The University of Alabama

A member of UA's antenna team was recently awarded a grant from the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. Katelyn Isbell, an electrical and computer engineering senior from Chesapeake, Virginia, received the Eugene F. Knott Memorial Pre-Doctoral Research Grant worth $1,500 from the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society. "Winning this grant means that I can begin working on my research proposal 'Archimedean Spiral Antenna Array with Backing Cavity for Deep Space CubeSats,'" she said. "I will be developing a high gain antenna for small satellites with lunar or planetary destinations." Grant selection is based on a proposal submitted by applicants and chosen by a committee. Funds are given to enable students to continue their electromagnetics education. Recipients of the grant are also given a free year of membership in IEEE and in AP-S. The grant is named for an IEEE Life Fellow and distinguished member of the IEEE AP-S who was well known for his contributions to the theory, reduction and measurement of radar cross section. Isbell is a member of the UA student team selected for two consecutive years to the Student Antenna Design Contest held by the IEEE AP-S. The goal of the international contest is to design an antenna system to sound wireless channels and locate radio signals. The UA team won the contest a year ago and came in second this summer. "Under the direction of my mentor, Dr. Yang-Ki Hong, I have been researching antennas for CubeSats since my sophomore year, and I plan to continue the research in my senior year and as a graduate student at UA," Isbell said. IEEE AP-S is the world's largest technical professional organization dedicated to advancing technology.

Erin Behland, a University of Alabama graduating senior from Chicago, has received a Critical Language Scholarship to study Mandarin in China. Behland is majoring in international relations, history and anthropology with a minor in Chinese. She previously received a Critical Language Scholarship in 2017. Since her first scholarship, Behland has studied at The University of Glasgow in Scotland and traveled across Greece studying ancient western civilization via the UA in Greece study abroad program.

Two University of Alabama students have received Boren Scholarships for the study of languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad.

The U.S. Department of Defense has awarded two University of Alabama mechanical engineering students a scholarship that covers their full tuition and secures them a job after graduation. Two graduate students, Olivia Miller and George Stubblefield, were awarded the Science, Mathematics and Research for Transformation, or SMART, Scholarship for Service. The program, through the DoD, funds undergraduate and graduate students pursuing a science, technology, engineering, math, or STEM, degree with an interest in working for the government after graduation.

Two University of Alabama students have earned Critical Language Scholarship for summer 2018. Lawrence Monocello, a doctoral student in anthropology from Erie, Pennsylvania, will study Korean in Gwangju, South Korea. Maria Huryn, an undergraduate from Tuscaloosa, will study Russian in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. Huryn, a member of UA's Honors College, is majoring in international studies and economics with minors in Russian and Spanish. She is involved with the Alabama International Relations Club and sings in the University Chorus. She also works as a research assistant at the University of Alabama's Institute for Social Science Research. In the summer of 2016, Huryn participated in the UA in Spain: Language and Culture study abroad program, and she spent the 2017-2018 academic year studying Russian abroad in Daugavpils, Latvia, as a U.S. Department of Defense Boren Scholarship winner. Monocello is studying biocultural medical anthropology in the department of anthropology. He studies how culture affects body image and the development of eating disorders among Korean men. The Critical Language Scholarship program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. CLS scholars gain critical language and cultural skills that enable them to contribute to U.S. economic competitiveness and national security. The program provides scholarships to U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to spend eight to 10 weeks overseas studying one of 14 critical languages: Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Swahili, Turkish or Urdu. The program includes intensive language instruction and structured cultural enrichment experiences designed to promote rapid language gains. CLS scholars are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship and apply their critical language skills in their future careers. Students interested in Critical Language Scholarships, Boren Scholarships or Fulbright Awards may contact the Capstone International Center at cic@ua.edu for more information.

University of Alabama student Raien Emery of Sheridan, Wyoming, will receive the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship for 2018-2020. The scholarship provides $9,500 a year for full-time study during the junior and senior years and $7,000 for a 10-week internship at NOAA or an NOAA-approved facility during the summer between the junior and senior years. The Hollings Scholarship is given in addition to existing awards the student may already receive. Since the program's inception in 2005, more than 30 UA students have been named Hollings Scholars. Emery works in the campus Forest Dynamics Lab to quantify the effects of disturbances on forests. Long-term, she aspires to earn a Ph.D. researching methods to mitigate biodiversity loss from ecosystems affected by climate change. Her environmental science major is accompanied by a minor in creative writing, and some of her work has been featured in campus publications. Emery is also a member of Alabama's women's rowing team. In her free time, Emery enjoys oil painting, attending folk concerts and exploring the great outdoors. Emery is appreciative of the guidance provided by Dr. Justin Hart, her academic adviser, research professor and role model. Emery was raised in Sheridan, Wyoming, as the youngest child of Ben and Raili Emery. She also has three older brothers: Bret, Scot and Nathan.

