Campus Highlights
FEBRUARY 2013
ALLISON TEAM GETS UAB’S FIRST TRANSFORMATIVE RESEARCH AWARD
A team of scientists from UAB and four other institutions led by David Allison, Ph.D., distinguished professor and associate dean for science in the UAB School of Public Health, has received a National Institutes of Health (NIH) Director’s Transformative Research Award in the amount of $8 million to explore a novel hypothesis that links aging, obesity and health disparities. This is the first time UAB investigators have received funding from the TR01 initiative, which is supported by the NIH Common Fund’s High Risk-High Reward program.
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CITY OF BIRMINGHAM, UAB ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP TO COMMEMORATE U.S. CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT
Birmingham Mayor William Bell joined UAB Interim President Richard Marchase, Ph.D., at a press conference on campus in November 2012 to announce a partnership in “50 Years Forward,” the ongoing 50th anniversary commemoration of the seminal events of the of the U.S. Civil Rights Movement.
UAB MHRC CELEBRATES FIGHTING HEALTH DISPARITIES ONE PROJECT AT A TIME
Since its inception, the UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center (MHRC) has provided $1.24 million in seed money to UAB investigators to help jumpstart careers of those fighting health disparities among races. In return, those investments have brought $15 million in additional research funds to UAB in health disparities research. The center cele-brated its tenth anniversary in 2012.
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UAB SCHOOL OF MEDICINE REGIONAL CAMPUS ANNOUNCED FOR MONTGOMERY
The Montgomery Regional Campus of the UAB School of Medicine has launched in an effort to stem a shortage of physicians in underserved areas around the state and increase the ranks of primary care physicians in Alabama. This third regional campus for the UAB School of Medicine joins those in Huntsville and Tuscaloosa.
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UAB RESEARCHERS SELECTED TO INAUGURAL NATIONAL ACADEMY OF INVENTORS GROUP
The National Academy of Inventors announced its inaugural class of charter fellows in December 2012 — a group that includes UAB Interim President Richard Marchase, Ph.D., and Dean Sicking, Ph.D., associate vice president of development and professor in the UAB School of Engineering. Marchase and Sicking were selected for their “highly prolific spirit of innovation in creating or facilitating outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development and the welfare of society.”
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NATION’S LARGEST RACIAL DISPARITIES STROKE STUDY AT UAB AWARDED $28M RENEWAL GRANT
UAB has been awarded a $28 million grant renewal for the nation’s largest study aimed at exploring racial and geographic differences in stroke illness and stroke death from the National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke. The REGARDS (Reasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke) study enrolled 30,239 people ages 45 and older between January 2003 and October 2007, and it continues to follow them for health changes.
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UAB’S EMPLOYEE WELLNESS PROGRAM RECOGNIZED AGAIN BY AHA
The American Heart Association (AHA) recognized UAB’s Wellness Program with its Worksite Innovation and gold-level Fit Friendly Company awards for 2012. This marks the second year in a row the AHA has awarded the university’s Wellness Program with the Innovation Award; UAB has been recognized as a gold-level Fit Friendly Company for several years.
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UAB LAUNCHES GLAUCOMA-DETECTION PROGRAM WITH CDC
UAB launched an innovative telemedicine glaucoma-detection program with independent optometrists located adjacent to two central Alabama Wal-mart Vision Centers. The program, funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), is primarily aimed at early detection of glaucoma in an at-risk population: African-Americans over the age of 40. Christopher Girkin, M.D., chair of UAB’s Department of Ophthalmology, is the project’s program director.
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UAB SCHOOL OF NURSING GETS $3.1M FOR GRADUATE STUDENT SUPPORT
The UAB School of Nursing received four grants totaling $3.1 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund graduate student studies that will help put hundreds of advanced practice nurses and nursing faculty into the Alabama workforce over the next four years.
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UAB SCHOOL OF HEALTH PROFESSIONS RECEIVES $2.4M FOR STUDENT SUPPORT
Four programs in the UAB School of Health Professions received grants totaling $2.4 million from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to fund scholarships for students from disadvantaged backgrounds who are enrolled in a health professions program.
