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Airness

by Chelsea Marcantel

Directed by Amy Guerin

When Nina enters her first air guitar competition, she thinks winning will be easy. But as she befriends a group of charismatic nerds all committed to becoming the next champion, she discovers that there's more to this art form than playing pretend; it's about finding yourself in your favorite songs, and performing with raw joy. Will Nina be able to let go and set herself free onstage? Following her mission to shred or be shredded, Airness is an exuberant reminder that everything we need to rock is already inside us. A comedy about competition, completion, and finding the airness inside yourself. 

Presented by the UAH Theatre Program

Airness Program

Students and Alumni of the Department of Art, Art History, and Design at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) were recently recognized for their creative projects at the American Advertising Awards Gala hosted at the Huntsville Botanical Garden. Overall, UAH presented 13 entries, with 8 winning top awards. Congratulations to all students, faculty, and alumni for their contributions. For questions about the Graphic Design program, please contact art@uah.edu. 

The following students and alumni received awards for their work during the North Alabama American Advertising Gala. 

Kae Partida

Student of the Year 2023-2024

During her internship, Kae produced over 45+ pieces of work with the Village of Promise in Huntsville.

Eden Grimes

Student Best of Show and Gold Award 

Winning Campaign Entitled: Mountain Goat Outfitters

A series of works that spans across many types of media like a Logo, an Ad, and a Cup Graphic Design.

Annie Weaver

Silver Award

Winning Campaign Entitled: 40R THE RECoRD

A series of works that explored a full album cover and support materials.

Notable 5 Bronze Award

Winning Campaign Entitled: When Pigs Fly

A class project

Jacob Daughtery 

Notable 5 Bronze Award

Winning Campaign Entitled: SunRise Mart Japanese Import Store

A series of works that explore extended a project into other media using the same cohesive look throughout a campaign.

Kim Fowler 

Notable 5 Bronze Award

Winning Piece(s) Entitled: Stationary and Product Packaging

A package design with the support of a stationary system.

Recently, Dr. John Mohr of the History Department at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) spoke with journalist Steve Johnson of WHNT News on the importance of teaching all aspects of history, including difficult and sensitive topics. Dr. Mohr discussed how it is important to remember the negative parts of our history so that we can learn to build a better society now and in the future. This conversation was inspired by Black History Month when we celebrate and reflect on the contributions of Black Americans to our shared historical memory.

Click HEREto view the complete interview.

For questions about our Department of History, please email history@uah.edu 

The College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, the Humanities Center, the Department of History, and the Alabama Holocaust Commissionwill host two events in March featuring Dr. Beth Wenger, Moritz and Josephine Berg Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania.

• Sunday, March 3, at 6:00 PM at the Temple B’Nai Sholom located at 103 Lincoln Street SE Huntsville, AL 35801, Dr. Wenger will be presenting “Jews and American Holidays.”The event is free and open to the community. 
• Monday, March 4, at 7:00 PM on the UAH campus in Morton Hall, room 145, Dr. Wenger will be presenting “Antisemitism in American History.” The event is free and open to the community. 

Dr. Beth Wenger holds a BA from Wesleyan University, MAs from Columbia University and Jewish Theological Seminary, and a PhD from Yale University, and she has been teaching at the University of Pennsylvania since 1993. As the 2022 recipient of the Lee Max Friedman Medal for research, teaching, and service in the field of American Jewish Studies, Dr. Wenger is one of the most distinguished scholars of American Jewish history in the United States today.

Dr. Wenger is the author of 3 single-authored books, History Lessons: The Creation of American Jewish Heritage (Princeton University Press, 2010), New York Jews and the Great Depression: Uncertain Promise (Yale University Press, 1996), which won the Salo Baron Prize in Jewish History from the American Academy of Jewish Research, and The Jewish Americans: Three Centuries of Jewish Voices in America (Doubleday, 2007), which she prepared to support the 2008 PBS series The Jewish Americans (for which she served as an advisor), and which was a National Jewish Book Award finalist.

