River to River

Meet the prosecutor and former lawmaker running in Iowa's 4th Congressional District

By Ben Kieffer,

Caitlin Troutman, Dani Gehr, Neve Kelley

Published September 1, 2026 at 7:00 AM CDT

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What’s it like to drive on the moon? Scientists at the University of Iowa are working on a virtual lunar landscape complete with low gravity and lunar dirt. We revisit a conversation with an astrophysicist who discusses new research on white dwarf stars 200 light-years away.

Then, we launch our candidate series with Dave Dawson, the Democrat running in Iowa’s 4th District. Dawson is running against Siouxland Chamber of Commerce president Chris McGowan, a seat currently held by Rep. Randy Feenstra. We talk with him about running as a Democrat in a red district.

Portions of the episode were originally produced Feb. 3, 2026.

Guests:

Chris Schwarz, director of engineering and modeling research at the University of Iowa's Driving Safety Research Institute
Dustin Swarm, NASA Nancy Grace Roman Technology Fellow + Assistant Professor, Physics & Astronomy, University of Iowa
Dave Dawson, 4th Congressional District candidate, Democrat

Tags

River to River Science Space ExplorationIowa PoliticsIowa Democratic Party

Ben Kieffer

Ben Kieffer is the host of "River to River." Since 2007, Kieffer has interviewed, conversed with, and shared ideas from guests of all backgrounds and locations, and has helped listeners better understand, appreciate, and explore their state and the world around them. Kieffer has a bachelor's degree from the University of Iowa.

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Caitlin Troutman

Caitlin Troutman is an award-winning talk show producer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from William Jewell College. Since 2022, Troutman has worked with IPR's talk team to bring news and features to IPR's listening audience.

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Dani Gehr

Dani Gehr is a talk show producer for Iowa Public Radio. She holds a bachelor's degree from Iowa State University. Since 2022, Gehr has worked with IPR's talk team to bring news and features to IPR's listening audience.

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Neve Kelley

Neve Kelley is IPR's talk show production assistant. She recently graduated from Oberlin College, where she studied English, environmental studies, writing and communication. She is originally from Peoria, Illinois. She uses her passion for community-centered storytelling to showcase the people, culture and arts that shape Iowa. Some of her favorite things to do in Iowa include going to shows at Codfish Hollow and the Englert, visiting different coffee shops and taking yoga classes.

See stories by Neve Kelley