The University of Alabama

Thirteen members of last year's Alabama softball squad were named to the 2020-21 Easton/NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete list, released last week by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association.

Alabama Soccer's Scaturro Named CoSIDA Academic All-District IV The Crimson Tide junior is Alabama's 24th selection for the academic accolade.

The defending NCAA and SEC cross country champion is the first Crimson Tide woman to earn the academic accolade for cross country

The University of Alabama's College of Community Health Sciences recently welcomed the 2021-2022 class of its Rural Medical Scholars and Rural Community Health Scholars programs for students studying to become rural physicians or considering other health careers.

Alabama's Mac Jones Named CoSIDA Academic All-American of the Year The quarterback of the Crimson Tide's 2020 CFP and SEC Champion football squad, Jones is the fourth Alabama student-athlete to earn the prestigious accolade

Three University of Alabama students will conduct STEM research and technical projects at DOE's National Laboratories and facilities this fall.

Alabama gymnastics was named a 2021 Scholastic All-America team and saw 14 gymnasts earn individual Scholastic All-America honors, the Women's Collegiate Gymnastics Association (WCGA) revealed this week. The Crimson Tide, which finished fifth in the nation last season, was one of just four teams to advance to the 2021 NCAA Championships Semifinals to also post a team grade point average of 3.6-or-better, earning a 3.61. It also marks the 16th year in a row that Crimson Tide gymnastics has posted a team GPA of 3.4 or better.

A total of 19 Alabama track and field student-athletes earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, while both the men and women earned All-Academic Team recognition, the coaches association announced Thursday.

After setting the Alabama track and field program record for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors in a season with three last season, the Crimson Tide doubled that mark when the 2020-21 list was announced Thursday.

The Alabama men's tennis team placed 10 student-athletes on the Intercollegiate Tennis Association's (ITA) Scholar-Athlete Team.

A total of six University of Alabama track and field/cross country student-athletes earned a place on the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District IV teams, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Thursday.

The Crimson Tide's at-large total includes four swimmers, a diver, a women's tennis player and a rower and bumps Alabama's 2020-21 all-district total to 17. A total of seven Alabama student-athletes earned a spot on the 2021 CoSIDA Academic All-District IV At-Large teams the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Thursday.

Alabama's Mac Jones and Landon Dickerson were both named to the 2020-21 CoSIDA Academic All-America Division I Football First Team, while Jones was named the Football Academic All-American of the Year, the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced Monday. The duo earned the elite scholastic honors after helping lead the Crimson Tide to its 18th national football title and 28th Southeastern Conference championship during the 2020 season. Alabama is one of just three schools, along with Boise State and Coastal Carolina, to have more than one player earn first-team honors. The Crimson Tide is also the only team to make the College Football Playoff and have a player earn Academic All-America recognition from this past season.

Thirty Alabama Swimmers and Divers Earn Scholar All-America Honors, Ranking Second Nationally Alabama swimming and diving saw 30 men and women earn College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America (CSCAA) Scholar-America honors in 2021, it was announced this week. The Crimson Tide's combined men's and women's total ranked second nationally.

Fulbright English Teaching Assistantship Awards offer U.S. students the opportunity to serve in an English classroom overseas assisting the teacher and exchanging culture with the people of the host country.

For the sixth year in a row, The University of Alabama led the Southeastern Conference's Spring Academic Honor Roll, earning 151 accolades, the league office announced Thursday. The Crimson Tide's women's track and field and rowing teams led the way with 35 and 33 honorees, respectively. The women's track and field total ranked third most of any program in the SEC this spring. Alabama also led the conference in men's tennis honorees with 12 and women's golf recipients with eight.

Four University of Alabama students have received the Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship to participate in study abroad programs during the 2021-2022 academic year.

The University of Alabama honored its top students for their academic achievements and leadership during the Honors Day Tapping Ceremony on April 9th.

The University of Alabama National Alumni Association recognized several members of the 2021 graduating class during its recent Alumni Brunch in the Bryant Conference Center. Each year, the National Alumni Association honors outstanding seniors who have demonstrated strong character and achievement while attending The University of Alabama. The awards presented are a testament to the Alumni Association's pride in these students.

The University of Alabama National Alumni Association recognized recipients of their top awards during the associations recent Alumni Brunch in the Bryant Conference Center. Each year, the National Alumni Association honors outstanding seniors who have demonstrated strong character and achievement while attending The University of Alabama. These students have excelled in academics and extracurricular activities, exhibited strength of character and maturity and displayed exceptional hospitality toward guests and friends of the University.

