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Dr. Stephen Waring, Professor Department of History.

Photo Credit Jenny Clifton

American Astronautical Society (AAS)has awarded its Eugene E. Emme Award for Astronautical Literature to Dr. Stephen Waring, Professor of the UAH History Department and Dr. Brian C. Odom.  Both received the award for editing NASA and the Long Civil Rights Movement (University Press of Florida, 2019).

NASA and the Long Civil Rights Movementexamines the manner in which the endeavors of the space administration interacted with, and were impacted by, the struggle for equality taking place within the United States at the same time. Continuing a trend that began with Hidden Figures by Margot Shetterly, NASA and the Long Civil Rights Movement explores the manner in which groups sought to use opportunities presented by America’s developing space program to advance their cause, while facing significant opposition from entrenched constituencies. An especially timely work in light of the nation’s current vigorous discourse regarding racial matters, the book allows the reader to see how a scientific and technological venture can have ramifications far beyond the seemingly limited scope of that project.  

To place the subject of civil rights into the context of the American space program, Odom and Waring asked a number of noted scholars from a wide variety of fields to write essays for inclusion in their volume. These contributions range from an examination of the difference in attitudes about civil rights found in Huntsville, Alabama in the 1960s as opposed to the views held in other parts of the state, to the efforts of Congressmen Charles C. Diggs Jr. and Charles Rangel to end discrimination in NASA facilities around the globe. Organizing the essays into four sections—New Frameworks, Southern Context, International Context, and Broader Context—Odom and Waring have succeeded in demonstrating how great triumphs in the space program had effects on American society that the nation is still grappling with in the twenty-first century. Odom and Waring begin their work with a Foreword from Jacquelyn Dowd Hall on the significance of the subject of equality vis-à-vis the American space program, and end with a conclusion by Jonathan Coopersmith in which he argues the case for continuing to examine the history of the subject while the people involved in these endeavors are still with us. Containing a number of photographs and illustrations that will help the reader engage with the material covered, NASA and the Long Civil Rights Movement serves as an illustration of how astronautics had an impact far beyond the space capsules and satellites that were the most obvious manifestations of the space program that the nation takes such great pride in.

The annual Eugene M. Emme Astronautical Literature Awards, named for NASA’s first Historian, recognize outstanding books that advance public understanding of astronautics. They reward originality, scholarship and readability.  Anyone, including authors and publishers, can submit a title for consideration. In addition to obvious topics of human spaceflight and unmanned interplanetary explorations, nominated titles may also cover related subjects such as astronomy and cosmology, as well as the occasional non-astronautics title that has a space “flavor." The award is managed by the History Committee of the AAS. 

Award information provided by the American Astronautical Society 

Dr. Robert Thomson Sociology Course White Collar Crimes

Photo Credit UAH/Michael Mercier

The Department of Sociologyopens their special topics course White Collar Crime in the Spring of 2021. The course is led by Dr. Robert Thomson, Assistant Professor, whose research is focused on crime, religion, and social inequality. 

White Collar Crime will examine topics like embezzlements, fraud, negligence, environmental dumping and even political crimes like voter suppression and fraud from sociological and criminological perspectives. 

The class begins with understanding and defining “White Collar” crime. Dr. Thomson says, 

“It's a bit challenging to define. It's almost easier to say what it is not because back when people were just starting to study [criminological] terminologies they were focused on things like robberies, burglaries, assaults, and homicides. It's the kind of crime you know and read about by police submitted reports of individuals with low status in the system fabric. As you might expect these theories sort of overemphasize the rule of poverty that plays in creating crime. It was not until we started studying crime that came about from high status positions, that we came into the field of white collar crime.” 

White collar crime is defined by the types of jobs held by these individuals including clerics, doctors, lawyers, politicians, and business managers. Dr. Thomson describes white collar as  “the on quote “respectable people” but also the people that learned to manipulate the systems...So today we usually use the term occupational crimes. These are crimes committed by organizations and corporations and by political entities like the government and of course you know politicians themselves.”

The class will explore current events and topics ripped from the headlines. COVID-19 has produced a lot of opportunities for fraud including price gouging, scams about vaccines and cures, and reports of unsafe working conditions. Students will also dive into the Mueller investigation, concerns within the 2020 election, and the on-going possible links between Russia and politicians within the U.S. Students will also take on historical cases including Jim & Tammy Faye Bakker, Enron, and Watergate.

Dr. Thomson describes the importance of studying white collar crime, “It is often more costly to society than street crime both in terms of money obviously, but also lives lost. Corporate negligence and environmental crimes are responsible for far more deaths every year in society than homicide and far more injury than assault.”

The special topics course is open to all students. Sociology and psychology students will be interested in the course because it deals with issues of power and inequality. The examination of political crimes will be of large interest to those studying political science or interest in attending law school.  Lastly, business students will find great interest in uncovering corporate and finance crimes. 

