Founded by a Tufts undergraduate, Tufts Emergency Medical Services (TEMS) is a volunteer, student-run, quick-response basic life support service on the Medford/Somerville campus. TEMS grew out of the work of David Levitt, A85, who started the organization with his friends, beginning in fall 1984. At first, volunteers responded to calls on foot with only basic first-aid supplies and only during limited hours. By 1991 TEMS had a fully-equipped basic life-support vehicle, complete with two-way radios and sirens. Since 2000, TEMS has 30 student volunteers each year who provide emergency-response services on the Medford/Somerville campus 24/7.

The University of Iowa is a major national research university located on a 1,900-acre campus in Iowa City in southeast Iowa, on the Iowa River near the intersection of U.S. Interstate Highways 80 and 380. Iowa is composed of 11 colleges, the largest of which is the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, enrolling most of Iowa's undergraduates.