The 11th Hour makes the expertise of the Iowa Summer Writing Festival available to the public, free of charge.

Starting Tuesday, June 5, the search committee for the University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine dean will host a series of public forums where each of the five candidates under consideration for the position will address the topic, "What is Your Vision for the Future of Academic Medical Centers."

The University of Iowa Roy J. and Lucille A. Carver College of Medicine will honor six individuals at the 2012 Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony and luncheon Friday, June 8 at the Levitt Center for University Advancement.

The University of Iowa Gardeners have started a new herb and flower garden by North Hall to grow things like borage (an edible flower), chamomile, sunflowers, and more. They spent a sunny Friday morning laying mulch and planting in the black Iowa dirt.

The Get to Know series asks University of Iowa faculty and staff a few questions about their work and their outside interests. Today we visit with Kate Seemuth, manager of the Clinical Research Unit.

The euphoria of sliding on her playing jersey never gets old for University of Iowa assistant softball coach Stacy May-Johnson. She'll get another opportunity as she begins her second go-round with the USA Softball Women's National Team.

Daniel Alder, a junior majoring in biology and environmental sciences, is a recipient of the Stanley Undergraduate Award for International Research in the amount of $2,000.

The economic impact of the recent 2012 U.S. Olympic Wrestling Team Trials on Johnson County exceeded $5 million, according to survey results released June 1 by the Iowa City/Coralville Area Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB).

A new alcohol education program, eCheckup To Go, will survey UI students on their alcohol and tobacco habits, use that data to create an instant customized profile that includes alcohol use patterns, and break down the data into tangible financial and physical costs—like the cheeseburger caloric equivalent of their alcohol consumption.

Ames fantasy author Deborah Coates will read from her debut novel, Wide Open, at 7 p.m. Friday, June 15, in Prairie Lights Books and in a live stream on the University of Iowa www.writinguniversity website.

When you think of the process that enables the northern lights, think of spaghetti becoming untangled, says University of Iowa researcher Jack Scudder. He and his colleagues have reached a milestone in describing how the northern lights work by way of a process called “magnetic reconnection.”

Raúl Curto, executive associate dean in the University of Iowa College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, will serve as interim dean of the college from July 1 to Aug. 15.