The University of Alabama

The Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award Program recognizes the best research activity conducted by undergraduate students at The University of Alabama. Undergraduate students who have conducted significant scholarly research are nominated by faculty and staff research directors. The recipients and their nominators were recognized at a luncheon in their honor during UA's Honors Week. In 1997, the Randall Publishing Co. and the H. Pettus Randall III family created the Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award Program in memory of Henry Pettus Randall Jr., a distinguished UA alumnus and creator of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. UA research faculty members and past winners of the Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award select the winners.

The University of Alabama Honors College has selected 41 incoming freshmen for the Randall Research Scholars Program. The nationally recognized undergraduate research program pairs exceptional students directly with leading research faculty to complete scholarly research projects. Students must apply to the program and are selected after a rigorous review process that includes an on-campus interview.

The University of Alabama's Black Faculty and Staff Association recently recognized students who received premier academic awards for 2018-19. The students were honored on Black Scholars Day. The mission of the Black Faculty and Staff Association is to contribute to the betterment of UA a by serving as an advocate for educational equity, with an emphasis on African-American students, and the professional needs of its members. To that end, this organization promotes and provides opportunities for networking among individuals and groups to articulate mutual concerns and advance educational opportunities.

Kiley Lord, a senior in the College of Communication and Information Sciences at The University of Alabama, was awarded the Franklin Shirley Award for the Top Undergraduate Honors Conference Paper at the Southern States Communication Association Convention in Montgomery, Alabama.

The National Alumni Association of The University of Alabama recognizes and honors one male and one female in the senior class to receive the Alumni Student Award. The association also recognizes and honors students in the senior class. The students have excelled in academics and extracurricular activities, shown strength of character and maturity and displayed exceptional hospitality.

Rising senior Sarah Fields won The University of Alabama College of Arts and Sciences' 2019 Asian Studies Essay Award for her research on the Italian Jesuit painter Giuseppe Castiglione who served as a court painter during the Qing dynasty in China in the 18th century. Fields researched and wrote the paper, titled "Lang Shining: The Italian Jesuit and Chinese Court Painter," under the guidance of Dr. Doris Sung in Survey of Asian Art (ARH 254). Fields, who hails from Bethalto, Ill., is a studio art major with a double minor in advertising and art history. After she graduates in May 2020, she said that she plans to look for positions as an art director or creative director at an advertising agency. "While I don't plan on continuing my formal studies of art history," Fields said, "I love visiting museums and looking at pieces with context, so I hope to continue learning the subject." The Asian Studies program provides an interdisciplinary opportunity for study and research focused on the variety of cultural regions of Asia, particularly South Asia and East Asia. The program incorporates faculty and courses in a range of areas, including anthropology, art history, Asian languages, history, literature, political science, and religious studies.

The University of Alabama Graduate School has announced the recipients of the 2018-2019 Outstanding Graduate Student awards. The awards will be presented as a part of UA Honors Week (Monday, April 1, to Friday, April 5). Three faculty committees selected seven outstanding graduate students from students nominated by their individual departments and colleges.

A University of Alabama College of Engineering student is among the top 20 science, technology, engineering and math students in their 20s across the country and internationally. Peyton Strickland has been named as one of Aviation Week's 20 Twenties for 2019. Peyton Strickland has been named one of Aviation Week's 20 Twenties for 2019, sponsored by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. The Pelham, Alabama, native is the first UA student to receive this award. An awards ceremony will be held to honor the 20 students on March 14 in Washington, D.C. "It's incredible to think about, when I think about everything that has happened in my life I just think that only God can do it," Strickland said. "It means a lot to me that out of everybody in the United States and the international pool of candidates, to be one of the top 20 aerospace students, it's crazy to think about." Strickland is in his third year at UA and is working on completing his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering by May 2020 and his master's degree, through the accelerated master's program, by December 2020. Finalists for this award are decided based on the nominees' academic achievements, current work toward their career goals and community service efforts. Strickland has previously worked with the MITRE Corporation in support of the U.S. Department of Defense Missile Defense Agency and is considering working in an area related to rocket propulsion in the future. In addition to his work and studies, Strickland volunteers at Central High School in Tuscaloosa where he teaches students about the use of coding in science and engineering and the basics of the programming language C++. "I won an undergraduate scholarship from the NASA Alabama Space Grant Consortium, and you're either supposed to write a paper about research being conducted at your school, or you can do a one-time community outreach [project]," Strickland said. "So, what started as a one-time thing just kept happening and happening. I really enjoy going over there and helping with the kids." Strickland received recommendations for this award from three UA professors of aerospace engineering, Dr. Semih Olcmen, Dr. John Baker and Dr. Mark Barkey. Strickland credits these three professors and more for his successes at Alabama. "I think this award is as much for the faculty and staff as it is for me. One can not become a 'good' student without great teachers who make it possible to become a successful student through great lessons and teachings. I have been blessed to work with some of the best professors and staff in the country, and this award is a testament to their hard and successful work." - Peyton Strickland Strickland is a member of the Alabama Rocket Engineering Systems, or ARES, initiative at UA. ARES is a student-led program with the goal of taking UA to the forefront of collegiate rocketry. Olcmen, Strickland's graduate adviser, nominated him for the award based on his academic achievements and philanthropic efforts in encouraging students in low-income areas to pursue a career in research. "I have no doubt that Peyton will excel in any research career that he will choose to work in," Olcmen said. "His attention to detail, pursuit of knowledge, work ethic and creativity to think of new solutions will take him to the pinnacle." Strickland has chosen to continue his master's education at UA because of the quality of the faculty throughout his undergraduate experience. "Dr. Baker and Dr. Barkey have given me an opportunity to work in the aerospace office since my first day in school, and Dr. Olcmen has pushed me to pursue excellence each and every day," Strickland said. "They are the reasons I chose and continue to choose UA."

