A gift commitment in the amount of $1 million will benefit the University of Iowa Children’s Hospital building campaign.

Alec Soth, critically acclaimed Minneapolis-based photographer, will present a free, public lecture titled “From Here to There” as the University of Iowa Museum of Art’s annual Bette Spriestersbach Distinguished Lecture. The lecture will be held in Art Building West, Room 240, on Thursday, Feb. 7, from 7:30-8:30 p.m.

Richard Brettell, one of the foremost authorities on Impressionism and French painting from 1830 to 1930, will present "Identity Before Freud: Gauguin's Self Portraits" for the University of Iowa Museum of Art’s 2013 Curator’s Circle Lecture Series on Friday, Feb. 8, at the University Club.

University of Iowa accounting and law students will again provide free tax return preparation services to qualifying persons this year as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program.

Students in the UI Department of Theatre Arts are working with the Moving Company, a Twin Cities-based theater organization, on developing the latter's tale of modern-day poverty and isolation, set in the fantastical world of fairy tales. The fruits of their labor will be unveiled Feb. 7.

Celebrate the sweetest month of the year at the next University of Iowa Museum of Art First Friday reception from 5-7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 1 at hotelVetro in downtown Iowa City. For $5, enjoy drink specials, light hors d’oeuvres, art by Cheryl Jacobsen and music by Tom Nothnagle .

The University of Iowa is one of four institutions involved in a new clinical trial to evaluate a candidate H3N2v influenza vaccine in healthy adults and elderly individuals.

UI graduate Brittany McConnell discovered she wanted to pursue a career in environmental science after taking a course at the Iowa Lakeside Laboratory last summer. Scholarships are now available for the first 50 students who apply for the 2013 summer session.

Iowa Writers’ Workshop alumnus Aaron McCollough will read from his latest book, "Underlight," at 7 p.m. Friday, Feb. 8, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.

Registration is now open for spring courses through the University of Iowa Lifetime Enrichment Adult Program.

The Hawkeye softball season doesn’t start until next month when they play Lipscomb University in the Hilton Houston Plaza Classic, but coach Marla Looper’s frozen offseason is just as busy preparing for the games to come.

Poet Sarah Lindsay will read from her work at 7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 7, in a free reading at Prairie Lights Books in downtown Iowa City. The reading also will be streamed live on the University of Iowa Writing University website.