- University News Archive - ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Graduate Prepares for Future as Surgeon

John Hill — Wed, 14 Dec 2022 13:58:29 +0000

A graduating ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student is thankful to the university for helping her prepare for a future career helping people as a medical surgeon. Taylor Arnold, a senior biology major from Hot Springs, said she was inspired to follow in her father’s footsteps to the medical field. “It helps in the fact that my dad was a surgeon,” she said. “I grew up in that environment and got to see the ins and outs of the career. Being able to have the opportunity to take human anatomy, it solidified that goal for me. I love that ��Vlog��ý Little Rock offers that course. It definitely helped me a lot.” After graduating from Sheridan High School, Arnold joined ��Vlog��ý Little Rock after taking a semester off to care for a sick relative. “My aunt got really sick, and I ended up applying to go to school here so I could continue living with her,” she said. “It was probably the best thing that has ever happened to me. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has helped me grow as a person because we have a really diverse community, and it’s helped me figure out who I am.” While at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Arnold has served as president of the Campus Garden Alliance, vice president of the Biology Club, and a student ambassador for the Donaghey College of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. Out of all her activities, Arnold found participating in the Learning Assistant Program to be the most rewarding. Learning assistants take a course on the science of learning. Then they work with faculty to design and implement active learning instruction in the classroom. “The most meaningful will always be the LA program because we get to work with students and help tutor them,” she said. “It’s the best feeling ever when you can connect with another student, and they come up later and tell you that you made a difference for them.” She is especially grateful to Ronia Kattoum, an instructor of chemistry, for serving as an inspirational mentor in her life. “In high school, I’ve always been seen as the dumb blonde stereotype by people who don’t know me,” she said. “Ms. Kattoum took a specific interest in me and asked me to join the Learning Assistant Program. She is the first professor that made me feel like I am important and that I could do whatever I put my mind to. Having that mentor in my life that sees the best in me really inspired me and helped me through my college career.” While Arnold will start medical school in the fall, she’ll be working as a patient care technician at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences next year. With graduation fast approaching, Arnold finds the end of her undergraduate career to be “bittersweet,” but is looking forward to starting the next step toward medical school. “I am very excited to move forward in my life, but I am also sad that I won’t be in the same environment that I have been for the past four years,” she said. “I walk around campus, and I think this is one of the last times I will be here as a student. I’m just thankful for the opportunities and the kind of environment ��Vlog��ý Little Rock offers to their students. That’s really what helped me here.”

Campus Garden hosts Spring 2020 Plant Sale online

John Hill — Mon, 30 Mar 2020 11:55:22 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Campus Garden is hosting its Spring 2020 Plant Sale fundraiser online. All of the plants available for sale are $3 each and were grown with care on campus with volunteers from the Campus Garden Alliance and the community. Plants can be picked up at the Campus Garden at 3340 Fair Park Blvd. or by delivery. Available plants include basil, hot pepper, sweet pepper, and tomato. All proceeds will benefit the Campus Garden, which provides fresh produce to the campus community and the Trojan Food Pantry. Visit the to order the plants.

Campus Sustainability Day, Oct. 23, to promote responsible stewardship of physical resources

Fri, 18 Oct 2019 13:29:52 +0000

The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus community is invited to celebrate Sustainability Day from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesday, October 23, in Alumni Plaza in front of Ottenheimer Library. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden Alliance will be onsite to share information and encourage participation in the Campus Garden. Entergy Arkansas will give away eco-friendly light bulbs. Onsite vendors will include , , , , and . Sustainability Day is an opportunity to celebrate and cultivate choices for sustainable living that lead to healthy environments, economies, and societies.

Farmstand event promotes green living on campus

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 01 Aug 2019 17:24:05 +0000

Jennifer Heinley, an accounting major at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, was out shopping at the Campus Garden with her two sons on during the garden’s first farmstand event in mid-July. The family was looking for honey, squash, zucchinis, and any other fresh ingredients that might go well with the Instant Pot recipe she was planning to make for dinner. Heinley said it’s important to buy fresh, organic food and often shops at farmers markets for everything she doesn’t grow in her own garden.�� “I prefer buying locally sourced food if I can’t grow it myself,” she said, adding that her children enjoy the food, even if they don’t always enjoy the work. “I like the food, but I don’t like the weeding,” Blake Heinley, 7, agreed. In the farmstand model, people make donations as they can and then pick whatever they want from the garden. At the garden, which is organic and pesticide-free, students and volunteers grow corn, tomatoes, lettuce, peppers, Turkish melons, and herbs, as well as host perennial and annual flower beds, beehives, and rented stalls. “The donations all go straight back into the garden and helping the community,” Marion Richard, senior biology major and president of the Campus Garden Alliance, said. “I want people to know about the importance of community. We would not have this beautiful garden without all of the people who help us. This garden is a labor of love.”

