University of Iowa News Release

May 16, 2008

At A Glance

UI math students participate in mathematical modeling contest

Fifteen University of Iowa undergraduate mathematics students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences demonstrated that mathematics is often applied to real world problems when they participated in the Mathematical Contest in Modeling Feb. 14-18. Four teams received honorable mention (top 50 percent) and one team received meritorious mention (top 14 percent).

The students were: Dana Bates, Eric Burgess, Tyler Dunham, Bo Li, Miller Li, Yuejuan (Emily) Li, Zhuojie (Justin) Li, Boanne MacGregor, Danielle Nuti, Austin Peiffer, Harry Pressman, Tom Sarlina, Alex VanFosson, Luke Wassink and Pete Zach.

MCM participation -- a first for the UI -- was proposed and planned as a Vertical Integration of Research and Education (VIGRE) project by UI graduate students Ben Galluzzo and Ted Wendt, both 2007-08 VIGRE trainees and organizers of a fall 2007 coaching workshop. In addition to Galluzzo and Wendt, five other UI graduate mathematics students served as contest advisors: Ian Besse, Joe Eichholz, Darin Mohr, Kevin Murphy and Scott Small. Keith Stroyan, UI mathematics professor, and Kristin Gilchrist, VIGRE program associate, provided additional support.

UI joins Big Ten team on ORBIS 'Flying Eye' Hospital

Ophthalmologists from several Big Ten schools, including the University of Iowa, recently participated in a volunteer effort organized by ORBIS International (http://www.orbis.org) to help physicians in Vietnam improve how they treat and prevent blindness and other serious eye conditions.

Two UI Health Care ophthalmologists completed one-week trips in March and April on the ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital -- a state-of-the-art clinical and teaching facility housed on a DC-10 aircraft -- and in local hospital settings in Da Nang. They trained Vietnamese doctors in the latest diagnostic and surgical techniques.

Read more about the project, and view a photo slideshow, at http://medcom.uiowa.edu/facstaff/?p=433.

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