For more information on the course view the short interview with Dr. Robert Thomson on the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences Youtube Channel. For questions about the course, please contact soc@uah.edu 

The University of Alabama in Huntsville, a part of The University of Alabama System, announced the 2020 Foundation Staff Awards. The recipients this year are Maryann Bierer, Computer Science, Staff Excellence Award; Irma Johnson, Facilities & Operations, Staff Excellence Award; Michele Kennedy, Academic Affairs, Leadership Recognition; and Jana Savanapridi, College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences, Staff Excellence Award.

Pictured Dr. Chinelo L. Njaka and Dr. Jennifer Sims with Bookcover 

Photo Credit Paul Wright

UAH Assistant Professor Dr. Jennifer Patrice Sims has won the 2020 Stanford M.  Lyman Distinguished Book Award for her co-authored book Mixed-Race in the US and UK: Comparing the Past, Present, and Future(Emerald Publishing, 2020). The award is given annually by the Mid-South Sociological Association (MSSA) to “honor MSSA members whose recently published work makes a significant contribution to the field of sociology.”

The Association held its annual conference virtually October 14-17. Dr. Andrea Hunt, Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of North Alabama and Chair of this year’s Book Award Selection Committee, presented the award at a virtual ceremony Friday evening. Dr. Hunt noted that six books were nominated this year, which she said is the largest amount received in the last several years. She described the 2020 nominations as “very very competitive. The scores were very close. In fact, there was a 0.28 difference between the first and second place scores.”   

Speaking of Dr. Sims’ Mixed-Race in the US and UK specifically, Dr. Hunt quoted one member of the Selection Committee as saying the book “helps to open an emerging area in the study of race and demography and has created a new and interesting area for social scientists that will guide research for decades.”

Drawing on original data collected by Dr. Sims and her co-author, UK-based scholar Dr. Chinelo L. Njaka, Mixed-Race in the US and UK focuses on the census, racial identity, civil society, and everyday experiences at the intersection of race, gender, class, and sexuality. A methodological discussion of qualitative cross-national research practices is included at the end. The book is the second in Emerald Publishing’s Critical Mixed Race Studies series, and it is also the second to be recognized for excellence. Last year, the first book in the series, Black Mixed-Race Men: Transatlanticity, Hybridity and ‘Post-Racial’ Resilienceby Dr. Remi Joseph-Salisbury, won the British Sociological Association’s Philip Abrams Memorial Prize for the best first and sole-authored book within the discipline of sociology.

“I was so happy when Remi won the BSA book award last year,” Dr. Sims said, “And now for my and Chinelo’s book to be recognized by MSSA, it’s just so wonderful for the book series and for sociological research on mixed-race populations in general.” At Friday night’s virtual awards ceremony, Dr. Sims and Dr. Nkaja thanked the committee for the recognition of their work and expressed how honored and excited they were to receive to the award.

Dr. Sims has a BA from Hampton University, an MA from Vanderbilt University, and a PhD from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, all in Sociology. She has authored several peer reviewed journal articles on topics of race, perception, and identity and has presented her research at regional, national, and international conferences. Since arriving at UAH in 2017, her research and teaching have been featured in media such as The Washington Post, Psychology Today, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and WHNT News 19 Huntsville.

For more information on the Department of Sociology and the research of Dr. Jennifer Sims, please contact soc@uah.edu. 

Spring 2021 jury details coming soon.

Fall 2020 Jury Policy

In accordance with health and safety guidelines as well as university protocols for end-of-term remote instruction and online final exams, the Department of Music will administer Juries for Fall 2020 in a remote format.

 Fall Juries will be video recorded and submitted electronically by December 5, 2020.

1. Jury content/repertoire is at the discretion of the instructor in consultation with the student.
2. Accompaniment is encouraged but not required.
   1. Students may use a pre-recorded accompaniment (karaoke-style).
   2. Students may use a live accompanist.
      1. Masking and distancing requirements must still be observed.
      2. Be aware that the campus closes on November 20 for the remainder of the semester. Thus, Roberts Hall facilities and equipment are not available for use after this date.
3. Students may elect to perform without accompaniment.

Video Jury Procedures

The video jury may be submitted in 3 steps:

• Step 1: Record your jury. See below for tips on how to record the jury.
• Step 2: Upload the recording to Youtube. See below for instructions.
• Step 3: Submit the Jury by clicking on the Jury Submission button. 

Create your video jury

Your video should contain:

1. A short introduction of yourself and your accompanist (even if the accompaniment was pre-recorded).
2. Then announce what you’ll be performing (title/composer).

Recording Tips:

1. Record your jury in one, continuous, unedited take. Do not turn off the camera between selections.
2. Your face, fingers, valves, slides, sticks, etc. should be visible at all times.

