University of Iowa James A. Van Allen/Roy J. Carver Professor of Physics. Dr. Gurnett worked for Dr. Van Allen '35 when he researched the effects of the radiation belts on the earth's magnetic fields. He became Van Allen's colleague, and remains the leading scholar at the University of Iowa on Van Allen's Professional life. He has conducted experiments on more than 30 space missions and greatly advanced the University of Iowa's reputation for space research. Dr. James Van Allen is one of Iowa Wesleyan's most esteemed graduates and Mount Pleasant's most prominent citizen of the 20th Century. In 1958 Van Allen confirmed the existence of the radiation belts surrounding the earth's atmosphere.