Additionally, Dr. Wenger has co-edited and contributed to Gender in Judaism and Islam: Common Lives, Uncommon Heritage, with Firoozeh Kashani-Sabet (NYU Press, 2014), Remembering the Lower East Side: American Jewish Reflections, with Hasia R. Diner and Jeffrey Shandler, (Indiana University Press, 2000), and Encounters with the “Holy Land:” Place, Past, and Future in American Jewish Culture, with Jeffrey Shandler (Brandeis University Press, 1997), which received honorable mention as one of the American Library Association’s Exhibition Catalogue Awards for Excellence.

Dr. Wenger has also published numerous articles and book chapters, received many fellowships and grants, and served on multiple academic advisory boards and journal editorial boards. In addition, she served as one of the four founding historians for the Weitzman National Museum of American Jewish History in Philadelphia. In 2015, she was elected a fellow of the American Academy for Jewish Research.

For more questions about the event, please contact Dr. Molly Johnson, Associate Professor of History, at johnsonw@uah.edu.

The Department of Music, Theatre, and Film at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) would like to announce that alumni Matthew Gardner (‘17 B.A. Music) has been named the 2023 Outstanding Young Music Educator by the Alabama Music Educators Association (AMEA). Gardner currently serves as the Choral Director at Austin High School in Decatur, Alabama. 

AMEA honors young members who have shown a special dedication to and enthusiasm for music education in Alabama. Named in honor of long-time AMEA and MENC leader Edward H. Cleino, this award recognizes innovative leaders who set high standards for our profession and offer inspiration and direction. Recipients have demonstrated professional and academic growth as music educators, as well as enthusiasm for teaching and a love of music. 

Congratulations on your achievement. For more information on our Department of Music, please contact us at music@uah.edu.

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will host a one-day Executive Summit exploring the opportunities and challenges shaping the future workforce in the digital era.

