News

A CLAS faculty member meets with a student

Want to do well in your courses? Attend office hours

Monday, February 2, 2026
Academic advisors in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences bust five myths about instructor drop-in hours, as well as provide common questions to ask during your meeting.
A woman in a cozy room writing in a notebook

Tips for managing the cold "spring" semester

Monday, February 2, 2026
Don’t let the winter blues slow down your start to a successful semester. Here are five tips to get you off to a good start.
beamtime with a Manichaean codex at Diamond Light Source, UK

Bridging ancient texts and modern technology: Paul Dilley’s transformative impact on Religious Studies and Classics at Iowa

Monday, February 2, 2026
As the University of Iowa looks toward celebrating the 100-year anniversary of its Religious Studies department in 2026, Associate Professor and DEO, Paul Dilley, stands at the intersection of tradition and innovation. A scholar of ancient Mediterranean religions, early Christianity, and digital humanities, Dilley exemplifies the interdisciplinary spirit that defines the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.
A profile photograph of Ericka Muhlbauer

HSHP alum builds a career in rural medicine

Ericka (Tank) Muhlbauer, MD (B.S. ’14), is a family medicine physician in Carroll, Iowa, where she cares for patients at McFarland Clinic and St. Anthony Regional Hospital. Long before she was delivering babies and supporting families in western Iowa, her path began at the University of Iowa’s Department of Health, Sport, and Human Physiology (HSHP). As a human physiology major in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Muhlbauer built a science foundation, found mentors, and gained hands-on research experience that helped her prepare for medical school and continues to shape the way she practices medicine today.
The NASA logo in blue, white, and red

UI professor wins NASA funding to create map to study exoplanets

Tuesday, January 27, 2026
David Nataf, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, is the lead investigator on the research, which would yield detailed maps to improve the study of exoplanets whose locations are obscured by “interstellar extinction” — the dimming and reddening of stars’ and galaxies’ light due to dust. Specifically, Nataf’s research will focus on learning the properties of host stars, which include mass, distance, metallicity, and temperature. Understanding host stars’ properties is crucial because they shape the characteristics of exoplanets, helping researchers better understand them.
A grid with four headshots of the researchers and artists

Meet four CLAS researchers and artists

Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Learn more about the exciting work of the following College of Liberal Arts and Sciences researchers and artists.
a researcher in lab coat stands in front of a sign with sequenced letters.

CLAS’s DSHB antibody resource awarded $3.4 million NIH grant to expand and modernize facilities

Tuesday, January 27, 2026
The NIH grant will fund a new centralized facility for the University of Iowa’s Developmental Studies Hybridoma Bank, boosting its capacity and modernizing its antibody production and research infrastructure.
Shaeffer Hall with two black and gold Iowa banners flanking four pillars.

CLAS maintains grant momentum in uncertain times

Tuesday, January 27, 2026
Amid major shifts in the national research funding landscape, CLAS faculty and staff sustained strong proposal activity in FY25. Their efforts supported continued progress in research, scholarship, and creative work across the college.