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COSAM student takes first place at SEC championship tournament
The fifth-ranked Auburn women's golf team won the Southeastern Conference Championship on Sunday, April 22, and Patricia Sanz, a senior in biomedical sciences, won the individual title at the championship tournament.
Society for Conservation Biology update
Members of Auburn University’s chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology, or SCB, participated in an invasive species cleanup project on April 22, in honor of Earth Day (pictured). Participants worked in Auburn to eliminate privet and other nuisance plants that were choking out native species.
SCB completes workday on Indigo Snake Reintroduction Project
SCB completes workday on Indigo Snake Reintroduction Project
The Auburn Tiger Trapdoor Spider – A new species discovered from a college town backyard
Researchers at Auburn University reported the discovery a new trapdoor spider species from a well-developed housing subdivision in the heart of the city of Auburn, Ala. Myrmekiaphila tigris, affectionately referred to as the Auburn Tiger Trapdoor spider, is named in honor of Auburn University’s costumed Tiger mascot, Aubie.
Climate change educators gather at Auburn symposium
On April 26, the College of Sciences and Mathematics hosted a symposium titled, “Global Climate Change in Education.” The symposium was the culmination of a program funded by NASA that began with the development of three learning modules that have since been incorporated into grades 9 to 12 biology, chemistry and physics classrooms across Alabama. By the time implementation is complete, potentially over 200,000 students will have had the opportunity to delve into the science of global climate change.
Annual festival held for students and teachers
On April 26, the Department of Outreach hosted AU Explore. AU Explore is an annual science and math festival offered to fifth- through eighth-grade students and their teachers.
SCB members help remove alien plants for Earth Day 2012
SCB members help remove alien plants for Earth Day 2012
Long-time faculty member recognized for excellence
Lawrence Wit, associate dean for academic affairs for the College of Sciences and Mathematics, has been selected to receive one of two, 2012 Gerald and Emily Leischuck Endowed Presidential Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award is a prestigious honor which recognizes those faculty members who demonstrate effective and innovative teaching methods, and a continuing commitment to student success through advising and mentoring inside and outside the classroom. The award carries a $10,000 stipend for each recipient. Emeritus senior administrators, Gerald and Emily Leischuck, established the endowment in 2005 to recognize the university’s teachers, and Auburn presented the first Leischuck Endowed Presidential Awards the same year.
2012 Arboretum Photo Contest Winners Announced!
The Donald E. Davis Arboretum 2012 photo contest winners were announced on April 20. The contest, a collaborative effort between the arboretum and the Department of Art, featured nearly 100 entries that were judged in five categories including: Davis Arboretum, Birds and Mammals, Other Wildlife, Flora and Landscape. A People’s Choice award was also presented, allowing the public to participate.
NSF graduate research fellowships awarded to DBS students
NSF graduate research fellowships awarded to DBS students
Santos and Kocot honored at COSAM Dean's Research Awards
DBS Members honored at COSAM Dean's Research Awards
SCB members take night swamp walk in Tuskegee National Forest
SCB members take night swamp walk in Tuskegee National Forest
COSAM Prepares: Shadowing opportunities for pre-health students
Job shadowing is critical for acceptance to professional school programs such as medical school and optometry school, and several medical offices in the Auburn area allow COSAM's pre-health students the opportunity to spend time alongside a physician, giving the student a chance to observe and learn what a career in medicine entails.
Director of Statistical Consulting position open
Auburn University invites applications for the non-tenure track faculty position of the Director of Statistical Consulting, beginning August 2012. The successful applicant will be hired as an Associate Research Professor. Applicants must possess a Ph.D. in Statistics, and we seek Statistical consulting or postdoctoral experience.
COSAM International Graduate Student of the Year Award for Tae-Bum Lee
Tae-Bum Lee has been selected as the International Graduate Student of the Year in the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Mr. Lee, who will graduate with a Ph.D. in Chemistry in May 2012, was advised by Professor Michael McKee.
COSAM awards the 2012 Dean’s Outstanding Outreach Award
COSAM named two recipients of the 2012 Dean’s Outstanding Outreach Award, David King, professor of geology, and Ash Abebe, associate professor of mathematics and statistics. The annual Outstanding Outreach Award is given to COSAM faculty members with recent records of service and outreach performance that extend beyond normal expectations.
COSAM awards the 2012 Dean’s Outstanding Outreach Award
COSAM named two recipients of the 2012 Dean’s Outstanding Outreach Award, David King, professor of geology, and Ash Abebe, associate professor of mathematics and statistics. The annual Outstanding Outreach Award is given to COSAM faculty members with recent records of service and outreach performance that extend beyond normal expectations.
