A remote stretch of gravel road over a no-name creek attracted international guests Tuesday to rural Buchanan County. Engineers representing the University of Iowa and Iowa State University, local dignitaries and politicians also showed up. The lure was a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a special bridge in the 1100 block of Deacon Avenue, the first span in the United States utilizing Korean ultra-high performance concrete.

Back in August, I was told that Al Akhawayn University was designed on the American system, differing from most universities of the world in that it involves a “liberal arts” education. Students don’t just study within their specialization, but a wide range of subjects in a way that is meant to broaden one’s worldview and train in critical thinking. But I’m discovering that while you can take the professor out of the Moroccan university, it’s harder to take the Moroccan university out of the professor. Even though the university is “American” in style, that doesn’t change the way individual professors conduct their classes. As a result, I’ve been learning the hard way what it’s like to attend an actual Moroccan university from my two language professors with whom I have a love/hate relationship.

The South Asian Studies and Global Health Studies Programs will host a seminar featuring Professor Susan Heydon of the University of Otago in New Zealand. This event is free and open to the public, and will take place on Thursday, November 19, from 4:30-6:00 p.m. in 1117 UCC.

Moving to another country to study abroad for a year is the definition of getting out of one’s comfort zone. Caitlin and I were both propelled out of our comfort zones as soon as we got on an airplane alone. Luckily, branching out is rewarding as well as challenging. One of my most important goals while studying abroad is to get out of the so-called “American bubble” and challenge myself to meet and talk to students from other parts of the world. This does not mean that traveling with or having American friends while abroad is a bad thing. I am very grateful that I met a fellow Iowa student while here and appreciate that she can relate when I am feeling homesick and want to talk about home. However, the connections I have made with people in Ireland and other international students are equally as important to me and open my mind to new experiences and perspectives. I interviewed Caitlin about her ideas regarding the “American bubble” and her advice for getting out of it.

Before I came to Japan, friends and family would always ask me fairly common questions. Because I am missing out on a few holidays back home this year, I usually get this one: “Do they celebrate Halloween in Japan.” Although Halloween is more typically a Western celebrated holiday, the answer is yes.

Several International Student and Scholar Services staff were recently able to participate in an international education conference in Des Moines, Iowa.

In order to ensure that mothers and children are getting the care they need in resource-poor areas, they must have access to appropriate care as close to their home as possible. One successful strategy to address this need is the training of community-level health workers to provide home-based counseling for pregnant women and their families to address social and cultural barriers to facility-based childbirth as well as provide basic newborn care and referrals for sick newborns. A great example of this work was the development of an easy-to-use eToolkit, or digital library, to train field workers on a number of health-related topics, including maternal and newborn health. This program was led by the Bangladesh Knowledge Management Initiative, which is directed by UI College of Public Health alumna Rebecca Arnold who helped develop and implement this project based on the skills and expertise she gained while completing her Master’s Degree in the Department of Community and Behavioral Health. Currently, the department is partnering with organizations in Bangladesh and India to explore how to best engage families and communities to improve access to and use of maternal and newborn care.

One group in Cedar Rapids is working to make a different for voters in Africa.

Issues affecting Muslims on campus were finally brought to light. The University of Iowa International Programs conducted a workshop titled “Muslims on a Secular Campus” Thursday.

Speakeasy for Stanley will be held Wednesday, Nov. 11, 2015 at Sanctuary Pub as part of a series of informational sessions for the Stanley Awards for International Research.