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.

Ali Al-Jumaili

Ali Al-Jumaili

Enhances medication safety

Ph.D. student, Pharmaceutical Socioeconomics

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Rawa Alammari

Rawa Alammari

Preserves teeth

Ph.D. student, Oral Science

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DaVida Anderson

DaVida Anderson

Advocates for diverse perspectives

Ph.D. candidate, Higher Education and Student Affairs

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Noah Anderson

Noah Anderson

Analyzes Greek texts

Undergraduate student, Computer Science, Classical Languages

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Preston Anderson

Preston Anderson

Helps patients breathe easier

Undergraduate student, Biochemistry, Human Physiology Majors

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Ashley Arkfeld

Ashley Arkfeld

Optimizes scholarship allocations

Undergraduate student, Business Analytics and Information Systems, Marketing

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Maeve Bittle

Maeve Bittle

Samples Iowa's air quality

Undergraduate student, Environmental Engineering

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Morgan Bobb

Morgan Bobb

Tracks childhood trauma care

MD/Ph.D. student, Epidemiology

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Dana Boesen

Dana Boesen

Measures indoor air toxins

Undergraduate student, Mechanical Engineering

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Brandon Butcher

Brandon Butcher

Tells stories with data

Ph.D. student, Biostatistics

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Liam Crawford

Liam Crawford

Builds learning apps for kids

Undergraduate student, Computer Science, Philosophy

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Emily Malcolm Cushing

Emily Malcolm Cushing

Investigates fat metabolism

Ph.D. student, Biochemistry

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Anh-Vu Do

Anh-Vu Do

Engineers tissue

Ph.D. student, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

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Lucas Bon Durant

Lucas Bon Durant

Seeks new treatments for diabetes

Ph.D. student, Molecular Medicine

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Kareem Ebeid

Kareem Ebeid

Targets endometrial cancer

Ph.D. student, Pharmaceutics

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Sara El-Hattab

Sara El-Hattab

Fights muscular dystrophy

Undergraduate student, Chemical Engineering

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Sadie Elliott

Sadie Elliott

Explores Jupiter's aurora

Ph.D. student, Physics and Astronomy Ph.D.

