Campus Highlights
JUNE 2013
UAHUNTSVILLE COLLEGE OF SCIENCE HOSTS SCIENCE OLYMPIAD FOR THE 20TH YEAR IN A ROW
Over 400 middle and high school students came to the UAH campus in February to compete in team events in science, mathematics, and engineering. This was the 20th consecutive year that UAHuntsville and the College of Science have hosted the Science Olympiad.
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UAHUNTSVILLE ATMOSPHERIC SCIENCE AND EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE STUDENTS PROVIDE OUTREACH
Atmospheric Science and Earth Systems Science students have provided numerous outreach activities in the community this spring including the STEM Expo at Hampton Cove Middle School, Science Olympiad, Regional and State Science Fairs, Community Garden Plant Sale, Earth Week Festivities, Tennessee Valley Severe Weather Awareness Poster Contest for School children, and Panoply.
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UAHUNTSVILLE HOSTS CONFERENCE ON STUDENT HARDWARE ORGANIZATIONS
The Alabama Space Grant Consortium and the UAHuntsville Space Hardware Club hosted a student conference on “How to Build and Sustain Student Hardware Organizations.” This conference concentrated on how to start and sustain active student clubs and was student lead and interactive. The conference featured breakout focus groups with experienced moderators on various subject matters (BalloonSats, Satellites, Rockets & Robotics).members of industry provided presentations on documentation and why it is important. Tours of NASA MSFC and UAHuntsville facilities were offered, as well as models of how UAH, AU, and others within our state run their programs. The NASA MSFC Center Director, Dr. Patrick Scheuermann, welcomed all of the participants and others from NASA MSFC presented Higher Education Opportunities that were available to students. this student conference took place on the campus of UAHuntsville on February 7-9, 2013. Seventy-nine professors, students, industrial members and guest speakers were in attendance.
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UAHUNTSVILLE COE HOSTS 59TH ANNUAL SCIENCE FAIR
The UAHuntsville College of Engineering hosted the 59th Annual NARSEF (Science Fair) and Honeywell Leadership Program Students (3/2013). NARSEF is a scientific competition for students in grades five through twelve. The purpose of the fair is to offer an opportunity for students to showcase their independent research to the public and compete scholastically with their peers. In the terms of a science fair project, performing independent research stimulates interest in students in the areas of science, technology, engine-eering, and mathematics (STEM). This year, 2013 NARSEF was comprised of 346 winning projects from 30 public and private schools in the nine northern counties of Alabama; 373 students were in attendance.
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UAHUNTSVILLE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION’S MBA HIGHLY RANKED BY US NEWS AND WORLD REPORT
The U.S. News and World Report recently ranked the Business College’s Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program in the top 60 public university programs nationwide (tied at 101 overall) and top 20 in the southeastern region for part-time evening MBA programs. U.S. News and World Report only ranks AACSB accredited universities.
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UAHUNTSVILLE COLLEGE OF BUSINESS HOSTS “LAUNCHING A BIOTECH BUSINESS: A CONVERSATION WITH SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURS”
The Spring Entrepreneurs Roundtable event was held on April 11 in Chan Auditorium. Panelists included: Mr. Stanton Rowe, corporate vice-president of Advanced Technology and chief scientific officer at Edwards Lifesciences Corporation; Ms. Peggy Sammon, CEO of GeneCapture; Dr. Krishnan Chittur, president of GeneCapture; and Dr. Joe Ng, president of IxpressGenes. The roundtable event was moderated by Dr. David Berkowitz, associate dean of the College of Business Administration. Over 150 people were in attendance.
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UAHUNTSVILLE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE FINAL ROUND OF BOEING’S NEW BUSINESS CHALLENGE WITH UAH COLLEGE OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION
On April 12, a panel of judges from Boeing and UAH reviewed business plans and presentations from 7 teams of undergraduate students. Each team presented a new business idea for the judges. Boeing awarded two prizes totaling $10,000. Congratulations went out to Team Cloud 9 first place winners of an $8000 scholarship. Team Human Element came in second place winning a $2000 scholarship.
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UAHUNTSVILLE COLLEGE OF NURSING STAGES MOCK DISASTER DRILL
The College of Nursing staged a mock disaster drill for the University and larger community. The drill included various scenarios including a tornado touchdown and other potential disaster and public health situations. The event, held in April, is the tenth disaster drill hosted by the College of Nursing as part of a course in community health.