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UAHUNTSVILLE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE FIRST ROUND OF BOEING’S NEW BUSINESS CHALLENGE WITH UAHUNTSVILLE’S COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
The Boeing Company teamed with the College of Business Administration at UAHuntsville to give undergraduate students an opportunity to plan the launch of a new business. The teams are competing for $10,000 in scholarship winnings that can be used for undergraduate or graduate study at UAHuntsville. The first round of compe-tition was held on November 30th. Eleven teams entered the competition with a total of 26 students participating. Daniel Olberding, Anissa Weed and Jack Kachelman were judges for The Boeing Company’s Huntsville Operation. The judges met with each team and critiqued the ideas, provided feedback, and extended invitations to teams for the second phase of competition in the spring. Student teams will continue to work on their business ideas with coaching and assistance from faculty and mentors. In April, students will pitch their business plans and compete for the scholarship winnings.
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UAHUNTSVILLE ENTREPRENEURSHIP CLUB HOSTED ITS FIRST ANNUAL E-LAUNCH BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION
The Entrepreneurship Club hosted what it hopes will be an annual 48-hour business plan competition. UAHuntsville students pitched ideas ranging from a character-themed restaurant to fusion-powered rockets to Mars. The students formed teams, developed business plans and presented them to judges. Over 25 professionals and experts in the community mentored the students, and taught them the breadth of skills they will need to fully develop business plans. E-Launch students ranged from freshmen to graduate students and represented every College. At the event finale students described their business plans to judges in five minute presentations. The MaptIt team won first place with an app to help universities reach students with event information and event maps. MaptIt received $1,000 plus free CPA and legal counseling. Feedback from the event shows that mentors strongly support E-Launch’s goals and approach.
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UAHUNTSVILLE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION HOLDS ENTREPRENEURIAL ROUNDTABLE TO DISCUSS COMMERCIALIZATION OF SPACE
The College of Business at the University of Alabama in Huntsville held an Entrepreneurial Roundtable on November 8th in the Chan Auditorium to discuss the Commercialization of Space. A crowd of over 200 people heard a panel moderated by Dean Caron St. John, and featuring Mr. Tim Pickens, Mr. Bob Sackheim and Mr. Dennis Wingo discuss the future paths forward for entrepreneurs in this emerging market space. The next Entrepreneurial Roundtable event will be held in the spring and the topic will be Bio Tech.
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UAHUNTSVILLE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION RECOGNIZED BY TEDXHUNTSVILLE
CBA was recognized as an in kind partner by TEDxHuntsville at its annual TEDxHuntsville event and TEDxYouth event. Dr. Ravi Patnayakuni works actively with TEDxHuntsville to promote and organize TEDx events in Huntsville.
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UAHUNTSVILLE ROMANIA STUDY ABROAD PROGRAM RAISES MONEY FOR MIA’S CHILDREN
The Romania study abroad classes for the last two years raised over $1,000 to benefit Mia’s Children, an orphanage located in Bucharest, Romania. A local business, All Points Logistics, matched the amount raised by the students, raising the total donated to over $2,000.
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UAHUNTSVILLE CBA MEETS WITH CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE’S BUSINESS ADVISORY COUNCIL
In December, Dr. David Berkowitz and Dr. Allen Wilhite were invited to attend Calhoun’s Business Advisory Council to discuss further collaboration between the two schools.
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UAHUNTSVILLE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION’S ASSOCIATE DEAN ATTENDS ASSOCIATION TO ADVANCE COLLEGIATE SCHOOLS OF BUSINESS CONFERENCE (AACSB)
Dr. David Berkowitz arrived in Houston, TX, for the Associate Dean’s AACSB Conference where he attended many sessions, but found the symposium for new associate deans and the session on teaching to Millennials most infor-mative.
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UAHUNTSVILLE PHYSICS LECTURE PRESENTED BY PROFESSOR THOMAS KIBBLE
Richard Lieu and Dr. Melissa McGrath, Chief Scientist of NASA’s NSSTC, organized a lecture by renowned physicist Professor Thomas Kibble of the Imperial College of London on October 23, 2012. Kibble is a senior research fellow and Emeritus Professor of Theoretical Physics. His talk, entitled “Genesis of the Higgs Boson and Electroweak Symmetry Breaking,” gave a historical account of the developments leading up to the unification of weak and electromagnetic interactions, as seen from a view point in Imperial College, addressing the significance of recent discoveries at CERN.
