UAB Honors College Annual Report (2018-2019)

S E T YO U R WORLD ON FIRE

2018-2019 ANNUAL REPORT

FROM THE DESK OF DEAN SHANNON BLANTON, PH.D.

 OPENING NIGHT OF THE NEW STUDENT RETREAT. STUDENTS GATHER IN SMALL GROUPS FOR COMMUNITY BUILDING.

“This year the Honors College experienced tremendous growth and success, and we exceeded our expectations...”

The 2018-2019 academic year has continued our ongoing trend of breaking records, engaging our students through vibrant academic and enrichment opportunities, and helping students succeed in achieving their goals.

The Honors College is expanding, and for the fifth year in a row we exceeded our prior enrollment record, starting the fall semester with 2,029 honors students. Our many faculty, staff, and community partners significantly contributed to the education and enrichment of our students, and we are forever grateful to have them as part of our Honors College family. With the support of other academic units on campus, we offered 141 sections of honors classes, providing students a stimulating learning environment where they connected with each other and our exceptional professors. Our Honors Faculty Fellows program has also grown and represents a variety of academic disciplines through unique methods of enrichment. Covering a range of topics including sustainability, mindfulness and meditation, and the cultural significance of hip-hop, our Faculty Fellows provided students with field trip opportunities, intellectual discussions, and opportunities to learn outside of the classroom.

Our student leaders are vital to the success, growth, and development of the Honors College, and their efforts are critical to supporting and nurturing our Honors family. The Honors College Leadership Council (HCLC), SMART (Student Mentoring and Retreat) Leaders, and Honors Ambassadors demonstrated exemplary leadership, service, and mentorship to the Honors community this year. The HCLC provided many opportunities for students to learn from professors and mentors through a professional development series, organized social events for our Honors students, and made an impact on the surrounding community through volunteer efforts. Our Honors Ambassadors met with potential honors students and their families, providing the personal connection characteristic of our Honors family. Our SMART Leaders helped plan and execute the Honors New Student Retreat that takes place at the start of each academic year to welcome our incoming students.

This year the Honors College experienced tremendous growth and success, and we exceeded our expectations as our students embodied our Honors mission to “Set Your World on Fire.” On behalf of all the Honors faculty, staff, and students, I am delighted to celebrate all of the many accomplishments outlined in this year’s annual report.

Warmly,

Shannon L. Blanton, PhD Dean, UAB Honors College

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Honors College Facts + Figures

TOTA L E N R O L L M E N T

ENROLLMENT BY HONORS CURRICULUM

2,029 S

T

U

D

E

N

T

S

52 Different Majors Pursued

by Honors Students

6

21%

1, 482

Students on the Personalized Pathway

547

Students in Specialized Programs

Individually Designed Majors

Out-of-State Students

Enrollment Inand Out-of-State

146

79% In-State Students

Honors Students Pursuing Double Majors

32

4

DE

LA

NC

220

213

Students in Global and Community Leadership Honors Program

Students in Science & Technology Honors Program

Students in University Honors Program

Honors

TN

States Represented

FL

MA

NJ

TX

GA

MD

NY

UT

AL

IL

MI

OH

VA

AR

IN

MN

OK

WA

CA

KS

MO

PA

WI

CO

KY

MS

SC

WV

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114

Non-Honors

9 0. 9 %

64.3%

8 3 .6 %

7 8 .7 %

31.2%

54.3%

Freshman Retention Rate UAB Overall: 81.9%

Four-Year Graduation Rate UAB Overall: 38.2%

Six-Year Graduation Rate UAB Overall: 59.1%

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t NEW HONORS STUDENTS PARTICIPATED IN TEAM BUILDING AT OAK MOUNTAIN STATE PARK

Experiential Learning LEARNING BY DOING Connecting learning in the classroom to experiences in the wider world is a key element of our honors curriculum. Through research, community service, leadership, and study abroad, we challenge students to apply what they learn in class to effecting change in their communities and producing new knowledge.