Halanych awarded NSF grant
Ken Halanych, professor of biological sciences, has been awarded a National Science Foundation grant along with his collaborator, Craig Smith of the University of Hawaii. The combined $800,576 of funding will begin in September of 2012 and allow Halanych and Smith, along with collaborators from five different countries, to continue their research on the diversity of deep-sea organisms.
Tam to lead Department of Mathematics and Statistics
Mathematics Professor Tin-Yau Tam has been chosen to head the Department of Mathematics and Statistics. His four-year tenure begins August 15, 2012. Tam received both his Bachelor of Science and his Ph.D. from the University of Hong Kong. He joined the Auburn University faculty in 1988 and since that time, has accumulated numerous honors and awards including being named SEC Academic Leadership Development Program Fellow for 2009-2010 and Outstanding Graduate Mentor 2011. He has consistently secured grant funding, collaborated on numerous international projects, organized conferences and overseen five master’s students and six Ph.D. students. Tam teaches both graduate and undergraduate courses at Auburn and his research interests are in algebraic structures and classification, problem solving involving analytical and algebraic techniques, and representation theory and their applications.
Advisor of the Year Award for Dr. Anne Gorden
Associate Professor Anne Gorden, advisor of Auburn's Delta Gamma chapter, has won the Chi Omega Convocation - Auburn University Panhellenic Advisor of the Year Award for 2012.
COSAM Appoints New Associate Dean
Vince Cammarata, associate professor of chemistry, was appointed to succeed Larry Wit as COSAM's associate dean for academic affairs. Cammarata, who is an analytical chemist, received his Bachelor of Science from California Institute of Technology, his Ph.D. from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and conducted post-doctoral work at the University of Minnesota.
Auburn University senior awarded Fulbright Scholarship to study in Germany
Paul Bergen, a senior in COSAM double majoring in microbiology and German, has been awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study in Germany for the 2012-13 academic year. At the Technical University of Munich, he will continue to pursue his research in microbiology."Paul is an inquisitive and engaging young man with a range of interests and activities that go well beyond the lab and range from the study of German politics, culture and language to being an active member of Auburn's nationally recognized mock trial team," said Paul Harris, associate director of the Auburn Honors College. "He will gain so much from his classes and interactions with German students and faculty and he will represent himself, Auburn University and the United States with distinction.
SCB members visit Birmingham Zoo and Botanical Gardens
SCB members visit Birmingham Zoo and Botanical Gardens
2012 Arboretum Photo Contest
The Arboretum is once again holding its annual photo contest. All amateur photographers are encouraged to enter. Selected photos will be used in the 2013 Arboretum calendar.
All photographs entered into the contest will be displayed in Biggin Hall for one week. Winners will be announced on April 19, 2012, on the Arboretum website, as well as on the individual photographs in Biggin Hall.
Acevedo and Zhan granted tenure and promotion to Associate Professor
President Jay Gogue has informed Assistant Professors Orlando Acevedo and Wei Zhan that they will be promoted to Associate Professor with tenure, effective fall semester, 2012.
Dean's Research Awards announced
The recipients for the 2011 - 2012 COSAM Dean’s Research Awards have been announced and will be recognized at the awards ceremony on March 21. The ceremony will recognize a faculty member, three graduate student s and one undergraduate student.
Auburn researchers play role in antimatter breakthrough featured in journal Nature
A recent scientific breakthrough could lead to changes in the world of antimatter physics, according to Francis Robicheaux, an Auburn University physics professor and member of ALPHA, the international team of scientists conducting the antimatter research.
Last year the ALPHA (Anti-Hydrogen Laser Physics Apparatus) team was able to trap and hold the antimatter version of the hydrogen atom. They have now accomplished the goal they set at that time of being able to measure the fundamental properties of antihydrogen.
An article in this week’s edition of the journal Nature, titled “Resonant quantum transitions in trapped antihydrogen atoms,” describes the progress made in that research.
The article reports that ALPHA has made yet another monumental step toward being able to make defendable and precise comparisons between atoms of matter and those of antimatter. Recently, Robicheaux and collaborators were able to measure the frequency needed to alter the magnetic properties of the antihydrogen atom by sending microwaves through the atom trap.
“This is the first baby step into doing great experiments with antihydrogen atoms,” Robicheaux said. “This is the first time any properties of antihydrogen have been measured with any type of precision.”