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UAHUNTSVILLE ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE STUDENTS HOST WEATHER FEST
Student Chapter of the American Meteorological Society (AMS) hosted the Rocket City Weather Fest on October 13th to educate the public on weather-related phenomena, to empha-size safety and preparedness, and to showcase their scientific research. It was a full day of activity from hands-on activities and demonstrations, to kids’ games and crafts, to lectures by our own Dr. John Christy and Hurricane Hunter Capt. Christopher Dyke from the 53d Weather Reconnaissance Squadron.
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CAMPUS HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE COLLEGE OF NURSING
- The College of Nursing received funds from the Federal Nurse Traineeship Program in the amount of $347,553. The award is given to eligible graduate students in our Family Nurse Practitioner track. The Association of Nursing Students has partnered with the North Alabama Community Care Clinics (NACC) and the Community Free Clinic to provide assistance with vaccinations, patient education and patient care. Two students volunteer each Tuesday and Thursday to assist the nurses and practitioners in providing care.
- The Association of Nursing Students assisted the North Alabama Community Care Clinics (NACC) with a Carnival Flu Shot Clinic on October 31 in conjunction with the Huntsville Housing Authority and Huntsville Hospital. The students administered 100 flu vaccinations to persons from 6 months old to 70 years old.
- The Association of Nursing Students sent 24 students to the National Association of Nursing Students Mid-Year Convention in San Diego, CA, to represent the college of Nursing and for professional development on November 7-11, 2012.
- The College of Nursing partnered with the Student Health Center, HPE Professional & Continuing Studies, the Faculty and Staff Clinic, and the Fitness Center to conduct the 12th Annual Health Fair. There was a variety of health screenings available, flu shots were given and special presentations were given on diabetes and physical fitness. The American Red Cross was also on hand accepting blood donations.
- Dr. Fay Raines, Dean, contributed to an article for al.com regarding the expansion of the nursing program and the current plans to expand and renovate the nursing building.
- The College of Nursing held its annual Disaster Drill on November 1, 2012. The drill included several “public health emergency” simulations including exposure to chemical, hazardous waste, power or gas main leaks, and man-agement of communicable disease out-breaks. This year the drill included a live demonstration of the Air Evac EMS from Cullman County, AL.
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SECRETARY OF THE SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION TO SPEAK AT UAHUNTSVILLE COMMENCEMENT
Wayne Clough, the 12th Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution recently gave the UAHuntsville fall commencement address. Approximately 900 UAHuntsville students completed their degree requirements and participated in the ceremony. As head of the Smithsonian since 2008, Clough oversees the world’s largest museum and research complex featuring 19 museums, nine research centers, the National Zoo, and research activities in more than 90 countries. During his tenure, he has overseen several major openings at the Smith-sonian, including the reopening of the National Museum of American History and the David H. Koch Hall of Human Origins and Sant Ocean Hall at the National Museum of Natural History. Before his appointment to the Smithsonian, Clough was president of the Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT) for 14 years. He was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2010 and serves on its Commission on the Humanities and Social Science. In 2009, Clough was inducted into the Technology Hall of Fame of Georgia and received the Joseph M. Pettit Alumni Distinguished Service Award that recognizes a lifetime of leadership, achievement, and service to Georgia Tech (GIT). In September, GIT dedicated the G. Wayne Clough Undergraduate Learning Commons building to honor Clough’s commitment to undergraduate students.
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UAHUNTSVILLE WIND ENSEMBLE, U.S. ARMY MATERIEL COMMAND BAND PERFORMS THE PLANETS ORCHESTRAL SUITE
The U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) Band from Redstone Arsenal and the UAHuntsville Wind Ensemble and Concert Choir recently performed Gustav Holst’s famous orchestral suite. The Planets (Opus 32) is a rare astronomy-themed piece of classical music written by Gustav Holst, an English composer and music teacher between 1914 and 1916. Each movement of the suite is named after a planet of the Solar System, with the exception of Earth, which is not observed in astrological practice. The intergalactic evening began with the UAHuntsville College of Liberal Arts (CLA) Showcase at the Von Braun Center. The North Alabama community, local educators, current and prospective students were invited to come and discover what the College of Liberal Arts has to offer. The musical part of the evening began with Richard Strauss’ Vienna Philharmonic Fanfare, followed by a scene from Shakespeare’s The Tempest. In keeping with the space theme, The Planets performance was choreographed with spectacular images from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. The evening concluded with a special finale performance of the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
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UAHUNTSVILLE RECEIVES GRANT FROM EGLIN AIR FORCE BASE
Dr. Yuri Shtessel, Electrical and Computer Engineering Department, received a grant “Higher Order Sliding Mode Guidance and Control of Hyper-sonic Missiles” from Eglin Air Force Base. August 2012-May 2013. $28,960.
