Authored by Amanda Bartlett

For Henry Hartzler, what started as a passion for both teaching and climate science eventually transformed into the opportunity of a lifetime. This August, he will be serving in the Peace Corps as an environmental education primary teacher in Nicaragua.

On an average weekday at 7:30 in the morning, most high school students are just waking up and getting ready for their upcoming classes. Others, like Nina Elkadi, are already at their desks, pencils poised over their papers, learning a brand new language.

For Dr. Kendra Strand, one of the best things about living in Iowa City is being able to walk to and from her classes on a nice day, taking in the scenery. But it’s not just the daily strolls she loves the most—rather, it’s being able to take a different street each day and discover new places, views, and perspectives wherever she goes.

“Masterpieces of art can translate nature for us.” Though originally stated by Dr. Drew Harvell, a marine biologist and professor at Cornell University, these are the words which served as inspiration for Stanley awardee Jacquelyn Whitman, who recently utilized sculpture and ecology in her research to illustrate the anthropogenic effects humans are having on the environment.

Diane Jahnel, originally from Anamosa, Iowa, graduated from the University of Iowa in 1977, where she studied psychology and art. After a 34 year career in IT at Pearson, Jahnel retired and is now living in Paris, France, where she’s spent the past two years teaching English as a volunteer, taking French classes, and traveling.

Yezi Shen graduated from the University of Iowa in 2015, where she studied journalism and mass communication, and cinema. Since then, she’s returned to her home country, China, where she now works in television programming.

Originally from Irbid, Jordan, Nayef Saleh Al Gharaibeh graduated from the University of Iowa in 1988 with his Ph.D. in physiology and biophysics. He returned to his home country where he currently teaches physiology at the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST), and has also held positions as the chairman of the Department of Physiology and Biochemistry, director of the JUST Health Center, and the vice dean of Faculty of Medicine.

Cheng-I Chu, “Chu,” graduated from the Ph.D. program in health policy and management at the University of Iowa in 2001. He now resides in Hualien, Taiwan, where he is the professor and department chair at the Department of Public Health, Tzu Chi University in Taiwan.

Dr. Darren R. Grafius is originally from East Lansing, Michigan, and graduated from the University of Iowa in 2012 with a degree in geography. Today, he resides in the United Kingdom, where he moved to be with his partner, and now works as a post-doctoral research fellow at Cranfield University. The focus of his work is conducting environmental modeling and ecosystem services assessment as part of a government-funded consortium project studying biodiversity in urban landscapes.

Hau-Wong Ho came to the UI, at the time called State University of Iowa, from Hong Kong in 1956. Having previously received his bachelor’s degree upon arriving, he spent only one year taking 48 credit hours and eventually obtained his B.S. in civil engineering to go on to hydraulics. Ho later received his M.S. in 1957.