• UAH hosts first annual Piano Competition & Festival

    Piano Competition

    UAH held its first annual Piano Competition & Festival last month at Roberts Recital Hall on the UAH campus.

    Designed to inspire young pianists to strive for artistic excellence and to promote piano playing in the area, the competition was open to students between the ages of 11 and 18 who reside in the states of Alabama and Tennessee.

    "This was the first all-day piano event in the Huntsville area," says Dr. Melody Ng, Assistant Professor and Artist-Teacher of Piano in the Department of Music in UAH's College of Liberal Arts. "Plus, this is the only piano competition thus far in Huntsville that is completely opened to public."

    The competition was divided into two categories – Junior (ages 11-14) and Senior (ages 15-18) – with prizes awarded to the top three performers in each.

  • Three UAH students win awards at Mid-South Psychology Conference

    Mid-South Psychology Conference

    Cassandra Baldwin, Monique Whitaker, and Kelly Arnold, all psychology majors from UAH, attended the Mid-South Psychology Conference held March 1 at Christian Brothers University in Memphis. And all three came back with an award for their efforts.

    Master's student and Samson, Ala., native Baldwin won first place for her poster presentation about how music affects the emotional and physical response system to pictures. Senior and Powell, OH, native Whitaker won second place for her paper presentation on the psychological ownership of cancer. And senior and Huntsville native Arnold won honorable mention for her poster presentation about the way teenaged girls discuss sexual activity on social media.

    "The Olympics were just wrapping up at the time, and I felt like we'd done a gold, silver, bronze sweep," says assistant professor of psychology Dr. Aurora Torres of the students' success. Fortunately, the three had a little practice, which helped. "I teach them experimental psychology and, as part of the class, they have a poster and oral presentation," she says. "So they know how to put one together."

    But even if the outcome hadn't been victorious, there is always benefit to be gained by attending. "Regardless of if they win, they get that experience," she continues. And that's something that all department faculty, not just Dr. Torres, encourage. "We have a good record of mentoring students to develop a sound record, and one way to do that is for undergrads to compete against each other by presenting at conferences."

    Indeed, all three students say that they took away more than just their award from the conference. "It gave me a lot of confidence, and I'm more sure I'm on the right path," says Whitaker, referring to her research. "The feedback I received from the judges and the student questions are changing how I am doing my next project."

  • Launchpad awards $35,000 to UAH search engine developers

    Complexity Engine

    An Internet search engine developed specifically for use in schools by two University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) professors has received $35,000 from Alabama Launchpad, the largest award received in this round.

    Complexity Engine was conceived by Dr. Philip Kovacs, an associate professor of education who is collaborating in its development with Dr. Ryan Weber, an assistant professor of English. Complexity Engine uses a sophisticated algorithm to search websites for content and delivers customized and age-appropriate reading materials to users.

    "This means we'll be ready to sell Version 1, hopefully within 90 days," said Dr. Kovacs. "The Launchpad money is awesome, but the entire experience and the feedback we got from really successful industry leaders from throughout the state is what is really valuable. We just learned a lot in the past few months."

  • More mature, confident teen girls less likely to risk sex, study shows

    Kelly Arnold

    Girls and young women ages 14-19 who are focused on their futures have higher levels of maturity and more confidence in their beliefs and are less likely to be sexually active, a study by a UAH senior psychology student indicates.

    The research, "Attitudes and Confidence Regarding Sexual Activity in Teenaged Girls Assessed from Language in Social Media," was presented at the Mid South Psychology Conference (MSPC) and to the Committee on Equality of Professional Opportunity (CEPO).

    Advised by assistant psychology professor Dr. Aurora Torres, Kelly Arnold spent six months monitoring posts on Internet forums used by teen girls to assess their degree of maturity and confidence related to their sexual behavior. Arnold noted the screen names of the girls and, following observation of their posts, categorized them according to their attitudes about sex.

    The girls' attitudes toward teenaged girls engaging in sexual behavior were categorized as either believing sexual activity was wrong, believing it was OK, or having already become active but feeling guilty about it. Then their posts were analyzed according to whether they were asking for information and advice or giving information and advice. Grammatical and spelling errors were also noted.

     

  • UAH graduate student wins Three Minute Thesis competition with some help from Spider-Man

    Trying to explain a complex scientific concept like lateral gene transfer in three minutes so that the average person can actually understand it is a task most of us wouldn't even consider undertaking. But not only did David Gray rise to that challenge, he blew it away – twice.