The Cleophus Thomas Award is awarded to the graduating seniors with the highest academic standing honoring the legacy of the first Black SGA president of The University of Alabama.

Even with the challenges caused by a global pandemic, undergraduate students at The University of Alabama rigorously pursued research and creative avenues outside the classroom, and this year's Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Conference showcased and recognized their efforts. This year's winners of the URCA Conference at The University of Alabama highlight the ingenuity and dedication of those who rigorously pursued research and creative avenues outside the classroom.

Even with the challenges caused by a global pandemic, undergraduate students at The University of Alabama rigorously pursued research and creative avenues outside the classroom, and this year's Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity (URCA) Conference showcased and recognized their efforts. About 350 students participated in the 14th annual conference, held both at the Bryant Conference Center March 31 and online for students who chose to present virtually. This year's winners of the URCA Conference at The University of Alabama highlight the ingenuity and dedication of those who rigorously pursued research and creative avenues outside the classroom. The premier research event to highlight undergraduate research at UA spurs interest in research among undergraduate students and helps students polish their communication skills.

The University of Alabama Awards Committee has bestowed the Capstone's highest honors, the Premier Awards, to nine students, faculty and staff who exemplify the highest standards of scholarship, service, leadership and character.

The Alabama Forensics Council, The University of Alabama's competitive speech team, won two national championships in speech and debate during the virtual Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament March 18-21. The AFC won both the Team National Championship for individual events in speech and the Overall Team National Championship which included elements of both speech and debate. UA College of Communication and Information Sciences students Cassidy Duncan, Cortland Stone and Elizabeth Tagg won first place in the Informative Speaking, Dramatic Interpretation and Prose categories respectively. Stone and Tagg also received first place in the Duo Interpretation category. Students were tasked with completing their events online this year. According to Dr. Benjamin Pyle, director of AFC, the students adapted to the new competition style with ease. "Our students dove head-first into figuring out how best to make this new competition format work for them to win the national tournaments," Pyle said. "The Team Championship at the Pi Kappa Delta National Comprehensive Tournament was the first of our three main competitive goals this season. Words cannot contain the amount of pride I hold in my heart for each of my students, graduate assistant coaches, volunteers, alumni and fellow administrators who have fought hard to reach this achievement." Additionally, 15 UA students placed in individual events at the tournament.

Three University of Alabama students have received the Critical Language Scholarship to study overseas during summer 2021. The Critical Language Scholarship, or CLS program, is part of a U.S. State Department 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.

A University of Alabama engineering doctoral student was awarded a national fellowship with the U.S. Department of Transportation. Gabi Willis, a civil engineering doctoral candidate, was awarded a fellowship with the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program.This program, which is sponsored by the Federal Highway Administration, includes a $5,000 grant and an invitation to the Transportation Research Board Annual Meeting, which was held in January 2020. "I was able to network and meet with people who are working or doing research right now to see the state of the transportation industry," Willis said. The application for the fellowship asked students to detail a research topic they would like to explore that focused on transportation. The merit-based program awards grants of different amounts to 150-200 graduate students across the country annually. "The fellowship encourages graduate students to pursue research or careers in the transportation field," Willis said. Willis' proposed research involves investigating the interface between an original pavement surface and a new overlay that might be poured to fix problems, like potholes.The research aims to increase the durability of repairs to highways, bridges and other pavement surfaces. "This fellowship shows that the research Gabi is trying to do is very important right now," said Dr. Sriram Aaleti, UA assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering and Willis' adviser. "The research can move the needle to address some of the issues facing U.S. transportation systems right now." Though a portion of the grant is reserved for alleviating the cost of travel expenses to the TRB Annual Meeting in Washington D.C., grant recipients are able to apply the grant to any area they need.Willis is applying the remaining amount of the award to focus on her new research. "The grant will go to my stipend. I won't have to TA or teach, which allows me to solely focus on research this summer," Willis said. The TRB Annual Meeting attracted more than 13,000 attendees from around the world. Willis submitted an abstract for her research and met other academic and industry professionals. "This is a great way for her to see the other fellows and learn about the kind of research they are doing," Aaleti said. "It can open up some opportunities for her to learn about upcoming technologies and hopefully bring back something useful to the University to try and use to improve the research." Willis said that it feels amazing to represent UA at the national level through the fellowship at the conference. "I've been at this school for my [undergraduate, graduate and doctoral degrees], so anything I can do to show that university pride is great," Willis said.