New Student Retreat

City As Text™ During the New Student Retreat,

Students are immersed in experiential learning from day one during the New Student Retreat. Honors students move in early and participate in a four-day orientation involving community service, team-building, and exploration.

the Honors College utilized City As Text to engage students in structured, interdisciplinary exploration of the people, architecture, culture, and demographics of Birmingham. This curriculum tasked new students with investigating, documenting, and discovering Birmingham, giving them a deeper understanding of the city’s culture and history.

 NEW HONORS COLLEGE STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN THE DAY OF SERVICE

BY CLEANING WAGONS AT CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL

they welcomed 80 students from Hale and Pickens Counties to campus. Each honors student took 10 visiting students on a campus tour and encouraged them to pursue their academic interests and career goals.

National Conference on Undergraduate Research

Day of Service In 2018-2019, the Honors College partnered with 14 different community organizations, including the Cyber Seniors program at Collat Jewish Family Services.

Honors students offered local seniors instruction on how to use electronic devices and other technology. This provided a much-needed service for the seniors and an immersive, multi-generational experience for both student and senior.

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Service-Learning Throughout the year, the Honors College offered many courses with a service learning component.

This spring Dr. Josie Prado from the School of Education offered an honors seminar on Alabama’s Black Belt. The Black Belt, once famous for its rich soil, now includes some of the poorest counties in the

country. Students in Dr. Prado’s class traveled with GEAR UP Alabama to mentor students in Montgomery, Butler, and Wilcox Counties. In April,

This year the Honors College sent 66 students to NCUR, which was held April 10-13 at Kennesaw State University in Kennesaw, Georgia. This was a record number of students for UAB and was also the most academically diverse group of students, with 51 from STEM fields, seven from social sciences, five from public health, and three from humanities.

Presidential Summer Fellowship

 NEW HONORS COLLEGE MEMBERS BREAK OUT

With support from the Office of the President, the Honors College Presidential Summer Fellowship allows students to pursue mentored research projects and creative endeavors over the summer.

Each student receives a stipend. Twenty-six students participated in the Presidential Summer Fellowship program in 2018-2019. A few of the projects are highlighted on the next page.

IN SMALL GROUPS TO EXPLORE BIRMINGHAM, GAINING KNOWLEDGE OF ITS HISTORY, FOOD AND CULTURE

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PRESIDENTIAL SUMMER FELLOWSHIP PROJECTS Project Proposal Excerpt: “I gathered data for Dr. Reuter’s book, Disability Rights as Human Rights: Understand the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

Students spent the summer engaged in research and service projects throughout Birmingham and the state. Their hard work embodies UAB’s mission to provide “knowledge that will change your world.”

in International Law. My role was to analyze how Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) and Disabled Persons Organizations (DPOs) got involved in the preparation and implementation of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), how they continue to be involved in the implementation process, and what kind of challenges they face.

The project examined the growing importance of civil society actors such as NGOs, DPOs, regional actors, and individual persons with disabilities first-hand.

The study also allowed me to examine whether the shift from the “medical model” to the “social model” has either benefited or hindered DPOs and NGOs in the realm of global governance and international law.

To find answers to these questions, I collected data by conducting interviews with representatives of NGOs, DPOs, and other experts alongside Dr. Reuter at the United Nations Headquarters in New York City.”

Kerri Tang, Public Health Project: Visual-Spatial Memory and Child Pedestrian Injury Risk Mentor: Dr. David Schwebel, Psychology

Zahrah Abdulrauf, Neuroscience

Stephanie Diei, Biomedical Sciences



Project Proposal Excerpt: “Pedestrian injuries are a

PSF STUDENTS

between members. I also incorporated mental health

leading cause of pediatric mortality and morbidity in the

CELEBRATE THE

education and proper self-care techniques during

United States and the rest of the world. The causes of

COMPLETION OF

group therapy sessions. Group therapy sessions

pedestrian injury are varied, but the child’s behavior

were held three days a week for an hour and thirty

plays a major role. Children are often at risk for pedestrian

minutes in a comfortable and confidential environment.