Gorden awarded Intramural Grant
Anne Gorden, associate professor of Chemistry, received an intramural grant from Auburn University’s Office of the Vice President for Research for $160,000. The grant was awarded based on her proposal, “Ultraviolet-visible/ Fluorescence Microspectrophotometer.” Collaborators on the grant include assistant professor Christian R. Goldsmith and associate professor German Mills, both of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, as well as Virginia A. Davis, associate professor in the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Funding from the grant will be used money to purchase an ultraviolet-visible/ fluorescence microspectrophotometer for the University to be housed in Chemistry. Gorden notes that not only will this machine be available for use by other departments, many of which have already shown interest, but it will also help attract additional funding to the University.
COSAM junior is "Ballin' for Books"
Blanche Alverson, junior in biomedical sciences and guard on Auburn's Women's Basketball team, has been named to the 2012 Southeastern Conference Women's Basketball Community Service Team. This is the second consecutive year Alverson has earned the honor. Alverson founded her own community service project this year, "Ballin' for Books."
SCB members learn about Alabama Forest Restoration
SCB members learn about Alabama Forest Restoration
Intramural Grant for Associate Professor Anne Gorden
The Office of the Vice President for Research has selected a proposal by Associate Professor Anne Gorden entitled “Ultraviolet-visible /Fluorescence Microspectrophotometer” for funding. Dr. Gorden’s collaborators on this proposal were Assistant Professor Christian Goldsmith, Associate Professor German Mills and Associate Professor Virginia Davis of the Department of Chemical Engineering.
Former mathematics professor passes
Dr. John P. Holmes, professor of mathematics and statistics, passed away on February 11, 2012. Holmes was a faculty member at Auburn University from 1972 until his retirement in 2010 at which point he became a Professor Emeritus. During that period he also served as Visiting Professor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo on three occasions. During his early years in Auburn, Dr. Holmes and two of his faculty colleagues opened and operated the Freewheeler Bicycle Shop on North College Street. Biking was a passion he enjoyed for many years. Holmes leaves behind his wife Pamela of more than 45 years, two sons and three grandsons.
COSAM Student Libby Lukens elected Miss Auburn
Libby Lukens, junior in biomedical sciences, was elected Miss Auburn on Tuesday, February 14.
Libby says she is honored and humbled to be chosen for this unique opportunity.
“This has been one of the most amazing experiences of my life,” Lukens said. “I am really looking forward to serving this campus in the capacity of Miss Auburn and also implementing my platform. The City of Auburn is ready for us to help and I think the student body is too.”
Acevedo awarded NSF Grant
Orlando Acevedo, assistant professor in chemistry and biochemistry, has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation, or NSF. Acevedo received the three-year, $275,061 grant, for his proposal “Development of an Ionic Liquid Force Field for Quantum Mechanical/Molecular Mechanics Simulations.”
"What I feel earned this grant is the vast potential of ionic liquids, a liquid salt at room temperature, to the chemical industry,” Acevedo said. “These solvents have the ability to enhance rates for important chemical reactions, but often are as toxic as conventional solvents. Our proposed contribution is to design new ionic liquids that are also easily biodegradable, recyclable and environmentally friendly.”
NSF grant for Assistant Professor Acevedo
Assistant Professor Orlando Acevedo has been awarded a three-year grant by the National Science Foundation for his proposal entitled “Development of an Ionic Liquid Force Field for Quantum Mechanical / Molecular Mechanics Simulations." Dr. Acevedo is a computational chemist who specializes in the simulation of molecules and chemical reactions in liquids.
‘A Night in New Orleans’ to benefit Auburn University Donald E. Davis Arboretum
The Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics will hold a benefit for the Donald E. Davis Arboretum Saturday, April 14, at 6 p.m. “A Night in New Orleans” will be held at the arboretum and will include a sit-down dinner of traditional New Orleans fare, music, entertainment and a silent auction.
Each year, the Donald E. Davis Arboretum welcomes hundreds of local students for alternative classroom hands-on experiences; last year alone, the arboretum hosted more than 2,500 kindergarten through twelfth-grade students. In addition, the colleges across campus make extensive use of the arboretum each semester through classes, projects and research.
Auburn University’s Donald E. Davis Arboretum earns national recognition for oak collection
As the College of Sciences and Mathematics Donald E. Davis Arboretum prepares to celebrate its 50th anniversary, it has other big news to also celebrate. The Auburn landmark has been recognized as a member of the North American Plant Collections Consortium, or NAPCC, Multi-Site Quercus Collection, or MSQC.
“This recognition of the arboretum's oak collection is really exciting for the university,” Dee Smith, curator of the Davis Arboretum, said. “It integrates Auburn University into a national organization of collections and increases the visibility of our research and conservation efforts.”
