This interactive talk for PhD and MFA students in the writing disciplines will outline the publishing process for first books. The session will guide graduate students through the steps of the academic publishing process, with a focus on demystifying the journey from dissertation/thesis to manuscript to published book. Key topics will include identifying the right academic publisher, understanding peer review, negotiating contracts, and building a strong proposal. Led by Mark Simpson-Vos, Senior...

The Athletics Compliance Office is charged with advancing the UI's commitment to the highest standards and principles of ethical behavior and strict adherence to the letter and spirit of the National Collegiate Athletic Association and Big Ten rules. The office serves as a resource for UI boosters, alumni, friends, and prospective and enrolled student athletes. Andy Banse, associate AD for Athletic Compliance, joined the University of Iowa Athletics Compliance Office in August 2023. He has 17...

At this public lecture, Mark Simpson-Vos — Senior Executive Editor at University of North Carolina Press — will discuss the way commentators have since the 1970s routinely trotted out the idea that scholarly publishing is in crisis, and how the stance of publishers in particular has been to shrug off such ideas. In this moment, however, it is impossible to ignore the deep strains within the scholarly publishing ecosystem, amidst increasingly turbulent times for American higher education. Lament...

Professor Emerita Niño-Murcia will discuss big and small ways in which language politics generate and perpetuate North American inequalities.

For this workshop, 4–5 UI faculty members will submit book proposal drafts for a collaborative feedback session led by Mark Simpson-Vos, Senior Executive Editor at University of North Carolina Press. The session is designed to help authors write a compelling book proposal, with a focus on crafting a strong pitch, identifying target audiences, and outlining the project’s structure. The workshop’s goal is for participants to walk away with a strong and cohesive book proposal, increasing their...

Have you been waiting all school year to make serious progress on your book manuscript, article, or grant application? Jump-start your summer writing project at the Obermann End-of-Year Writing Retreat May 12–16, 2025! Fifteen participants will enjoy a week of quiet productivity apart from the distractions of campus at the beautiful North Ridge Pavilion in Coralville. Daily catered lunches will provide an opportunity for exchange and discussion with other writers across campus. Each day will...

Join Urban Forest Supervisor Andy Dahl for a Campus Tree Tour on Tuesday, May 13, from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. The tour will begin in front of Macbride Hall and will provide an opportunity to explore the diverse trees on campus while learning about their history and significance. This event is hosted by the UIRA Program Committee, with Nancy Langguth (nancy-langguth@uiowa.edu) serving as the program host. Stay tuned for additional details in upcoming issues of The Gray Hawk!

The UIRA Annual Meeting will be held on Friday, June 27, at 1:00 p.m. Join us beforehand for lunch from 12:15 to 1:00 p.m., and connect with fellow members before the meeting begins. Stay tuned for additional details in upcoming issues of The Gray Hawk!

Directed by Brian R. Farrell, Daria Fisher Page, and Ryan T. Sakoda (UI College of Law), Cultivating Rurality: Building Community around Rural Research will bring together scholars, community leaders, and professionals who work with rural populations and in rural spaces. During the symposium, attendees will be invited to collaborate in theorizing rurality, share how it impacts their work, examine how rurality is represented and celebrated, and problem-solve challenges faced by rural communities...

Directed by Brian R. Farrell, Daria Fisher Page, and Ryan T. Sakoda (UI College of Law), Cultivating Rurality: Building Community around Rural Research will bring together scholars, community leaders, and professionals who work with rural populations and in rural spaces. During the symposium, attendees will be invited to collaborate in theorizing rurality, share how it impacts their work, examine how rurality is represented and celebrated, and problem-solve challenges faced by rural communities...

This lecture traces Professor Trachsel's studies on cross-species communication from analyses of ape language research in the early 2000’s to investigation of other interspecies language types, such as horse whispering and the telepathy professed by animal communicators. Her current research on human-wild animal relationships has entailed wolf-tracking in Yellowstone, a “women and wolves” workshop in the Boundary Waters, observation of feral horses out west, and visits to wildlife "encounter"...

The internet mews, barks, growls, and hisses with alleged evidence of cross-species attachment. These stories — from Genesis to Victorian animal painter Edwin Landseer’s narrative paintings to the latest videos and memes — entice audiences with the promise that we can bridge and bond across species difference. But they also document what it costs animals for humans to be near them.  ~ Sponsored by the Emeritus Faculty Council and the Office of the Provost ~

This talk will give an overview of three research initiatives that use VR technology. First, a series of studies that used large screen pedestrian and bicycling simulators to examine how two people coordinate their decisions and actions when crossing a stream of traffic. The studies reveal the powerful influence that others have on how we make consequential decisions in performing routine but potentially dangerous activities. Second, a series of studies looking at how mobile technology can help...

This lecture will detail our 38-year journey toward the restoration of vision for people blinded by inherited retinal disease. Edwin M. Stone, MD, PhD, is Professor of Ophthalmology. Director of the Iowa Institute for Vision Research, and the Seamans-Hauser Chair of Molecular Ophthalmology. ~ Sponsored by the Emeritus Faculty Council and the Office of the Provost ~

Bruce Tomblin, PhD Professor Emeritus, Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders Language is often viewed as one of the signal attributes of humans. It is a universal property of humans that is acquired easily during early childhood with no formal instruction. During this time some children are more adept at language learning than others. These individual differences in language development have the potential of affecting children’s well-being. This talk will provide an overview of a...

Leslie uses the social and cultural history of Civil War medicine and science to probe the question of how and why anti-Black racism survived the destruction of slavery. Leslie's talk will describe how white Northerners—the U.S. Sanitary Commission and Army medical personnel—conducted wartime research aimed at proving Black medical and biological inferiority. She argues that this research not only led to the mistreatment of Black soldiers and civilians, it also promoted the notion of white...

As Iowa entered the 1960s, it faced issues that reflected the transition from an agricultural, rural state to one that had become majority urban with consequent tensions between its urban and rural communities—tensions that continue to this day. At the same time, Iowa’s food-based economy seemed increasingly out of sync with a national economy driven proportionately less by the consumption of food and more by growing consumer demand for homes, cars, televisions, hi-fis, and clothes—items that...

The immune system normally detects and destroys bacteria and cells infected with viruses. However, cancer cells are able to avoid destruction by the immune system. Basic research exploring how cancer cells and the immune system interact has led to the development of new drugs and treatment modalities that use the power of the immune system to treat cancer. Dr. Weiner will review the successes, challenges, and opportunities related to using the immune system to treat cancer. George Weiner is C...