IIHR - Hydroscience and Engineering

This floating quilt sculpture caught our eye — what a beautiful way to put the focus on Iowa’s water quality! With funding from Group Creative Services, Drake University art professors Edward Kelley and Emily Newman created the 18-x-18-foot floating quilt, which found a home in the Wilson Orchard and Gardens pond near Cu***ng, Iowa.

The sculpture actually removes nitrate from the water. A team of Drake students developed a special bucket that uses algae to consume nitrate as waves agitate the artwork, while also acting as a buoy on the four corners of the sculpture.

The subject couldn’t be more timely. “Water quality issues are on a lot of people’s minds,” Newman says.

Photo credit: Jacob Kuperman/Group Creative Services

When University of Iowa student Corin Fuchtman started his job at IIHR about a year ago, he had no idea how far it would take him. He was new to communications, and now he’s comfortable presenting to researchers, K-12 students, and other groups. Fuchtman has also done hands-on fieldwork and flood research, which has influenced him to apply for graduate school in engineering at Iowa.

“I feel lucky to have stumbled across IIHR," he says.

And IIHR is lucky to have him — thanks, Corin, for all your hard work and willingness to take on new challenges and opportunities!

Story link the comments below.

University of Iowa College of Engineering

If you’re like us, you’ve been wondering WHY the rain has been so persistent in parts of Iowa this month, which is normally pretty dry. We asked Iowa Flood Center researcher Yagmur Derin for an explanation.

Derin, who is also an assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering at the University of Iowa, says that a large ridge of high pressure has been sitting over the southern U.S. for most of September. Meanwhile, a front has stalled along the northern edge of this high-pressure ridge, directly above Iowa.

“So whenever a wind brings any moisture toward that boundary, it fires another round of storms over the same places,” Derin says. At the same time, a southerly jet brought deep tropical moisture to the Midwest from the Gulf and the Southwest. “Overall, the atmosphere over Iowa had so much water v***r during September, it has delivered very efficient rainfall at every event,” Derin explains.

Enjoy the sunshine while it lasts!

University of Iowa College of Engineering

University of Iowa staff, we’re excited to host you at our next Discover Your University tour at IIHR’s wave basin facility!

During the tour, you’ll learn how researchers in our ship hydrodynamics program use scale models and wavemakers to test vessels for seaworthiness and maneuverability in realistic conditions. The work helps improve naval vessel performance while reducing the cost and risk of full-scale testing.

You’ll also get the chance to see the largest Tigerhawk logo on campus, painted on the bottom of our Olympic-sized pool. Go Hawks!

Join us for a behind-the-scenes look at a unique research facility that supports hydrodynamic engineering and national defense on October 8. Sign up today with the link in the comments, and we’ll see you there!

University of Iowa College of Engineering, University of Iowa Research Foundation

Listen in on this Iowa Farmers Union Lunch and Learn conversation with University of Iowa researcher David Cwiertny, who leads the new Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking (INSIGHT). Cwiertny answers questions from host Aaron Lehman on water quality and public health, Iowa’s cancer rates, and how these issues and others affect all Iowans, particularly farmers and rural communities.

Cwiertny says he sees an increasing level of engagement statewide that makes him optimistic for Iowa INSIGHT’s success. He’s looking forward to collaborating and engaging with Iowans to develop evidence to help decision-makers create sound policies that will benefit the people of our state.

Link in the first comment below!

Thank you, KCCI, for highlighting this important new University of Iowa research initiative to expand arsenic testing in private wells across select Iowa counties.

Free private well water testing is available for residents in Mitchell, Floyd, Cedar, Jones, Benton, and Plymouth counties.

Arsenic is a naturally occurring element found in groundwater in some parts of Iowa. Studies have shown that exposure is linked to serious health risks, including cancer of the skin, bladder, and lungs. Because it is colorless, tasteless, and odorless, the only way to know if arsenic is present in your well water is through testing.

This research is part of the newly established Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking program, co-led by IIHR and the University of Iowa Center for Health Effects of Environmental Contamination.

Link to KCCI story:

KCCI Investigates: Why researchers say 6 Iowa counties need to test private wells for arsenic Residents in Benton, Cedar, Floyd, Jones, Mitchell and Plymouth counties can request a free test kit to mail back in.

Arsenic testing kits available to Iowa private well owners in certain counties • Iowa Capital Dispatch A University of Iowa research project is attempting to develop a better understanding of arsenic in private drinking wells in Iowa.

📢Private well owners in Benton, Cedar, Floyd, Jones, Mitchell, and Plymouth counties — you’re eligible to receive free home water test kits through a new research initiative to assess arsenic in drinking water. Expanding testing will help inform prevention strategies and support decision-making.

Arsenic occurs naturally in groundwater in some areas of the state. It's colorless, tasteless, odorless, and undetectable without testing. Because arsenic is linked to cancer and other serious health issues, it’s important to know the risks.

This arsenic testing initiative is part of new research by the Iowa Integrated Network for Science, Information, and Geospatial Health Tracking (INSIGHT) program at the University of Iowa. Iowa INSIGHT researchers are working to better understand arsenic risk levels in private drinking water wells to improve public health in Iowa.

See the link in the first comment below to learn more about the Iowa INSIGHT arsenic research.

Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Iowa Department of Health and Human Services, Benton County Public Health, Cedar County Public Health, Floyd County Public Health/Home Health Care, Jones County Iowa Public Health, Mitchell County Public Health & Home Health, University of Iowa College of Engineering, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at Iowa, The University of Iowa College of Public Health