Congratulations to members of a Manderson Graduate School of Business MBA case team. Assembled from Manderson's student roster, the team took multiple awards home to Tuscaloosa from the recent Katz Invitational Case Competition on Feb. 8-9.at the University of Pittsburgh. Competing against 11 teams from the country's top business schools, the team placed second and received $5,000 in scholarships. Additionally, the team won the Best School Spirit award. The Manderson MBA case team with the check for $5,000. From left to right: James McCool, Lacey Cencula, Justin Chambers, and Esther Workman. The team was represented by Lacey Cencula of Birmingham; James McCool of Mountain Brook; Esther Workman of Montgomery; and Justin Chambers of Memphis, Tennessee. Workman was also awarded Best Presenter. "It was an honor to represent Manderson and the University of Alabama in Pittsburgh," Workman said. "Participating in the Katz Invitational Case Competition was a wonderful learning opportunity and chance to solve a real world business question. We were able to draw on each team member's strengths to create a strategic and comprehensive recommendation. Winning second place, Most Spirited and Best Presenter are incredible accomplishments after competing in the competition for only the second time ever." This year's invitational was the seventh annual case competition hosted by the University of Pittsburgh's Joseph M. Katz Graduate School of Business in partnership with Crane Co. Each year, the competition offers a challenging, multifaceted business case based on a strategic challenge faced by the sponsoring company. The case tests teams' ability to analyze the situation and provide recommendations. The participating teams were given the case just two weeks before the competition. "With only two weeks to create a strategic recommendation for Crane Co., a Fortune 500 company, our team began working the minute we received the case prompt" McCool said. "We knew we were up against some of the most competitive MBA Programs in the country including Rutgers, Baylor, Florida and LSU. This fueled our motivation to produce the best pitch we could. Although it was a bumpy ride, we all agreed that we created a final product together that was far superior than any of us could create individually." The Manderson team advanced from a preliminary round where their room included teams from the University of Florida and Rutgers. They were joined by Baylor and the University of Pittsburgh in the finals. "In just two weeks, the team completed an extensive research phase, developed a winning thesis, built a beautiful slide deck and wowed judges in both the preliminary and final rounds," said Quoc Hoang, the team's coach and director of experiential learning. "While the awards and prizes are impressive, I'm most proud of how the team came together. I had the privilege of spending a lot of time with these students who worked hard, felt highs and lows throughout the case period and tasted success this past weekend with this great result." For more information about the MBA case team, contact Quoc Hoang at qhoang@culverhouse.ua.edu or visit the Manderson MBA website.

The Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award honors one man and one woman of this academic year's graduating class as well as one non-student. The recipients of the award have demonstrated the highest standards of scholarship, leadership and service. The student recipients are: Joline Hartheimer UA has brought Joline Hartheimer face to face with some of the more agonizing threats to health - a form of brain tumor that resists treatment and the persistent, genetically born sickle-cell anemia. She has used her research skills to fight the tumor - glioblastoma multiforme - and her experience as a medical scribe and trainer at DCH has shown her how sickle-cell anemia causes suffering. Both experiences are fueling her passion for research in her major of chemical engineering and as a Randall Research Scholar. "I began college wanting to create bioengineering solutions for patients, but I have realized that the bench-to-bedside pipeline is leaking for all but a few lucky and privileged individuals," she said. "I have a great appreciation for biomedical science through my research on glioblastoma cancer stem cells and genetics, as well as my courses in chemical engineering and biology." Hartheimer, who serves as co-president of UA Society of Engineers in Medicine, works in the lab of Dr. Yonghyun "John" Kim, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering, where she was helping to study the brain tumors. She is first author of a paper under review with Journal of Neuro-Oncology. Coupled with her research skills is a profound sense of mission to help people. She has served as a campaign coordinator for Teach for America, and she has worked as a peer tutor and as an Al's Pals volunteer at Northington Elementary School. Her parents are Linda Hartheimer and Walter Hartheimer. Kyle Van Frank UA's theatre and dance community got together in 2018 for "Greater Giving: A Benefit for Five Horizons," which supported West Alabama AIDS Outreach, now called Five Horizons Health Services. The benefit scored more than $4,000 for the charity - much more than the group had raised in the past. And taking center stage was Kyle Van Frank, vice president of Alpha Psi Omega Theatre Honor Society, with a passion both for acting and for helping people and the environment. Van Frank, a theatre major, also has been involved in the Student Government Association and the Blackburn Institute. For SGA, he served as associate vice president for Community and University Affairs and on the Executive Committee as director of Environmental Affairs - a way to express his strong ideas about preserving the planet. On top of his service, Van Frank has been an active participant in theatre and dance productions, including playing Toby in "Sweeney Todd" and a character in the spring production of "The Drowsy Chaperone." "It is rare that we begin to miss those students before they leave, and that is indeed the case with Kyle," said Seth Panitch, professor of theatre. "There is not a professor in my department who does not recognize the significant loss his departure presents us. His ability to shape morale with the quality of his character is, in my 13 years of experience at UA, unrivaled." Van Frank's parents are JoAnne and Thomas Van Frank.

University of Alabama student Emily Adams has received the 2019 John F. Ramsey Award, which honors students with broad humanistic interests who have exerted a positive influence on his or her contemporaries. The intellectual pursuits of Adams, a history major, has taken her mind to some of the hot spots of contemporary culture - particularly the policy issues that led the United States into covert territory during the Cold War. As part of the University Fellows Experience, she is working on a research paper titled "Ethical Espionage: The Role of Covert Operations in a Democratic Government." The research will help her in her goals of studying law and working to explain and influence U.S. policy. In addition, she has worked on research pertaining to Civil War monuments in the South, resulting in a paper titled "The Lost Cause: How to Perpetuate a Myth"; the history of Marion, Alabama, for a tourism brochure; and the legends surrounding Alexander the Great. Her exploits in both ancient and recent history reflect her upbringing in a home that valued knowledge and her deep respect for history. Adams' commitment to scholarship has impressed her mentors deeply. "Her motivations are intrinsic rather than merely extrinsic," said Dr. Erik L. Peterson, assistant professor of history. "She wants to know, really know something about the world. She's willing to work hard to grasp that knowledge." In addition to her academic pursuits, Adams served as founding president of the Food Recovery Network on campus and received the College of Arts & Sciences Most Outstanding Sophomore award, as well as the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Roger L. Von Amelunxen Scholarship. Her parents are Joseph William Adams and Melissa Adams.

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 2019 winner is Alexis Matallana. Service is great in and of itself - but it can be a learning experience as well, as Lexi Matallana discovered when working on UA's 125 Years of Women celebration. Matallana, a political science and public relations major, served as a committee member for the 125 Years of Women celebration. Matallana has given a lot of time to UA particularly in her capacity as president of the Alabama Panhellenic Association and director of Homecoming's Paint the Town Red. She also committed to improving communication in the UA community by taking the Sustained Dialogue moderator course at the Crossroads Community Engagement Center. Her participation in cross-cultural conversation and her seeking to learn how to facilitate deeper communication has gained the support and encouragement of staff members on campus dedicated to enhancing those facets of the community. "Not surprisingly, she has approached this new, challenging work with her consistently thoughtful determination to be the best servant leader she can be," said Lane Busby McLelland, director of the Crossroads Community Engagement Center. "Her traits as a natural and dynamic leader have been a gift to a University. On a daily basis, Lexi Matallana works selflessly to bring others together for good." In addition, Matallana is involved in the Public Relations Council of Alabama. Her parents are Charles and Melissa Matallana.

