As one of less than 100 public universities classified by Carnegie Foundation as a very high research institution, The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) has its fair share of students pursuing a degree in the STEM fields. But a surprising number of them are supplementing their education with a more creative pursuit: music. Why music? Well, for one thing, it has a way of lifting the spirits that many other areas of study just can't compete with. Just ask UAH Choir member and accounting major Iya Newsome. "Without music I don't know what I would do because it relates to my everyday life and make me feel better as a person," she says. "It helps me clear my mind and gives me a boost when I'm feeling down." "Music is a joy," adds fellow choir member Dean Gillmore, who recently earned a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering and who is now working on a master's degree in the same field. "There is a feeling when you can get past just singing the right notes and get to the expression that comes not just from the composer but from the people around you."