Category: Awards

News about Awards


Ellen Spears Wins Buford Peace Award

From the June 2016 Desktop News | Dr. Ellen Griffith Spears, an associate professor in New College and the Department of American Studies, is the 2016 winner of the Buford Peace Award. Tony D. Walker, a UA School of Social Work alumnus, established the award in 2002 to honor Lahoma Adams Buford, and each year it is given to a faculty member who has been highly involved in mediating human disputes, helping overcome prejudice, promoting justice, and establishing peace. “The Buford […]

Read More from Ellen Spears Wins Buford Peace Award

UA Researchers Receive NSF Grant to Study Everglades’ Greenhouse Gases

From the June 2016 Desktop News | Drs. Gregory Starr and Christina Staudhammer, professors in the Department of Biological Sciences, along with collaborators from Florida International University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service recently received $834,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue their study of greenhouse gases in the Everglades. They will specifically look at how changes in fresh- and sea-water levels are affecting the balance of carbon-dioxide and methane emissions in the Everglades. “Historically, the Everglades were a […]

Read More from UA Researchers Receive NSF Grant to Study Everglades’ Greenhouse Gases

English Professor Wins 2016 Mark Twain Award for Midwestern Literature

From the June 2016 Desktop News | Michael Martone, a professor of English and creative writing, was selected as the winner of the 2016 Mark Twain Award for Distinguished Contributions to Midwestern Literature. Martone, author of more than 25 books and anthologies, joins such past Mark Twain Award recipients as Gwendolyn Brooks, Ted Kooser, and Philip Levine. “I feel really good about the award,” he said. “It came out of the blue. I had no idea people were thinking about […]

Read More from English Professor Wins 2016 Mark Twain Award for Midwestern Literature

Students Receive Truman, Hollings, and Fulbright Awards

From the June 2016 Desktop News | Each year students from the College of Arts and Sciences prove themselves nationally, and with two Truman scholars, two Hollings Scholarships, and four Fulbright Awards, this year is no exception. Fulbright Awards The highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually-designed research projects or for English-teaching assistantships. More than 11,000 applicants compete for approximately 1,500 awards each year. The program, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, is the largest U.S. […]

Read More from Students Receive Truman, Hollings, and Fulbright Awards

Scholarships Matter: Hudson Kelley Aids in Humanitarian Relief

Senior Hudson Kelley will be returning to UA in the fall to pursue a Master of Public Administration degree.

From the May 2016 Desktop News | Scholarships Matter is a series of stories highlighting students in the College of Arts and Sciences who have received and been impacted by scholarships. The student featured in this story is the recipient of two University-wide scholarships and five College-wide scholarships, the Louise and John Baker Scholarship, the Charles Grayson Summersell Memorial Scholarship, the MarLa Stephenson Sayers Endowment Scholarship, the Lee David and Florence Black History Scholarship, and a scholarship through the Endowed Collegiate […]

Read More from Scholarships Matter: Hudson Kelley Aids in Humanitarian Relief

Geologist Receives NSF CAREER Award to Study Volcanic Lightning

Dr. Kim Genareau saw this explosion first hand at the Santiaguito volcano in Guatemala.

From the May 2016 Desktop News |The National Science Foundation selected Dr. Kimberly Genareau, an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, for a CAREER Award, which will support five years of volcanic lightning research with more than $430,000. The multi-year award funds both basic research and the development of educational materials for children. Genareau will lead experiments to observe the chemical changes that occur in volcanic ash when struck by lightning by performing a series of triggered lightning […]

Read More from Geologist Receives NSF CAREER Award to Study Volcanic Lightning

Distinguished University Research Professor Honored with Burnum Award

Dr. Arunava Gupta

From the May 2016 Desktop News |Highly-regarded for his research, Dr. Arunava Gupta, Distinguished University Research Professor, is this year’s recipient of the Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award, one of the highest honors bestowed on professors at The University of Alabama. Gupta, who holds a joint appointment in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences and College of Engineering and is associate director of UA’s Center for Materials for Information Technology, is widely known for his expertise in investigating thin films and […]

Read More from Distinguished University Research Professor Honored with Burnum Award

Musician Recognized Internationally

From the 2016 Celebrating Excellence | When Cynthia Simpson was 10 years old, she had no intention of becoming a professional musician—and certainly not a professional French horn player. She was in fifth grade at the time, and her father was the band director at her school. He needed horn players, so she played horn. She couldn’t have guessed that 15 years later, as a graduate student at The University of Alabama, she would be ranked the second best French […]

Read More from Musician Recognized Internationally

Dancers Awarded Summer Scholarships to Top Jazz Institution

From the April 2016 Desktop News | Three UA dance majors will spend an entire month this summer dancing in Chicago at Gus Giordano Dance—one of the best dance institutions for jazz training. “Gus Giordano is one of the oldest and largest institutions for training dancers in the professional world,” said Cornelius Carter, the director of UA’s dance program. “When a student is able to attend a school of this caliber, it really gives them the opportunity to be viewed […]

Read More from Dancers Awarded Summer Scholarships to Top Jazz Institution

NSF Dissertation Grant Being Used to Conduct Research at Moundville

Erik Porth will be analyzing these ancient sherds from Moundville in order to learn more about the civilization's social structures and decline.

From the April 2016 Desktop News | Despite the extensive excavations that have been done at the Moundville Archaeological Park since 1939, Moundville’s decline—and its social organization—are largely shrouded in mystery. But with the help of a $9,000 grant from the National Science Foundation, University of Alabama doctoral student Erik Porth and his dissertation adviser, Dr. John Blitz, are hoping to uncover some of the secrets. “Social organization doesn’t fossilize,” said Blitz, a UA professor in the Department of Anthropology. […]

Read More from NSF Dissertation Grant Being Used to Conduct Research at Moundville