injury compared to adults because their cognitive-

Project: “‘...And You Can Too!’ Picture Book Series”

Project: Enhancing Mental Health Education and Coping Mechanisms

Mentor: Kerry Madden-Lunsford, Creative Writing

Within the Homeless Community

Project Proposal Excerpt: “This series aims to depict young minority

Mentor: Dr. James Kilgore, Clinical Diagnostic Sciences

children pursuing their interest in various stem fields—from introducing

Project Proposal Excerpt: “Within Birmingham and areas of Jefferson

Each week I also had the opportunity to work with a

perceptual-motor skills are underdeveloped. Much

a young audience to research and the scientific method in the first

County, homelessness increased 145% from 1987 to 2005. In addition

licensed counselor in a group therapy session which

of the focus on child pedestrian research has been

book, “Amy Finds An Answer,” to featuring a little girl delving into the

to poverty, mental illness has been extremely prevalent within the

provided excellent training for the group therapy

placed on improving these cognitive skills, but the field

medical field in the fourth book, “Larissa Saves a Life.”

homeless community whether in the form of PTSD, schizophrenia,

sessions I facilitated.”

still has a poor understanding of which skills are most

After doing research into early childhood development and

THEIR STUDIES WITH UNIVERSITY LEADERSHIP

depression, anxiety, or other conditions. The inaccessibility to proper

realizing the impact a lack of positive representation of protagonists

mental health treatment and inability to recognize these disorders

from minority backgrounds in children’s books has on a child’s

by mistaking them for other common health problems are inhibiting

perception of themselves and the world around them, and discovering

factors that prevent the homeless from getting appropriate treatment.

only 22% of children’s books featured protagonists of color, I decided

The goal of my project was to help the men at Firehouse Shelter

critical for training purposes. In particular, little is known

Tyler Goodwin, Political Science

about the role of visual-spatial memory in pedestrian injury risk among children. My ongoing research with the Youth Safety Lab (YSL) at UAB has produced new

Project: Assessing the Role of Non-Governmental

preliminary evidence for a statistically significant

to actively work towards filling this content gap by creating and

develop safe and healthy coping mechanisms for their mental illnesses.

Organizations in International Governance: A Case

correlation between low visual-spatial memory and

publishing literature to help kids see their interests and ambitions

This included determining if sharing experiences and discussing

Study of Disabled Persons Organizations

child pedestrian safety, and that finding forms the

positively reinforced by the media they consume.”

their daily stressors in a group could eliminate stigma and form unity

Mentor: Dr. Tina Reuter, Institute for Human Rights

basis for a follow-up study during the summer of 2019.”

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Dr. DeReef Jamison

Honors Faculty Fellows THE JOY OF LEARNING Every student should have the chance to learn simply for the sake of learning.

Thanks to our Honors Faculty Fellows program, our students have many chances to explore ideas outside of their major and, in many cases, beyond the walls of a lecture hall or laboratory.

This year, honors students had opportunities to learn while paddling along the Black Warrior River, making music with hip-hop artists, and telling stories to a live audience. This is the mission of our Honors Faculty Fellows program: to take students into the world to explore complex subjects, discover new ideas, and see issues from different perspectives.

Honors Faculty Fellows are full-time UAB faculty members who design projects to pique intellectual curiosity and give students the chance to discuss ideas–not for grades or academic achievement—but for the pure joy of learning.

Jamison conducted four seminars exploring the theme “Through the Prism of Hip-Hop,” which explored gender, sexuality and critical and global consciousnesses within the genre. He invited local hip-hop artists to participate, and he even shared some of his own creations.

Dr. Sami Raut Raut, a biologist who specializes in environmental toxicology, presented a series of active discussions on environmental protection laws and policies. She also sponsored documentary viewings, field trips, and seminars in collaboration with UAB Sustainability.

Dr. Kristine Hurst-Wajszczuk Hurst-Wajszczuk shared mindfulness and meditation strategies she discovered while researching performance anxiety to help students learn to pause, reduce stress, improve sleep habits and experience other benefits that come from being present in the moment.

