The University of Alabama

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

The University of Alabama has inducted 41 students into its chapter of Phi Beta Kappa. UA recently inducted 43 College of Arts and Sciences 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.

The University of Alabama department of art and art history announces the student exhibitors who were selected for the 2017 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition during April at the Harrison Galleries in Tuscaloosa. "From works on paper and canvas to experiments in digital animation, sculpture, printmaking and ceramics, the 2017 Annual BFA Juried Exhibition represents a broad cross-section of creative production from students in the BFA program at The University of Alabama," said Pete Schulte, UA assistant professor of drawing, who coordinated the annual exhibition. "This annual event provides the viewing public with a unique opportunity to see firsthand a variety of contemporary art practices, as well as the work of some most dynamic and creative students the university has to offer." The exhibition featured Bachelor of Fine Arts candidates whose work has been selected by UA studio faculty jurors. All UA undergraduate art majors who passed the review for the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree were eligible to enter the competition. The Bachelor of Fine Arts degree is the professional degree for the artist; it is also the foundation for the masters program in studio art at UA. The annual juried event seeks to give BFA students the chance to compete and exhibit their work while still in school, rather than at the end of their tenure, providing art students more opportunities to exhibit and participate in art events before graduation. For more information about the BFA degree and other degree programs in the department of art and art history, go to http://art.ua.edu/academics/undergraduate-programs/babfa-in-studio-art/ or contact the department at (205) 348-5967.

The Holle Award for Excellence in Public Speaking is awarded to UA's Will Sansoucie, whose persuasive speech on the importance of preparing for retirement displayed excellent talent in speech writing and delivery. The award is accompanied by a $10,000 cash prize. The awards are designed to celebrate and reward student achievement in the areas of creative transformation, filmmaking, media writing, public speaking and screenwriting. The Holle Awards are named for Brig. Gen. Everette Holle, a1950 graduate of The University of Alabama, who served as an announcer, director, writer and producer during his 40-year career at NBC 13.

Five University of Alabama computer science seniors and members of the Association for Computing Machinery UA student chapter started a hacking competition this semester that they hope will become a yearly event. CrimsonHacks is a hackathon, or a weekend-long invention challenge. The 24-hour event took place on the third floor of the Ferguson Center, starting at 1 p.m. March 25 and ending at 1 p.m. March 26.

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

The National Board for Certified Counselors Minority Fellowship Program's Foundation recently selected Kenya G. Bledsoe, a UA doctoral student in the counselor education and supervision program, for its Minority Fellowship Program.

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.

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

Five University of Alabama students have received Boren Scholarships for the study of languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad. Boren Scholarships, an initiative of the National Security Education Program, provide funding opportunities for U.S. undergraduate students to study less commonly taught language in such regions as Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East. Boren Scholarship recipients represent a vital pool of highly motivated individuals who wish to work in the federal national security arena. In exchange for funding, Boren Scholarship recipients commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation. Amounts range from $8,000 for a summer program to $20,000 for six-to-12 months of study.

The University of Alabama has welcomed the 11th cohort of Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars to campus. The Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship program was established at UA in 2006. Since then, the Coca-Cola Foundation has donated $3 million to support first-generation scholars at UA. The scholarship provides $5,000 a year, renewable for four years, provided that recipients maintain a 3.0 GPA. The program also provides a strong support structure for the scholars. Since 2006, the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship Program boasts a freshman-to-sophomore retention rate of 100 percent and a graduation rate of 90.1 percent. Graduates of the program have gone on to medical school, law school and graduate school and have found employment in their chosen fields. Each year, scholars participate in individual meetings with the program coordinator, attend cultural and academic enrichment activities and participate in service projects.

Rising senior Sommer Hallquist, a double major in art history and anthropology with a minor in French, has been offered one of eight highly competitive summer internships at the Metropolitan Museum of Art Cloisters Museum in New York.

Photographs by UA graduate student Celestia Morgan are featured in the new exhibition, "Contemporary Alabama Photography," at the Mobile Museum of Art. Curated by Richard McCabe, curator of photography at the Ogden Museum of Southern Art in New Orleans, the exhibition shows the work of 11 emerging, mid-career and established Alabama photographers who interpret Alabama's identity, culture and history in their images. Images from Morgan's MA exhibition, "Passage," were chosen by McCabe to be in the show. Morgan said that she is honored to have her work featured among such great photographers, who include Pinky Bass, April Dobbins, Michael Meads and Jerry Siegel. "It's a unique experience, and I say this because I know so many another artists who could have represented Contemporary Alabama Photography in this exhibition," Morgan said.

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.

