The University of Alabama

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

Each spring, a group of UA theatre students flies to New York to participate in a showcase known informally as Bama on Broadway. The showcase is designed to highlight students' skill as they perform for an audience that includes Broadway talent agents and often ends with performers signing contracts or being called back for auditions. Students prepare for the showcase by enrolling in a one-hour course designed to ready them for the one-shot performance. In the course, which is offered the preceding fall semester, students work together to find, choose and rehearse material that emphasizes each student's individual strengths.

The University of Alabama's Manderson Graduate School of Business's case team program continues to roll in victories. At the 16th Annual Race & Case Competition on March 1-2, hosted by the University of Denver's Daniels College of Business, the team finished third and collected $2,000. Manderson is within UA's Culverhouse College of Business. Case competitions are invitation-only events where students tackle a complex business scenario and present a solution to two separate panels of judges. This year at Race and Case, participants were asked to recommend breakthrough opportunities that would allow Western Union to accelerate its growth potential in the global money transfer business while taking into consideration the ethical and reputational implications of their recommendations. In addition, each team competed in a timed ski race held in Breckenridge. UA team members are Bryonna Rivera Burrows of Atlanta; John Clary of Knoxville, Tennessee; Everette Dawkins of Mountain Brook; and Smith Hart of Independence, Virginia. Eleven teams were selected to compete. Ninety percent of each team's total score comes from their presentation, and 10 percent comes from the race. For new skiers like Clary and Dawkins, this meant translating their analytical abilities to master Breckinridge's powder. "Race and Case provides an opportunity for us to test our business case strengths while also competing in a fun and light-hearted athletic aspect that brings the best memories," said Burrows, team captain. Quoc Hoang, case team adviser and director of experiential learning at the Culverhouse College of Business, encourages analytic evaluation and vibrant collaboration, which prepares teams for both the cases and the work force. For more information about MBA Case Team, contact Quoc Hoang at qhoang@culverhouse.ua.edu or visit the Manderson website.

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

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

A University of Alabama Hugh F. Culverhouse Jr. School of Law moot court team recently won a national competition in New York, defeating more than 150 other teams and landing UA its first championship in the event's history. The team won preliminary rounds and then defeated William & Mary, South Texas College of Law, Iowa and the defending national champions Northwestern, completing an undefeated run. Team members include Lindsey Barber, of Buffalo, New York; Cory Church, of Greensboro, North Carolina; and Anne Miles Golson, of Montgomery. The team is coached by Mary Ksobiech, assistant dean of students, and managed by Josh Kravec, a second-year law student. In the final round, before a panel of six federal and state appellate court judges, Judge Richard C. Wesley described it as having advocacy better than he had heard in his hearings that day. Of the 28 teams who qualified for the finals, the UA team was the only one comprised solely of second-year law students. The Moot Court Fellows program was started in 2011 to train a team of second-year law students in moot court to improve their success rates in their third year. This is the second time in the last four years that the Alabama Moot Court Fellows team has advanced past regionals to the national tournament. Golson was named the Best Advocate for the tournament. This summer, Barber will work for Baker Donelson and Waller Lansden in Birmingham, Church will work at Bradley Arant and McGuire Woods in Charlotte, North Carolina and Golson will split her summer between Bradley Arant in Birmingham and Jones Day in Washington, D.C.

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

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

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

University of Alabama student Sakina Dhondia has received the 2019 William P. and Estan J. Bloom Award. The award honors a student who has improved relations among different groups. Past recipients have been chosen primarily for improving understanding and supporting interaction among groups for a common cause. Dhondia finds that bringing people together for festivals - or even just coffee - can help UA students connect in ways they can't do alone. Thanks to her work with the International Students Association and as director of cultural experiences and diversity for the Honors College Assembly, she helped put together activities that inspired interaction among the diverse student body of UA, including the International Coffee Hour, the Diwali festival and the Crimson Culture Gala. Dhondia, a finance and economics major, moved with her family from Delft in the Netherlands and now lives in Tuscaloosa. She has served as treasurer, vice president and president of the International Students Association, as well as a design partner for the Design for American project and budget director for Night to Shine, an Honors College initiative that creates a prom-like experience for students with special needs. She also works with the Alabama Transportation Institute. Her parents are Juzer and Rashida Dhondi.

Forza Financial is a microfinance bank built for entrepreneurs. The firm, run by University of Alabama students, offers financial services at both socially and financially sustainable rates to new and existing small businesses with an additional emphasis on financial education. Forza's intent is to build a better Alabama with every loan. Forza was awarded the 2018 Most Outstanding Professional Organization of all the student organizations at UA. It also partnered with Junior Enterprise USA, which is the American branch of the Junior Enterprise Movement - the largest student-run entrepreneurial movement in the world.

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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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/

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.