Upload your jury to YouTube

• Upload your jury to YouTube as an UNLISTED video.
• Please check to make sure the permissions are set so that we can view it.
• Secure a link to the video and copy/paste the link into the Jury Submission Form.

Fill out the Jury Submission Form

• Fill out the Jury Submission Form by clicking on the button below.
• Don’t forget to add the YouTube link to your video jury.
• The Jury Submission Form will require you to attach your Studio Instruction Report. Make sure your instructor has filled it in and signed it. A blank form is available HERE.
• Click Submit.

JURY SUBMISSION FORM

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Alabama System, announced that Gerry Schaffer has won the 2020 Alumni of Achievement Award for the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences.

It’s a fact of life: change is inevitable. And Morton Hall has witnessed its fair share over the past six decades. The historic structure houses the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences (CAHS) at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System.

Alina Mitchell (‘09 Master of Arts in Secondary Education and English)

Photo Credit Alina Mitchell

The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) alumna, Alina Mitchell published her first book earlier this year that explores the life of Ophelia DeVore, the first black model to graduate from Vogue Modeling School. The book The Color of Beauty: The Life and Work of New York Fashion Icon Ophelia DeVore is a biographical account of DeVore’s revolutionary role in the fashion industry and how her legacy transcended from modeling into a leader in education and civil rights.

Profiling the model icon was an exploration of family history. Mitchell is DeVore’s great-grand niece. In 2009, Mitchell was able to meet DeVore for the first time. 

“I immediately connected to her. She was so impressed by the fact that I was getting a Master's in English. I believe that she felt in her heart that I must really be a good writer to have an undergraduate degree in English and then follow it with a master's. It was actually at that event that she asked me to write her biography.”  

The process of writing the book was an exploration of both personal resilience and the publishing industry. The process started with interviews and informal conversations with DeVore. She also conducted research online and within the archives at Emory University. While publishers agreed the story of DeVore was valuable and well-written, the publishing industry is often a turbulent one to navigate. Finally, Mitchell self-published her book through Kendall Publishing. In addition, Mitchell created a virtual reality tour and educational curriculum. Her book also has led to an audiobook deal.    

The biggest discoveries, when creating her first book came through revealing the vast impact of Ophelia DeVore’s life. 

“It was amazing to me to see how gigantic her life actually was. She took the knowledge of being the first black model in the 1940s, which was a time of major racial tension, [and] she used that time to empower the black community by essentially building a beauty empire which included a charm school, modeling agency, cosmetic line, and a newspaper that lasted for over six decades.” 

Detailed in the biography is how DeVore became not only the first black person to win the Cannes Film Festival Beauty Contest, but also the first American. She then became an internationally known model working with designers like Christian Dior. Her legacy would extend into politics and she would go on to work for four U.S Presidents: Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush.

One of her quotes that I love is “the key to inner beauty is to take command of your mind” and that's so true because if you can believe it and work for it, you can achieve it. 

Mitchell describes the importance of hearing DeVore’s story in today’s society. 

“Her life is truly an inspiration and her timeless message is really universal. I think of what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. wrote to her in a personal letter. He thanked Ophelia for being a great leader, in the great crusade of our era, and which in their time was the civil rights movement. But I believe it still holds true today. We need confident young people who are willing to be leaders.” 

As an English Alumna, Mitchell gives credit to several members of our faculty including Dr. Alanna Frost for preparing her for a career in writing and education.  Mitchell recounts Dr. David Neff’s literary criticism and theory class, a challenging course that she took her first semester at UAH. 

“I'll never forget one class period when he took a moment to step away from the course content and decided to talk about the literary canon.  Within the works there was only a tiny representation of black writers. So he asked us why? He concluded by saying that just because black writers haven't been acknowledged doesn't mean the talent isn't there. It just means they haven't been recognized and that he hopes that one day it would change. That really resonated with me.”

When asked to offer advice to future inspiring english and writing majors, Mitchell says, “Appreciate your professors who are going to nitpick over your thoughts, ideas, and those comma splices. You will be the better writer for it trust me! I would also like to say if writing is your dream- write! Don't quit and don't ever take no for an answer.  You are the only one who can make it happen.” 

Mitchell hopes to continue to explore the world of biographies and turn the work on DeVore into a film.  You can purchase The Color of Beauty: The Life and Work of New York Fashion Icon Ophelia DeVore on Amazon.  

Today The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of The University of Alabama System, announced record enrollment for fall 2020 of 10,000 students. This marks the sixth straight year of successive growth for the campus. Since 2014, UAH enrollment has climbed 36 percent.

Navigating challenging times can leave some feeling helpless, even temporarily hopeless, when weathering difficult situations beyond their control, such as the current pandemic.