Hadley Spadaccini, a University of Alabama student from Leesburg, Virginia, has received a Boren Scholarship for the study of languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad. She will be studying Mandarin in China.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program has selected two University of Alabama students as Goldwater Scholars for 2018-2018. The two UA students are: Elizabeth Rowe of Chicago. Elizabeth Rowe has conducted research under the advisement of Dr. Paul A. Rupar, an assistant professor in chemistry, since the fall of her freshman year. Her work investigates the anionic ring-opening polymerization of azetidines. These polymers have a wide range of applications including carbon dioxide capture, antimicrobial coatings, chelation (removing metals from water), material templating and gene transfection and drug delivery. Outside of research, Rowe is the liaison and educational outreach director for the Society of Women Engineers. She plans to pursue a research career in chemistry after obtaining her Ph.D. Her parents are William and Margaret Rowe. Donna Xia of Tuscaloosa. Donna Xia is a chemical engineering major and a Randall Research Scholars student. Her faculty mentor at UA is Dr. David A. Dixon, Robert Ramsay professor of chemistry. An overall goal of Xia's research in the Dixon group is to develop computational chemistry approaches to aid the Department of Energy's efforts to provide new nuclear materials that meet the Nation's needs for energy and national security as well as to deal with the environmental legacy issues due to the production of nuclear weapons during the Cold War. Outside of research, Xia is a leader in organizations for engineers in medicine and works as a scribe at University Medical Center. Her parents are Paul Xia and Carola Hsieh.

The University of Alabama has welcomed the 12th cohort of Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars to campus. The 12 students werer honored at a luncheon in April. Representatives of the Coca-Cola Foundation attended, along with students who are members of previous cohorts. The Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship program was established at UA in 2006. Since then, the Coca-Cola Foundation has donated $3 million to support first-generation scholars at UA. The scholarship provides $5,000 a year, renewable for four years, provided that recipients maintain a 3.0 GPA. The program also provides a strong support structure for the scholars. Since 2006, the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship Program boasts a freshman-to-sophomore retention rate of 100 percent and a graduation rate of 90.1 percent. Graduates of the program have gone on to medical school, law school and graduate school and have found employment in their chosen fields. Each year, scholars participate in individual meetings with the program coordinator, attend cultural and academic enrichment activities and participate in service projects.

UA Away scholarships, including the Sara J. Finley Global Leadership Endowed Scholarship and the Ann and A. F. Delchamps Jr. Endowed Scholarship, provide financial support for undergraduate students who wish to participate in learning opportunities away from The University of Alabama campus. UA Away supports three distinct opportunities: Study Away: Students travel to another country, city or university to study in their academic fields. The Study Abroad Program and National Student Exchange offer these opportunities. Serve Away: Students volunteer for service projects, often related to their fields of study or career goals, which expose them to issues related to poverty, hunger, and lack of educational resources, and expose them to new cultures and regions. Opportunities for service are available through the Center for Service and Leadership. Work Away: Students receive first-hand work experience, related to academic and career goals, that increases their marketability to future employers.

The Alabama Space Grant Consortium has given seven University of Alabama engineering students $42,000 in graduate fellowship and undergraduate scholarship money. The graduate fellowships are funded jointly through the ASGC and the UA Office for Research and Economic Development. The UA office provided fellowship matching for a total of $37,000. In addition to the fellowships, the ASGC gave away five merit-based undergraduate scholarships worth $1,000 each. Undergraduate applicants were selected based on their academic qualifications, career goals and an assessment of their motivation toward an aerospace or space science career.

Erin Behland, a junior at The University of Alabama, has been awarded a U.S. Department of State Critical Language Scholarship to study Chinese in Dalian, China, during the summer of 2017.

Five University of Alabama students have received Boren Scholarships for the study of languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad. Boren Scholarships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught language in such regions as Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Boren Scholarship recipients represent a vital pool of highly motivated individuals who wish to work in the federal national security arena. In exchange for funding, Boren Scholarship recipients commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation. Amounts range from $8,000 for a summer program to $20,000 for six-to-12 months of study.

The University of Alabama has welcomed the 11th cohort of Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars to campus. The Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship program was established at UA in 2006. Since then, the Coca-Cola Foundation has donated $3 million to support first-generation scholars at UA. The scholarship provides $5,000 a year, renewable for four years, provided that recipients maintain a 3.0 GPA. The program also provides a strong support structure for the scholars. Since 2006, the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship Program boasts a freshman-to-sophomore retention rate of 100 percent and a graduation rate of 90.1 percent. Graduates of the program have gone on to medical school, law school and graduate school and have found employment in their chosen fields. Each year, scholars participate in individual meetings with the program coordinator, attend cultural and academic enrichment activities and participate in service projects.

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program has selected four University of Alabama students as Goldwater Scholars for 2017-2018. From 2007 to 2017, UA is No. 1 in the United States for Goldwater Scholars with 31. Harvard is second with 29. UA is one of only four institutions - along with Stanford, Princeton and Iowa State - to have as many as four nominees selected this year. In addition, 2017 is the third time in the past seven years that UA has had all four nominees selected for this award. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 a year for up to two years. The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on Nov. 14, 1986. The scholarship program honoring U.S. Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

Neal Paschal, a civil engineering student from Columbia, South Carolina, has been named a 2017 Traffic Safety Scholar. With the recognition, Paschal has been awarded a $1,000 scholarship to attend the 35th annual National Lifesavers Conference on Highway Safety Priorities in Charlotte, North Carolina, from March 25-28.

Moriah S. Smoot, a law student from Mansfield, Texas, has been awarded the 2017 Donald W. Banner Diversity Scholarship. The $5,000 scholarship will be provided to her for use during the Fall 2017 semester at The University of Alabama School of Law.

Claire Belson, a chemical engineering student from Cary, North Carolina, was selected to receive the Guy Bourdeau Scholarship given by the Additive Manufacturing Users Group. As the scholarship recipient, she will attend the 2017 Additive Manufacturing Users Group Conference in Chicago from March 19-23.

Two students in the department of geological sciences recently received $5,000 by winning the first University of Alabama Outstanding Research Competition. The competition funds theses and dissertations that perform cutting-edge research related to the assessment and treatment of chemical contaminants in soil and groundwater.