Schnell takes reins as ITI director
Tom “Mach” Schnell has taken the helm as director of the Iowa Technology Institute, effective April 15, succeeding Karim Abdel-Malek, who had led the research institute for 20 years.
Schnell’s vision is to deepen the connection between ITI faculty and industry as well as leverage interdisciplinary research to attract large-scale grants.
Explore the latest research at OPL
The University of Iowa's Operator Performance Lab, directed by Dr. Tom "Mach" Schnell, is a flight testing laboratory with a fleet of jets, helicopters, Humvees, and UAVs.
University of Iowa plays leadership role in NASA’s STRIVE mission
The University of Iowa, led by Professor Jun Wang, will play a leading role in an up to $355 million space mission called STRIVE that is designed to help NASA better understand Earth and improve capabilities to foresee environmental events and mitigate disasters.
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Recent News
Marzen represents OPL at Farnborough International Airshow
Thursday, August 20, 2026
Randy Marzen, test director at the University of Iowa Operator Performance Laboratory (OPL), joined an Iowa delegation at one of the world’s largest aerospace trade events in July.
NSF supports Iowa engineers' nighttime wildfire forecasting efforts
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
As wildfires grow more frequent, intense, and destructive across the United States, researchers at the University of Iowa College of Engineering have secured a National Science Foundation grant to study how fires behave after dark.
Iowa students join NASA mission to study wildfire clouds
Wednesday, July 29, 2026
The University of Iowa engineering students are helping researchers collect data on pyrocumulonimbus clouds formed by intense wildfires.
Aerospace hub initiative leverages University of Iowa flight-test capabilities, could create opportunities to stay in Iowa
Wednesday, July 8, 2026
As public and private sector leaders in Iowa launch the Ascentus Aerospace Hub initiative to attract aerospace investment and accelerate innovation, forces in industry, infrastructure, workforce development, and research are being combined to create an environment where aerospace and aviation companies can thrive and skilled graduates find reasons to stay in Iowa.
Iowa engineers investigate links between LED blue light and health impacts
Friday, June 26, 2026
New research from the University of Iowa uses data from the TEMPO satellite mission to examine how blue light common in LEDs may disproportionately affect sleep patterns and health conditions of those in lower income areas. The findings, published in Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres, were presented at a TEMPO DART conference in Iowa.
Wildfires are reversing America’s progress on ozone pollution
Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Progress in reducing surface ozone pollution, the main ingredient in smog, but that progress is increasingly being overshadowed by a different and growing source of ozone pollution: wildfires, according to University of Iowa researchers Weizhi Deng and Jun Wang, and Meng Zhou of the University of Maryland.
Fatima Toor named Senior Member of National Academy of Inventors
Thursday, February 26, 2026
Fatima Toor, University of Iowa professor of electrical and computer engineering Lowell G. Battershell Chair in Laser Engineering, has been selected for the 2026 class of Senior Members of the National Academy of Inventors (NAI).
University of Iowa plays leadership role in NASA’s STRIVE mission
Friday, February 20, 2026
The University of Iowa, led by Professor Jun Wang, will play a leading role in a, up to, $355 million space mission called STRIVE that is designed to help NASA better understand Earth and improve capabilities to foresee environmental events and mitigate disasters.
OPL at 8,000 feet: Iowa lab tests the future of flight
Monday, February 9, 2026
University of Iowa staffer details experience flying in Aero L-29 Delfin trainer jet with the Operator Performance Laboratory. In full flight suit, strapped into one of OPLs oldest birds with a parachute attached to my seat, we bank east. Off the right wing, a second L-29 and a Beechcraft Bonanza slide into echelon formation.
New honors named for CEE's Lee
Tuesday, January 13, 2026
Several new honors and scholarships have been named after longtime University of Iowa engineering professor Hosin “David” Lee, a testament to a career of achievement and contributions to the field of sustainable transportation infrastructure.
Media Coverage
UI professor named Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors
Wednesday, April 8, 2026
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Tuesday, November 4, 2025
A Daily Boost in Dust Height
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
KGAN-TV Special Report: New AI camera system would provide critical evidence in child abuse cases
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Can AI detect abuse? These UI professors say it can
Monday, November 11, 2024
University of Iowa professors develop camera program to identify abuse
Monday, October 21, 2024
University of Iowa awards $6 million to expand weather, soil network for Midwest farmers
Wednesday, August 14, 2024
$6 million award helps Univ. of Iowa collect weather data in rural areas
Friday, August 2, 2024
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