create | cure | explore | imagine | discover
The Dare to Discover campaign showcases researchers, scholars, and creators from across the University of Iowa on banners throughout downtown Iowa City. The campaign is sponsored by the Office of the Vice President for Research.
Click on the student profiles to learn more about the personal stories behind the faces of discovery and creativity.
Karim Abdel-Malek
Dare to
Safeguard Soldiers
On the battlefield, every second and every ounce of energy counts. It can mean the difference between success and failure, life and death.
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E. Dale Abel
Dare to
Fight Diabetes
E. Dale Abel is committed to help improve the health of the millions of people in the United States and the world with diabetes.
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Nancy Andreasen
Dare to
Explore Creativity
Nancy Andreasan has spent decades studying where creative genius comes from, and why it is often accompanied by mental illness.
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Timothy Barrett
Dare to
Preserve Texts
Timothy Barrett’s research has helped determine how some of the longest-lasting historical papers were made.
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Joyce E. Berg
Dare to
Predict Behavior
The Iowa Electronic Markets (IEM) has a history of accurately forecasting election results.
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Chris Buresh
Dare to
Diagnose Faster
Emergency room staff need as much information as they can get as they prepare for incoming accident victims.
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Colleen Campbell
Dare to
Decode DNA
Colleen Campbell works to educate all Iowans on human genetics and bring precision medicine, along with more genetic tests, to Iowa.
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Robert Cargill
Dare to
Unearth History
Robert Cargill doesn’t just play an archaeologist on TV; he’s the real thing.
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Lucas Carr
Dare to
Reimagine the Workplace
Lucas Carr wants to inspire people to reimagine their office space as a place that they can improve their health.
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Dan Ceynar
Dare to
Monitor Waterways
Dan Ceynar is working to improve the state’s ability to monitor waterways for flooding across Iowa.
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Russell Ciochon
Dare to
Uncover Species
The new species, discovered by Russell Ciochon, was one of the largest of its kind living in the jungles of Southeast Asia.
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Meenakshi Gigi Durham
Dare to
Question Media
Durham’s work in the School Journalism & Mass Communication, centers on media and the politics of the body.
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Jennifer Fiegel
Dare to
Ease Breathing
Jennifer Fiegel is researching ways to develop more effective, inhalable treatments for respiratory infections.
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David Frisvold
Dare to
Help Schoolkids
Frisvold studies the economic effectiveness of public policy initiatives aimed at reducing obesity.
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Jeffrey Gillett
Dare to
Share Knowledge
Jeffrey “J.C.” Gillett spends his days aboard a 38-foot RV custom-built for the University of Iowa by Winnebago Industries in Forest City, Iowa.
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Colin Gordon
Dare to
Record the Past
When racial tensions boiled over in a flurry of violence, looting, vandalism, and arrests in Ferguson, Mo., in 2014, the public sought to understand why.
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Brian Hand
Dare to
Teach Science
Brian Hand’s research delves into the use of language as a learning tool to improve students’ understanding of science.
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Keela Herr
Dare to
Care for Elders
Keela Herr has been conducting research to improve the way pain in elderly patients is assessed and treated.
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Michael Hill
Dare to
Deconstruct Literature
Hill explores how black creative styles reveal the challenges of creating a multiracial democracy.
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Nathan Holton
Dare to
Trace Evolution
Nathan Holton studies human evolution, and in particular, changes that have occurred to the nasal region.
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Rebekah Kowal
Dare to
Know Dance
Rebekah Kowal’s research in dance studies investigates how moving bodies functioned as agents of social change in postwar America.
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Cornelia Lang
Dare to
Examine Galaxies
Lang uses satellites such as the Hubble Space Telescope to make multi-wavelength observations.
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Teresa Mangum
Dare to
Bridge Boundaries
The contribution to society and culture of humanities scholarship can be overlooked—something Teresa Mangum is committed to preventing.
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Miesha Marzell
Dare to
Understand Addiction
Well-crafted policies on substance abuse prevention can improve the health of ethnic minority youth and help at-risk communities truly thrive.
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Ann Marie McCarthy
Dare to
Ease Pain
During painful medical procedures, effective distraction can help ease children’s pain and distress.
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Jose Morcuende
Dare to
End Clubfoot
Jose Morcuende, one of the founders of Clubfoot Solutions, helped develop the Iowa Ponseti Brace, an inexpensive brace to treat clubfoot.
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Angela Onwuachi-Willig
Dare to
Interpret Law
Little discussion of the effects of slavery and segregation on the legal system in the United States occurred until the 1980s.
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Gustavo Avila Ortiz
Dare to
Brighten Smiles
Dental implants are sometimes necessary for patients interested in replacing missing natural teeth.
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Michael O’Hara
Dare to
Aid Veterans
One in eight new mothers may suffer from postpartum depression, which in turn can negatively affect the lives of their babies and families.
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Ernest Pascarella
Dare to
Assess Colleges
Ernest Pascarella’s research focuses on college’s impact on students.
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Corinne Peek-Asa
Dare to
Prevent Trauma
Corinne Peek-Asa is the director of the University of Iowa Injury Prevention Research Center.
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Todd Pettys
Dare to
Tell Law’s Story
Todd Pettys is writing a book on the Iowa Constitution, under contract with Oxford University Press.
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Marizen Ramirez
Dare to
Stop Cyberbullying
Cyberbullying is the fastest-growing form of youth violence, which is why Marizen Ramirez researches ways to stop it.
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Deborah Reed
Dare to
Develop Reading
As the director of the Iowa Reading Research Center, Deborah Reed researches best practices so that schools provide the most effective reading instruction.
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Marilynne Robinson
Dare to
Illuminate Life
Marilynne Robinson’s prose is known for its luminous portrayals of ordinary life.
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Sara Rynes-Weller
Dare to
Locate Locavores
Sara Rynes researches the locavore movement, studying what it is that motivates people to buy locally produced food.
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Aliasger Salem
Dare to
Regenerate Bones
Aliasger Salem and his research team have developed a bio patch to help generate and grow damaged bone.
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Tom “Mach” Schnell
Dare to
Advance Aviation
Tom Schnell specializes in human factors / ergonomics.
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Marianne Smith
Dare to
Treat Depression
Marianne Smith studies late life depression, which affects an estimated 24 percent of assisted living (AL) residents.
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Betsy Stone
Dare to
Go Renewable
Biomass burning is usually associated with human-caused fires and the clearing of land that releases unhealthy particles and gases that spur global warming.
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Nick Street
Dare to
Mine Insight
Data is everywhere, and everyone wants to use it—in marketing strategies, hiring practices, health care, and basic decision-making in a wide range of industries.
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Gabriele Villarini
Dare to
Predict Floods
Extreme hydrometeorological events frequently affect the continental United States and can have extensive, negative social and economic impact.
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Yatin Vyas
Dare to
Heal Children
Radiation and chemotherapy can damage any patient’s body, but those of young children are especially vulnerable.
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Sherry Watt
Dare to
Research Identity
Sherry Watt’s research on privileged identity exploration has expanded understanding of the ways people react to difficult dialogue related to social issues.
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