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Govil invited to be plenary speaker
Govil invited as plenary speaker to 9th international symposium on Geometric Function Theory and Applications 2013
Drs. Shannon and Stanbury receive endowed Professorships
Drs. Shannon and Stanbury receive endowed Professorships
Paul D. Hill and Krystyna Kuperberg: Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
Paul D. Hill and Krystyna Kuperberg: Fellows of the American Mathematical Society
Dr. Olav Kallenberg to be honored
Dr. Olav Kallenberg to be honored
Dr. Xiaoying (Maggie) Han attains Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) designation
Dr. Xiaoying (Maggie) Han attains Associate of the Society of Actuaries (ASA) designation
Donald E. Davis Arboretum and Environmental Awareness Organization to host Native Plant Workshop
The Donald E. Davis Arboretum and the student-run Environmental Awareness Organization will co-host a native plant workshop, “Let us Help You Connect With Native Alabama,” on Monday, Nov. 5 at 5 p.m. in 112 Rouse Life Sciences Building.
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 2013. 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.
Congratulations to Graduate Student Awards Recipients
Congratulations to Graduate Student Awards Recipients and Nominees
SCB visits caves in North Alabama
SCB visits caves in North Alabama
Auburn representatives at NOBCChE Conference in Washington D.C.
The National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers, or NOBCChE, held the 39th Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. from Sept. 25 to 28. In attendance at this year’s conference were representatives from COSAM, including Vincent Ortiz, Ruth W. Molette Professor and chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry graduate students Charmaine Tutson, president of the Auburn chapter of NOBCChE, PaviElle Lockhart, vice president of the Auburn chapter of NOBECChE, Dana Lashley, Cheryl Dejournette, Catherine Njeri and Elizabeth Ndontsa; and Bianca Evans, minority programs coordinator for the COSAM Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs. Also at the conference from Au! burn was Zenda Davis, graduate student from the Department of Chemical Engineering.
The theme of the conference was, “STEMulating Innovation and Economic Growth Through Diversity.” At the conference, the team from Auburn University had an opportunity to hear guest lectures pertaining to cutting-edge topics in the fields of health, science and technology, including the keynote address given by Larry Robinson, Ph.D. Earlier this year, the U.S. Senate confirmed Robinson by unanimous consent to serve as assistant secretary of commerce for oceans and atmosphere at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, or NOAA. Robinson helps guide policy and program direction for NOAA’s conservation, protection and resource management priorities. The conference also included technical sessions that were meant to foster new ideas, as well as poster presentations.
Also at the conference were more than 60 universities, businesses and industry leaders in the fields of chemistry and chemical engineering that set up information booths. The booths allowed participants the opportunity to interact with representatives from these leading institutions, learn about career options and explore educational opportunities. Included among the leaders in chemistry and chemical engineering education were the representatives from Auburn, who hosted an exhibit, providing information on both COSAM and the College of Engineering, and the diverse opportunities and fields of study both colleges offer.
Additionally, Ortiz and Roberts were recognized with the 2012 NOBCChE President’s Award (pictured is Ortiz). Victor McCrary, president of NOBCChE, presented the awards. Ortiz and Roberts were recognized for initiating and supporting the Technology Education Partnership between Auburn University and NOBCChE, and for providing increased opportunities and a more receptive environment for under-represented students to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Chemical Engineering.
Internal grant triggers interdisciplinary work and multiple projects
Luke Marzen, professor in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, or COSAM, and Art Chappelka, professor in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences, or SFWS, spurred collaboration between Auburn University and the U.S. Geological Survey Alabama Water Science Center to produce an exact, three-dimensional model of the Toomer’s oaks. The model provided both a means of measuring the overall health of the trees, as well as documentation of the historic oaks. It was produced using a tripod-mounted laser scanner, also known as terrestrial light detection and ranging, or T-LiDAR. The T-LiDAR sends out a laser that scans anything within range and produces a three-dimensional replica.
SCB visits Gulf Coast Zoo, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, and Splinter Hill Bog
SCB visits Gulf Coast Zoo, Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge, and Splinter Hill Bog
Geomorphology Position Announcement
The Department of Geology and Geography at Auburn University invites applications for a tenure-track Assistant Professor position in the field of Geomorphology/Surficial Processes to begin Fall Semester 2013. Opportunities exist for collaboration with related on-campus programs including units in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, College of Agriculture, College of Engineering, and School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences.
New Technology Invention Disclosure
Inventors John R. Williams (AU Physics), Tamara F. Isaacs-Smith (AU Physics), Ayayi Claude Ahyi (AU Physics), Leonard C. Feldman (Rutgers Materials Science and Engineering), and Yogesh K. Sharma have filed an information disclosure titled “Improved Threshold Voltage Stability Using Thin Phosphosilicate Glass Layers for the Fabrication of SiC MOSFETs Passivated with Phosphorous”. It has been assigned AU INVENTION NO. 2012-086 and will be evaluated for patentability and commercial potential.
SCB hosts Wild Animal Safari at COSAM 2012 Open House
SCB hosts Wild Animal Safari at COSAM 2012 Open House
Input Requested on Self-guided Stormwater Tour
The Donald E. Davis Arboretum has a new Self-guided Stormwater Tour, and we are asking for your help!