University of Alabama student Sakina Dhondia 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. Dhondia finds that bringing people together for festivals - or even just coffee - can help UA students connect in ways they can't do alone. Thanks to her work with the International Students Association and as director of cultural experiences and diversity for the Honors College Assembly, she helped put together activities that inspired interaction among the diverse student body of UA, including the International Coffee Hour, the Diwali festival and the Crimson Culture Gala. Dhondia, a finance and economics major, moved with her family from Delft in the Netherlands and now lives in Tuscaloosa. She has served as treasurer, vice president and president of the International Students Association, as well as a design partner for the Design for American project and budget director for Night to Shine, an Honors College initiative that creates a prom-like experience for students with special needs. She also works with the Alabama Transportation Institute. Her parents are Juzer and Rashida Dhondi.

Holden DeGrave, a recent graduate of The University of Alabama, received the 2018 Capstone Engineering Society Outstanding Senior Award. A graduate of Southwest High School in Green Bay, Wisconsin, DeGrave graduated from UA this spring with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. For eight semesters, DeGrave received a UA Presidential Scholarship and a UA Engineering Scholarship. He was also selected for two Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Power and Energy Society Scholarships and a Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations Scholarship. DeGrave maintained a perfect grade point average and earned membership in the Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, and Mortar Board honor societies. In 2017, he was named Alabama Society of Professional Engineers Student Engineer of the Year, Engineering Council of Birmingham Undergraduate Student of the Year in Electrical Engineering, and a Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities honoree. He spent two semesters as a co-op student at Southern Company and was given the Southern Excellence Award in 2016, which recognizes outstanding work done by a Southern Company Employee. As a co-op student, DeGrave wrote four internal documents and gave seven internal presentations. In the College of Engineering, he served as project lead of the Technology-Enables K9 Harness Project, UA IEEE student branch treasurer, a mentor in the Mentor UPP program, and as an electrical and computer engineering ambassador. DeGrave worked as an undergraduate research assistant with Dr. Andrew Lemmon and Dr. Aaron Brovant, both UA assistant professors of electrical and computer engineering. "In class, his solutions are always creative, meticulously worked out, well documented, and clearly communicated, but I have been even more impressed with his talent for research," Brovant said. "I have been able to give him open-ended modeling problems with only my notes and journal articles as reference, and he has supplied me with the solutions in short order as though they were no more difficult than homework." While at UA, DeGrave has served as Theta Tau community service chairman, a UA Safe Zone Ally, a UA Parent Ambassador, and a 2017 UA Dance Marathon miracle maker. The Capstone Engineering Society, the alumni association for the College of Engineering, was established in 1973. CES is dedicated to maintaining relationships with UA engineering alumni to ensure the College is able to provide UA engineering and computer science students with a superior educational experience. The CES began the Outstanding Senior Award in 1986 to honor an exceptional student who deserves distinction among his or her peers. An outstanding student is selected from the 11 academic programs in the College, and the overall winner is determined by a selection committee after assessing each student's academic performance, professional and technical activities, College leadership, external leadership and other activities. hwest High School in Green Bay, Wisconsin, DeGrave graduated from UA this spring with a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering. For eight semesters, DeGrave received a UA Presidential Scholarship and a UA Engineering Scholarship. He was also selected for two Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Power and Energy Society Scholarships and a Coalition of Higher Education Assistance Organizations Scholarship. DeGrave maintained a perfect grade point average and earned membership in the Eta Kappa Nu, Tau Beta Pi, and Mortar Board honor societies. In 2017, he was named Alabama Society of Professional Engineers Student Engineer of the Year, Engineering Council of Birmingham Undergraduate Student of the Year in Electrical Engineering, and a Who's Who Among Students in American Colleges and Universities honoree. He spent two semesters as a co-op student at Southern Company and was given the Southern Excellence Award in 2016, which recognizes outstanding work done by a Southern Company Employee. As a co-op student, DeGrave wrote four internal documents and gave seven internal presentations. In the College of Engineering, he served as project lead of the Technology-Enables K9 Harness Project, UA IEEE student branch treasurer, a mentor in the Mentor UPP program, and as an electrical and computer engineering ambassador. DeGrave worked as an undergraduate research assistant with Dr. Andrew Lemmon and Dr. Aaron Brovant, both UA assistant professors of electrical and computer engineering. "In class, his solutions are always creative, meticulously worked out, well documented, and clearly communicated, but I have been even more impressed with his talent for research," Brovant said. "I have been able to give him open-ended modeling problems with only my notes and journal articles as reference, and he has supplied me with the solutions in short order as though they were no more difficult than homework." While at UA, DeGrave has served as Theta Tau community service chairman, a UA Safe Zone Ally, a UA Parent Ambassador, and a 2017 UA Dance Marathon miracle maker. The Capstone Engineering Society, the alumni association for the College of Engineering, was established in 1973. CES is dedicated to maintaining relationships with UA engineering alumni to ensure the College is able to provide UA engineering and computer science students with a superior educational experience. The CES began the Outstanding Senior Award in 1986 to honor an exceptional student who deserves distinction among his or her peers. An outstanding student is selected from the 11 academic programs in the College, and the overall winner is determined by a selection committee after assessing each student's academic performance, professional and technical activities, College leadership, external leadership and other activities.

