Singer-songwriter Susan Werner's roots are planted in Iowa soil. Her Club Hancher performances Thursday, Oct. 9, will feature music from her album "Hayseed."

The state of Iowa’s long-standing ties to Hebei Province in China will strengthen with a new American Cultural Center opening in the provincial capital of Shijiazhuang next year.

The University of Iowa is preparing to celebrate Homecoming Oct. 4-11. This year’s theme is “Gold and Black Take Me Back.”

The UI College of Education's Belin Blank Center has received a $500,000 grant from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, the nation's largest scholarship foundation, to expand the center's STEM Excellence and Literacy program.

Donna Parsons, a lecturer in the UI School of Music and the Honors Program, invites university and community members down "The Long and Winding Road" of the formative years for young John, Paul, George, and Ringo with “Magical Mythical Tour: In Search of the Beatles,” on Wednesday, Oct. 15.

Palen Stream wrote an essay eloquently describing elements of her life that are quintessentially Iowa. Her descriptive prose landed her a year of tuition at the UI. But before she takes that step in her educational journey, she has plenty of goals she wants to meet before graduating high school. Her hard-working values should serve her well going forward.

UI College of Law Professor Mark Osiel recently spent several days in Bogotá, Colombia, consulting with officials at the High Commissioner for Peace, concerning legal issues involved in ending the country’s longstanding civil war.

The University of Iowa Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development will share information about new and accelerating business development initiatives during an Economic Development Showcase from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, in the McCord Club Lounge of Kinnick Stadium.

While sports can be fun for both children and adults, they can put participants at risk for serious injuries such as concussions. Dr. Andy Peterson, an assistant professor in the Stead Family Department of Pediatrics at the University of Iowa, will discuss treatment of sports-related concussions in a public talk at the Old Capitol Museum at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct 8.

At a UI conference Monday focused on Iowa’s military veterans, author and U.S. Army sergeant Kayla Williams said she supports expanding the roles of women in combat, particularly in cases where women already serve in “attached” combat units.

The University of Iowa College of Engineering’s Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL), in collaboration with Rockwell Collins, recently completed successful testing of a commercial avionics system that may one day lead to safe, unmanned flight over U.S. skies.

The University of Iowa College of Public Health is recognizing four leaders whose contributions across a range of disciplines are helping to promote better health and prevent disease throughout the state of Iowa. The 2014 Iowa Public Health Heroes Awards will be presented Oct. 7 at the 15th annual Iowa Public Health Practice Colloquium in Iowa City.