Journals

• Umeshwarnath Surendanathan, Horace Wilson, Maryla Wasiolek, Khalid Hattar, Aleksandar Milenkovic, Biswajit Ray, "Total Ionizing Dose Effects on the Power-up State of Static Random-Access Memory," IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, vol. 70, no. 4, January, 2023, pp. 641-647. doi: 10.1109/TNS.2023.3236625.
• Md Raquibuzzaman, Aleksandar Milenkovic, Biswajit Ray, "Intrablock Wear Leveling to Counter Layer-to-Layer Endurance Variation of 3-D NAND Flash Memory," IEEE Transactions on Electron Devices, vol. 70, no. 1, January, 2023, pp. 70-75. doi: 10.1109/TED.2022.3224420.
• Maria Pour, Tanzeela Mitha, and Eli Brothers, “A Combined Electronic Position- and Partial Amplitude-Control Synthesis Technique for Sidelobe Reductions in Linear Array Antennas,” IEEE Transactions on Microwave Theory and Techniques, vol. 71, no. 12, pp. 5074-5081, Dec. 2023, doi: 10.1109/TMTT.2023.3288634.
• Matthew Adams and Maria Pour, “A TE-mode Rectangular Microstrip Patch Antenna Excited by a Coplanar L-strip Feed,” Progress In Electromagnetics Research C, vol. 134, pp. 171-180, July 2023, doi: 10.2528/PIERC23030103.
• Tanzeela Mitha and Maria Pour, “Null Steering in Linear Array Antennas with Electronically Displaced Phase Center Dual-Mode Antenna Elements,” IEEE Transactions on Antennas and Propagation, vol. 71, no. 3, pp. 2843-2848, March 2023, doi: 10.1109/TAP.2023.3240311.
• Sai Radavaram and Maria Pour, “A Novel Decoupling Technique for Single-Layered CloselySpaced Patch Antenna Arrays,” Progress In Electromagnetics Research M, vol. 115, pp. 35-44, Jan. 2023, doi: 10.2528/PIERM22120220.
• Nguyen, Van-Dinh and Vu, Thang X. and Nguyen, Nhan Thanh and Nguyen, Dinh C. and Juntti, Markku and Luong, Nguyen Cong and Hoang, Dinh Thai and Nguyen, Diep N. and Chatzinotas, Symeon, "Network-Aided Intelligent Traffic Steering in 6G O-RAN: A Multi-Layer Optimization Framework," IEEE Journal on Selected Areas in Communications, Vol. 1, No. 1, November 2023, pp. 1-16. doi: 10.1109/JSAC.2023.3336183.
• Zhang, Shiying and Li, Jun and Shi, Long and Ding, Ming and Nguyen, Dinh C. and Tan, Wuzheng and Weng, Jian and Han, Zhu, "Federated Learning in Intelligent Transportation Systems: Recent Applications and Open Problems," IEEE Transactions on Intelligent Transportation Systems, Vol. 2, No. 12, November 2023, pp. 1-16. doi: 10.1109/TITS.2023.3324962.
• Pubudu. L. Indrasiri, Dinh C. Nguyen, B. Kashyap, Pathirana . N. Pathirana and Yonina. C. Eldar, "FedXPro: Bayesian Inference for Mitigating Poisoning Attacks in IoT Federated Learning," IEEE Internet of Things Journal, Vol. 3, No. 5, November 2023, pp. 1-16. doi: 10.1109/JIOT.2023.3334298.
• Quy, Vu Khanh, Nguyen Tien Ban, Dang Van Anh, Nguyen Minh Quy, and Dinh C. Nguyen, "An Adaptive Gateway Selection Mechanism for MANET-IoT Applications in 5G Networks," IEEE Sensors Journal, Vol. 23, No. 19, November 2023, pp. 23704-23712. doi: 10.1109/JSEN.2023.3307617
• Aubrey Beal, "Extracting Communication, Ranging and Test Waveforms with Regularized Timing from the Chaotic Lorenz System," Signals, Vol. 4, No. 3, July 2023, pp. 507-523. doi: 10.3390/signals4030027
• XiaoFu Li, Md Shougat, Tushar Mollik, Robert Dean, Aubrey Beal, Edmon Perkins, "Field-programmable analog array (FPAA) based four-state adaptive oscillator for analog frequency analysis," Review of Scientific Instruments, Vol. 94, No.3, March 2023, 035103. doi:10.1063/5.0129365
• Seth Cohen, Casey Fendley, Aubrey Beal, Ned Corron, "Long-Range Pulse Interactions in Unclocked FPGAs," IEEE Access, Vol. 11, pp. 41158-41166, 2023, doi: 10.1109/ACCESS.2023.3269433.
• XiaoFu Li, Aubrey Beal, Robert Dean, Edmon Perkins, "Chaos in a Pendulum Adaptive Frequency Oscillator Circuit Experiment," Chaos Theory and Applications, Vol.5, No. 1, March 2023, pp 11-19. doi:10.51537/chaos.1204481
• Steven Puckett, Emil Jovanov, “ecoSync: An Energy-Efficient Clock Discipline Data Synchronization in Wi-Fi IoMT Systems,” Electronics, 2023, 12, 4226. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12204226
• Robert Joseph Mathews, Emil Jovanov, “Enabling Complex Impedance Spectroscopy for Cardio-Respiratory Monitoring with Wearable Biosensors: A Case Study,” Electrochem, 4(3), pp. 389-410; https://doi.org/10.3390/electrochem4030025, August 2023.
• Yuan Zhang, Deng Fuxiang, Emil Jovanov, Houbing Song, Weisong Shi, Yuan Zhang, Wenyao Xu, “WiLDAR: WiFi Signal-Based Lightweight Deep Learning Model for Human Activity Recognition,” IEEE Internet of Things Journal, https://doi.org/10.1109/JIOT.2023.3294004, July 2023.
• Rahul Bhadani, Ivan B. Djordjevic, “Optimized receiver design for entanglement-assisted communication using BPSK”, Optics Express, 2023, Vol. 31, Issue 24, pp. 39765-39783. https://doi.org/10.1364/OE.496792