The University of Alabama College of Communication and Information Sciences has announced the winners of the 2018 Holle Awards for Excellence and Creativity in Communication. The Holle Award for Excellence in Media Writing is awarded to UA's Mary Clay Kline, of Cleveland, Mississippi. Her submission led one judge to remark, "[Her] work is a demonstration that better reporting leads to better stories." The Holle Award for Excellence in Public Speaking is awarded to UA's Grace Meagher of Joliet, Illinois. Her speech cast a light on the gender gap in children's literacy ability, that young boys read less than young girls. She directed the audience to curb this trend by encouraging the young boys in their lives to read more. The Holle Award for Excellence in Screenwriting is awarded to UA's Blake Hudson, of Clanton, Alabama, for his work, "The Last Resorts Club." His script was praised by judges for its structure and its ability to lead the reader to great empathy for its characters. "The 2018 Holle Award winners have proven to be a uniquely talented and inspirational group of students from across the country," said Dr. Mark Nelson, dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences. "These students excel in communication and creativity, two things Brig. Gen. Everett Holle believed in and supported through his generosity in funding these awards. He will be missed but his legacy lives on in the Holle Awards." The Holle Awards are named for the 1950 graduate of The University of Alabama who served as an announcer, director, writer and producer during his 40-year career at NBC 13. Holle was a member of the College of Communication and Information Sciences' board of visitors where he passionately invested in the success of University of Alabama students for years.

Two teams of nine metallurgical and material engineering students took first and second place in a local casting competition held April 9. The American Foundry Society Casting Competition consisted of each team making a small-scale version of the Vulcan statue located in Birmingham and a technical presentation of their work. The teams were judged on resemblance to the statue, overall use of the casting process, use of casting principles, use of engineering tools, creativity, quality and presentation.

The University of Alabama's Chem-E Car Team received the most creative design award and placed third in the poster competition at a recent conference, marking the best placement in the team's history.

The National Alumni Association of The University of Alabama recognizes and honors one male and one female in the senior class to receive the Alumni Student Award. The association also recognizes and honors students in the senior class. The students have excelled in academics and extracurricular activities, shown strength of character and maturity and displayed exceptional hospitality.

The University of Alabama Outstanding Student Awards recognize one or two students from each class as well as outstanding transfer and graduate students.

Jalen Drummond, a senior from Wedowee, Alabama, finished first nationally in Informative Speaking at the 41st American Forensics Association National Individual Events Tournament Championships in Colorado Springs, CO. The Alabama Forensic Council traveled to the AFA-NIET with more than 20 students competing. "Preparing to compete on the national stage is nothing short of intense," Drummond said. "I spent hours perfecting my delivery, researching current events, and practicing with some of the most respected coaches in the nation. It is definitely grueling; however, the laborious preparation definitely pays off when you hear your name shouted as the national champion." Drummond's topic focused on the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, and an Obama Administration report that sheds light on details of that day. Drummond's speech attempted to address and combat fake news and emphasizes the need for truth in reporting. The AFC entered 24 students in 66 events and advanced nine students in 15 events to quarter-finals, six events to semi-finals, and four events to the final rounds of competition. AFC finished in fifth place out of 63 competing schools for the second year in a row. "The fifth-place finish of the AFC at this year's National Speech tournament is a testament to the hard work and dedication of the students and staff," said Bobby Imbody, Director of Forensics. "All of the students did the hard work required to be great, and it shows. More importantly, our students tackled hard topics and spoke truth to any and all audiences in an effort to make their world a better place more than any year before." The AFA-NIET is the most competitive national forensics tournament in the nation with the most rigorous qualification process of any intercollegiate forensic tournament.