Arboretum Days to feature diversity, creativity and clay
summary
Consequences of the oil spill on the Gulf Coast environment revealed
Two researchers in Auburn University’s College of Sciences and Mathematics have delivered preliminary results of ongoing research into the effects of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and results indicate potentially serious consequences for the environment. The researchers, Ming-Kuo Lee, Robert B. Cook professor of geology, and Ken Halanych, alumni professor of biological sciences, carried out two separate projects surveying different regions in the gulf, and in each location, effects of the oil spill are persistent. The research suggests the oil spill may have caused massive harm to the environment at a microscopic level, which in turn could have serious repercussions on the food chain in the long term.
New Assistant Professors Gorden and Mansoorabadi
Dr. Steven Mansoorabadi will join the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry as Assistant Professor in August 2012. Dr. Mansoorabadi received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where he worked with Prof. George H. Reed at the Institute for Enzyme Research. He then moved to the University of Texas at Austin, where he was a post-doctoral fellow in the laboratory of Prof. Hung-wen Liu in the Medicinal Chemistry Division of the College of Pharmacy. Prof. Mansoorabadi's current research interests lie at the interface of structural and functional genomics, cofactor and natural product biosynthesis, and mechanistic enzymology.
Dr. John Gorden will become the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry’s General Chemistry Coordinator with the title of Assistant Professor in the 2012-2013 academic year. Dr. Gorden has served previously at Auburn as Research Assistant Professor, Instructor and Lecturer and has won several awards for teaching and advising. He obtained his doctorate at the University of Texas, where he worked with Prof. Alan Cowley on main-group organometallic compounds. He subsequently was a postdoctoral fellow at the University of California, Berkeley in the group of Prof. Kenneth Raymond. Dr. Gorden’s interests include chemical education, inorganic chemistry and x-ray crystallography.
Administrative Team
Administrative Team
NOBCChE President’s Award for Ortiz and Roberts
Vincent Ortiz, Ruth W. Molette Professor and Chairman of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Christopher Roberts, Uthlaut Professor of Chemical Engineering and Dean of Engineering, will receive 2012 President’s Awards from the National Organization for the Professional Advancement of Black Chemists and Chemical Engineers (NOBCChE). Dr. Victor McCrary, President of NOBCChE, will present these awards to Ortiz and Roberts at this organization’s Annual Conference in Washington DC on September 28, 2012. Roberts, formerly Chairman of Chemical Engineering, and Ortiz will be recognized for initiating and supporting the Technology Education Partnership between Auburn University and NOBCChE and for providing increased opportunities and a more receptive environment for under-represented students to pursue undergraduate and graduate degrees in the Departments of Chemistry and Biochemistry and of Chemical Engineering.
AubieSat-1 mission is a success
The Auburn University student-built satellite, AubieSat-1, was the first student-built CubeSat in the state to be accepted by NASA for launch. A “CubeSat” is a 4-inch, cube-shaped satellite that is used primarily for research. The satellite launched into space at 2:48 a.m. PDT on Oct. 28, 2011, from Vandenberg Air Force Base in California aboard a NASA-sponsored Delta II rocket. For approximately eight months, AubieSat-1 orbited the globe, and numerous universities and individual ham radio operators signed up to help track the satellite. The first signal was received shortly after launch from Vigo University in Spain. The signal was heard as far away as Japan and as nearby as the University of Alaska, and daily information arrived to the AubieSat-1 team via an amateur radio operator named Mike Rupprecht, who lives in Germany.
NIH Grant for Assistant Professor Easley
Dr. Christopher Easley has received an R01 grant from the National Institutes of Health for a project entitled “Interrogating Dynamics of Acute Secretion of Adiponectin Multimers from Adipose Tissue” in collaboration with Dr. Robert Judd, Associate Professor of Pharmacology.
Outstanding Dissertation Award
For the second time in three years, a graduate student affiliated with Emeritus Professors S. D. Worley of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and Emeritus Professor Royall Broughton of the Department of Polymer and Fiber Engineering has won the Graduate School’s Outstanding Dissertation Award. This year’s winner is Idris Cerkez, who obtained his undergraduate degree in Turkey. The previous winner was Hasan Kocer, who now has an academic position in Turkey.
Physics student speaks at annual meeting
Senior Patrick Donnan was invited to give a talk at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Physical Society’s Division of Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics in Orange County, Calif., that was held June 4 - 8. Donnan, who is double majoring in physics and music, gave a presentation during the undergraduate session of the national meeting titled, “Calculations of Hyperfine Antihydrogen Spectroscopy.”
2012 - 2013 COSAM Leaders announced
The COSAM Leaders are an exemplary group of students who serve the college as its official ambassadors.
COSAM Graduate finalist for Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship
Two former Auburn student athletes are among six finalists for the 2012 Walter Byers Postgraduate Scholarship, the NCAA's highest academic award: 2010 COSAM honors graduate in chemistry Dan Mazzaferro; and Mary "Katy" Frierson, women's soccer, who graduated in 2011 from the College of Liberal Arts.
COSAM Announces 2012 Football Season Tailgates
COSAM will host three 2012 football season tailgates, and you are invited to attend.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
‘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.
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
SCB visits caves in Jackson County Alabama
SCB visits caves in Jackson County Alabama
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.
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.
Dr. Abby Whittington Semin
Next Generation Sequencing