For the 2017-2018 competition period, 14 University of Alabama students have been selected for Fulbright Awards. This year's total sets a record number of awardees for UA in the prestigious international exchange program. Five University of Alabama students and alumni received Fulbright Awards for research and study during the 2017-2018 academic year. Nine 2017 graduates received Fulbright Awards to serve as English teaching assistants overseas for the 2017-2018 academic year.

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, and 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-five 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.

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 vastly different disciplines and interests.

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

Three University of Alabama students in the Culverhouse College of Commerce were recognized as ambassadors at the SAS Global Forum 2017 in April in Orlando, Florida. A fourth is a student scholarship winner. The SAS Student Ambassador program is a competition designed to recognize students using SAS software to benefit their respective fields of study. SAS provides business analytics software to corporations. In the competition, students submit a data project they completed; SAS judges select those for presentation at the conference. Students receive free travel and lodging at the conference. The ambassadors from UA are: Huan Li, Taylor Larkin and Caroline Bell. In addition, Alexandra DeKinder is a student scholarship winner. Their faculty mentor is Dr. Denise McManus, professor of management information systems and director of UA's Institute of Business Analytics.

A University of Alabama graduate student in the Culverhouse College of Commerce was recognized at the SAS Global Forum 2017 in April in Orlando, Florida. Cameron Jagoe, a master's student in UA's Decision Analytics program, was featured in the main opening session of the forum. He discussed his work in data analytics, which involves SAS, UA and US Bank. More information on Jagoe's work with UA and SAS may be found here: https://www.sas.com/en_us/insights/articles/analytics/university-of-alabama-student-lands-dream-job-with-help-from-sas.html A video of his presentation may be found here: http://video.sas.com/sasgf17/detail/videos/most-popular-videos/video/5382699791001/developing-the-next-generation-of-analytics-leaders?autoStart=true

The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program has selected four University of Alabama students as Goldwater Scholars for 2017-2018. From 2007 to 2017, UA is No. 1 in the United States for Goldwater Scholars with 31. Harvard is second with 29. UA is one of only four institutions - along with Stanford, Princeton and Iowa State - to have as many as four nominees selected this year. In addition, 2017 is the third time in the past seven years that UA has had all four nominees selected for this award. The scholarships cover the cost of tuition, fees, books, and room and board up to a maximum of $7,500 a year for up to two years. The Goldwater Foundation is a federally endowed agency established by Public Law 99-661 on Nov. 14, 1986. The scholarship program honoring U.S. Barry Goldwater was designed to foster and encourage outstanding students to pursue careers in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering.

Three students who have created a comprehensive, online gift profile service recently finished third and won $2,000 to advance their startup company at the Aldag Business Plan Competition at The University of Alabama.

The founders of Food Drop, a web-based grocery delivery system, finished in second place and won $3,000 to advance their business at the Edward K. Aldag, Jr. Business Plan Competition on March 31 at The University of Alabama.

Three students at The University of Alabama won first prize and $5,000 in the Edward K. Aldag, Jr. Business Plan Competition on March 31. The three students are founders of NeuroPress, which plans to license NASA technology to measure intracranial pressure to better detect and treat concussions, particularly for sports leagues and the military.

A student start-up business at The University of Alabama won the $50,000 grand prize at the Edward K. Aldag, Jr. Business Plan Competition on March 31. Three UA students formed KuLVAX, a start-up company that has created a more efficient cooling process for the transportation of life-saving vaccines, particularly in developing countries that have unreliable access to ice and electricity.

Justin Magrath of Mandeville, Louisiana, has received the 2017 Dr. Catherine J. Randall Award, one of The University of Alabama's Premier Awards. The award recognizes the most outstanding student scholar at UA based on GPA, rigor of course study, and extraordinary scholarly or creative endeavor; applicants may come from any academic program of study, as scholarly and creative activities from within all majors will be considered for this award. The Premier Awards are the top individual honors for scholarship, leadership and service at UA .

Charlotte Watters has received the 2017 John F. Ramsey Award, which honors students with broad humanistic interests who have exerted a positive influence on his or her contemporaries. The Ramsey Award is part of UA's Premier Awards - the top individual honors for scholarship, leadership and service.

The William P. Bloom 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. This year's recipient is Lillian Roth of Montgomery. The Bloom Award is part of UA's Premier Awards - the top individual honors for scholarship, leadership and service.

Two University of Alabama students have received the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award for 2017. The award honors one man and one woman of this academic year's graduating class as well as one non-student. The recipients of the award have demonstrated the highest standards of scholarship, leadership and service. The Sullivan Award is part of UA's Premier Awards - the top individual honors for scholarship, leadership and service.