The University of Alabama's Black Faculty and Staff Association recently recognized students who received premier academic awards for 2017-18. The students were honored on Black Scholars Day in March. The mission of the Black Faculty and Staff Association is to contribute to the betterment of UA a by serving as an advocate for educational equity, with an emphasis on African-American students, and the professional needs of its members. To that end, this organization promotes and provides opportunities for networking among individuals and groups to articulate mutual concerns and advance educational opportunities.

Students representing majors from across The University of Alabama campus pitched their business plans to judges in the Edward K. Aldag Jr. Business Plan Competition Tuesday, March 27.

The Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award Program recognizes and celebrates the best research activity conducted by undergraduate students at The University of Alabama. Undergraduate students who have conducted significant scholarly research are nominated by faculty/staff research directors. The recipients and their nominators are recognized at a luncheon in their honor during UA's Honors Week. In 1997, the Randall Publishing Co. and the H. Pettus Randall III family created the Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award Program in memory of Henry Pettus Randall Jr., a distinguished UA alumnus and creator of Who's Who Among Students in American Universities and Colleges. A distinguished panel of UA research faculty and past winners of the Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award select the winners.

PRWeek has named University of Alabama junior Maret Montanari its Public Relations Student of the Year. Montanari, of Beaumont, Texas, is UA's first PRWeek Student of the Year winner.

The University of Alabama Division of Student Life has announced the recipients of the 2018 Premier Awards - the top individual honors for scholarship, leadership and service. The 2018 UA Premier Award recipients will be recognized at a dinner in March as well as during Honors Week.

Mackenzie Ross, a graduate student at The University of Alabama, was named the recipient of the 2018 Bruce K. Berger Graduate Student Leadership Award on Saturday, Feb. 3. The department of advertising and public relations at UA established this award in 2013 to honor one graduate student in the advertising and public relations Master of Arts program for exemplary leadership. The students in the M.A. program vote and select the student who best demonstrates passion for work and the public relations profession, exemplifies a strong ethical orientation and employs an inclusive style of leadership. "I think the most touching part of receiving this award is the fact my fellow classmates voted and selected me for this award," Ross said. "Their confidence in and recognition of my leadership ability is truly touching." Ross currently serves as the graduate assistant for The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations and as a graduate teaching assistant for the Department of Communication Studies, teaching Public Speaking labs. She graduated summa cum laude from UA last May with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and Information Sciences. During her time as an undergraduate student, Ross received the Susan Colvin Prize, honoring the top student in the College of Communication and Information Sciences; the William P. Bloom Premier Award, recognizing one student for outstanding service and collaboration; and The University of Alabama Outstanding Senior Award. The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations is the leading international resource for practitioners, educators and students who are passionate about advancing their careers and the public relations profession. Led by a national advisory board of leading educators and practitioners, the Center develops and recognizes outstanding diverse public relations leaders, role models and mentors to advance ethical public relations in an evolving, global society. Founded in 2005, the Center is named after Betsy Plank, the first lady of public relations. Plank's legacy and vision continue on in the Center's programs and initiatives to advance the profession and public relations education.

Xuyang "Rhett" Zhou, a Ph.D. student in materials science from Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, was selected to receive a Microscopy & Microanalysis Student Scholar Award given by the Microscopy Society of America and the Microanalysis Society. As an award recipient, Zhou will receive complimentary student registration for the 2017 M&M Meeting and financial support of up to $1,000 to cover any expenses to attend the meeting.

Michael R. Dunn, a senior at The University of Alabama, recently received the 2017 Capstone Engineering Society Outstanding Senior Award. Along with the award, Dunn was given a $500 stipend to honor his achievements. A graduate of Merritt Island High School in Merritt Island, Florida, Dunn is set to graduate this spring from UA with a bachelor's degree in civil engineering.

Kaylee O'Connor, a junior chemical and biological engineering student from Fort Worth, Texas, won first place in the Institute of Biological Engineering bioethics essay competition. O'Connor's submission, titled "The Cost of Compassion," was initially chosen as one of the top five essays written on an ethical dilemma regarding biological engineering. The five semifinalists were invited to the 2017 IBE Conference in Salt Lake City from March 30 through April 1. The students were given complementary registration and $500 for travel expenses.

The National Alumni Association of The University of Alabama recognizes and honors one male and one female in the senior class to receive the Alumni Student Award. The association also recognizes and honors students in the senior class. The students have excelled in academics and extracurricular activities, shown strength of character and maturity, and displayed exceptional hospitality.