Visitors harvest produce from the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden during a pay-what-you-can farmstand sale. Photo by Ben Krain.

Toni Boyer-Stewart, web marketer and analyst, took the opportunity to buy some locally grown honey, corn, and pick some fresh flowers straight from the campus garden.�� “Nobody knows about the Campus Garden, and people need to realize that we have a wonderful resource for fresh vegetables and locally grown honey right on campus,” Boyer-Stewart said.�� More than 100 people attended the two-hour event, where the garden staffers sold out of tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and sweet corn. “We love fresh produce,” said Kisa Bellamy, a nursing major from Little Rock, who was picking collard greens at the campus garden. “For me, it brings it home from what we see in the grocery store to how we actually get the vegetables in our home. I didn’t even know how to pick collards from the ground, so it’s cool that they showed me how.” Leaders of the Campus Garden are planning to hold farmstand events throughout the rest of the growing season as the crops continue to mature. “Maintaining the garden takes a lot of work, and it’s all done by faculty, student, and staff volunteers,” said Dr. Stephen Grace, biology professor and faculty advisor of the Campus Garden Alliance. “The Campus Garden is a model urban farm that can promote better health and nutrition for the community by providing locally grown, fresh produce, contribute to the revitalization of underutilized urban land, provide social and economic benefits to the urban community, and improve urban landscapes.” The next farmstand event will take place from 2:30-5:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 2.��

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Wellness Program to host De-Stress Fest May 1

Ajani Oyindamola — Mon, 22 Apr 2019 17:23:01 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Student Wellness Program is hosting a De-Stress Fest on Wednesday, May 1, to help students de-stress in time for final exams. The event will be from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Donaghey Student Center mall area. Students will have the opportunity to pet comfort dogs, relax in the massage chair, play baggo, and try yoga and relaxation activities. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden Alliance, Counseling Services, Fleet Feet Sports, and the Arkansas Department of Health will host booths with activities and information. For more information, contact Karl Lenser at kjlenser@ualr.edu.

Sustainability Day returns to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Mon, 29 Oct 2018 19:26:28 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Alumni Plaza was transformed into an exciting and environmentally conscious market on Wednesday, Oct. 24, with the return of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s annual Sustainability Day. The event, featuring local vendors, campus organizations, and food trucks, was organized by ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Sustainability Committee in order to promote a sustainable and environmentally friendly lifestyle to the entire campus community. Sustainability Committee Chairman Jim Carr offered his advice to students and faculty about how they can make small but important sustainable choices on campus. “Thinking about the consequences of your activities is the first step in living a sustainable lifestyle,” Carr said. “Take the stairs instead of the elevator. Don’t use the handicap buttons on the doors unless you need them. Just take some time to think about how what you’re doing will affect the Earth around you.” Other vendors also offered their own advice on how anyone can make small changes in their lives that will go a long way in helping the environment. “Recycling isn’t as difficult as a lot of people think it is, and collectively it goes a long way towards building a better future for the planet,” said Molly Gallaher of Pup Eats Dog Treats. “Buying locally and supporting your local farmers is another way to ensure that you know where your food is coming from and that it was made in an environmentally friendly way.” For those who preferred something sweet, Rosalind Porter came all the way from New Orleans with her unique selection of the city’s famous pralines. “I’ve got pralines for vegans that are plant-based. I’ve got pralines for diabetics,” Porter said. “I’ve got my own flavors and I’ve got the regular kind too. Everyone should be conscious of both the environment and their own health, and I’m hoping my pralines will satisfy both.” ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s campus was also represented at the market with fresh veggies from the Campus Garden Alliance and intensely spicy hot sauces made by biology professor Dr. Stephen Grace. Marion Richard, president of the Campus Garden Alliance, left a message for the campus about why sustainability should not be ignored. “Sustainability is important because our planet is important. Because people are important. It’s as simple as that,” said Richard. “The Campus Garden Alliance is committed to this by both providing fresh, organic food for the campus food pantry and teaching sustainability lessons throughout the year.” Sustainability committee member and event organizer Frances Frazier hopes that all who attended came away with lessons learned. “Sustainability is a very important issue on this campus,” she said. “We want our students and faculty both to make smart, conscious choices about what they do and how it affects the planet. I hope that everyone who comes this year will come away with something new.” To learn more about ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s sustainability committee, click here. L to R: Campus Garden Alliance supervisor Dr. Stephen Grace, President Marion Richard, and Secretary Quinshell Smith

