A burgeoning controversy is brewing in Des Moines over fluoridation of the city's water supply, but Steven Levy of the University of Iowa College of Dentistry says low levels of fluoride are beneficial for improved dental health.

The University of Iowa String Quartet Residency Program—coordinated by violist Elizabeth Oakes, lecturer in the UI School of Music—will present the Bartók Cycle by the Chiara String Quartet at 7:30 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Dec. 6 and 7, in Riverside Recital Hall on the UI campus.

The University of Iowa School of Music will present a free performance by the All-University String Orchestra and the UI Chamber Orchestra at 3 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 8, in Riverside Recital Hall on the UI campus.

Dan McGehee, human factors and vehicle safety researcher, writes about new University of Iowa research on teens and distracted driving, which shows that teen passengers may be a more lethal form of distraction than cell phones.

Iowa City's strategy of supporting local startups rather than pursuing huge companies' expansions, paired with the exposure that the UI's Pappajohn Entrepreneurial Center provides for student-led startups, creates a city with strong momentum.

Iowa City artist Laura Young will show “The Devil’s Cloth,” paintings and works on paper, at the University of Iowa Museum of Art’s First Friday reception to be held from 5 to 7 p.m on Dec. 3 at hotelVetro, 201 S. Linn St. in downtown Iowa City.

The University of Iowa Bicycle Advisory Committee invites UI faculty, staff, and students to join the Winter Warrior Challenge, a fun way to show that a bike commute is possible despite chilly temperatures, Dec. 1-20.

One of the world’s finest big bands will swing into the holiday season with two performances at West High School when University of Iowa's Hancher presents the Jazz at Lincoln Center with Wynton Marsalis Saturday, Dec. 7, at 5 and 8 p.m.

In an article about "medical tourism," the University of Iowa's Peter Cram recommends looking for an accredited hospital that performs large numbers of the procedure you need and a doctor who trained at a major medical school.

This Thanksgiving, no one will be without a place to gather for good food, conversation, and the opportunity to give thanks. The University of Iowa is hosting a traditional Thanksgiving dinner Thursday, Nov. 28, from 3 to 5 p.m. at Old Brick. Though free and open to the UI community, advance registration is necessary, and volunteers are still invited to help.

The UI Department of Dance will present "The Work Between: Collaborative Performance 2013" at 8 p.m. Dec. 5-7 in Space Place Theater. The event features an interdisciplinary performance created through collaboration of student choreographers, musicians, composers, designers, and stage managers.

"Iowa Now" will publish on a lighter schedule the week of Thanksgiving, Monday, Nov. 25 through Friday, Nov. 29.