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Eric Emmons

Eric Emmons

Studies cognitive dysfunction

Ph.D. student, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Neuroscience

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Shehroze Farooqi

Shehroze Farooqi

Battles cybercrime

Ph.D. student, Computer Science

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Kayla Faust

Kayla Faust

Promotes farm safety

Ph.D. student, Occupational and Environmental Health

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Will Fuelberth

Will Fuelberth

Builds small satellites

Undergraduate student, Physics and Astronomy, Mathematics

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Yun Garrison

Yun Garrison

Uncovers barriers to success

Ph.D. student, Counseling Psychology

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Sarah Gerard

Sarah Gerard

Images lung cancer

Ph.D. student, Biomedical Engineering

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Callie Ginapp

Callie Ginapp

Investigates causes of SIDS

Undergraduate student, Neurobiology

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Brittany Givens

Brittany Givens

Edits cancer DNA

Ph.D. student, Chemical and Biochemical Engineering

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Alejandra Gonzalez

Alejandra Gonzalez

Examines health disparities

Ph.D. student, Nursing

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Carla Gonzalez

Carla Gonzalez

Enriches latina/o education

Ph.D. student, Educational Leadership and Policy Studies

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Jessica Gregson

Jessica Gregson

Exposes how we fight the flu

Ph.D. student, Microbiology

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Hannah Gulick

Hannah Gulick

Builds instruments for space

Undergraduate student, Physics and Astronomy, English and Creative Writing

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Alyssa Hahn

Alyssa Hahn

Finds genetic causes of disease

Ph.D. student, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Genetics

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Nima Hamidi

Nima Hamidi

Uses computation to understand music

Graduate student, Computer Science

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Lance Heady

Lance Heady

Investigates neurological treatments

Undergraduate student, Biochemistry, Neurobiology

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Sharon Idiga

Sharon Idiga

Combats sugar cravings

Ph.D. student, Molecular Medicine

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Jacob Isbell

Jacob Isbell

Observes galactic collisions

Undergraduate student, Physics and Astronomy

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Behnoush Khorsand

Behnoush Khorsand

Heals broken bones

Ph.D. student, Pharmaceutical Science and Translational Therapeutics

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Anya Kim

Anya Kim

Protects cells during stroke

Undergraduate student, Biology, Spanish

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Kyle Kinney

Kyle Kinney

Seeks to stop staph

Ph.D. student, Microbiology

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Emily Kroska

Emily Kroska

Enhances psychological care

Ph.D. student, Clinical Psychology

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Stephen Kruse

Stephen Kruse

Seeks to understand epilepsy

Undergraduate student, Biomedical Engineering

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Erin Lane

Erin Lane

Empowers school counselors

Ph.D. student, Counselor Education and Supervision

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Yunyi Li

Yunyi Li

Uses data to predict crime

Undergraduate student, Business Analytics

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Brandon MacDougall

Brandon MacDougall

Promotes urban biodiversity

Ph.D. student, Geographical and Sustainability Sciences

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Rey Franqui Machin

Rey Franqui Machin

Examines drug-resistant cancers

Ph.D. student, Molecular Medicine

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Sophia Mallaro

Sophia Mallaro

Innovates in virtual reality

Undergraduate student, Electrical and Computer Engineering

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Mikaela Mallin

Mikaela Mallin

Studies melanoma and movement

Undergraduate student, Biomedical Science, Dance

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Kirstin Manges

Kirstin Manges

Keeps patients safe

Ph.D. student, Nursing

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Caitlin Marley

Caitlin Marley

Brings Latin into the 21st Century

Ph.D. student, Classics

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Russell M Martin

Russell M Martin

Analyzes potential seizure meds

Undergraduate student, Biomedical Engineering

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Dustin May

Dustin May

Tests Iowa's drinking water

Ph.D. student, Human Toxicology

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Allison Momany

Allison Momany

Examines prenatal risk factors

Ph.D. student, Clinical Psychology

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Jorge Moreno

Jorge Moreno

Explores how species survive

Undergraduate student, Biology

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Angela Olvera

Angela Olvera

Analyzes mitochondrial stress

Undergraduate student, Biomedical Engineering

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Chioma Onuigbo

Chioma Onuigbo

Explores alcohol-behavior links

Undergraduate student, Psychology, Health and Human Physiology

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Lalita Oonthonpan

Lalita Oonthonpan

Studies cell health

Ph.D. student, Biochemistry

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Katherine Perschbacher

Katherine Perschbacher

Prevents preeclampsia

Ph.D. student, Molecular Medicine

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Rachel Schroeder

Rachel Schroeder

Examines prenatal stress

Ph.D. student, Neuroscience

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Yusuf Sermet

Yusuf Sermet

Deploys artificial intelligence

Ph.D., Electrical and Computer Engineering

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Clarissa Shaw

Clarissa Shaw

Improves elder care

Ph.D. student, Nursing

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Ernane Souza

Ernane Souza

Develops new anticoagulants

Ph.D. student, Medicinal Chemistry

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Jennifer Sukalski

Jennifer Sukalski

Identifies barriers to dental care

Ph.D. student, Oral Sciences

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Frida Teran

Frida Teran

Evaluates dietary therapies

Ph.D. student, Medical Scientist Training Program, Neuroscience

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Winnie Uluocha

Winnie Uluocha

Explores implicit bias

Dual program student: J.D. and Masters of Health Administration

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Kody Waldstein

Kody Waldstein

Links viruses with inflammation

Ph.D. student, Immunology

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Kari Weaver

Kari Weaver

Examines privilege

Ph.D. student, Higher Education and Student Affairs

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Jeremy Williams

Jeremy Williams

Serves student veterans

Ph.D. student, Higher Education and Student Affairs

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