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UAHUNTSVILLE’S SAMPSON GHOLSTON: PROJECT AWARD THROUGH THE ALABAMA DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
“Mentor-Protégé Program for Disadvantage Business Enterprises” December 10, 2012 – November 9 2013. $224, 312.
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THE NASA GRANT UNDER THE NASA/MSFC AEROSPACE AND SYSTEMS ENGINEERING PROGRAM SYSTEM DISCIPLINE ENGINEERING RESEARCH FY13 FOR UAHUNTSVILLE
Funding: $654,750 (UAHPortion is about $434,750)
PI – Phillip A. Farrington (ISEEM)
Co-I – Dawn R. Utley (ISEEM)
Co-I – Laird Burns (Management)
The project is focused on improving the Systems Engineering Process and Supply Chain using NASA’s SLS program as an observational test bed in order to improve/enhance the affordability of future launch systems. There are currently three project areas:
1) development of an afford-ability model for launch vehicles,
2) development of a framework for evaluation of the supply chain for launch vehicles, and
3) investigation of the engineering decision making process.
This funding continues to support a UAH led Systems Engineering Consortium including the following universities: MIT, Texas A&M, George Mason, Oregon State, The University of Colorado-Colorado Springs, Iowa State, and University of Arkansas.
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BALDWIN NAMED VICE PRESIDENT FOR ADVANCEMENT AT UA
UA President Judy Bonner has named Dr. Karen Baldwin as vice president for advancement, effective immediately. Baldwin has served as interim vice president for advancement since March 2012 and served as associate vice president for advancement from 2008 until her appointment as interim vice president. As vice president for advancement, Baldwin leads the Division of Advancement, which includes all University fundraising, Planned Giving, Alumni Affairs and University Relations. In fiscal 2012, the Office of Advancement set an annual giving record with a 25 percent increase over fiscal 2011, realizing more than $93.8 million in total giving. New documented planned gift expectancies increased by 102 percent to $26 million. In the past two years, UA has had a record number of donors (58,000 each year) and donor transactions (94,000 each year).
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BENSON NAMED INTERIM PROVOST AT UA
UA President Judy Bonner has named long-time faculty member and administrator Dr. Joe Benson as interim provost. Benson has served as vice president for research and vice provost at UA since 2009. Benson will continue to serve as vice president for research as well as provost until his planned retirement next summer. Benson served as interim vice president for research and vice provost from 2007-2009 and as senior associate dean of the UA College of Arts and Sciences from 2001-2007. He joined the UA faculty in 1978 as an assistant professor of geology. Promoted to associate professor and then professor, he served as chair of the department of geological sciences from 1990-1998 and as associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences from 1998-2001.
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DR. B. JOYCE STALLWORTH NAMED UA ASSOCIATE PROVOST
UA President Judy Bonner has named Dr. B. Joyce Stallworth to the new position of associate provost for special projects. Stallworth joined the UA faculty in 1995 and has served as senior associate dean of the College of Education since 2004. In her new role, she will be involved in a variety of UA projects, including working with K-12 schools in the Black Belt region of Alabama to identify the specific needs of students in those schools and crafting strategies and initiatives that will help those students become more successful, developing new avenues to promote their success and coordinating Univer-sity resources that will be useful in meeting the identified needs of those students.
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UA PROFESSOR LEADS EFFORT TO TEACH COMPUTER SCIENCE IN HIGH SCHOOLS
Continuing efforts to introduce computer science to high school students, a $1 million grant was awarded to UA to train teachers in a new computer-science course and future College Board AP exam. The grant from the National Science Foundation to Dr. Jeff Gray, associate professor of computer science in the UA College of Engineering, builds upon his work with the College Board to craft a new Advanced Placement computer-science course designed to increase secondary and post-secondary educational interest in computer science and improve collegiate preparation for science, technology, engineering and mathe-matics majors. The three-year grant will train 50 high school teachers across Alabama to lead a proposed Advanced Placement course in computer science that allows students to get college credit if they score well on the AP exam.