Dr. Mieke Thomeer Thomeer helped students develop their storytelling skills, both to tell their own stories and to coach others in sharing theirs. In partnership with Arc Stories, Thomeer hosted a series of workshops on campus and coordinated group excursions to local storytelling events.

Dr. Brynn Welch Welch hosted a series of monthly meals titled “Arguing about Life, Love and Laws,” during which she engaged students on topics such as climate change and paying for college, prepared them to consider conflicting views in order to make personal decisions, and helped them navigate relationships with others and sustain a functional, civil society.



Students received funding to study and conduct research in 10 countries.

THREE HONORS STUDENTS RECEIVED THE

GOLDWATER SCHOLARSHIP: (FROM LEFT TO RIGHT) BARAA HIJAZ, HOLLY ROBINSON, GARRETT SAGER

G H OO NL ODRWS AR TE NE OR V AST CI OHNO L A R S H I P

W I N N E R S

Fellowships & Scholarships 26 UAB students received nationally-

“For something crazy to happen, you need the holy trinity: Be bored. Be broke.

Be a little ignorant. Luckily for me, I was all three.” 

MEL EBELING, A JUNIOR NEUROSCIENCE MAJOR,

PARTICIPATED IN DR. THOMEER’S PROGRAMMING AND SHARED HER STORY AT A LOCAL ARC STORIES EVENT

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

competitive research fellowships, study

ABIGAIL FRANKS, UDALL

abroad scholarships, and postgraduate

SCHOLARSHIP RECIPIENT

scholarships. Another eleven students

CATEGORY

IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL

received funding through the NIH. U D A L L

7

3

2

Honors Students Received the Clinton Scholarship

Honors Students Received the Benjamin Gilman Scholarship

Honors Students Received the Fulbright Scholarship

S C H O L A R S H I P

Abigail Franks has been selected for the Udall Scholarship. Of the 443 students who were nominated nationwide for the Udall this year, 384 applied in the Environmental category. Thirty eight were selected in this group—including Franks.

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2019 Medallion Ceremony On April 26, we gathered for the annual Honors College Medallion Ceremony at The Club. More than 500 students and family members attended the ceremony.



PICTURED ABOVE AND TO THE LEFT:

HONORS GRADUATES AT THE CEREMONY AND CELEBRATING WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY AT THE CLUB

H O N O R S C O L L E G E P O ST- G R A D UAT I O N S U R V E Y

12

51

17

46

11

73

28

4

2

30

Medical School

Other Professional School

Master’s Program

Doctoral Program

Employment

Seeking Employment

Service Program

Military

Gap Year

2 0 1 8 | 2 0 1 9 E d it io n

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2018-2019 DONORS

H O N O R S R E N OVAT I O N B R E A K I N G

The UAB Honors College will be moving from Heritage Hall to the old Snoozy’s building at 1321 10th Avenue South.

The Honors College has grown exponentially in recent years, necessitating a new physical space for learning and community building. Groundbreaking is expected to take place mid-summer 2019. Building completion goal is Fall 2020.

The building will have approximately 11,000 gross square feet of new classroom space, individual and group study spaces, faculty and staff office, administrative and support spaces, and a large academic commons area. The Spencer Honors House will remain an integral part of the UAB Honors landscape.

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G R O U N D

S U M M E R

O F

2 0 1 9

Ms. Zahrah Nimata Abdulrauf Mr. Seif H. Abu-Khajeel Ms. Sarah J. Adkins Dr. Anjali Tagare and Dr. Anup Agrawal Ms. Joan Albert Mr. Adam R. Aldaher Mr. Ernald Jules G. Aloria Mr. Kevin J. Anderson Ms. Deborah L. Anderson Mr. and Mrs. Russell G. Barakat Ms. Courtney A. Barkley Ms. Nishita N. Baxi-Shah Ms. Kaitlyn A. Beauchamp-Holder Dr. Zsuzsanna Bebok Dr. and Mrs. Theodore M. Benditt Mr. and Mrs. David M. Bentley Ms. Erin H. Blankenship Shannon L. Blanton, Ph.D. and Robert G. Blanton, III, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. James B. Brashear Ms. Taylor D. Marquis Britton Mr. Cosby V. Burnet Dr. and Mrs. Robert O. Buse, M.D. Mr. Zachary D. Bush Ms. Rachel Cabaniss-Hackworth Ms. Madelyn L. Cantu Mr. John C. Carr Ms. Katherine L. Cassidy Mr. John R. Chandler Ms. Kelly M. Chandler Dr. and Mrs. K.M. Dinesh Chandra Mr. and Mrs. Steven E. Chappell

