Upcoming Events
Targeting the Psychological Roots, Not Branches, of Vaccine Confidence
Friday, April 10, 2026 3:00pm to 3:45pm
Aaron Scherer examines the psychological roots of vaccine confidence and how to communicate more effectively about science.
The DTP Vaccine and Narratives of Injury
Friday, April 10, 2026 3:45pm to 4:30pm
Tara Smith explores the history of the DTP vaccine and the narratives that shape public perception of vaccine injury.
Global Vaccines in a Time of Climate Change, Megacities, and Antiscience
Friday, April 10, 2026 4:30pm to 5:15pm
Peter Hotez addresses the global challenges facing vaccination efforts, including climate change, urbanization, and organized antiscience movements.
Iowa City International Documentary Film Festival
Thursday, April 23 to Sunday, April 26, 2026 (all day)
The Iowa City International Film Festival is a student-run experimental film festival hosted in Iowa City.
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Upcoming Application Deadlines
Upcoming Application Deadlines
News
Stephanie Miracle to Receive Obermann Interdisciplinary Achievement Award
We’re pleased to announce that our Advisory Board has named Stephanie Miracle, assistant professor of dance, the recipient of the inaugural Obermann Interdisciplinary Achievement Award. The new award recognizes scholars who cross disciplinary boundaries to produce insights not possible within a single field. As interdisciplinarity is a core value of the Obermann Center’s mission, director Luis Martín-Estudillo established the award, noting, “The most transformative ideas emerge when disciplines intersect […] These collaborations spark breakthroughs that expand the horizons of knowledge.”
A Universe in the Ear
What does it mean to live with a sound that has no external source? For millions worldwide, this is the daily reality of tinnitus—a complex auditory symptom that can range from a minor annoyance to a deeply distressing condition. This "universe" of sound is the primary focus of Anna Carolina Marques Perrella de Barros, an audiologist and researcher from the Tinnitus and Sound Intolerance Group at the Universidade Federal de São Paulo in Brazil. Her pursuit of advanced clinical management strategies and research collaboration brought her to the University of Iowa this spring as an Obermann International Fellow.
“Tinnitus is like a universe,” Barros explains. “The more you study it, the more you learn and encounter new variables. While it has been the subject of extensive research for a long time, there is still so much more to study.”
Building community around rural research
A pregnant woman in rural Iowa must make so many extra decisions about her and her baby’s health. It isn’t just whether she should go to the hospital about unexpected complications, but which one. If she goes to the closest hospital, will it have the expertise to treat her? If not, will it have an ambulance that can transfer her to a more urban hospital?
One Iowa mom facing these questions inspired Stephanie Radke, clinical associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Iowa, to found the Iowa Perinatal Quality Care Collaborative (IPQCC). IPQCC is responsible for improving communication and collaboration among groups addressing obstetrical and neonatal care in Iowa, especially in rural communities.
Beyond “Not Urban”: Andy Mink on Serving Rural Communities
As part of the 2025–2026 Obermann Symposium, Cultivating Rurality: Building Community around Rural Research (March 26–27), we’re excited to welcome Andy Mink, founding director of the Smithsonian’s Rural Initiative. In his keynote “More than ‘Not Urban’: Serving Rural Communities as Places and as People” on March 27, he'll explore how the Smithsonian is redefining itself as more than a destination in Washington, D.C., becoming a public service accessible to rural communities nationwide through collaborative, community-sourced partnerships that respond to local priorities and challenges.
In advance of his visit, Obermann Program Coordinator Maria Torres Melgares spoke with Andy about his work and the ideas he’ll bring to the symposium.
Seeking Humanities/Arts PhD Student for Program Coordinator Position, '26-'27
The Obermann Center for Advanced Studies seeks an advanced (ABD) humanities or arts PhD student to work with Obermann staff to support programs and events and tell the stories of the exciting research projects and initiatives supported by the Center during the 2026–2027 school year.
Six paid summer internships available to humanities grad students through new grant
As a graduate student in film and media, internships were a formative experience for Lauren Burrell Cox, associate director at the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies. They helped her define her values and identify meaningful professional roles where her skills could be put to use across the humanities ecosystem. Now, she’s received a grant from Humanities Without Walls (HWW) to provide six paid internship opportunities with local nonprofits for UI humanities graduate students this summer.
“My goal is to make sure that humanities graduate students are equipped with robust, transferrable skills and access to pathways that lead to secure and fulfilling work,” says Cox.
The three selected nonprofits have hosted successful internships and externships in the past, through the Obermann Center’s Mellon-funded Humanities for the Public Good initiative and the Obermann Humanities Without Walls Faculty Externship. Each site will host two HWW interns this June and July.
