The University of Alabama

The University of Alabama awarded some 2,065 degrees during its fall commencement Dec. 15. With a beautiful campus, dozens of challenging academic programs, expert and world-renowned faculty and numerous opportunities for service and growth, The University of Alabama is a place where legends are made. UA offers its students a premier educational, cultural and social experience with more than 200 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. The campus gives students the opportunity to interact with faculty performing cutting-edge research.

The Alabama Trumpet Studio traveled to Atlanta in January to participate in the 2019 Trumpet Festival of the Southeast, an annual regional musical conference dedicated to teaching and performance of the trumpet. UA's trumpet octet has been selected to perform the piece the group presented at the festival live at the National Trumpet Competition in Lexington, Kentucky in March 2019. The 2019 festival was held at Kennesaw State University. The Alabama trumpet ensemble performed under the direction of UA trumpet professor Dr. Eric Yates. The group presented two transcriptions of well-known works arranged for trumpet ensemble by members of the Alabama studio: Zachary Richardson, a sophomore performance major; and Justin Langham, a UA School of Music alumnus and professional trumpeter and composer-arranger working in the Houston area.

A total of 12,332 students enrolled during the 2018 fall term at The University of Alabama were named to the Dean's List with an academic record of 3.5 or above or the President's List with an academic record of 4.0 (all A's). The UA Dean's and President's lists recognize full-time undergraduate students. The lists do not apply to graduate students or to undergraduate students who take less than a full course load.

A University of Alabama exchange program is combining automotive engineering and the German language to create opportunities for students to explore careers. Two Steps Ahead is an international German exchange program through UA's College of Engineering that was started about five years ago by Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian, UA professor and executive director of Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies.

More than 230 University of Alabama students are receiving hands-on, innovative and advanced educational experiences with dozens of companies and organizations across the United States through UA's Cooperative Education Program for spring 2019. In the Cooperative Education Program, students alternate periods of full-time study with periods of full-time employment. This program offers work related to the academic major or career interests of each student. While in school, students carry regular course schedules. While on co-op, they work with professionals in their fields who supervise their training and work. At work, co-op students earn competitive salaries and may receive benefit packages in addition to valuable job experience. Participants maintain their full-time student status while at work and have priority registration status each semester through graduation.

A recent graduate of The University of Alabama civil, construction and environment engineering program has received a fellowship with the National Institute of Standards and Technology. Shane Crawford has been awarded a National Research Council fellowship and will receive funding for 24 months to work at the NIST campus in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Crawford, who graduated with his doctorate Dec. 15, will start with NIST in January 2019. "By taking his experience to the national level, communities across the country will benefit from his research," said Dr. Andrew Graettinger, UA civil, construction and environmental engineering professor and Crawford's doctoral adviser. "By gaining this national level experience, Shane will be a valuable faculty member in the future." The NIST NRC Postdoctoral Research Associateship Program brings research scientists and engineers of unusual promise and ability to perform advanced research related to the NIST mission. Crawford's work during the fellowship will be with the NIST Community Resilience group and the Disaster and Failure Studies group. "I've been told that the program is very competitive," Crawford said. "Many of the NRC postdocs at NIST go on to work full time with NIST." Crawford will be working to develop strategies for communities to build and adapt to their risk from natural hazards. He will also be developing data collection protocols to more accurately and efficiently document impacts to the built, economic and social environment of affected communities. The application process for this fellowship involved a research proposal, submitting education information and curriculum vitae, and five references. In addition to Graettinger, Crawford received references from three UA faculty, which were Dr. Ed Back, department head of civil, construction and environmental engineering; Dr. Mike Kreger, Garry Neil Drummond endowed chair of civil engineering; and Dr. Lawrence Powell, director of the Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research.

University of Alabama students recently participated in RRS Live, an interactive broadcast of research projects conducted by students in the Randall Research Scholars Program. Students discussed the goals, outcomes and societal impact of the research they conducted during the fall 2018 semester. The Randall Research Scholars Program (formerly Computer-Based Honors) pairs exceptional students directly with leading research professors and cutting-edge computing technology to complete scholarly research projects in any field of study. During their freshman year, students complete an intensive series of courses on technology fundamentals, problem solving, project management and research fundamentals. These skills enable students to quickly learn and adapt to new knowledge domains and technical environments required for faculty-directed research projects. Throughout their sophomore to senior years, Randall Research students students interview with faculty and select a project to work on as a research assistant with a faculty member who will act as project director.

