The University of Alabama

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.

University of Alabama student Logan Goulart has received the 2020 John F. Ramsey Award, which recognizes in a junior the versatility of gifts and attainments, as well as the breadth of excellence in mind and character, that have traditionally been the goals of a liberal education. The combination of studying history and human rights has led Goulart to many interesting places. A member of the Blount Scholars Program and New College, he is passionate about understanding the ideas of equality and justice and how they have evolved. Goulart's research interests include the intellectual history of 20th century sub-Saharan Africa, South African apartheid and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that followed Nelson Mandela's election. He plans to attend law school to work as a human rights attorney, before enrolling in graduate school to pursue a history degree. He is involved in many organizations on campus, such as the Blackburn Institute, Student Government Association, the Million Dollar Band and Alabama Model United Nations. Goulart is also an active cellist, performing regularly with the Huxford Symphony Orchestra. His parents are his mother, Karen Duncan, stepmother Tracy Goulart and his late father Chris Goulart.

University of Alabama student Sarah Deutsch has received the Catherine Johnson Randall Award, recognizing the most outstanding graduating senior based on GPA, rigor of course of study and extraordinary scholarly or creative endeavor. Despite the common stigma that physics does not affect the layperson, Deutsch, a physics major and Randall Research Scholars student, believes that societal progress is driven by fundamental research. Deutsch's research pursuits have included X-ray analysis of medieval artifacts, simulation studies of components of radiotherapy machines for cancer treatment and machine learning studies for CMS, an international particle physics experiment. Driven by an appreciation for the arts and humanities, Deutsch desires to help bridge the gap between society and science through research and outreach. By restarting UA's Society of Physics Students, she hopes to help build a sense of community in the physics department and pass along information to help her peers get the most out of their undergraduate experience, while hoping to promote inclusion and work toward equality in the field. She said she sees great value in interdisciplinary exposure, and she studied electrical engineering and mathematics in addition to physics. Her research endeavors have opened the door for her to travel to Switzerland for a summer internship at CERN, and she's earned several awards for poster presentations at national conferences. Her parents are Chris and Joyce Deutsch.

The University of Alabama honored a man and a woman of the graduating class and a non-student who have been helpful to and associated with the University. Malik Rashaun Seals received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for excellence of character and service to humanity. When Seals' mother was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 2011, he was rocked to his core. Everything about his life changed that day and the Columbus, Mississippi, native found himself drawn to research and medicine. Now, as a biological sciences major on a pre-med track, he seeks to become equipped with the skills he needs to eradicate MS. He's already presented at the largest North American conference for MS, Americas Committee for Treatment and Research in Multiple Sclerosis, and has been published in the Journal of Neurology. He will be attending graduate school with the intent to study microbiology and immunology in his pursuit to advance his scientific foundation to continue studying MS and neurodegenerative diseases. In his time at UA, he's served as president of National Pan-Hellenic Council, vice president of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc., assistant team leader for the Center for Service and Leadership, on the SGA's Diversity, Equity and Inclusion cabinet and as the University's first Movember Student Ambassador, a role in which he raised awareness about men's mental health, suicide prevention, prostate and testicular cancer. He said he tries to live with the constant awareness of the work that needs to done at UA and in the community. His mother is Danyell Smith and his father is Derrick Seals. Alexus M. Cumbie, of Birmingham, was the other student recipient.

The University of Alabama honored a woman and a man of the graduating class and a non-student who have been helpful to and associated with the University. Alexus M. Cumbie received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for excellence of character and service to humanity. Cumbie, a Birmingham native, is an influencer. In 2019, she was named one of Birmingham's most promising natives to invest in by the Birmingham Times, honored as the Southeastern Region's New Soror of the Year by Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc., was named the recipient of the Greer Marechal Memorial Prize for her published healthcare research, "Why Negro Bodies Dodge a Southern Sun," and was selected by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation to serve as an intern on Capitol Hill for the second time as a legislative and press assistant with the office of Congresswoman Terri Sewell. The political science and business management major is president of UA's NAACP chapter, president of InterVarsity Christian Ministries, director of SGA's Black Student Leadership Council, vice president of the Anderson Society and a member of the honor societies Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, The Carl A Elliott Society and Rho Lambda. She's also a member of the 31st Order of XXXI, which recognizes the most influential women at the Capstone based on their distinguished character and significant contributions to the University, state and nation. Outside of her leadership roles, Cumbie is a poet whose work has been published in the American Library of Poetry. She uses poetry as a tool to help increase literacy rates in the South through an organization she created called Literary Vibes. Her parents are Cathleen and Kennard Cumbie. Malik Rashaun Seals, of Columbus, Mississippi, was the other student recipient.

