Iowa

Growing up in Massachusetts I never considered attending a university in Iowa. But now, as my undergraduate education comes to a close, I find myself looking forward to unexplored territories. When I received a letter from the department of physics and astronomy chair, Dr. Frank Krennrich, informing me of the possibilities for graduate students at Iowa State I was compelled to explore this opportunity further. The programs at Iowa State are consistently highly ranked, especially those of complex…

Lidtke Mill There once was a mill named Lidtke Mill, and it was next to the Upper Iowa River. It was a cold morning, and the sun was shining bright. Melvin had just woken up, and he saw his workers were just heading to work. So he had put his work clothing on and was going to work. It was the 1860 and there were many other mills along the Upper Iowa River. Lidke eventually started running power to Chester and Lime Springs. The power was on from 6 am to 11 pm and a person named John Peterson…

interest in transportation engineering. My undergraduate education at Iowa State University provided me with basic insight and knowledge about general Civil Engineering. Out of all of the specializations in Civil Engineering, Transportation Engineering has interested me the most. I would like to further develop my knowledge of transportation engineering, specifically traffic safety and efficiency, by pursuing a Master’s Degree at Iowa State University.…

When I first came to Nothern Iowa in August, I was very shy and quiet. I knew some of my high school friends were coming to UNI, but not many. I knew that I had to make new friends and build realtionships with people as well. I was very nervous to come to college knowing I would be alone and wouldn't have my parents be around all the time. The first couple of weeks were rough becuase I hadn't made new friends yet and was worried I wouldnt make any. But as time came around, I was able to make…

It was just another cold January winter night in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. On the fifth of January, I was introduced to the world, I was born on the coldest day of 1999, at a frigid -30 degrees. I’ve been blessed with the two greatest parents in the world that have been married for 19 years. My family was completed on May 24, 2001, when my little brother Mason was born. Mason and I were not given our names for any specific reason our parents just liked the names. James was my middle name that my…

The Electrocuted Man One stormy night, as I was out walking just outside of Lime Spring, Iowa, lightning began flashing every second across the sky. The wind developed a creepy whistle to it. Whoooo! Whooo! While I walked across the bridge over the Upper Iowa River, the water started to rise. Higher and higher every second. Soon the water was over the bridge. I started to run full sprint, so I wouldn’t get caught in the rushing water. As I was running, I came to a halt. The rain was still…

It was the morning before the sheep show. I could not stop thinking about how much I wanted my dad to be there to watch me show. My dad was never able to come to the Iowa State fair with me because he always had football practice. I have shown at the state fair for four years. It has never really bothered me that my dad was never able to come, I understood why. For some reason this year I really wanted him to be there. I knew that he wouldn’t be coming thought and that made my heart break. The…

Descriptive Paper My very first time going to the Iowa City Children's Hospital was when I was nine years old. The reason I had to go down there was because my older brother who was 12 at the time had to get a surgery done on his knee. He had the surgery because he got hurt in football. When he was in the game a kid from the other team went to tackle Bryce. When Bryce got tackled the kid hit Bryce in the side of the knee with his helmet. He kept playing until the end of the game. After the…

Sylvia Plath’s “Morning Song” explores a mother’s complex emotions towards her newborn child after giving birth for the first time. Although motherhood is often regarded as a joyous event that gives a woman’s life purpose and meaning, “Morning Song” instead depicts motherhood as a complicated event fraught with uncertainty and fear, but also with love and affection. Rather than expressing overwhelming love and happiness, the mother in the poem feels distant from her child and gradually learns to…

wanting to push her. “So, how does a New York girl end up in Iowa?” I asked her nonchalantly. At first, Anna looked as if she were going to shut me down and stonewall about her past as she thought about what to say, but then she eased into it by trying to make light of her situation. “My story is just like everyone else’s, I guess,” she said jokingly. “A girl grows up in a loving home, but has big-city dreams, so she moves to Iowa to make something of herself.” A swing and a miss,…