Two University of Alabama College of Engineering student teams and one individual student received top awards at an annual hackathon competition. VolHacks 2018 was held in Knoxville, Tennessee, on Sept. 28-30. This annual hacking competition involved students from all over the country competing and using programming and design skills to create software projects. Three UA projects created during the 36-hour event received awards, which were overall first place, second place and Best Duo Hack. Seventy teams participated in this year's competition including 13 Alabama students, 11 of which competed as part of UA Association for Computing Machinery and two students who competed individually. Mayank Agarwal, a computer science major from Surat, India, graduating in 2021, won first place overall with his program "Qlink Music," a music sharing app that allows people to quickly link to music and share it with friends regardless of what app they use to listen to music. In addition to first place, Agarwal also received two of the competition's sponsored awards for Best Mobile App and Best Use of Google Cloud Platform. "VolHacks was an amazing experience I was so excited to win the two sponsor prizes that I didn't even see the first prize coming, especially after witnessing so many other awesome projects," Agarwal said. "I'm really happy with how my app turned out. Demoing it to the judges and other students was very exciting, and I'm glad my hard work paid off." A three-person team of computer science majors, Amber Gupta, a senior from New Delhi, India; Thien Sn Duong Do, a freshman from Saigon, Vietnam; and David McCoy, a senior from Hendersonville, Tennessee, placed second with their creation of "Diff Pic." Their program is a web browser tool that compares images and shows the difference between versions of an image over time. "It was surprising, but we were incredibly excited to get to go up and demo our app during the awards," McCoy said. "There's so much innovation and so many exciting ideas shown off at a hackathon that you're never sure how your project really looks. So, that's part of the uncertainty. We were happy for the judges and other students to connect with our app and like using it." The Best Duo Hack award was given to two UA students, Kayla Hamilton, a sophomore computer science major from Howell, Michigan, and Mason McVicker, a sophomore electrical engineering major with a computer engineering option from Aurora, Colorado. Their program "Bama-Food-Trucks" allows students to track the food trucks on UA's campus throughout the day. The ACM student hackathon travel team will compete again in November at Vanderbilt's VandyHacks Competition and hopes to continue their successes. "It felt great going to my first hackathon and actually be able to convert an idea to a good app. Thanks to my team, now I am super excited for VandyHacks," Gupta said.

Ten UA students' fashion designs hit the runway recently as part of Fashion for Life, the College of Human Environmental Sciences' annual fashion show that raises money for a selected charity.

Four pairs of University of Alabama Honors College students will compete for $12,000 in scholarships Tuesday in the final rounds of an annual debate tournament on campus. Semi-final and final rounds of the 13th annual James P. Hayes, Jr. Moral Forum debate tournament will begin at 7:30 p.m. in North Lawn Hall, room 1000. Moral Forum is an annual dialogue and debate program that involves extensive research as students prepare value-based case studies representing positions on each side of a controversial issue. Nearly 60 students are participating this fall through enrollment in the course UH 101: Moral Forum. Semifinalists include: Audrey Allen, a sophomore nursing major, of Jackson, Missouri Caitlyn Jones, a freshman political science major, of Birmingham Anna Kutbay, a freshman majoring in political science and economics, of Morristown, Tennessee Allyson Lacoste, a senior civil engineering major, of Mandeville, Louisiana Caitlyn Lesso, a senior construction engineering major, of Biloxi, Mississippi Danielle Pacia, a senior biomedical ethics major, of Morristown, Tennessee Adam Trotter, a senior mechanical engineering major, of Aurora, Illinois David Warren III, a junior computer science major, of Homewood This year, students are arguing in support of and opposition to the statement: In order to be a more moral society, the United States government should continue permitting plea bargaining in criminal cases. In teams of two, students conducted research, attended a nine-week seminar series, and constructed position statements that address both sides of plea bargaining and criminal justice in preparation for two required preliminary debate rounds. Each team must prepare to argue both affirmative and negative sides of the same resolution. Guest lecturers in this fall's course included Jaime Conger, criminal defense attorney at Smith & Staggs, LLC, and Senior U.S. District Judge Jed Rakoff, for the Southern District of New York, and who is a Columbia University law professor. Dr. Mark Nelson, dean of UA's College of Communication and Information Sciences, also met with the class to discuss public speaking. This event is free and open to the public.

