Jazz vocalist Dianne Reeves returns for her third Hancher performance Dec. 7, ushering in the holidays and wrapping up Hancher's 2012 programming.

Keith Mueller, health management and policy professor in the UI College of Public Health, talks about the state of rural health care in Iowa and how it will change under the federal Affordable Care Act on Iowa Public Radio's "River to River" program.

University of Iowa freshman Andy Topping makes "bracelets with a purpose." The pre-business major created an online business that makes bracelets out of parachute chord, both for style and survival.

Jeannette George, a nursing and international studies major with an emphasis in African studies, reflects on her life-changing decision to pursue awareness of sickle-cell anemia research far beyond her UI classroom.

Susan Assouline has been named the new director of the University of Iowa College of Education's Connie Belin & Jacqueline N. Blank International Center for Gifted Education and Talent Development, effective Jan. 1, 2013.

The Macbride Nature Recreation Area is home to various environmental education programs, and the bird blind. "Iowa Now" spent a couple hours at the bird blind recently to see what happened by.

Iowa Now will publish on a lighter schedule the week of Thanksgiving, Monday, Nov. 19 through Friday, Nov. 23.

The University of Iowa takes very seriously any allegations of sexual harassment in the workplace and as a result, will implement a series of changes intended to positively impact student-athlete advising and compliance in the department of athletics moving forward.

The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History continues its fall Movies@MNH series Sunday, Dec. 2, at 2 p.m. in Macbride Auditorium. This month’s movie is “The Worm Hunters,” with a run time of 52 minutes. The movie series is a free family event open to the public.

The University of Iowa is seeing growing international student enrollment, especially from Chinese students. Five years ago the UI welcomed around 400 new international undergraduates; this fall that number jumped to well over 2,000.

The University of Iowa Museum of Art (UIMA) and School of Art and Art History (SAAH) will host Midwest Matrix, a free weekend-long tribute to mid-20th century fine art printmaking on Dec. 1 and 2. The event features a symposium, film world premiere, exhibitions, Iowa Print Fair, and more.

In what organizers believe to be a first, the UI's selection for 2012 Mom and Dad of the Year are husband and wife. Rich and Patti Schmitz, of Waterloo, were honored for their extensive volunteer work—and for their perseverance. Their home has been hit by a tornado twice in 10 years.