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UAHUNTSVILLE COLLEGE OF NURSING HOSTS LET’S PRETEND HOSPITAL
In March, the College of Nursing, in cooperation with Huntsville Hospital, hosted the 28th Annual Let’s Pretend Hospital. The health education program is designed to teach first graders what they can expect during a hospital visit in order to minimize their fear and anxiety. Approximately 2,700 first graders attend the program which allows more than 200 nursing students to apply developmental theory in teaching children about nursing and health care.
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MSFC DIRECTOR KEYNOTE SPEAKER AT UAHUNTSVILLE SPRING COMMENCEMENT
Patrick Scheuermann, Director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, delivered the UAHuntsville spring commencement address. UAH awarded 860 diplomas at its spring graduation ceremony: 630 bachelor’s degrees, 194 master’s degrees and 24 doctoral degrees. Patrick Scheuermann was awarded an honorary doctorate from UAH during the ceremony. Scheuermann was named director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center in September, 2012. As director, he leads one of NASA’s largest field installations, with nearly 6,000 civil service and contractor employees including those at NASA’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans, and an annual budget of approximately $2.5 billion. He manages a broad range of propulsion, scientific and space transportation activities contributing to the nation’s space program. Prior to his appointment at Marshall, Scheuermann served as director of NASA’s Stennis Space Center near Bay St. Louis, MS, from 2010-2012.
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SAIC COMPETITION AWARDS UAHUNTSVILLE STUDENT TEAMS MORE THAN $15,000
How can the technologies of today help international efforts to provide effective humanitarian aid around the globe? The Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) recently sought solutions from top undergraduate students at UAH, for this technical case study entitled “Modernizing Deployment and Coordination of Humanitarian Aid.” Six student teams at UAH were awarded more than $16,000 in scholarship money for their participation in the SAIC competition. The student teams were required to submit a written response to the case study. Upon the group’s selection by a panel of judges, teams then presented their responses to the judges and winners were selected. Students were tasked with outlining a modern-day strategy for the deployment and coordination of humanitarian aid, and developing a more effective support system for people in countries who need it the most, including those suffering under violent conflict, and natural disasters.
UAB, BIRMINGHAM PARTNER TO CREATE SMARTER, HEALTHIER CITY
The City of Birmingham and UAB took a major step toward smarter, healthier and more sustainable development with the February 27, 2013, signing of a memorandum of understanding to partner on projects such as energy efficiency and city planning that account for a more “livable” city. UAB School of Medicine’s Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center, which focuses on improving the health of population groups, and the Sustainable Smart Cities Research Center, with engineers known internationally for their work planning and creating healthier city plans, will conduct the bulk of work under MOU.
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UAB SCHOOLS AGAIN RANKED IN TOP 10 BY U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
U.S. News & World Report ranks a number of graduate programs at UAB among the nation’s Top 10, including healthcare management, primary care, AIDS, nursing service administration and nursing practitioner adult. The latest rankings were released in the 2013 edition of “America’s Best Graduate Schools.” According to rankings released March 12, voted on in 2012, the School of Medicine primary care program rose to No. 10, up from No. 12. The level reflects the school’s commitment to produce physicians who pursue residencies in one of the primary care fields. Geriatrics ranked No. 12. The AIDS program in the School of Medicine ranked No. 8. Last voted on in 2011, the School of Health Professions master’s degree program in healthcare management is No. 5 in the nation. Its physical therapy program is No. 19, and its physician assistant program is ranked No. 25. Public health is ranked No. 16. The School of Nursing’s master’s program is ranked No. 21. The nurse practitioner (adult) program is ranked No. 10, as is the nursing service administration program. The nurse practitioner (family) program is ranked No. 12.
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UAB ANNOUNCES DEAN FOR COLLEGE OF ARTS & SCIENCES
Robert E. Palazzo, Ph.D., has been named dean of the UAB College of Arts and Sciences, effective June 1, 2013. Palazzo has served as the CAS interim dean since October 1, 2012.
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UAB SHOWS STRONG AT MEDICAL STUDENT MATCH DAY
The 2013 graduating class of the UAB School of Medicine continued a strong streak at Match Day, with 97 percent matching in a post-graduate position to continue their medical studies. UAB students matched with 77 institutions in 31 states. Seventy-five percent of students matched with a program in the Southeast United States, and 40 percent of the 2013 class will stay at residency programs in Alabama; last year, 78 percent matched in the Southeast and 42 percent stayed in Alabama. Forty-two percent of the class will pursue careers in primary care, which includes internal medicine, family medicine, pediatrics and a combined program for medicine and pediatrics.