A University of Alabama engineering student's research presentation was awarded a top honor at a recent international conference. Kathryn O'Harra, a chemical engineering doctoral candidate, was awarded first place for her oral research presentation at the 5th International Conference on Ionic Liquid-Based Materials, or IL-MAT V. This conference was earlier hosted in Paris. O'Harra gave an oral presentation about her doctoral research on the development, design, synthesis and application of high-performance ionic polymers and composites for gas separation membranes and 3D printing. She said the research is environmentally geared and seeks to combat industrial emissions through more energy efficient separation processes. "I discussed the concept and motivation of the research project, and talked a little bit about how we're rethinking the design of materials and utilizing established chemistry to achieve materials which suit our goals," O'Harra said. She conducts her research with Dr. Jason E. Bara, a UA associate professor of chemical and biological engineering. O'Harra has been working with Bara since late in her time as an undergraduate student, while completing bachelor's degrees in chemical and biological engineering and dance performance. "It's easy to mentor a student like Katie. She is outstanding in all aspects of research - from the design and planning and experiments to writing journal articles and presenting at conferences," Bara said. "She's one of the best students we've ever had in [chemical and biological engineering]." At the IL-MAT Conference, O'Harra was able to present the research to and interact with international colleagues, as well as gain connections to form new collaborations. Through the first-place award for her oral presentation, O'Harra represented herself, her research colleagues and the College of Engineering at UA. "It was humbling to receive an award that recognized my work as significant at a conference where there was a lot of great work presented," O'Harra said. "It was really encouraging, both as a researcher and as a graduate student." O'Harra was also recently selected to present her research at the American Chemical Society 2020 Excellence in Graduate Polymer Research Symposium, which will take place in March 2020 at the ACS National Meeting and is expected to draw over 10,000 attendees. "For [O'Harra] to be recognized in that way is a big deal," Bara said. "She's doing just as much good for our [chemical and biological engineering] department, in our reputation and rank, as we're helping her." For her, representing UA and the College of Engineering at the national and international levels through these awards and at these conferences is very exciting. "I am proud to represent The University of Alabama," O'Harra said. "I've done all my degrees here, so I love to share about the work I've had the opportunity to do and demonstrate the strength of the College of Engineering."

University of Alabama student Annabeth Mellon, of Oxford, has received the 2019 William P. and Estan J. Bloom Award. The award honors a student who has improved relations among different groups. Past recipients have been chosen primarily for improving understanding and supporting interaction among groups for a common cause. Mellon came to the Capstone believing she was not the UA type, seeing herself as more of a problem than a problem solver. However, it didn't take her long to find her chapter in the greater UA story. By transforming her own experiences with sexual violence into a powerful movement, she brought together students from all walks of life. Mellon is a co-founder of the Walk of Shame, an annual protest calling attention to sexual assault and victim blaming on campus.The event is a unique space in that it is primarily survivor-focused and survivor-led. At the event, survivors of sexual violence come for healing and community, while also calling for change. Originally from Talladega County, Alabama, Mellon is double majoring in creative media and gender and media studies. She has served as vice president and social coordinator, and serves as president, of Unite for Reproductive and Gender Equity UA. She is a member of the Blackburn Institute's New Student Class of 2019 and sits on Student Government Association's newly formed SAFE Center Committee. Alongside her work in sexual assault advocacy, she works with New College to provide media literacy and production education to local youth. Her mother is Bethany Mellon.

The University of Alabama's Morris L. Mayer Award honors one member of this academic year's graduating class and one member of the teaching faculty who exemplify the life of Dr. Morris L. Mayer: selfless and significant service and leadership for the UA community and significant contributions to student life and integrity. The 2020 student winner is Olivia Gevedon. Gevedon plans to be a physician, but her aspirations to serve others extend far beyond an exam room. Gevedon, an anthropology major, is the founder and director of NoteABLE, an educational outreach program of Engage Tuscaloosa that aims to empower local elementary students through music literacy and performance. As a musician, Gevedon believes every child should have access to music education, which equips them with a valuable creative outlet and form of self-expression. Since its implementation in spring 2018, NoteABLE has reached 210 kids and was recognized as the Most Outstanding Student-Initiated Engagement Effort of 2019 by the Council on Community-Based Partnerships. In addition, Gevedon is a member of an aging, immunity and neurodegeneration lab under the mentorship of Dr. Stanislava Chtarbanova in the department of biological sciences. Her role as a research ambassador and vice president of engagement in the Office for Undergraduate Research allows Gevedon to recruit and connect other UA students interested in research with faculty. Following graduation, she plans to help Project Horseshoe Farm, a community health nonprofit, establish a new site in Pomona, California. Her parents are Timothy and Cynthia Gevedon.