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UA STUDENTS HELD CHESS MATCH, SHARED GAME BENEFITS WITH TUSCALOOSA CHILDREN
Honors students at UA held a chess match for Tuscaloosa-area children who play the game as part of a team or club through their schools or other organizations. Sponsored by the UA Center for Ethics & Social Responsibility, the event was held at the Tuscaloosa Magnet Schools and was planned, organized and operated by UA students. The UA students are enrolled in Every Move Counts, an honors service-learning course in which they explore the academic and social benefits of chess for children while teaching the game in public schools. Every Move Counts is nationally unique in utilizing college students to implement chess lessons in schools. Since its inception, Every Move Counts has held a Tuscaloosa-area chess match each year in order for children in the program and others in West Alabama to come together and experience competitive play.
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UA ACCOUNTING PROGRAM JUMPED TWO SPOTS IN PAR RANKINGS
UA’s Culverhouse School of Accountancy’s undergraduate program is ranked No. 18 in “Public Accounting Report’s” 2012 Annual Professors Survey. The program was ranked No. 20 last year. This is the 31st ranking of the nation’s university accounting programs. “Public Accounting Report” is a monthly newsletter that covers competitive intelligence and the business side of the public accounting profession. UA’s master’s programs are ranked 18th (24th last year) and the doctoral program is ranked 22nd (not ranked last year).
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UA MIS PROGRAM NO. 16 IN BUSINESSWEEK RANKINGS
The Management Information Systems program at UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce is ranked No. 16 out of 124 programs at both public and private universities, according to a BusinessWeek survey of students. Overall, the business school came in at No. 80 among all universities and No. 35 among public universities. Each year, as part of their ranking of the nation’s undergraduate business programs, Bloomberg Businessweek surveys more than 85,000 students at more than 100 business schools and asks them to rate their program’s performance in 14 academic disciplines ranging from entrepreneurship and ethics to marketing and sustainability. This is the first year the management information systems category has been included in the BusinessWeek rankings.
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UA VETERANS AFFAIRS OFFICE OPENED
UA held a grand opening for the Office of Veteran and Military Affairs as the closing highlight of Veterans Week events on campus. Aside from the ribbon cutting and the showcase of the Office’s new space, a WWI memorial plaque recognizing 45 Tuscaloosa veterans who died during the war, was unveiled. Also, a presentation on UA graduate and Senior Airman Mark Forester was given by the American Fallen Soldiers Project. AFSP creates memorial portraits for men and women who have lost their lives in combat.
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UA DEVELOPMENT CENTER HELPED LAUNCH WEST ALABAMA, WIREGRASS BIRDING TRAILS
The UA Center for Economic Development helped to launch 20 sites for state bird watching enthusiasts to enjoy along the West Alabama and Wiregrass Birding Trails. The CED is providing project management and oversight for the new trails, which represent the final installment in a total of eight organized trails and 250 sites across Alabama. The eight counties that make up the West Alabama Birding Trail include Bibb, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa and Walker. The 10 counties that make up the Wiregrass Birding Trail are Barbour, Bullock, Pike, Crenshaw, Covington, Coffee, Dale, Henry, Geneva and Houston. The state birding trails project has been ongoing for more than five years.
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AFTER WINNING NATIONAL AWARD, UA WOMEN ENGINEERS TO HOST CONFERENCE
The UA chapter of the Society of Women Engineers, or SWE, was awarded the gold level Outstanding Collegiate Society Award at the SWE National Conference in Houston, Texas. UA SWE President Rachel Mitchell said the award was based on an annual report the officer team presented detailing their involvement in the previous year. UA SWE also won the bid to host its regional conference in 2014 on campus. Mitchell said she expects sections from Alabama, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee and Puerto Rico to attend the 2014 conference. In 2012, the UA SWE section was one of four sites nationwide to host a “Wow! That’s Engineering!” event. More than 140 teenage girls came to the September event meant to spark an interest in engineering and technology through hands-on opportunities.