Three University of Iowa scientists in the Iowa Neuroscience Institute (INI) have received NARSAD Young Investigator grants from the Brain and Behavior Research Foundation for projects focused on addiction, depression, and brain imaging. The two-year, $70,000 grants help promising young scientists launch careers in neuroscience and psychiatry.  

The New York Times features research on a parasitic wasp by Department of Biology Associate Professor Andrew Forbes and graduate student Anna Ward. The crypt-keeper wasp preys on at least seven other unrelated species of wasps to better ensure its survival. Biology Letters published the paper.

People are more apt to make mistakes when they switch from one task to another, which could lead to catastrophe if it happens in space. A UI researcher is using a NASA grant to help astronauts reduce the amount of time it takes to focus on a new task.

New Scientist features a study by Department of Biology associate professor Andrew Forbes and graduate student Anna Ward that report a type of parasitic wasp, the crypt-keeper wasp, preys on at least seven other, unrelated species of wasps to better ensure its survival. 

Cornelia Lang, associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, speaks to The Atlantic about mysterious filaments emanating from the center of the Milky Way galaxy.

Paul Kalina and Daniel Fine presented their work-in-progress, Media Clown, this summer at the 2019 Prague Quadrennial of Performance Design and Space, a prestigious international exhibit and festival.

In addition to licensing the UI research, ArTara has acquired its own IND approval and Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA. In partnership with Novex Innovations,  ArTara also plans to build a U.S.-based manufacturing facility for TARA-002 and win regulatory approval to market TARA-002 in the U.S.

Jim Bridenstine, the top administrator of NASA, and other high-ranking representatives from the space agency, visited the University of Iowa to learn about Iowa’s legacy in space exploration and involvement in current NASA-funded missions, including TRACERS, a $115 million NASA contact award to Iowa — the largest in school history. 

Faculty and staff, as you prepare to settle in for the fall semester, here are a few stories you may have missed while enjoying summer.