Auburn researchers: climate change plays major role in decline of blackbird species
Populations of the rusty blackbird, a once-abundant North American species, have declined drastically in recent years, and Auburn University researchers say climate change is to blame.
That’s the finding of graduate students Chris McClure, Brian Rolek and Kenneth McDonald published recently in the scientific journal Ecology and Evolution.
Under the direction of ornithology professor Geoffrey Hill, McClure, Rolek and McDonald studied the blackbird decline and wrote the paper “Climate change and the decline of a once common bird.”
The group analyzed rusty blackbird breeding data and climate indices and examined temperature oscillations in the Pacific Ocean, and concluded that climate change does in fact play a major role in the recent decline of the population.
Graduate Student Awards for 2012
The Graduate Program Committee is proud to recognize the outstanding achievements of a few of our graduate students with the following Departmental Awards and nominations for University-wide Awards:
Outstanding Graduate Student Nominee (Ph.D.):
Jingyuan Xiong
Outstanding Graduate Student Nominee (M.S.):
Michael DeVore
Dean’s Research Award Nominees:
Tae Bum Lee
Kennon Deal
Merriwether Fellow Nominee:
Billy McCann
Dow Fellows:
Jiaming Hu
Leah Godwin
Malone-Zallen Fellow:
Walter Casper IV
Distinguished Dissertation Award Nominee:
Yuancheng Li
SCB gets behind-the-scenes tour at Zoo Atlanta
SCB gets behind-the-scenes tour at Zoo Atlanta
COSAM is conducting an internal search for a new Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
COSAM is conducting an internal search for a new Associate Dean of Academic Affairs
NOBCChE Meeting at AU Sets Records
A record-setting group of 142 registered participants took part in the Southeast/Southwest Regional Meeting of the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE) at Auburn University on November 11 and 12, 2011. The Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and the Department of Chemical Engineering held well-attended Open Houses which included poster sessions and laboratory tours. Another record was set at the subsequent poster session for registered participants, with 37 students and scientists making presentations. Several technical sessions, a campus tour for high school students and teachers, professional and teachers’ workshops, an award ceremony for students and an address by Darrell Davis, a recently retired Laboratory Director in the Drug Enforcement Administration, were included in the program of activities.
SCB visits caves in Jackson County Alabama
SCB visits caves in Jackson County Alabama
SCB completes workday on Indigo Snake Reintroduction Project
SCB completes workday on Indigo Snake Reintroduction Project
Assistant Professor Patkowski receives grant
Assistant Professor Konrad Patkowski, who joined the Auburn faculty in January of 2011, has received a grant from the Petroleum Research Fund of the American Chemical Society. His proposal was entitled "Accurate Ab Initio Studies of Hydrocarbon Physisorption on Carbon Nanotubes".
Dr. Patkowski is a theoretical chemist who specializes in the theory of intermolecular forces.
Auburn University Space Program to launch state's first student-built satellite into space
Auburn's famous battle cry, "War Eagle," will be heard from space Oct. 27 when it is transmitted to earth from a student-built satellite known as "AubieSat-1."
The construction of the satellite is part of the Auburn University Student Space Program, and AubieSat-1 is the first student-built satellite in the state to be accepted by NASA for launch. The satellite will launch aboard a NASA-sponsored Delta II rocket from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. Once in space, the satellite will communicate with Auburn students in Morse Code, and the phrase "War Eagle" is the signal that the launch was successful and the satellite is in orbit and operating correctly.
COSAM to host international workshop featuring nuclear fusion
From Oct. 6 through 8, the College of Sciences and Mathematics, or COSAM, will host the 2011 Atomic Data and Analysis Structure, or ADAS, workshop at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. This year marks the first time the ADAS workshop has been held outside of Europe.
Dee Smith to be honored during ceremony at Florida Atlantic football game on September 24th, 2011
The Arboretum’s Curator, Dee Smith, will receive special recognition as one of the University’s Employees of the Year for 2011 during ceremonies before the home football game on September 24th, 2011.
Auburn University and Auburn City Schools educators fly in NASA's "Weightless Wonder"
Educators from Auburn University and Auburn City Schools floated like astronauts during a once-in-a-lifetime flight on NASA's "Weightless Wonder" aircraft. The team of six educators call themselves the "Flying Tigers," and as they floated, they conducted experiments that were set up in a clear plastic box to see how various objects and scientific concepts would alter under a reduced gravity environment. According to the team, words cannot accurately describe the feeling of being weightless.