Ms. Rhonda Childress Lacey Langston Clark, M.D. and Stephen Forest Clark, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Anthony L. Colafrancesco Ms. Helen T. Conover Dr. Sharon J. Cook and Mr. Steven Cook Ms. A. Jill Cooley Dr. Jennifer Crisp, Ph.D. Mr. Joshua B. Curtis Mr. Brant Davidson Mr. and Mrs. Jon Davies Mr. and Mrs. Demetrius Davis Mr. Kenneth B. Davis Jorica De Jesus, M.D., and Dante De Jesus, M.D. Laura B. Debiasi, D.N.P., and Marcus O. Debiasi, D.D.S. Ms. Shannon J. Denny Mr. Brent M. DeSilva Ms. Sandra M. Dietz Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence W. Dill Dr. and Mrs. Joel H. Dobbs Dr. and Mrs. Alan W. Eberhardt Ms. Sara E. Engler Mr. Nathan C. Ennis Ms. Rachel A. Fairbanks Ms. Kathleen B. Farley Mr. Naveed Q. Farrukh Ms. Catherine Ritchey Fecanin Mr. and Mrs. Joel B. Flatt Mr. George W. Floyd Ms. Aleksandra M. Foksinska Ms. Ginger A. Fountain Mr. and Mrs. Jeffrey G. Franklin Mr. and Mrs. Kevin R. Fredelake Ms. Rebecca Osborn Freeman Mr. James E. Friedman Dr. and Mrs. Murali K. Gadde Mr. David M. Gahan Dr. Andria N. Galloway, Pharm.D. Dr. Jayachander Gangasani, Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Dennis A. Gard Ms. Maegan P. Gates Dr. Jennifer L. Ghandhi, Ph.D. Ms. Juliet Ghandhi Dr. and Mrs. David Good Mr. Charles T. Goodwin Mr. and Mrs. James Gotham Dr. and Mrs. David H. Guan Mr. and Mrs. Vikram Gunda Ms. Poh Y. Guthrie Ms. Emily E. Haanschoten Mr. William D. Haselden, Jr. Dr. and Mrs. Larry W. Hawk, Jr. Ms. Sandra L. Henley Dr. and Mrs. Stephen K. Holland Mr. and Mrs. Richard B. Hollingsworth Mr. Douglas W. Howse, III Ms. Qili Huang Ms. Molly Hurley-Depret Dr. and Mrs. Zahid Husain Mr. Zachariah M. Ingram Ms. Kellie J. Isbell and Mr. Mark E. Ragan

Mr. and Mrs. Yukio Ito Ms. Joanne S. Jacob Ms. Debra A. Jeglum Dr. Qiuchen K. Jiang, M.D. Mr. David C. Johnson Mr. David R. Johnson Dr. Karmie M. Johnson, D.N.P. Ms. Ashley M. Jones Mr. Wael R. Joseph Ms. Jenna Justice Mr. Beom C. Kim Mr. and Mrs. Song K. Kim Mr. and Mrs. Glen D. King Ms. Briauna S. Knott Dr. and Mrs. John Knox Mr. and Mrs. Mark A. Kollman Mr. Konnor A. Kuhlmann Dr. Yuehua Lin, Ph.D. Dr. Ada White Long, Ph.D. Mr. Michael K. Longmire Ms. Lisa Luechtefeld Austin M. Luker, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Eric G. Mackey Mr. and Mrs. A. Kiffen Madden-Lunsford Dr. Linda K. Mancillas, Ph.D. Dr. and Mrs. Joe L. March Dr. James C. Martin and Dr. Kathleen A. Martin Ms. Raegan G. Mathis Dr. Diana McCutcheon and Mr. Thomas McCutcheon Ms. Sara W. McDaniel Dr. Carl E. McFarland, Jr., Ph.D. Mr. and Mrs. Timothy T. McWilliams Mr. Daniel A. Mendoza Mr. Azim M. Merchant Mr. Timothy N. Mills Mr. Zachariah P. Moseley Dr. Cheryl Moser and Dr. Stephen Moser Mr. and Mrs. Michael J. Mover Ms. Alicia M. Mulqueen Donna L. Murdaugh, Ph.D. and Andrew M. McDonald, M.D. Mr. and Mrs. Stephen Naylor Dr. Aaron T. Neal, D.Phil.