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UAB NOW OFFERING PRIMARY CARE OPTION IN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PROGRAM TO ADDRESS SHORTAGE
The UAB Surgical Physician Assistant degree program in the School of Health Professions is adding a primary care option for incoming students in an effort to meet the forecasted workforce needs in primary care. The SPA program is partnering with small communities in Alabama, Mississippi and Montana to help fill the gap.
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UAB LAUNCHES FIRST UNIFIED BRANDING CAMPAIGN, “KNOWLEDGE THAT WILL CHANGE YOUR WORLD”
For the first time, UAB has unified its academic and medical brands in a new campaign under a common tagline: “UAB: Knowledge that will change your world.” The campaign, which begins with advertising on TV, radio, social media and billboards, will feature prominently on UAB websites.
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UAB SCHOOL OF BUSINESS DEAN NAMED AFTER NATIONAL SEARCH
Eric Jack, Ph.D., who has served as the UAB School of Business interim dean since October 2012, has been named to the permanent post following a nationwide search. Jack, who came to UAB in 2001, previously served here as associate dean for faculty development and research from 2008-12. He served as interim-chair of the Department of Management, Information Systems and Quantitative Methods from 2009-10, and he is a past recipient of the UAB President’s Award for Excellence in Teaching. Jack, a naturalized U.S. citizen born on the island of Trinidad and Tobago, served as a United States Air Force officer for 21 years before beginning his academic career.
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UAB INSTALLS MOST POWERFUL CYCLOTRONAT ANY U.S. ACADEMIC MEDICAL CENTER
UAB has installed a one-of-a-kind cyclotron, a particle accelerator that makes protons collide with a target on the way to making medical imaging agents for clinical and research applications. The cyclotron weighs more than 61,000 pounds. UAB’s TR24 model, an exclusive hybrid of other models, will enable researchers to make a variety of agents in quantities large enough to advance several research efforts. Specifically selected by a team of UAB experts, the TR24 cyclotron took nearly a year-and-a-half to build, and it was crafted explicitly to be installed into the basement of the newly renovated UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center.
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UAB STUDENT-LED FINANCIAL FUND WINS THIRD CONSECUTIVE INTERNATIONAL TITLE
The UAB Green and Gold Fund, a student-led financial fund that has grown nearly $250,000 since inception, won a third consecutive Redefining Investment Strategy Education (RISE) international championship in the Alternative category. They took home the title because they had the most superior risk-adjusted returns of any university in their category. The Green and Gold Fund, managed solely by UAB students, began with $340,000 in 2006 and stands at $578,000 as of March 2013. The program advisor is Larry Cowart, Ph.D., interim chair of the Department of Accounting and Finance.
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UA’S RURAL PIPELINE PROGRAM RECEIVED NATIONAL AWARD
UA’s Rural Health Leaders Pipeline was recognized nationally with an Outstanding Rural Health Program Award from the National Rural Health Association. The pipeline is a sequence of programs designed to recruit students from rural areas in Alabama and help them prepare to become rural physicians and other needed health professionals. Hundreds of Alabama high school and college students have participated in the programs and are now practicing in rural Alabama communities. Studies show that rural students are more likely to return to rural areas to practice. In addition to the pipeline programs, the award also covers the Rural Medicine Clerkship, during which students work with a physician in a rural location and also study a local health issue and complete a project.
UA-HOUSED APR WON NATIONAL AND REGIONAL AWARDS
Alabama Public Radio, housed in UA’s College of Communication and Information Sciences, has been named winner of a 2013 national Sigma Delta Chi Award for excellence in journalism from the Society of Professional Journalists. APR won for its documentary Winds of Change, which is about the first anniversary of the April 27, 2011, tornado in Tuscaloosa. This was the second consecutive Sigma Delta Chi Award for APR, which won last year in the Best Breaking News Coverage category for its coverage of the 2011 storm. APR’s award was one of only nine total national awards in the radio division. APR also won all four regional Edward R. Murrow Awards from the Radio Television Digital News Association.
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UA NAMED TO PRESIDENT’S HIGHER EDUCATION SERVICE HONOR ROLL
UA has been named to the President’s Higher Education Commu-nity Service Honor Roll with Distinction for helping the community through service and service-learning partner-ships. UA, named to the list for the fourth consecutive year by the Corporation for National and Com-munity Service and the U.S. Department of Education, was one of 113 schools to receive the honor with distinction. From engineering students developing the next generation of prosthetic limbs and computer science students building websites for nonprofit organizations to business students helping Bangladeshi villagers become entrepreneurs and honors students preparing at-risk high schoolers to succeed in Advanced Placement courses, service-learning experiences move students beyond the classroom to solving real-world problems.