Students at The University of Alabama will compete in the latest national vehicle competition that challenges students to develop a hybrid-electric, autonomous vehicle over the next four years. UA is one of 12 universities across the country selected to participate in the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, General Motors Co. and MathWorks and managed by the Argonne National Laboratory. This is the second consecutive Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition for UA students after finishing strong in the most recent competition, EcoCAR 3, earlier this year. The team of students has the opportunity to create their version of a 2019 Chevrolet Blazer by applying advanced propulsion systems, electrification, automation and vehicle connectivity to improve its energy efficiency while balancing factors such as emissions, safety, utility and consumer acceptability. The mission of the EcoCAR Mobility Challenge is to develop the next generation of engineers and business leaders who will be prepared to address the nation's future energy and transportation challenges. These students will also accelerate the development and demonstrations of technologies of interest to the Department of Energy and the automotive industry. "This program prepares students to enter the automotive and tech industry by storm," said Dr. Paul Puzinauskas, lead faculty adviser and UA associate professor of mechanical engineering. "The difference between this competition and classes is the extensive, hands-on experience that turns these students into industry leaders." The team consists of a collaboration of engineering with project management, business and communications. This competition provides students with a real-world training ground to gain hands-on experience following a vehicle development process to design, build and refine advanced technology vehicles. Teams will use onboard sensors and wireless communication from the vehicle's surrounding environment to improve overall operation efficiency in the connected urban environment of the future. Specifically, the students are challenged to implement SAE Level 2 automation, which is the ability for the vehicle to combine automated functions, such as acceleration and steering, while the driver remains engaged with the driving task and monitors the environment at all times. Student leaders of UA's team include Easton Davis, project manager; David Barnes, engineering manager; and Bri Roselius, communications manager. Davis, a native of Marion, Arkansas, is a graduate student in aerospace engineering and business administration and earned his bachelor's degree in aerospace engineering from UA. Barnes, from Fairhope, is a graduate student in mechanical engineering and also earned his bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering from UA. Roselius, originally from Houston, Texas, is a senior in public relations and advertising with a minor in computer tech and applications.

A group of University of Alabama students spent fall break in Panama City, Florida, helping with the recovery efforts following Hurricane Michael. The trip was organized by the Beyond Bama: Alternative Breaks program, part of UA's Center for Service and Leadership. Students arrived in Panama City on Wednesday, Oct. 24, and assisted in clearing debris for three days before returning to campus on Sunday, Oct. 28. Beyond Bama: Alternative Breaks organizes trips for the UA student body during fall, winter and spring breaks. Alternative Break trips allow students to travel to communities in parts of the country and the world, and engage in service and experiential learning during university breaks.

The Capstone Horn Quartet, also known as Tater and the Tots, has become the first University of Alabama horn quartet to win the International Horn Society Summer Symposium Student Amateur Quartet Competition, which was held earlier at Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana. The members of the quartet are Matthew "Tater" Meadows, a 23-year-old senior music education major, of Jasper; Antonio Padilla, 21-year-old senior music education major, of Meridian, Mississippi; Anthony Parrish, 22-year-old senior music education major, of Kimberly; and Charlie Snead, a 21-year-old senior music performance major, of Northport. "We have some great folks doing some great things," said Charles "Skip" Snead, director and horn professor in UA's School of Music. "This is the first time we've had a quartet win the international competition. "I'm incredibly proud of them. They put in a lot of hard work, many hours of preparation. They all play individually very well, but when they get together it's a really great combination." Skip Snead, whose son is Charlie Snead, said Tater and the Tots competed against some of the best student horn players from throughout the U.S. and the world. In the final competition, they competed against five quartets in a concert for a live audience and a panel of five judges. Declared the winners, Tater and the Tots were selected to give an additional performance on the final day of the workshop in a special concert where all the competition winners performed. Meadows, who picked up the nickname Tater in high school, said competing in the competition, let alone winning it, was a leap of faith for them. "We put a lot of preparation into it," he said. "We made the goal to go and compete in a rash decision we made in March after we won the Southeast Horn Workshop back in February at the University of Georgia in Athens. "We just worked diligently, perfecting some tough pieces we selected, the stuff the professionals would play, and we won." The quartet has been playing together for about 10 months. They received a certificate for their win.

