Growing up in Khartoum, the capital city of Sudan, Alladin Dafalla was constantly reminded of the gap between the wealth of the city and poverty of the southern towns in the grip of war. Witnessing these disparities inspired him to undertake a career in public service and became the basis for an essay that recently won a national award.
Working as a CNA at Mercy One Medical Center in Cedar Falls, junior pre-med biology and global health major Mikaela Elenz risked her health protecting COVID patients, some of whom died. Now, she, and other Panthers, are among the first in the state to get vaccinated, providing a welcome ray of hope after a difficult year of illness and uncertainty.
Every four years, thousands of athletes from across the globe gather for the Olympics and Paralympics. This year, the games are slated to be held in Tokyo and UNI Track and Field athlete Jessica Heims is on pace to compete as a member of the US Paralympic Team. With the help of local donor Dan Deery, her family won't miss the opportunity to watch her compete.
Systemic racism can take many forms, including in housing, medical care and the criminal justice system, but it can also occur in everyday technology - even automatic soap dispensers.
Not many students can say they have performed at the College Football National Championship, but 12 members of the UNI Panther Marching Band now have that honor.
With 2020 behind us, 2021 brings the promise of positive change after a year of pandemic. InsideUNI turned to our Instagram followers and professors to learn what they hoped the new year would bring.
Widespread COVID-19 vaccinations, walking across the McLeod Center graduation stage or getting a first apartment were among them.
Some hopeful news arrived last week as hospitals across the country began administering the first COVID-19 vaccine approved in the U.S. The Food and Drug Administration is expected to clear another vaccine for emergency use this week. Initial supplies of both the Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines are limited and are only available to health care workers, but last week was widely viewed as an important step in ending a global pandemic.
