Friday, November 14, 2014
 
The University of Iowa Office of Research and Economic Development hosted five state legislators on an interactive tour of campus research and economic development activities Thursday, Nov. 13.

State Sens. Rita Hart, Liz Mathis, and Bob Dvorsky and state Reps. Dean Fisher and Mary Mascher visited the National Advanced Driving Simulator, drove in a semi-autonomous vehicle; visited M.C. Ginsberg Objects of Art (one of three UI ProtoLabs sites), which uses 3D printing to create prototypes for medical devices and other objects; and toured the new Pappajohn Biomedical Discovery Building and the Institute for Vision Research.

UI Vice President for Research and Economic Development Dan Reed led the tour.

During the four-hour visit, the legislators had opportunities to meet with Dan McGehee, director of Human Factors and Vehicle Safety Research; Susan Chrysler, NADS director of research; Omar Ahmed, NADS assistant director; Jean Robillard, vice president for medical affairs, UI Health Care; Pat Winokur, associate dean for clinical and translational science, UI College of Medicine; Andrew Pieper, associate professor of psychiatry, neurology and radiation oncology; Justin Grobe, assistant professor of pharmacology; Ed Stone, director of the Wynn Institute for Vision Research and professor of ophthalmology and vision sciences; Robert Mullins, professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences; and Budd Tucker, assistant professor of ophthalmology and visual sciences.