In one of the culminating events of the degree program at UA, Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates Allie Gant and Jennifer Gault present an exhi bition, titled Raw & Unfinished Business, in the Sella-Granata Art Gallery, Nov. 5-8, 2018, with a closing reception on Thursday, Nov. 8, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Gault, who works in sculpture and ceramics, specifically in raw, unfired clay, said that she has been exploring "forms that communicate a personal mythology of emotions and memories." She added that the raw clay she often uses in her work "represents the changeability of emotion, fallibility of memory and the transience of life." Gant, who works in printing processes and ceramics, describes her visual ideas as attention to her own self care, as well as the things which "catch her eye," such as flowers, trees, sunsets and people, the subjects of her work: "Through the course of being an art student over the last few years, I've made a ritual for myself to pay attention to what I pay attention to, meaning to spend a little extra time thinking about why I am drawn to certain things and try to figure out why." Jennifer Gault's BFA concentrations are in sculpture and ceramics, with an anthropology minor. She has exhibited her art work in the 2018 Student Sculpture Exhibition, and the 2017 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition, both at Harrison Galleries, and in QuickTurnaround at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in 2017. In addition, she has published art work in UA's Marr's Field Journal in 2018. Gault is the recipient of the Angelo Granata Endowed Scholarship, the Elmore Endowed Scholarship, and the Windgate Charitable Foundation Endowed Studio Arts Scholarship. She works full-time as a certified Fire Alarm Technician in the Office of Environmental Health and Safety at UA. Allie Gant's BFA concentrations are in printmaking and ceramics, with an art history minor. In 2017, Gant exhibited her work in Eclectic Way, an exhibition of art from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art and art by UA students inspired by those works, at the Paul R. Jones Museum. She participated in Geeza a Wee Exhib, a Scotland study abroad student exhibition in 2018 at Judith Rae Solomon Gallery, in Youngstown State University, Ohio, and has had several pieces accepted for publication in Marr's Field Journal in 2017 and 2018, including the cover art of both editions. Read this press release online here: https://art.ua.edu/news/allie-gant-and-jennifer-gault-bfaexhibition/.

For the second consecutive year, The University of Alabama Magnetics and Antenna team placed in the international Student Antenna Design Contest held by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers Antenna and Propagation Society. The UA team, made up of four electrical and computer engineering students, placed second in the international contest July 8-13 in Boston. The UA team was one of six teams selected as finalists to design an antenna system to sound wireless channels and locate radio signals. "It was very thrilling to place for the second year in a row," said Katelyn Isbell, an undergraduate student on the UA Magnetics and Antenna team. "Our team was very proud to be able to represent The University of Alabama academically at an international contest." The objective of this year's competition was to create a portable device that can, in real time, locate a hidden radio transmitter at the frequency of a common Wi-Fi router. Each team submits a final report and video, which contains descriptions and pictures of the designed system, testing results and a list of materials. The next step for the UA Magnetics and Antennas team will be to publish their findings and file for a patent. The team will also prepare for the upcoming year where they will present their work and compete at the 2019 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation with professors and doctoral students rather than other college teams. "[I'm] proud of my students," said Dr. Yang-Ki Hong, E.A. Larry Drummond Endowed Chair of Computer Engineering and departmental graduate program director. "They brought our antenna research activities to the high level of worldwide antenna research." The UA team was composed of Hoyun Won, a graduate student from Incheon, South Korea; Leo Vanderburgh, an undergraduate student from Dayton, Ohio; and Jonathan Platt, an undergraduate student from Lumberton, New Jersey.

A University of Alabama student team -- Alabeama -- recently placed third in the 2018 Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute Big Beam Competition. The objective of the national competition is to design, fabricate and test a precast and prestressed concrete beam to span 20 feet and to support at least 32,000 pounds and fail, or break, before reaching 39,000 pounds. The competition also required a video component to be submitted by each team documenting progress and results. "In most upper level structural design classes, we analyze or design different members for various loading conditions," said Emily Gould, team member and master's student. "But to take it one step further, to get to see the beam actually crack, deflect, and eventually fail as we predicted was an experience I won't forget." The team worked with industry partner Gate Precast in Monroeville, Alabama, to create the beam used in competition that earned them third out of 20 teams nationally. "The competition gave us a unique opportunity to have contact with the design world and the production facility at the same time," said Daniel Valentim, team member and doctoral student from Vitoria, Espirito Santo, Brazil. "It opened my eyes to realize that sometimes what can be easily designed and drawn in the computer can be difficult to be executed in the precast plant." In addition to the hands-on experience gained through this process, the student team will receive $1,500 for the third-place finish. Several UA team members intend to participate in next year's competition. "I was really glad to see that all the effort and time our team put in led us to a good position in the competition," Valentim said. "Even though we came in third place, our team recognizes that we still need to improve, to aim for first place in the next years." In addition to Gould and Valentim, Alabeama consists of two other civil, construction and environmental engineering majors: Sumedh Sharma, doctoral student from Kathmandu, Nepal; and Gabrielle Willis, undergraduate student from Jacksonville, Florida. The team's adviser is Dr. Sriram Aaleti, assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering.

