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New Lenses
Points-of-view across the disciplines
For each annual event in Obermann’s new Counterpoint series, two University of Iowa researchers from different disciplines will discuss a compelling topical issue in a public forum. Discussions will take place in the beautiful Voxman Recital Hall, and a short musical program designed to echo the theme of the conversation will open each event. Series events are free and open to all.
Fall 2026:
"Holding Space: Stories of Interdisciplinary Collaboration"
Tuesday, October 13, 5–8 p.m.
Voxman Recital Hall
The event will comprise a dance performance, an award ceremony, and a panel conversation featuring:
- Stephanie Miracle, assistant professor, Department of Dance, and winner of the 2026 Obermann Interdisciplinary Achievement Award
- Deema Totah, assistant professor, Department of Mechanical Engineering
- Eric Gidal, professor, Department of English
Stephanie Miracle
Stephanie Miracle, an assistant professor in the Department of Dance, is an international choreographer and teaching artist whose work investigates the intersections between the ordinary/seen and imagined/unseen landscapes. Her process explores the abundant possibilities found through awareness of and play within everyday settings. Her work takes the form of site-specific happenings, sound installations, experimental films, and live stage performances. In a 2014 review of GROOVE, Rick Westerkamp described Miracle’s choreography as “iconic and nuanced…with an irreverence that makes you smile unconsciously." Her projects have been presented by institutions in Germany, Italy, Mexico, Turkey, Hungary, Ireland, Russia, France, Portugal, as well as in New York City, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C.
Eric Gidal
Eric Gidal is a professor in the Department of English. He teaches courses in environmental literary studies, public humanities, and European literature of the 18th and 19th centuries, with emphases in media studies, information theory, and environmental history. He also works with graduate students on community-facing projects in public arts and humanities. He served as senior personnel on the Blue-Green Action Platform, an National Science Foundation–funded program to share information and stories about nitrogen pollution with communities across watersheds.
Deema Totah
Deema Totah is an assistant professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and director of the Robotics and Assistive Devices Laboratory (RAD Lab) at the University of Iowa. Totah’s research interests lie in improving the efficacy of assistive devices for customized patient care. She was born and raised in Ramallah, Palestine. She earned a BS from MIT and an MSE and PhD from the University of Michigan, all in mechanical engineering. Before joining the UI in 2021, Totah completed a postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Michigan’s School of Kinesiology. She is inspired by multidisciplinary collaborations, including co-designing robots with dancers.
Past Counterpoint Events
The Fourth Age of Life: The Challenges of Aging and the Joys of Connecting — An Obermann Counterpoint Event
What does it truly mean to grow and thrive as we age? In this thought-provoking Obermann Counterpoint event, Mercedes Bern-Klug (School of Social Work, CLAS) and Amy Colbert (Tippie College of Business) will explore the diverse ways we live, adapt, and flourish in our later years, whether we choose to navigate life independently or in a communal care setting. Against the backdrop of a growing loneliness epidemic among older adults, the two will discuss the health and social benefits of nursing...
Counterpoint: The Politics of (International) Writing
How do politics affect what poets or novelists write, and even how they write it? How does literature inform political discourse? What is cultural diplomacy, why is it so important, and what is the UI’s role in promoting it?
For this inaugural event in the Obermann Center’s new Counterpoint public conversation series, Christopher Merrill — poet, nonfiction writer, translator, editor, and director of the UI’s renowned International Writing Program — and Loren Glass, a historian of creative writing...