The University of Iowa: Research Resource

College of Liberal Arts and Sciences

Welcome to the May 2024 issue of the CLAS Research Resource Newsletter!

Does it feel like we’ve had a particularly busy year in CLAS? If so, you wouldn’t be wrong. With two months still left in the fiscal year, we are headed towards yet another record for CLAS research funding. Last year we posted the highest total funding numbers ever, and this year we are on track to post the highest year ever for new grant dollars awarded to our researchers. And in just one April week, CLAS faculty and students in the arts, humanities, and social sciences were awarded two Guggenheim fellowships, three Fulbright fellowships, and a Mellon/ACLS fellowship.

As we do each May, we especially feature our CLAS student researchers, scholars, and artists here. You may also want to check out some other recent articles: Jacob Payne, a second-year graduate student in physics and astronomy, attended NASA’s Astrophysics Mission Design School earlier this year, while C.J. Petersen, a third-year non-traditional undergraduate studying political science, was named a Truman Scholar—one of only 15 UI students to earn this honor since the program's inception in 1977.

Enjoy exploring the articles and, as always, don’t hesitate to connect if I can help. Best wishes for a restorative and productive summer!

Joshua Weiner

Associate Dean for Research and Infrastructure
Professor of Biology

Upcoming grant and fellowship deadlines

Check out this extensive list of grant opportunities available internally and externally. Deadlines are approaching quickly for several listings. CLAS Grant Support Office maintains this list and its staff are happy to help if you have questions or need support.

Image: An image of a researcher in a lab

Recent grant awards

CLAS is a powerhouse of research, discovery, and creativity. That is reflected in the grants our faculty and staff receive as they work to advance scholarship in their areas of study. Please congratulate members of our community on their recent awards.

Image: An image showing the portraits of CLAS faculty who have received high honors

CLAS faculty receive highly prestigious honors to further research and creative projects

From the Guggenheim to the Fulbright to the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellowship and the MacDowell fellowship, faculty in our college are receiving national recognition for their outstanding work. Learn more about each recipient.

Image: A graduate student working on TRACERS

CLAS physics and astronomy faculty closer to launching instruments for TRACERS mission

Researchers and graduate students have been working on TRACERS, which is funded by NASA, and is the largest externally funded research project in institutional history. The two satellites are anticipated to launch in April 2025. NASA delegates visited campus in March to learn about the progress. Check out a few photos from their visit!

CLAS history faculty member awarded NEH grant

Alyssa Park, associate professor in the Department of History, will use funds from the National Endowment for the Humanities to travel to South Korea to conduct research for her upcoming book about population displacement in Korea after World War II.

Four CLAS faculty researchers secure prestigious early career awards

Casey DeRoo, Keri Hoadley, and Ravitej Uppu, all assistant professors in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, and Peng Jiang, assistant professor in the Department of Computer Science, have all received competitive early career awards.

Image: Nate Jenkins at an award ceremony

HHP assistant professor receives awards from American Physiology Society

Less than six months after receiving a $3.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, health and human physiology assistant professor Nate Jenkins has again been recognized for his considerable research, now with two awards from the American Physiological Society.

CLAS doctoral candidate receives prestigious Mellon/ACLS Fellowship

Darius Stewart, an PhD candidate in English, is one of 45 graduate students nationwide to receive a competitive fellowship that includes an award of up to $50,000. He is one of more than 700 graduate students from 125 universities, across dozens of humanistic disciplines, who applied for a fellowship.

Meet these CLAS student researchers

CLAS students are doing amazing work. Learn more about the research, creative projects, and interests of HHP doctoral candidate Jackie Dziewior Borrowman, undergraduate philosophy student Cade Eshelman, dance graduate student Sophia McLaughlin, and international relations undergraduate student Peyton Pangburn.

15 CLAS graduate students awarded collegiate fellowships

The Marcus Bach and CLAS Dissertation Fellowships have been awarded for the 2024-2025 academic year. Learn more about the students, their projects, and how these important fellowships will support their work.