    A graduate student at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), Gray took the top spot in last November's Three Minute Thesis and Dissertation (3MT) competition here at UAH before going on to win the grand prize at last month's regional 3MT competition in San Antonio, TX.

    How did he do it? Well, first he got a little help from a well-known superhero.

    "I watched videos of past winners and I noticed that almost everyone had come up with an analogy to explain their research," says the biochemistry major. "So I decided to use Spider-Man as my analogy, because Spider-Man gets his powers in a way that seems a lot like lateral gene transfer."

  • UAH history professor earns prestigious DAR award and medal

    Dr. John Kvach, professor of history at UAH, will be awarded both the Historic Preservation Award and the Historic Preservation Medal by the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) at a luncheon being held at 11 a.m. on Thursday, Feb. 6, by the Hunt's Spring DAR Chapter.

  • UAH American Shakespeare Tour 2014 to premier Othello

    ShakespeareTN

    For the first time, William Shakespeare's Othello, will be performed on the campus of UAH on Friday, Feb. 7, by the American Shakespeare Center (ASC).

    The ASC will also perform two other Shakespeare plays, 1 Henry IV and The Merry Wives of Windsor. All performances and lectures will be presented in the UAH University Center Exhibit Hall beginning at 7 p.m. University faculty members, Dr. Jeffrey Nelson, Dr. Daniel Schenker and Dr. Jerry Mebane, will present a free pre-show lecture at 6 p.m., each night.

    "The American Shakespeare Center is a nationally-renowned company, known for their use of Renaissance stage conventions: fast-paced dialogue, minimalist sets, and especially 'universal lighting' - where not only does the audience see the actors, but the actors can see the audience (allowing for interaction) and audience members can see one another (creating a shared experience)," said Dr. Jeffrey Nelson, associate professor of English at UAH. "Even in the tragedies, the ASC finds the moments of humor created by Shakespeare and thus creates a wonderful tension."

  • UAH alumna working with Washington Sustainability in Prisons Project

    Tiffany WebbTN

    A clear idea for a better future is how Tiffany Webb ('13 B.S. Earth System Science), a recent graduate of UAH, and social entrepreneur describes her educational interests and personal motivation to change environmental issues.

    A native of Birmingham, Webb witnessed the extreme pollution caused by the old iron and steel smoke stacks now at a standstill in the city. "You can still see them (smoke stacks) from the interstate," she said. "I never realized the extent of the pollution until I moved away, but the area remains effected, particularly with soil and air contamination in the northern part of Birmingham."

    A graduate of Locust Fork High School, Webb heard about UAH from one of her "more influential high school teachers." With her heart and mind set on a career in engineering at UAH, Webb left the small town of Locust Fork, Ala., right after graduation.

  • “Peace on Earth” brings together city’s arts community for holiday celebration

    This holiday season, get ready for a musical extravaganza the likes of which have never graced the city of Huntsville!

    For one night only, the Music Department and Theatre Program at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) are joining forces with community partners like the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra (HSO), the Redstone Arsenal's Four Star Jazz Orchestra, and the Huntsville Ballet Company for Peace on Earth: A Gala Celebration of the Arts and Humanities.

    "We like to think of it as the College of Liberal Arts' gift to the community and a celebration of the strong partnerships that UAH has with the city's arts organizations," says Dr. David Ragsdale, Chair of UAH's Music Department, who adds that the event will involve "several hundred" instrumentalists, dancers, and singers.

    Peace on Earth will be hosted by Broadway star Ivan Rutherford, whose acting and singing career includes over 2,000 performances playing the lead role of Jean Valjean in Les Misérables. And indeed, Rutherford will be performing several songs from that world-famous production, in addition to standards of the season.

  • Non-traditional student at UAH overcomes incredible obstacles to help others

    Dr SandratogetherTN

    Non-traditional students are not uncommon at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), whether they're veterans returning to complete their degree after a tour of duty or parents who have taken time off to raise their children before finishing their education.

    But senior psychology major Deanna Nicholas, who will graduate with honors in May, is perhaps one of UAH's most non-traditional students. A high-school dropout and runaway at age 16, Nicholas became addicted to alcohol and drugs before turning her life around ten years ago.

    "I got sober to rescue my daughter, Heather, who was 15 and following in my footsteps," says Nicholas, a native of West Palm Beach, Fla. "I said, no more. She deserves better." Sadly, however, her recovery came too late. Heather passed away at age 18 after her own struggle with drugs and domestic violence.