A unique law course has created an opportunity for Iowa students to build relationships with their counterparts on the other side of the world. The Selected Topics in Comparative Law Seminar — offered by the University of Iowa College of Law this spring — invited Iowa students to compare U.S. and Russian Law in collaboration with students taking a parallel course in Russia.

The European Studies Group will continue its spring 2015 lecture series on Friday, April 24 at 12:30 p.m. in 2520B University Capitol Centre with a lecture by Jennifer Sessions entitled, “Monumental Struggles for Decolonization: Colonial Statutes, Iconoclasm, and Preservation during the Algerian War.”

Twelve Brazil Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP) scholars were honored at the College of Engineering’s Student Recognition Luncheon on April 17, 2015 with certificates of achievement.

Beatrice Smigasiewicz has received a 2015-16 Fulbright U.S. Student Award to write a book of essays titled Recovered Futures, which will investigate the representation of post-Soviet Polish identity in the cultural capital of Krakow. Smigasiewicz graduated with an M.F.A. in literary translation from the University of Iowa in May 2014 and will earn a second M.F.A. in nonfiction writing from the UI this May. As a Polish-American who lived in the country until the age of eleven, Beatrice seeks to understand modern-day Poland through interviews, museum research, and study of Polish literature and architecture.

Roughly 500 people filled the IMU second-floor Ballroom to celebrate the life of Andrew Mogni’s at a vigil on Sunday evening. The stories told by family, friends, and UI officials painted a picture of Mogni that brought both laughter and tears to those who attended.

Members of organizations seeking to purchase new luxury automobiles in order to export them to China for resale are approaching University of Iowa students. Luxury cars that typically sell at around $50,000 to $80,000 in the United States can be sold for as much as two or three times those prices in China.

Jeffrey Ding, a University of Iowa junior from Iowa City, Iowa, has been getting a lot of good news lately. Ding, a Presidential Scholar and member of the UI Honors Program, was attending a panel discussion about graduate study in the United Kingdom on Friday, April 10, in the Blank Honors Center when the Q & A session abruptly turned from the potential of the Rhodes Scholarship to the reality of the Truman Scholarship.

In the run-up to the International Dance Day on April 29, UNESCO's official Dance Day Around the World webpage highlighted an Iowa City event Tuesday. InterDance, created nine years ago by Nora Garda, celebrates the world of dance in the state of Iowa. It features two days of free performances and workshops throughout central Iowa City on Friday and Saturday. The events include tango at Trumpet Blossom Café, 310 E. Prentiss St., performances by dance companies on the Pentacrest, and workshops featuring Afro-Caribbean-Indian dance at Gateway Dance Theater, 700 S. Dubuque St.

Acacia Roberts has been awarded a Fulbright U.S. Student Award for 2015-16. Roberts, of Iowa City, IA, graduated from the University of Iowa in December 2014 with a B.A. in linguistics and French. She will be putting her degrees and her Arabic language skills to use as an English Teaching Assistant in Morocco this August.

Professor Sandra Hackman Barkan will present a public lecture entitled, “The Elephant and African Literatures” on Monday April 27, 2015 at 4:00 p.m. in 2780 University Capitol Centre (UCC). Barkan will also receive the Rex D. Honey African Studies Lectureship Award presented by the African Studies Program. This event is free and open to the public.