On any given day in Iowa City, scientists are parsing DNA samples to deduce which of the more than 20,000 human genes are most associated with autism. "SPARK for Autism" researchers, including Jacob Michaelson at the University of Iowa, are trying to figure out which genes are important in neural development and how they lead to behaviors associated with autism. SPARK is an example of the more than 70 research endeavors associated with the university's new "Hawkeye Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Research Center." Funds will come from NIH dollars, the Carver College of Medicine, the departments of pediatrics and psychiatry, and the INI, as well as expected support from "foundations and philanthropy."