A total of 12,050 students enrolled during the 2019 fall semester 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.

Emma Mansberg, a University of Alabama student from Memphis, Tennessee, recently received the Horizon award. The award is presented annually to a young person who demonstrates "outstanding vision and hope in promoting social justice, equality and peace."

Student fashion designs hit the runway for the 10th annual Fashion for Life on Nov. 24 in The University of Alabama Ferguson Center Ballroom. The show offered designers from the College of Human Environmental Sciences an opportunity to share their collections in front of friends, family and members of the community while raising money for Tuscaloosa DHR Children's Christmas Gift Fund. "Fashion for Life is the culminating experience for our senior students studying apparel design in the department of clothing, textiles and interior design," said Brian Taylor, instructor of apparel design. "This year we have 16 designers showing, each with a unique sense of style and point of view. The collection development process and fashion show experiences mimic what students will encounter once entering the apparel industry." In this year's show, designers have been inspired by their own personal experiences in life. Fashions will incorporate sustainability, size inclusiveness, cultural backgrounds and model diversity among other themes. "I'm extremely proud of their hard work and excited to see their work displayed in an event that also gives back to the community," said Taylor.

Fifteen graduate students at The University of Alabama will compete for a chance to win scholarships and monetary awards in the finals of this year's Three Minute Thesis. The UA Graduate School hosts the competition. The finals will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 11, at the Bryant Conference Center. The event is free and open to the public. Developed by The University of Queensland, the competition challenges graduate students to present a compelling talk on their thesis or dissertation topic, explaining its significance using language appropriate to a nonspecialist audience, in three minutes. The audience will vote for the People's Choice Award. The scholarships and awards will be used to support the students' research and conference travel. This year's competitors represent an array of academic departments and disciplines. The competition also serves as a professional development exercise that gives students the opportunity to clarify and crystallize their research ideas and discoveries while honing their presentation and communication skills.

The big, bold voice of the French horn inspired Matthew Meadows. Now his passion for mastering the instrument has brought him recognition in international competition. When he was in seventh grade in Jasper, Meadows saw an opportunity for a bargain in his school band. He came away with much more -- a life-defining and award-winning passion for playing the French horn. Matthew Meadows performs during a duet with French horn and piano at the International Horn Competition of America. "I actually started on trumpet, and then after the Christmas concert of my seventh- grade year, my teacher asked if anyone wanted to try the French horn," Meadows said. "I decided to try it because it looked cool, and the school owned one so I wouldn't have to rent an instrument. And I fell in love with it." Meadows, now a UA first-year graduate student, won second prize in the university division of the International Horn Competition of America in September in Fort Collins, Colorado. He rose above more than 100 other musicians competing at his level to make the final four. And he did it playing an instrument whose sound inspires him.

The 2019 University of Alabama Homecoming Court was selected Oct. 22 in a student election. A total of 10,352 votes were cast. These students were selected as members of the court: Bryan Covington, a marketing major from Houston, sponsored by the Blount Student Organization. Chloe Maize, a graduate advertising and public relations major from Cleveland, Tennessee, sponsored by the Student Athlete Advisory Committee. Taylor Roberson, an economics and history major from Florence, sponsored by First Fellows. Olivia Rush, a communicative disorders major from Montgomery, sponsored by Alpha Gamma Delta. E'talia Shakir, a mathematics graduate student from San Antonio, Texas, sponsored by Delta Sigma Theta Sorority.

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 Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi is proud to announce the recipients of a 2019 Love of Learning Award. The awards help fund post-baccalaureate studies and career development for active Society members.

A total of 477 students enrolled during the 2019 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 to undergraduate students who take less than a full course load.

The University of Alabama awarded some 1,450 degrees during its spring commencement Aug. 3. With a beautiful campus, dozens of challenging academic programs, expert 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.

More than 220 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 fall 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.

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.

A total of 11,406 students enrolled during the 2019 spring 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.

The University of Alabama awarded some 5,716 degrees during its spring commencement May 3-5. With a beautiful campus, dozens of challenging academic programs, expert 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.

For the second consecutive year, a senior robotics team from The University of Alabama took home a win at an Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers regional conference. Brandon Quinn, Julia Lanier, Trent Whalen, Katie McCray and David Weil, senior computer engineering students, competed at IEEE SoutheastCon 2019 in Huntsville. Six senior computer engineering students won the Student Hardware Competition at IEEE SoutheastCon 2019 in Huntsville. Dr. Ken Ricks, faculty adviser and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, doesn't think any school has ever won twice in a row.

