication and Marketing videographer Kirk Murray was pleasantly surprised to discover much more than bridges, however, during a recent venture to this part of the state.

University of Iowa researchers Stuart Weinstein and Lori Dolan led a study team that set out to compare the risk of curve progression in patients with adolescent idiopathic scoliosis who wore a brace with patients who did not.

The University of Iowa will host the 23rd annual Celebrating Cultural Diversity Festival from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 29, in Hubbard Park on the UI campus, the first time that the festival has been held in the fall as the official kickoff to the 2013 UI Homecoming Week.

What does the reading public lose when a book is removed from the shelves? Writers from Burma/Myanmar, Pakistan, Panama, and Portugal—in Iowa City for the International Writing Program fall residency—will team up with Iowa City librarians for a public discussion on censorship Sept. 26.

Former Congressman Jim Leach, also a visiting professor in the UI College of Law, will present “Bridging Cultures: the Heart of the Fulbright Program” at an upcoming UI event celebrating the legacy of Fulbright programs at the university.

The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development have established a Humanities Advisory Board to advise them on humanities issues, stimulate collaboration among humanities faculty, leverage resources in support of humanities scholarship, and identify areas of interdisciplinary research.

Five Iowa City residents and a downtown development group were honored this week for their support of the University of Iowa Museum of Art. UI President Sally Mason and UI Museum of Art Executive Director Sean O’Harrow presented the awards at a reception held Wednesday, Sept. 18.

The University of Iowa conducted a test of its Hawk Alert emergency notification system Wednesday morning. Although some Hawk Alert subscribers received more than one message due to an error, UI Public Safety Director Chuck Green said the technology worked as intended.

Vaccine research specialists with University of Iowa Health Care, in collaboration with colleagues across the country, are preparing for the potential pandemic spread of a new bird flu strain (H7N9) that caused severe disease in China last spring.