In a Global Health Studies Program sponsored lecture, Marcos Cueto will speak about the World Health Organization and international global health efforts with a special emphasis on the Africa Regional Office in a talk titled, "Between Tropical Medicine and International Health."

As part of a special symposium by the Obermann Center for Advanced Studies, Joan Kjaer and her WorldCanvass guests explored the topic of "Energy Cultures and the Age of the Anthropocene" on March 3, 2015 at FilmScene in Iowa City. The program was followed by a free screening of the documentary, “The Great Invisible,” about the social and environmental effects of the Deepwater/Horizon/Macondo disaster and oil spill in 2010.

In a swell of glinting green canals and cobblestoned curving streets, Venice is a natural attraction. For decades, this small northern city has been a place for travel for many Italians as well as tourists from all over the world. As if for fear of a disappearing city, an estimated 47.7 million people venture to Venice a year—about 200,000 in a summer day.

The European Studies Group will present a guest lecture by Sheryl Kroen of the University of Florida on "Narrating the Postwar with Robinson Crusoe" at 12:30 p.m. on April 1, 2015, in Room 1117 University Capitol Centre. The event is free and open to the public and a light lunch will be provided.

The South Asian Studies Program (SASP) will continue its spring 2015 seminar series with a lecture by David Mason titled "Performative Suspension: The Limits of Liminality." The event is free and open to the public and will be held Monday, April 13, at 4:30 p.m. in 1117 University Capitol Centre. Chai and samosas will be served.

Over the past 60 years the Fulbright Program has facilitated the travel of nearly 350,000 students and young professionals for cultural and academic exchange. On April 3, 2015, the University of Iowa will host its first annual Fulbright Day to celebrate past UI Fulbright faculty and student awardees and to provide prospective students the opportunity to learn more about the Fulbright process.

As has been the case since the start of the Arab uprisings in 2011, Al Jazeera, Al Arabiya and social media have played a key role not only reporting on these transformative events, but also providing radically different narratives about events in each country depending on the sectarian and ideological backgrounds of various actors. The complex relationship between the media and social change movements are receiving increased attention from academics and researchers, and the University of Iowa will introduce some of these scholars to the public in late April. In just over a month, Iowa City will welcome one of the nation’s most pre-eminent Middle East scholars, Dr. Mohammed el-Nawawy.

A city is a work of art. With layers upon layers of history and meaning, a city can be unraveled at the seams and exposed. No matter the age, architecture and art will unfold around you as you turn corner after corner—taking in what it has to offer.

This May will again be the season of graduation, and students have been considering their plans for life after graduation. For international students, it can be an especially difficult time. They must decide whether stay in the United States, go back to their home countries, pursue more education, or begin to work.

In my last year at Iowa, I served as a Diversity Ambassador in a study abroad program which took me to Havana, Cuba. It was an unforgettable month of culture, dancing, cuisine, and lifelong memories. During my time on the island with the 20 other Americans participating in the USAC program, I learned much about group dynamics, gained some close friends, and had the time of my life experiencing such a unique learning opportunity with a well-rounded group of peers. The most important lessons I learned with regard to diversity, I learned from the people I met on the island.