The University of Alabama's Capstone Agency has been awarded Best Campaign, Best Tactic and Best Student-Run Firm in the 2018 Public Relations Student Society of America Student-Run Firm Awards. Given annually at the PRSSA National Conference, these awards celebrate outstanding campaigns and tactics used by PRSSA's nationally affiliated, student-run firms across the country. Capstone Agency won Best Tactic and Best Campaign in 2017 and was named Best Student-Run Firm in 2016. The Best Student-Run Firm award cannot be won by the same agency two years in a row. "The awards Capstone Agency received speak not only to our members' dedication, hard work ethic and talent, but also to the quality of the C&IS student experience," said Maret Montanari, firm director, Capstone Agency. "The College, as a whole, provides opportunities, like Capstone Agency, for students to gain hands-on professional experience before graduation. "We are fortunate to have these development opportunities to set our members up for success beyond The University of Alabama." Capstone Agency's submission for Best Campaign featured work completed for Alabama Power, titled "What Powers UA." The winning submission for Best Tactic came from the firm's Valentine's Day promotion for The University of Alabama's club hockey team. Also recognized at the PRSSA National Conference, UA's PRSSA chapter received the Star Chapter award and won the Best PRSA/PRSSA Relationship Award. The Star Chapter Award encourages chapter leadership to provide programming and relationship-building opportunities for students and rewards them for achieving these goals. The PRSSA faculty adviser, Tracy Sims, was also recognized for her commitment and guidance to the chapter. "It was such an honor to have Capstone Agency and PRSSA receive awards at the PRSSA National Conference," said Anna Claire Toxley, vice president, UA PRSSA. "It is because of the continued support of the College of Communication and Information Sciences that both organizations are able to develop strong leaders and produce quality work that earns national recognition." Capstone Agency is a nationally affiliated, student-run, integrated communications firm comprised of communication students at UA. The agency has been a student organization in the College of Communication and Information Sciences since 2008. The University of Alabama PRSSA Chapter is a leading pre-professional organization for students interested in public relations, communications and other related fields.

Five students were selected as members of the 2018 University of Alabama Homecoming Court in the Oct. 9 student election. Members of the court are as follows: Katie Buhai of San Diego, a senior elementary education major, sponsored by Kappa Delta. Baylee Clark of Montgomery, a senior public relations major, sponsored by Kappa Alpha Theta. Virgina Dodenhoff of New Orleans, a senior public relations major, sponsored by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Jazmine Hall of Huntsville, a senior communications studies and criminal justice major, sponsored by American Association of University Women. Jordan Watkins of Hoover, a senior accounting major, sponsored by Alpha Kappa Alpha. For more information on the students in the Homecoming Court, go to https://sga.sa.ua.edu/2018-homecoming-queen-candidates/

The following people recently were initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines.

The University of Alabama awarded some 1,342 degrees during its summer commencement Aug. 4. With a beautiful campus, dozens of challenging academic programs, expert and world-renowned faculty and numerous opportunities for service and growth, The University of Alabama is a place where legends are made. UA offers its students a premier educational, cultural and social experience with more than 200 undergraduate, graduate and professional programs. The campus gives students the opportunity to interact with faculty performing cutting-edge research.

A total of 493 students enrolled during the 2018 summer term at The University of Alabama were named to the Dean's List with an academic record of 3.5 or above or the President's List with an academic record of 4.0 (all A's). The UA Dean's and President's lists recognize full-time undergraduate students. The lists do not apply to graduate students or undergraduate students who take less than a full course load.

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.

More than 250 University of Alabama students are receiving hands-on, innovative and advanced educational experience with dozens of companies and organizations across the United States through UA's Cooperative Education Program for fall 2018. In the Cooperative Education Program, students alternate periods of full-time study with periods of full-time employment. This program offers work related to the academic major or career interests of each student, experience that enhances the students' employment prospects after graduation. While in school, students carry regular course schedules. While on co-op, they work with professionals in their fields who supervise their training and work. At work, co-op students earn competitive salaries and may receive benefit packages in addition to valuable job experience. Participants maintain their full-time student status while at work and have priority registration status each semester through graduation.