AU Student Space Program featured on Alabama Public Television
Alabama Public Television did a feature on COSAM's Auburn University Student Space Program as they prepare for the launch of the first student-built satellite in the state, AubieSat-1.
Physics Professor given the John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research
Last year, an international team of scientists, including Auburn University Physics Professor Francis Robicheaux, made a scientific breakthrough by trapping and holding the anti-matter version of the hydrogen atom. The international team, known as ALPHA, was recently awarded the John Dawson Award for Excellence in Plasma Physics Research for the introduction and use of innovative plasma techniques which produced the first demonstration of trapping antihydrogren.
SCB and Wild Animal Safari team up for COSAM Open House
SCB and Wild Animal Safari team up for COSAM Open House.
Physics professor receives $2.1 million grant
Physics Professor and Director of the Plasma Sciences Laboratory, Edward Thomas, received an NSF award through the Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. This competitive program research training in our nation's institutions of higher education, museums, science centers and not-for-profit organizations. The total amount awarded to Thomas is $2.1 million, which includes a 30 percent cost-sharing by Auburn University. This project represents one of the largest MRI projects ever awarded to Auburn University.
Auburn University's Student Space Program was featured on NBC 38
Auburn University's Student Space Program, which is directed by Physics Professor J-M Wersigner, was featured on NBC 38. The program's student-built satellite, Aubie-Sat, is scheduled to launched into space on Oct. 25, 2011. When the satellite is launched, Aubie-Sat will be the first student-built satellite in the state to go into space.
Auburn University hosted residential science program for incoming freshmen
A group of 22 highly motivated incoming Auburn freshmen were on campus this summer during the month of June for the 15th annual Summer Bridge Program hosted by the College of Sciences and Mathematics.
The four-week residential program kicked off June 5, and engaged students from groups traditionally underrepresented in sciences, mathematics and engineering in activities designed to help them make a smooth transition from high school to the Auburn campus.
Geography professor helps preserve historic Toomer’s Oaks
Luke Marzen has been a geography professor at Auburn for 10 years. Originally from Iowa, Marzen said he has grown to love Auburn, especially the traditions surrounding university athletics.
“I have rolled Toomer’s corner a couple of times but more than anything, I like to go there after football wins and just enjoy the atmosphere,” Marzen said. “I was in Washington for the annual Meteorology Society meeting when the news broke that the trees had been poisoned. I was pretty shocked when I heard. My first thought was of trying to contact my former student, Dusty Kimbrow (’08), to do a scan of the trees.”
Physics professor involved in anti-matter breakthrough
Last year, an international team of scientists including Auburn University physics professor Francis Robicheaux made a scientific breakthrough by trapping and holding the anti-matter version of the hydrogen atom. When the discovery was initially announced, the team, known as ALPHA, had captured 38 atoms of antihydrogen, storing each for a mere sixth of a second. Since then, ALPHA has made significant progress by trapping 309 antihydrogen atoms, with some held for as long as 15 minutes.
Graduate students Cheruiyot, Mazzillo, Kocot and Weese recipients of 2011 DBS Awards
Graduate students Dorothy Cheruiyot, Maria Mazzillo, Kevin Kocot and David Weese recipients of 2011 DBS Award.
Jessica Stephens named 2011 recipient of the SGA Outstanding Student Award
Jessica Stephens selected as the recipient of the SGA Outstanding Student Award for the AU Graduate School.
The Society for Conservation Biology gets a behind-the-scenes tour of the Birmingham Zoo
The Birmingham Zoo's Indo-Chinese tiger, Kumar, weighs 230 lbs. As a means of monitoring the tiger's overall health, Kumar gets weighed twice a month by trained zoo keepers utilizing a strategic series of hallways and barriers, or holding area, connected to his exhibit. Indeed, all of the Birmingham Zoo's big cats are monitored in this fashion, and the Society for Conservation Biology, or SCB, got a behind-the-scenes look at how the system works.
Society for Conservation Biology visits Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center
The AU Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology sponsored a field trip to the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center in Marion, AL on March 5.
Dr. Nanette Chadwick chosen as Director of Auburn Sustainability Program
Dr. Nanette Chadwick chosen as Director of Auburn Sustainability Program.
2010-2011 Dean's Medals and Outstanding Junior in Biological Sciences
2010-2011 Dean's Medals and Outstanding Junior in Biological Sciences are announced.
Society for Conservation Biology visits Birmingham Zoo
The AU Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology sponsored a field trip to the Birmingham Zoo on February 12.
Dr. Abby Whittington Semin
Next Generation Sequencing