Two Emmy Award-winning writers. A space explorer with an asteroid named for him. A federal judge. An international choreographer. A battleship commander and presidential aide. What do they have in common? They're all UI College of Liberal Arts and Sciences alumni, and they're on campus this week.

University staff, faculty, students, and alumni are accomplishing great things every day. See who's making news with awards, publications, promotion and tenure, and more.

S.T.A.T. (Students Today, Alumni Tomorrow) provided fans of the Iowa Hawkeyes with a wonderful experience Thursday, Sept. 12, hosting the Beat State Week Pep Rally on the Pentacrest.

In the fall of 2010, Rebecca Kling was fired from a teaching position for being a transgender woman. The experience left her wondering what America was teaching its children—and adults— about gender, conformity, and being just a little different. Kling will share what she learned Sept. 17 and 18 in a visit to the UI campus.

A record crowd saw the University of Iowa soccer team extend its winning streak against Iowa State with a 3-0 victory on Sept. 6. Success under the lights comes from hard work, rest and recovery, and fine-tuning technique throughout the week on the practice field.

The University of Iowa Department of Public Safety will test the Hawk Alert emergency notification system at 10 a.m. Wednesday, Sept. 18 as required by federal law.

The Academic Technologies Advisory Council will be accepting proposals for the Innovations in Teaching with Technology Awards Sept. 18 through Oct. 17.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has selected the University of Iowa to receive one of six grant awards to identify modifiable maternal exposures in early pregnancy that may increase the risk of major birth defects. Each grant recipient will receive an estimated $3.5 million over the five-year project period.

The University of Iowa School of Art and Art History will present “Exuberant Politics,” a series of events involving Josh MacPhee, a printmaker, curator, writer, and activist who uses art to inject protest politics into public discourse, Sept. 23-28 in Iowa City.

The Carver-Hawkeye Arena Addition and Renovation project at the University of Iowa has earned Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Gold certification.

The University of Iowa School of Music will present War and Patriotic Songs, a performance by Professor Katherine Eberle and students from her studio, at 3 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, in the University Capitol Centre Recital Hall. The concert, which will feature Jason Sifford on piano, is free and open to the public.

Six-year-old Stella Turnbull has spinal muscular atrophy, a condition that significantly weakens all of her muscles. When she was diagnosed at 1 month of age, her doctors didn't expect her to live. Her parents turned to UI Children's Hospital, where doctors created the proper treatment regimen.