Ms. Hayley P. Nichols Mr. and Mrs. Gregory Northway Ms. Cerissa L. Nowell Dr. and Mrs. Peter V. O’Neil Mr. Joseph W. Olson Ms. Kristin M. Olson Annamalai Padmanaban Ms. Meena Palanisamy Mr. Dhruv P. Patel Mr. and Mrs. David M. Pelliccio Dr. Frank N. Perkins, IV, M.D. Ms. Ingrid G. Pfau Mr. and Mrs. Richard W. Powell Mr. Sakar Prasain Dr. Sasanka Ramanadham Ms. Surabhi V. Rao Mr. and Mrs. Scott A. Raybuck Mr. and Mrs. Scott A. Reuschel Ms. Scarlett M. Ridley Mr. and Mrs. Ivan Rogers

Mr. Jose A. Roman Mr. Garrett C. Sager Dr. and Mrs. Mahomed Y. Salame Ms. Leah Sanchez Dr. Daniel T. Sandlin, M.D. Ms. Anamaria Santiago and Mr. Kenton Kennedy Mr. and Mrs. Mike Shirley Mr. and Mrs. Philip Simon Ms. Janice L. Simons Ms. Ruhinder Singh Mr. Jacob L. Skiles Dr. and Mrs. Steven C. Smith Mr. and Mrs. Lofton D. Smith Mr. Matthew M. Smith Ms. Sidni E. Smith Ms. Cynthia Sprader Ms. Ashleigh M. Staples Mr. Ote A. Staton Dr. Connie R. Stockham and Mr. Richard J. Stockham, III Mr. and Mrs. Russell W. Strong Ms. Abbie C. Sumners Dr. Elizabeth E. Sztul, Ph.D. Mr. Logan T. Talbot Ms. Alexia N. Terrell Ms. Tina Tian Mr. and Mrs. Ethan D. Tipps Ms. Ashleigh M. Tomkovich Ms. Marlee K. Townsend Dr. Linh C. Tran, D.M.D. Ms. Marina K. Triplett Dr. Diane C. Tucker and Mr. Mark Hobson Ms. Anna C. Tyson Mr. Kaustubh N. Udipi Dr. Natasha Varma, D.M.D. Ms. Bijal G. Vashi Ms. Ella M. Von Canon Ms. Alexa K. Wade Dr. and Mrs. George S. Waits, IV Eleanor B. Wallace, M.D., and Eric L. Wallace, M.D. Mr. Daniel C. Walls Mr. and Mrs. Jelai Wang Ms. Kelly M. Watson Ms. Jennifer R. Weikard Mr. and Mrs. Marcus M. Weinstein Ms. Elizabeth A. Wetheral Ms. Angela Whiten Dr. and Mrs. Dewey R. Wilhite Ms. Annette M. Williams Dr. Mary B. Williams and Mr. Frederic H. Wagner Dr. Edward L. Wills, Ph.D. Ms. Alice B. Wilmer Alabama Section American Chemical Society Birmingham Math Academy, LLC Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies Southern Regional Honors Council The Stockham/Ray Foundation Drs. Cynthia Owsley and Michael Sloane

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