Spacer

2018–19 Working Group: Personalization Algorithms and Bias in Social Media

Collage of working group icons

2023–24 Working Groups

Current Working Groups and their directors. If you would like to join an already established Working Group, please email the group's director(s) or obermann-center@uiowa.edu.

View

Space, structure, & discretionary funding

Obermann Center Working Groups provide space, structure, and discretionary funding for groups led by faculty that may include advanced graduate students, staff members, and community members with a shared intellectual interest. Groups have used this opportunity to explore new work and to share their own research, to organize a symposium, and to develop grant proposals. 

This program allows participants from across the campus and beyond to explore complex issues at a moment when cross-disciplinary collaboration is crucial to address shifting domains of knowledge and a rapidly changing world.

Working Groups:

  • have one or two co-directors; one must be a UI faculty member (open to all tracks)
  • attend an orientation meeting in the fall
  • meet a minimum of once a month throughout the academic year
  • must provide a list of participating members to the Obermann Center
  • provide a one-page report on their activities at the end of the academic year
  • give a brief, informal presentation of the group's work in the spring at a meeting set by the Obermann Center
  • may continue their work to the next academic year but must reapply for funding in the spring
  • can apply for up to $1,000 to support their activities

Note that groups may apply for up to $1,000 in discretionary funds; however, these funds cannot be used for food, and they must be used by the end of the spring semester.   

If you would like to join an already established Working Group, please email the group's director(s) or obermann-center@uiowa.edu.

Hand writing with fountain pen

Apply

Deadlines, eligibility, and application information.

Application Info

Reapply (for existing Working Groups)

If you are interested in reapplying, please email obermann-center@uiowa.edu the following information by April 11, 2023:

  • State that you would like to reapply for the 2023-24 academic year.
  • Include a brief summary of what your group did this past year and what you hope to accomplish next year (if you already have ideas for next year).
  • A list of the regular members that attend your working group meetings (names and departments).
  • If you have a new co-director, please include their 2-page CV.

Past Working Groups

Lists of past Working Groups and their directors. 

View

Working Group Events

Out of the Archive: S. Torriano Berry Horror Trilogy Film Screening  promotional image

Out of the Archive: S. Torriano Berry Horror Trilogy Film Screening

Tuesday, October 3, 2023 6:30pm
FilmScene (Chauncey)
Please join us at FilmScene this fall for a monthly screening and discussion series, Out of the Archive: Envisioning Blackness. A continuation of conversations begun last spring in the inaugural Out of the Archive program, the series showcases the vibrant, multifaceted tradition of Black cinema by presenting rarely screened and/or recently restored films. Tickets are pay-what-you-can (with students, in particular, encouraged to pick $0). Join us before each screening for a free dinner reception...
Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor Lecture-Jane Smiley promotional image

Ida Cordelia Beam Distinguished Visiting Professor Lecture-Jane Smiley

Thursday, October 5, 2023 7:00pm to 8:00pm
University of Iowa Main Library
The Department of English welcomes Ida Cordelia Beam Speaker, Jane Smiley, to speak on Thursday, Oct. 5 at 7 p.m. Jane is a Pulitzer-Prize winning author and alumni of the University of Iowa's Department of English. A reception will follow. Her visit is made possible with the support of the Provost's office and the Department of English.