Conferences

• Md Raquibuzzaman, Aleksandar Milenkovic, Biswajit Ray, "Hide-and-Seek: Hiding Secrets in Threshold Voltage Distributions of NAND Flash Memory Cells," in the Proceedings of the 15th ACM Workshop on Hot Topics in Storage and File Systems (HotStorage’23), July 9, 2023, Boston, MA, ACM New York, NY, 6 pages. doi: 10.1145/3599691.3603415.
• Saininad Naik and Maria Pour, “A Dual-Band Circular Microstrip Patch Antenna with a Small Frequency Ratio,” in the Proceeding of the 2023 IEEE International Symposium on Antennas and Propagation and USNC-URSI Radio Science Meeting (USNC-URSI), Portland, OR, July 23-28, 2023, pp. 1307-1308, doi: 10.1109/USNC-URSI52151.2023.10237854
• Sai Radavaram and Maria Pour, “A Conformal Wideband Patch Antenna with an Integrated LStrip Feed,” in the Proceeding of the 2023 IEEE SoutheastCon, Orlando, FL, Apr. 13-16, 2023, pp. 712-713, doi: 10.1109/SoutheastCon51012.2023.10115123.
• Mengfei Ren, Haotian Zhang, Xiaolei Ren, Jiang Ming, Yu Lei. "Intelligent Zigbee Protocol Fuzzing via Constraint-Field Dependency Inference." in the Proceedings of the 28th European Symposium on Research in Computer Security (ESORICS 2023). The Hague, The Netherlands, September 25-27, 2023. 20 pages. doi: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-51476-0_23.
• Delores Baker, Aubrey Beal, Laurie Joiner, Tamseel Syed, "A Low-Cost Modified Energy Detection-based Spectrum Sensing Algorithm with GNU Radio for Cognitive Radio," in the Proceedings of SoutheastCon 2023, Orlando, FL, April 14-16, 2023, 5 pages. doi: 10.1109/SoutheastCon51012.2023.10115163.
• Riley Carroll, Lloyd Riggs, Marsellas Waller, Matthew Hartline, Aubrey Beal, "Modeling and Measurement of the Isolation Effectiveness of Inductive Metal Screens," in the Proceedings of 2023 International Applied Computational Electromagnetics Society Symposium (ACES), Monterey/Seaside, CA, March 26-30, 2023, 2 pages. doi: 10.23919/ACES57841.2023.10114764.
• S. Puckett, V. Menon, E. Jovanov, “Embedding Artificial Intelligence into Wearable IoMT Systems,” Keynote speech at Second Serbian International Conference on Applied Artificial Intelligence (SICAAI), May 2023, Belgrade, Serbia.

Books

• E. Jovanov, G. G. Oliveira-Zumda, A. Amiri, A. J. G. Bos, K. Frith, “Assessment of fall risks in older females and males,” in Principles of Gender-Specific Medicine, Marianne J. Legato, Ed., Elsevier, 4th Edition, 2023.

Patents

• Biswajit Ray, Aleksandar Milenkovic, "Systems and methods for improving radiation tolerance of memory," USPTO No. 11762563, September 19, 2023.
• Biswajit Ray, Aleksandar Milenkovic, "Systems and methods for improving radiation tolerance of three-dimensional flash memory," USPTO No. 11728004, August 15, 2023.
• Biswajit Ray, Aleksandar Milenkovic, "Random number generation systems and methods," USPTO No. 11620108, April 4, 2023.
• Seth Cohen, Aubrey Beal, "Target ranging with subsampled noise correlation," USPTO 11733364, August 22, 2023.
• Michael Starkey, Lloyd Riggs, Aubrey Beal, "Waste receptacle," USPTO 11551538, January 10, 2023.
• Emil Jovanov, “Systems and methods for monitoring user hydration,” U.S. 11,678,812, June 2023.

Writing Major Curtis Venetta recently interned at Hville Blast, an organization that produces content concerning businesses, news, events, and more in the Huntsville area. In his own words, Curtis graciously discussed his internship experience and how his College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences education boosted his success.

About the internship:

Working with Hville Blast has been an amazing opportunity. I work with a very creative team every day to produce engaging content that shows off all the exciting happenings in Huntsville. I'm proud to say I've written over 100 articles for our website, and I've seen our social media following increase exponentially in the year I've worked with them.

