The University of Alabama

A total of 11,347 students enrolled during the 2018 spring 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 undergraduate students who take less than a full course load.

The University of Alabama Robotics team became the first UA robotics team in school history to win the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers SoutheastCon Hardware Competition. Seven electrical and computer engineering students represented UA at the 2018 regional conference held recently in Tampa, Florida. The UA team competed against 50 teams from across the southeast region. "We were thrilled to hear 'The University of Alabama' when the winner was announced," said Dr. Kenneth Ricks, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering and robotics team faculty adviser. "These students worked very hard and represented UA in a first-class manner. I was very happy they were able to win the championship." Over the past eight years the team from UA has consistently been in the top 10 of this competition. This year's results mark the first time UA has won the entire competition. "The UA team is by far the most consistent team year in and year out, but until we got over the hump it doesn't mean much," Ricks said. "Finally, in 2018 the team was able to break through and win it for the very first time to show the southeast region that UA has an outstanding program and the College of Engineering is capable of winning it all and sustaining that success over a long period of time." The goal of the competition is for each team to build an autonomous robot that is capable of solving a series of tasks. This year's competition was pirate themed. The robots had to navigate their way through a pirate ship while completing tasks like turning a wheel to raise a pirate flag, going down a plank while avoiding water, and loading a treasure chest on the robot and returning it back to the ship. The competition was set up into three rounds with the teams having to complete the tasks in under five minutes. Every team competed in the first two rounds and then the top four teams at the end of round two competed in a final round to decide the winner. The UA team completed each round in under 46 seconds. "I felt an amazing sense of relief and pride when we were announced the winners. Leading up to and at the conference we really pushed ourselves and our robot to the limit," said Tommy Gonsewski, a senior from Eufaula, Alabama. "We competed with the mentality of representing ourselves, Dr. Ricks, and the University in the very best way possible. I really feel lucky to have been a part of this team." The six electrical and computer engineering students that competed along with Gonsewski are: Will Bounds, senior from Delmar, Maryland. Patrick Dunleavy, junior from Western Springs, Illinois. Nick Rodriguez, senior from Atlanta. Hunter Foster, senior from Birmingham. Nick Hohs, senior from Kenosha, Wisconsin. Daniel Zahn, senior from Raleigh, North Carolina.

A new participant in the national Advanced Vehicle Technology Competition Series, The University of Alabama student team finished the four-year program strong, racking up several awards. The UA team in the EcoCAR 3 program, a competition among North American universities to design and construct an advanced, energy-efficient vehicle, placed first in several contest categories including ride quality, communications presentation and the most creative outreach event. To go along with those awards, Haley Loftis, project manager of UA's team and recent STEM MBA graduate from Kansas City, won the Spirit of Project Management award.

The University of Alabama's Interfraternity Council was recently honored with an Award of Distinction by the North-American Interfraternity Conference. The UA Interfraternity Council was the recipient of the NIC's Council Award of Distinction for developing a safe, healthy and meaningful fraternity experience for it officers, member chapters, community and campus.

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 recently recognized determined students who endeavor to empower their community. These students received SAL (Service & Leadership) Awards. The awards honor the contributions of campus organizations as well as individuals to service and leadership within and outside of the UA community. These are the highest honors that can be bestowed on student organizations and individuals in regards to campus leadership and service. They are hosted by Student Involvement, The SOURCE, the Center for Service & Leadership, Safe Zone, the Capstone Heroes Committee, and the Office of Fraternity & Sorority Lif e.

Nearly 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 summer 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.

Students at The University of Alabama who competed in a NASA robotics contest came away with the top prize again, making it four straight years for the team from UA to win. Alabama Astrobotics took the top prize at the NASA Robotic Mining Competition, besting student teams from more than 50 other institutions in the challenge to build a robot capable of navigating and excavating simulated Martian soil, or regolith. Made up of about 65 students from across eight disciplines including engineering and computer science, Alabama Astrobotics is the only team to win more than once in the nine-year history of the NASA contest, placing first in 2012, 2015, 2016, 2017 and, now, 2018. "Our team is just like a football team, you have seniors who graduate at the end and you have new people coming in at the beginning, so every year it's a completely different team," said team lead and electrical engineering student Max Eastepp. "For us to be successful this year says a lot for this team and says a lot for how we adapt to new challenges each year." Eastepp, a native of New Orleans, Louisiana, said teamwork is critical as students worked from July through the contest this month to design the robot and tackle the new problem NASA presented this year. Contest organizers revised the rules and rubrics this year to reflect the discovery that water ice is prevalent throughout the Red Planet. The challenge is to mine the precious icy regolith, simulated with gravel in the contest, since water ice will provide oxygen, water and fuel for future off-world colonists. What that meant for the contest, though, is no points were awarded to teams for digging the top foot of regolith. Teams earned points for collecting the gravel 12 inches below the surface. The robot built by the UA students mined the most gravel of any team in the contest. UA's robot mined more of the gravel than any other team in the contest, with many teams failing to mine any gravel. Also, Alabama Astrobotics was the only team with a robot that competed entirely autonomously, meaning the robot used computer programming to guide itself, mine and deposit the soil and gravel without any directions from students during the contest. The team placed first in five out of nine categories that included mining, autonomy, systems engineering paper, efficient use of communications power and outreach reports. In all, the students won $11,000 for use on next year's robot. Dr. Kenneth Ricks, team adviser and associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, said the team's consistent success comes from a culture of sticking to a plan - meeting deadlines, testing thoroughly before competition and paying attention to detail. "We know what needs to be done and when it needs to be done," he said. "If our students buy into that process, they know they will have opportunities to be successful." The team received funding from the Alabama Space Grant Consortium, NASA, Dynetics, Fitz-Thors Engineering, Crank N Chrome and the University.