The Randall Research Scholars Program in the Honors College at The University of Alabama has selected 40 incoming freshmen for the program. The nationally recognized undergraduate research program pairs top students with leading UA faculty to complete scholarly research projects in any field of study. Students are selected after a competitive application process that includes phone and on-campus interviews. During their freshman year, students complete an intensive series of courses on technology fundamentals, problem solving, project management and research fundamentals. These essential skills enable students to quickly learn and adapt to new knowledge domains and technical environments required for faculty-directed research projects. Throughout their sophomore to senior years the Randall Rsearch Scholars will interview with faculty and select a project to work on as a research assistant with a faculty member who will act as project director. Students will typically work on projects in areas related to their academic discipline; however, they may elect to work in an unrelated field to challenge themselves and broaden their exposure to academic research. A member of the first class of what was then the Computer Based Honors Program in 1968, Dr. Cathy Randall earned her bachelor's degree, two master's degrees and two doctoral degrees from UA. She served the Capstone in various capacities throughout her career, including 25 years (1980-2004) as director of the Computer-Based Honors Program (now the Randall Research Scholars Program). Under her leadership, the program flourished, and, today, elite academic students from around the globe vie to experience the research opportunities available to undergraduate students.

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.

The University of Alabama's team of 20 Parent Ambassadors welcomes more than 8,000 incoming parents and family members to UA during the summer. They work for Parent & Family Programs within the Division of Student Life. Students who are Parent Ambassadors receive opportunities to build their leadership skills and to work with other student leaders and professionals from across campus.

Nearly 60 students are serving on The University of Alabama's Avanti team -- a group that seeks to welcome new students during the Bama Bound orientation process. By becoming well-acquainted with Capstone academic programs and co-curricular opportunities, the Avanti Team provides essential support in preparing incoming students to meet the challenges of enrollment and in welcoming high school groups to campus for large-scale recruitment events. The Avanti team functions under the auspices of the Office of Orientation and Special Programs in the Division of Academic Affairs.

Twenty-seven incoming freshmen in The University of Alabama Honors College have been selected for the University Fellows Experience. The program brings together a community of elite scholars from diverse disciplines who share a passion to become change agents through their commitment to leadership and service. To apply to be a Fellow, a student must have an ACT score of 32/SAT score of 1450 or higher and a high school GPA of 3.8 or higher. The final students are selected after a rigorous process of phone and on-campus interviews. Fellows will have opportunities for leadership development, community service and interaction with a variety of academic enterprises at UA.

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.

The Yonder Contemporary Dance Company, a collective in The University of Alabama's department of theatre and dance, will present a 50-minute concert titled "IRL" during the 2018 Edinburgh Festival Fringe in Scotland. The performances will run Aug. 4-10. Yonder's "IRL" involves 15 dance majors, overseen by Sarah M. Barry, associate professor of dance. They are collaborating with five student composers from UA's School of Music, who are overseen by Dr. Amir Zaheri, assistant professor of composition. The collaboration also includes a media specialist from UA's department of advertising and public relations, overseen by Mark Barry, director of creative advertising specialization. The dance majors will perform "IRL" at the Greenside @ Nicolson Square venue in Edinburgh. "'IRL' focuses on the pervasive nature of technology and illuminates the jarring battle between everyone and everything that competes for our attention," said Sarah Barry, who is the artistic director of the company. "We have tried to address this material from different angles because there are a variety of perspectives to consider. Some are big and obvious while others are more nuanced. We have worked hard to keep the discussion open and the research ongoing. The show will continue to evolve as we share our work and take in audience feedback." To prepare for the performances, Yonder participants hosted master classes and performances during a regional tour in spring 2018. Sites included the Dance Foundation in Birmingham; Florence Academy of Fine Arts in Florence; the Buckman Theatre in Memphis, Tennessee; and the Marcus Jewish Community Center in Atlanta. "The tour allowed students to make and refine their creative work and performance over a longer time to different audiences, giving them a window into the professional company life of touring, teaching, performing, writing grants, fundraising and promoting dance," Barry said. While in Edinburgh, the students will be staying at Salsbury Court Flats near Holyrood Park. For more information, visit Yonder's Facebook page and follow them on social media @yonderdanceco. Also, interested parties may contact Sarah Barry at smbarry@ua.edu.