How my CAHS education helped:

I've been able to apply what I learned in Intro to Journalism, Social Media Marketing, Technical Writing, and Public Speaking to my everyday tasks with Hville Blast. I've learned a lot about newsworthiness, SEO and professional communication.

Thank you, Curtis, for sharing your experience!

About Hville Blast

As described by Hville Blast Content Producer Audrey Johnson, “Hville Blast is a digital media startup covering Huntsville's "good news," like business openings, economic development, events + activities. Our brand places a heavy emphasis on social media in addition to our website, which helps us tap into Huntsvilleians of all ages.”

About the Writing Major

The writing major prepares students for careers in writing-related fields, such as technical writing, publishing, social media consulting, and public relations, and/or for graduate school in rhetoric and composition, communication, creative writing, education, or law. Its curriculum comprises a combination of courses offered by both the English Department and the Communication Arts Department.

On November 14th and 15th, the Department of Art, Art History and Design at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) hosted their annual UAH High School Art Expo. Area high school students grades 10th-12th visited studios and participated in demonstrations. Students were able to see UAH’s painting, drawing, and printmaking studios, as well as our fully equipped sculpture studio, including a foundry and 3-D printers. Students visited our amazing digital photography, graphic design, and animation labs with the latest technology, as well as our darkroom, for traditional, historical, and experimental techniques. 

In addition to the tours and workshops, the Department of Art, Art History and Design also hosted the Art Expo Competition. Students were invited to submit artwork in a variety of mediums for a chance to win award prizes and scholarships. 

2023 Art Expo Competition Award Winners: 

Best in Show:

Sarah Brolliar

“Self-Vision”

St. John Paul II Catholic High School

Teacher Award:

Ms Lindsay Nicholls

St. John Paul II Catholic High School

Award for Excellence (Second Best in Show):

Alyssa Herrington

“Space Cadet Kita”

Brewer High School

Honorable Mention:

1st Place

Laura Hamilton

“Apotelesma”

Buckhorn High School

2nd Place

Brooke Fierro

“Pillowcase on a Clothesline”

St. John Paul II Catholic High School

Painting:

1st Place

Taylor Simpson

“Camera Aquarelle”

Boaz High School

2nd Place

Tyler Schwartz

“Still Life with Tangerines & Roses”

Buckhorn

Works on Paper:

1st Place

Sarah Beth Bouvier

“Misty Wolf”

Boaz High School

2nd Place

Ethan Smartt

“Am I Dead?”

Buckhorn High School

Photography:

1st Place

Ashley Cole

“Nature”

Buckhorn High School

2nd Place

Wesley Rupert

“Summerville Steam Special”

Buckhorn High School

3D, Mixed Media:

1st Place

Izzy Kanaday

“Atelophobia”

Brewer High School

2nd Place

Debora Turner

“Curiouser and Curiouser”

Buckhorn High School

Digital Media and Design (Game Design, Animation, Created Digitally):

1st Place

Vaughn Alsobrook

“Calling Card: Issac the Dog”

Buckhorn High School

2nd Place

Luna McCostlin

“Reunited”

Bob Jones High School

Photos from the Exhibit and Awards Ceremony

For questions about our Department of Art, Art History, and Design, please contact us at art@uah.edu. 

What kind of work have you done since graduating with your sociology degree?

I have not yet held a paid position related to sociology, as I am currently in grad school (online through the University of Alabama) getting my master's in social work. Upon graduation and licensure, I hope to work in the medical field with geriatric populations. I'm interning at a hospice agency this semester in Huntsville, Alabama, and loving it! This summer, I was able to complete an internship with a community organization in the Alphabet City neighborhood of the Lower East Side of Manhattan. This is an underserved area with a long history of drugs and crime, but passionate residents are slowly but surely transforming it into a beautiful, diverse hub for local restaurants, art, music, and family life. Even so, thanks to NYC's housing crisis, there is a fairly large community of people in this neighborhood who have no place to call home and don't know where their next meal might come from. This summer, I got to have a small part in distributing free meals and clothing to some of these individuals and providing a listening ear to weary people who just need to be heard and valued.