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UA STUDENTS RECEIVED GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIPS
Four UA students were recognized by the Barry M. Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation for accomplishments in their science and engineering studies. Two of those students are part of the 2013 class of Goldwater Scholars. The foundation awarded scholarships for the 2013-14 academic year to Ria Domier and Josh Moon, both chemical engineering majors, and selected chemical engineering student Michael Bolus and David Gillespie, a double major in electrical engineering and physics, for honorable mention. The 271 Goldwater Scholars this year were selected on the basis of academic merit from a field of 1,107 mathematics, science and engineering students nominated by the faculties of colleges and universities nationwide.
UA’S CULVERHOUSE COLLEGE OF COMMERCE MAINTAINS ACCREDITATION; NO. 29 AMONG PUBLICS IN BLOOMBERGBUSINESSWEEK
The Culverhouse College of Commerce at UA has maintained its business accreditation by AACSB International – The Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business. AACSB Accreditation is the hallmark of excellence in business education, and it has been earned by less than 5 percent of the world’s business programs. The business school’s Culverhouse School of Accountancy also received notice that it has maintained its accreditation. Also, the Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration moved up four places to No. 29 among public universities in the 2013 Bloomberg Businessweek rankings, and it moved up seven places to No. 73 among all business schools.
UA’S COMMUNICATIVE DISORDERS DEPARTMENT CELEBRATED 75TH ANNIVERSARY
UA’s department of communicative disorders celebrated its 75th anniversary with a colloquium featuring guest lecturers, brunch and dinner. The speakers discussed the legacy of the program and its impact on the knowledge of students in the field of speech and communicative disorders. In addition, former faculty and students shared reminiscences about the program. Dr. Laura Moss, clinic coordinator for the Speech and Hearing Center, talked about the future of the department. Since 1938, UA’s Speech and Hearing Center has served citizens of Alabama, and the academic program is the oldest continuing program of its kind in Alabama. The first graduate-level seminar started in September 1939, and the first master’s degree was awarded in 1941.
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UA ENACTUS TEAM WON U.S. REGIONAL COMPETITION
The UA Enactus team was named a regional champion at the Enactus United States Regional Competition held in Atlanta recently. The competition was one of 10 regional competitions across the United States. The UA team has won the regional competition for the past eight years. Enactus is the new name of the organization formerly called Students in Free Enterprise. The name was changed last fall to “reaffirm its long-standing commitment to using entrepreneurial action as a catalyst for progress.” UA-Enactus is one of more than 500 Enactus programs in the United States. Participating students use business concepts to develop community outreach projects, transform lives and shape a better, more sustainable world. During the 2012-2013 academic year, the UA-Enactus Team organized six major projects in Tuscaloosa and West Alabama.
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UA GREEK GROUPS AWARDED $100,000 TO AREA ORGANIZATIONS
The UA Greek community awarded its annual Greek Week grants as part of the Profiles in Service and Leadership Banquet. The grants, which total $100,000, were given to some 30 nonprofit organizations operating in and around Tuscaloosa. Recipient organizations are selected following a grant request application process. Ticket sales for annual Greek Week activities fund the yearly grants. In addition, Greek Week student participants are responsible for completing service hours with Habitat for Humanity. This year, they helped to build an Alberta City house that had been damaged in the April, 2011 tornado.
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UA CENTER LAUNCHED GATEWAY TO AREA BIRDING TRAIL
Eight Alabama counties joined to launch a gateway site for the West Alabama Birding Trail. This trail, one of eight trails covering the state, provides access for bird-watchers. The UA Center for Economic Development is providing project management and oversight for a statewide birding trails project funded by the Alabama Tourism Department. The Alabama Birding Trail website, www.alabamabirdingtrails.com, offers information about Alabama’s birding trails. Bibb, Greene, Hale, Lamar, Marion, Pickens, Tuscaloosa and Walker counties make up the West Alabama Birding Trail.
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UA WORKS TO RECRUIT MORE MEN TO NURSING PROFESSION
The number of men pursuing nursing careers has grown dramatically over the past two decades, and UA is doing its part to continue increasing those numbers. In 1980, there were 45,060 male nurses, according to a 2010 report by the Institute of Medicine. That number grew to 168,181 in 2004. Despite the growth, the report stated that men only make up 7 percent of all registered nurses. In 2010, the American Assembly for Men in Nursing launched an initiative to increase the number of men in nursing programs and in the workforce to 20 percent by the year 2020. In order to get there, colleges have increased recruitment efforts. The Capstone Chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing has an active membership of about 35 students and has held health screenings geared toward men and raised funds for those screenings.