For the fifth consecutive year, the student robotics team from The University of Alabama won NASA's grand prize in its Robotics Mining Competition. Made up of 60 students, primarily from UA's College of Engineering, Alabama Astrobotics won the Joe Kosmo Award for Excellence, the grand prize, in NASA's 2019 robotic mining competition, NASA announced. UA's teams previously placed first in 2012 and from 2015-2018.

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 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.

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.

More than 280 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 summer 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.

Five graduating seniors at The University of Alabama will participate in the National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program. In addition, two students from other institutions will be using fellowships at UA The students are among 2,000 NSF Graduate Research Fellows selected from more than 13,000 applicants to receive financial support for graduate studies.

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.

Morgan Ross, who studied metallurgical and materials engineering at The University of Alabama, received the 2019 Capstone Engineering Society Outstanding Senior Award. A native of Meridian, Mississippi, she earned 10 different scholarship awards and a 4.08 grade point average during her time at UA. Ross was in the University Honors Program and the Randall Research Scholars Program. She became a member of honor societies Tau Beta Pi, The Anderson Society, Mortar Board, Omicron Delta Kappa, Cardinal Key, The XXXI, Alpha Lambda Delta, Phi Eta Sigma and Golden Key International. Ross was named 2018 RRSP Outstanding Junior, 2017 UA Outstanding Sophomore and 2016 MTE E.C. Wright Outstanding Sophomore. In 2017, she won the C.H.T. Wilkins Award for Excellence. During summer 2017, Ross was a research intern with the Army Education Outreach Program conducting thin film studies. She also worked with Dr. Gregory Thompson, UA professor of metallurgical and materials engineering, studying ultra-high temperature ceramics and coatings. Ross has presented her work at seven events during her undergraduate career including the 42nd Annual Conference on Composites, Materials and Structures. "She has been outstanding asset to our department and my research group. She exhibited maturity, professionalism, and dedication in both the classroom, evident by an excellent GPA, and accomplishments in the lab," Thompson said. In 2018, she earned first place in the UA System Casting Competition and first-place oral presentation at the UA Systems Conference. At the 2018 Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference, Ross came in first in the College of Engineering category and second in the Engineering, Technology and Energy category. At the Capstone, she served in several leadership positions including secretary of the Materials Advantage/American Foundry Society, vice president of STEAM Alabama, professionalism committee head of RRSP, middle school outreach chairman of the Society of Women Engineers, vice president of involvement for University Stewards, and a student instructor in Honors Cultural Literacy. Ross was a member of Alpha Chi Omega sorority and participated in the UA Honors Study Abroad Program in New Zealand. She also worked as an assistant to UA President Emeritus Dr. Robert Witt. "She is extremely bright, creative, hardworking and very dependable," Witt said. "I would rank Morgan in the top 1 percent of students I have worked with in my over 50 years in higher education." In 2018, Ross was a summer measurement engineering intern at Corning, Inc. in Hickory, North Carolina. This summer she will intern with Chevron in Mississippi. In the fall, she will return to UA to finish her metallurgical engineering master's degree in UA's Accelerated Master's Program. 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 Order of Omega chapter at The University of Alabama presented awards at its recent annual banquet. Order of Omega is a leadership honor society for members of fraternity and sorority organizations. Order of Omega recognizes juniors and seniors who have exemplified high standards in the areas of scholarship, leadership and involvement within their respective organizations, the campus and the community.

Ten University of Alabama students were chosen as Fulbright Student Award Winners for 2019-2020. "Congratulations to UA's 2019-2020 Fulbright winners and alternates," said Dr. Teresa E. Wise, associate provost for international education and global outreach. "During their year abroad, these leaders of tomorrow are putting into action the diverse and intercultural experiences and education that UA provides." The highly competitive U.S. Student Fulbright Program provides grants for individually designed study and research projects or for English-teaching assistantships to 160 countries. More than 10,000 applicants compete for approximately 2,100 awards each year. "These students have emerged from the national Fulbright competition as the best in the nation," said Dr. Beverly Hawk, UA Fulbright program adviser and director of global and community engagement in the Center for Community-Based Partnerships "They represent our excellence in education to the nation and the world. Through their individual community engagement activities overseas, these Fulbright winners will develop lasting international ties for Alabama and the USA." Sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Fulbright is the largest U.S. international exchange program, offering opportunities for students, scholars and professionals. Alternates may be brought forward to serve at any time should winners be unable to travel to the designated country, or if additional federal funds become available.