Sure, it’s got a good beat and you dance to it, but Gangnam Style is more than your usual pop trifle about never getting back together or calling me, maybe.

More than 300 students from eastern Iowa and western Illinois attended the 16th annual UI College of Education's International Day for Human Rights Nov. 6. This year’s event focused on the “Human Right to Political Participation.” International Day is designed to educate students on local and global human rights issues.

To raise money for cancer charities, University of Iowa alumnus Steve Cannon ran 40 marathons in 40 consecutive days around Lake Michigan.

This year's UI Mom and Dad of the Year, Patti and Rich Schmitz of Waterloo, have experienced devastation and tragedy firsthand. Both were nominated by their daughter, UI student Anna Schmitz. Within the past 10 years, their home was struck by a tornado, in 2002 and 2007, respectively.

The Hawkeye Marching Band was singled out on Oct. 26 as one of the best college bands in the nation on CNN Headline News. Fans were able to nominate their favorite band; videos of the bands were then collected by the cable news network. Based on the submissions, CNN chose 14 bands from across the country for broadcast on their Morning Express show.

David D. Permutter and David Dowling, director and assistant director, respectively, for the UI School of Journalism and Mass Communication, write how the demand for in-depth stories can promote a return to the humanitarian origins of journalism.

Greg Touzani, president of the UI Veterans Association, says that the UI does a great job providing a support system to student veterans in a story on how locals remember peace as well as veterans this Veterans Day.

Read how heart attack survivor Brad Smith of Coralville and many other patients enroll in CHAMPS (Cardiovascular Health, Assessment, Management, and Prevention Service) through the UI Heart and Vascular Center to improve their heart health and prevent future problems.

John Solow, professor of economics in the Tippie College of Business, says bad things will happen if Congress and the president can't agree on spending cuts and revenue increases and the federal budget goes over the fiscal cliff.

Daniel McGehee, who studies distracted driving and vehicle safety at the University of Iowa, says that emailing is the "trifecta of distraction," because it takes your eyes, hands, and attention off the road.

The University of Iowa Museum of Natural History continues its fall series, “Storytime Adventures,” at 3 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 18. Join us on the third Sunday of each month as we explore animals and the environment in Iowa and around the world.

In recognition of his worldwide reputation as a respected teacher and scholar of international human rights, Burns Weston, founding director of the University of Iowa Center for Human Rights, was recently awarded the Courage of Conviction award.