How have you used the skills and knowledge you learned in the UAH sociology program in your career?

In my internship this summer, I interacted almost daily with unhoused people, people with severe mental illnesses, as well as immigrants brand new to this country who often spoke little or no English. It's easy to make assumptions about the background or motives of people who are in these types of situations, assumptions that usually aren't at all accurate to someone's life story. Based on the knowledge I gained in my UAH SOC classes like "Race & Ethnicity", "Social Problems," and "Social Psychology," I was able to view these people's circumstances more holistically and understand the societal issues preventing them from improving their situation. I believe these classes directly contributed to my level of compassion and grace in my interactions with these people.

What have been some of the challenges and rewards of working in your field?

Compassion fatigue is real. It's hard to be in a place as big, diverse, and overwhelming as New York City and feel like anything you're doing is making a real difference for someone. Even in a smaller city like Huntsville, the sheer weight of other people's problems and needs can really weigh you down. It's vital to practice self-care and have people you can lean on, both loved ones and a professional counselor. At the same time, those moments where you make a real connection with someone and get to see how you've helped them are priceless. In New York, I was the only person at my organization who spoke any French, which ended up being a very helpful skill with some West African immigrants we were assisting. I had studied French in high school and had never had an opportunity to really use it until now! Recently at my hospice internship, I was able to sing a handful of old hymns out of a hymnal a patient had in his bedside table. I grew up on those old songs, and my patient's face absolutely lit up hearing songs he probably hadn't been able to hear or sing in years! Those moments are worth pushing through all the feelings of helplessness or inadequacy.

How has your training in sociology impacted your life outside of work?

I have been blessed with a diverse group of friends from many different cultures and walks of life. I believe strongly that without my sociology degree, I would not be as curious and thoughtful about other cultures and belief systems as I am now. Through my sociology classes, I learned that people do not make decisions in a vacuum. There are always outside factors working for and against them, many of which are not immediately obvious to the casual observer. I know that my sociology training has made me a better, more thoughtful, and compassionate friend.

What inspired you to major in sociology?

I originally began my undergrad career as a Communications major because I like people, I like to talk, and I'm a decent writer, so it seemed fitting. However, after talking to my academic advisor (shout out to Jana Savanapridi who is unfortunately no longer at UAH!) sometime during my freshman year, I realized my communication skills and love of people could help me be a great social worker or counselor, so I switched to double major in sociology and psychology. I've always had a curiosity about how people interact and maintain a society, and also about mental processes and the relationship with the self, so soc/psych was a perfect combo for me!

What was your favorite sociology class? Why?

It wasn't necessarily a pleasant class given the extremely heavy subject matter, but "Race & Ethnicity" with Dr. Jennifer Sims truly changed my life. It informed me and provided a different perspective on many issues I had never really sat with and considered. As a white woman, there was so much I just didn't know about the lived experiences of people of color and their treatment in the United States and throughout the world. It was very sobering to learn, and I always left that class with a lot to think about, but I loved the way Dr. Sims taught and the good discussions we had in class.

What advice would you give current sociology students at UAH, both for their time in college and for life after graduation?

Take advantage of everything the university has to offer. If you have time in your schedule, do something outside your major, especially something that will keep you active or let you be creative. I took volleyball, ladies self defense (HIGHLY recommend!!), yoga, and ballroom dance, and spent two semesters in the UAH concert choir. I was also involved in a campus ministry and was able to lead worship and plan events there and make some of the best friends I've ever had. Taking an elective or joining a student org you're interested in is a great way to make new friends and get out of your comfort zone. Also, don't be afraid to approach your professors! The UAH sociology profs are truly some of the best on campus and really want you to learn and succeed in and out of class!

As far as post-grad life, remember that you are on no one's timeline but your own. You don't need to chase the same job or promotion or life path as everyone else. Be confident in what you have chosen and work hard at everything you do. Remember that most college friendships are not forever, and you will find your people along the way. The world is about to open up for you, be open to whatever's coming. Best of luck!