The University of Alabama's Career Center announces that staff members Chris McGee and Jarrod Stisher have received the Outstanding Undergraduate Student Award from UA's Division of Student Life, recognizing students' exceptional service to constituents. McGee and Stisher were recognized at the division's meeting May 3. https://career.sa.ua.edu/2018/05/career-centers-mcgee-stisher-get-division-of-student-life-honor/

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.

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.

With cheers of "Go, Bailey, go!" coming from a crowd of children, engineering students from UA gave a special needs child at Inverness Elementary School in Birmingham a car he can drive himself. The six students adapted a toy ride-on car for Bailey Harris, a kindergarten student at the Shelby County school who was born with physical challenges. The car, which Bailey can control with his feet, allows him to move around at recess with classmates.

SummerTide, The University of Alabama's professional summer theater, presents the musical comedy "Pump Boys and Dinettes" in June at the George C. Meyer Performing Arts Center in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The "'Pump Boys" sell high octane on Highway 57 in Grand Ole Opry country. The "Dinettes" -- Prudie and Rhetta Cupp -- run the Double Cupp diner next door. Together they fashion an evening of country-western songs that received raves on and off-Broadway. With heartbreak and hilarity, they perform on guitars, piano, bass and kitchen utensils. The production will run from June 1 to 29 at the theater in Gulf Shores. Performances are at 8 p.m. Tuesday-Sunday. For more information, go to https://theatre.ua.edu/box-office/.

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 has inducted a new group of students into its chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. Founded on December 5, 1776, The Phi Beta Kappa Society is the nation's most prestigious academic honor society. It has chapters at 286 colleges and universities in the United States, 50 alumni associations, and more than half a million members worldwide. Noteworthy members include 17 U.S. Presidents, 39 Justices of the Supreme Court of the United States and more than 130 Nobel Laureates. The mission of The Phi Beta Kappa Society is to champion education in the liberal arts and sciences, foster freedom of thought, and recognize academic excellence. UA's chapter was founded in 1851. Students are elected to membership on the basis of outstanding academic achievement in the liberal arts and sciences.

For the 2018-2019 competition period, 15 University of Alabama students have been selected for Fulbright Awards. The University of Alabama is a nationally ranked Top Producer of Fulbright Student Award Winners.

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

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

The overwhelming cyclical nature of this world can lead one to feel as though they are descending into madness. We repeat ourselves, ending up in the same place and unable to stop. From the individual to the masses, we struggle to find our place and voice within this revolving carousel that is life. "Carousel" calls to mind this question: Are we to remain mindless cogs or can we redefine our place in this seemingly inescapable structure? The University of Alabama's Crimson Stage presented Grace Kurosaka's "Carousel" in April at Morgan Auditorium.

The University of Alabama's Creative Campus presents a gallery installation, "(un)Wrapt: New Arts Research by Creative Campus Fellows." The installation will open at The University of Alabama Gallery located in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in downtown Tuscaloosa Friday, May 4, from 5-8 p.m. and will remain at the gallery through May 15.

The Omicron Delta Kappa Society is the national leadership honor society for college students, faculty, staff, administrators and alumni that recognizes and encourages superior scholarship, leadership, and exemplary character. Membership in ODK is a mark of the highest distinction and honor. Omicron Delta Kappa recognizes and encourages achievement in scholarship; athletics; campus or community service; social and religious activities; campus government; journalism, speech and the mass media; and creative and performing arts.

The Anderson Society is a leadership honorary that recognizes students who have made significant contributions to The University of Alabama. Twenty-four students are accepted each year; and seven honorary memberships are awarded to faculty and graduating seniors. While these contributions often take many forms, there are certain qualities of members of the Anderson Society that are prominently and ubiquitously found -- an immersion into some sort of community service, passion for improving the university community through both explicit and implicit means, and persistent effort to attain excellence in some sphere of university life. Once an Anderson initiate, members are expected to continue to devote themselves to service, some directly under the auspices of the Anderson Society, but much more individually.

Blue Key is a premier honor society that recognizes college students for balanced and all-around excellence in scholarship, leadership and service.

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

Mortar Board is the premier national honor society recognizing college seniors for superior achievement in scholarship, leadership and service. The University of Alabama's Hypatia Chapter is one of the oldest chapters in the nation. Only a select few students on each campus are invited to join this esteemed society. Mortar Board members are presented with the opportunity to join a diverse group of students from different disciplines and interests.

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.

Beat Auburn Beat Hunger is an annual student-run event that was created by The University of Alabama's Center for Service and Leadership and the West Alabama Food Bank in 1994. During the six weeks leading up to the Iron Bowl, the food drive unites UA students, faculty, staff, alumni and Tuscaloosa and Northport community members to help fight hunger and poverty in West Alabama. In competition with Auburn University and the Food Bank of East Alabama, Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger challenges both institutions to collect the most food and monetary donations to help their local food bank. This good-natured competition has made an impact that reaches far beyond the campuses where it began. Since its inception, Alabama and Auburn have combined to raise 6 million pounds of food for Alabamians in need.

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.