While hordes of pre-health students scramble to prepare for medical school interviews and perfect their already polished applications, a University of Alabama senior has taken a different approach to pursuing his passion for medicine. Brian McWilliams, though beginning his third year of college, will graduate this spring with a bachelor’s degree in biology. By the end of his fourth year he will receive his master’s in business administration. He also leads a student organization that ships medical supplies overseas and […]
Category: Service
News about Service
German Professor Receives State Awards
From the July 2014 Desktop News | Dr. Rasma Lazda, associate professor in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics, received two statewide teaching awards this year. She received in February the Outstanding Post-Secondary Teacher Award from the Alabama Association of Foreign Language Teachers. She also received the award in 2003 and was selected from all foreign language teachers working in post-secondary education in Alabama. She also received this year the Dr. Barbara Fischer Education Award from the Alabama Germany […]
Triple Major Finds His Passion in Microfinance
From the 2014 Celebrating Excellence | There’s nothing quite like being a student while also running your own business. As the chief financial officer for Forza, an entirely student-run nonprofit that gives small loans to small businesses, junior Zac Adams wears a lot of hats. He manages a team that maintains Forza’s accounting books, underwrites loans, works with lawyers, and raises the funds that make the loans possible. Tonight, like so many nights last summer, Adams will sequester himself in […]
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Students Win Goldwater, Hollings, Truman Scholarships
From the May 2014 Desktop News | Five College of Arts and Sciences students recently won prestigious national awards, helping UA to rank once again among the top universities with students selected. Of the eight UA students winning awards, two students from the College were named Goldwater Scholars, two were named Hollings Scholars, and one was named a Truman Scholar. Brian Goodell, a chemical engineering and physics major from Plattsburgh, N.Y., and Lynda Truong, a chemistry major from Grand Prairie, […]
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Building New Homes for Tornado Survivors
From the April 2014 Desktop News | More than a dozen students traveled to Moore, Okla., during spring break to participate in tornado recovery. The students worked with Cleveland County Habitat for Humanity to build homes for survivors of an EF5 tornado that struck the areas surrounding Moore in May 2013. It was the deadliest on record in the United States since the Joplin, Mo., tornado in 2011. The Alternative Spring Break trip was organized by UA’s Community Service Center. […]
Lochman Receives Award from American Board of Professional Psychology
From the March 2014 Desktop News | Dr. John Lochman, professor of psychology and the Doddridge Saxon Chair of Clinical Psychology, is the 2014 recipient of the American Board of Professional Psychology’s Distinguished Service Award, given annually to a certified specialist who has made outstanding contributions to the science and profession of psychology throughout his or her career. Lochman is the director of the Center for Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems at UA, where he is actively involved in grant-funded […]
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Instilling a Love of Science
From the February 2014 Desktop News | Pre-health honors students in the College are entering their second semester of leading an after-school science program at Matthews Elementary, where about 45 UA students go twice each week to lead hands-on science experiments. Monica Brint, a junior majoring in biology, started the program – called Discovery Buddies – as a way to expose elementary students to the health profession, reiterate what they learn in class and spark a love of science. So […]
Biology Students Give Back to Toy Drive
More than 300 students in biology classes taught by Drs. Rosianna Gray and Kim Lackey did more than learn about science this semester, they also learned how to give back to children in need. As a result of a combined class toy drive, over 2,500 toys were donated to the Daughters of Isis, the female counterpart to the Prince Hall Shriners, as part of their annual holiday toy drive. According to Gray, the organization was stunned and surprised at the […]
“Roll Tide Recovery” a Success
More Than 100 Volunteers Participate From the September 2013 Desktop News | Three families in the Tuscaloosa area are one step closer to a safe home with the help of more than 100 volunteers from the College of Arts and Sciences. Partnering with Habitat for Humanity of Tuscaloosa, “Roll Tide Recovery” was a community service project to help ongoing Tuscaloosa tornado recovery efforts. The August 24 service day was the result of sophomore Alexis Williams’ winning entry in a “Dean for a […]
Service Learning: Linking Theory to Practice
Students in Dr. Rekha Nath’s philosophy classes posed a difficult question: How do the theories they study apply in the real world? Those enrolled in Nath’s service-learning course, PHL 231 Social Justice in Practice, are finding answers. By working with local nonprofit agencies, students are able to observe for themselves the inherent difficulties and real-life applications of political philosophy as they surface. For example, Ben McCormick, an aspiring doctor, finds a connection between philosophy and his intended career. “I think […]