Sustainability grant will lead to new greenhouse for Campus Garden, more fresh food for Trojan Food Pantry

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 22 May 2018 13:56:51 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Sustainability Committee has awarded a $2,500 grant that will provide more growing opportunities for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden as well as an increase in fresh produce for the Trojan Food Pantry.�� Dr. Stephen Grace, associate professor of biology, and Dr. Michael DeAngelis, associate professor of Earth Sciences, serve as faculty advisors of the Campus Garden Alliance, which began a partnership in 2016 to provide fresh produce for the Trojan Food Pantry. The Trojan Food Pantry typically relies on donations of nonperishable food, but staff members are eager to provide healthier options for people who use the food pantry. The Campus Garden Alliance provides the food pantry with produce such as beets, cauliflower, cabbage, greens, tomatoes, peas, peppers, herbs, squash, and onions. “We intend to install a hoop-style, cold frame greenhouse at the Campus Garden to expand growing capacity and enable year-round vegetable production,” Grace said. “We feel that a greenhouse will greatly enhance the mission and goals of the Campus Garden by providing much needed infrastructure. It will also be used to leverage further improvements at the Campus Garden with the long-term goal of becoming an economically viable center for urban agriculture.” The Sustainability Committee also awarded two additional $2,500 grants to Dr. John Czarnecki, adjunct professor in the Department of Earth Sciences, and Dr. Ashokkumar Sharma, assistant professor of mechanical engineering technology. Czarnecki will develop trash barriers for the city’s storm drains in order to reduce the amount of trash that winds up in Fourche Creek. “Much of the floatable trash entering curbside storm drains in Little Rock ultimately ends up in Fourche Creek, home to 25 percent of all fish species in Arkansas,” Czarnecki said. “The city of Little Rock includes 1,800 acres of bottomland hardwood forests within the Fourche Creek bottoms area. Unfortunately, this area receives regular inputs of floatable trash during flood events. This trash negatively impacts sustainable water quality, ecosystems, and recreation in Fourche Creek bottoms.” The storm drains have uncovered openings ranging from 5-12 inches in height and 6-12 feet in length, which can allow trash up to the size of a basketball to enter. Commercially made storm drain trash barriers are available, but Czarnecki notes that these cost roughly $1,000 each, making them an impractical option for Little Rock. With the help of construction management and Earth Sciences students, Czarnecki will design, build, and implement cost-effective barriers using readily available materials. Once he receives permission from the City of Little Rock’s Department of Public Works, Czarnecki and his students will test the barriers on storm drains on the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock campus and monitor their progress. “I greatly enjoy building things and finding solutions that impact society,” Czarnecki said. “Fourche Creek is a spectacularly beautiful natural resource right in the city limits of Little Rock that deserves respect and protection. This project will help attain that goal.” Sharma will use his grant, “Sustainable Production of Renewable Fuels,” to fund a research-based project to develop a novel thermochemical process to convert the university’s dry solid waste (papers, cardboard, and plastics) to produce a renewable fuel that can be utilized for generation of power and heat energy. “This research will provide an improved alternative to utilize wastes of public institutions, strengthening the energy independence and economy of the nation,” Sharma said. “This project will demonstrate how it is possible to utilize waste instead of recycling to generate energy.” He also plans to develop a course for engineering and engineering technology students with an emphasis on sustainability in energy conservation and efficiency. The grant money will be used to construct the reactor system, purchase materials, and fund student travel to present the research at a scientific conference. In the upper right photo,��Dr. Stephen Grace works in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

Veteran finds love and success at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 14 Dec 2017 21:16:00 +0000

When J.T. Poole graduated high school in 2005, he joined the U.S. Air Force and served his country as an emergency medical technician and military police officer in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Iraq.�� By 2009, Poole decided it was time to go to college to finish his education. In the middle of his third semester at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, Poole’s college career came to a crashing halt. On Oct. 1, 2010, Poole’s right lung collapsed, and he was given a rare diagnosis of a spontaneous pneumothorax. “My doctor said he had only seen it once in his life before,” Poole recalled. “I was in the hospital for 17 days and had seven surgeries. I remember looking at my mom at my bedside and asking her if I was going to die. She had to lie to me and tell me no, but she was a nurse and knew how people looked when they were dying.” For Poole, his illness was devastating. He had to drop out of college, was on bed rest for nearly two months while recovering, and faced large health bills. “I was 23 at the time, and it was a life-changing experience,” he said. “I took two years off to get financially secure again. I went through a state of depression. In addition to just getting out of the military and adjusting to civilian life and almost dying, it was a hard time.” In 2012, he moved in with his father, John Poole, who encouraged him to go back to college. “In 2013, my dad passed away from Lou Gehrig’s disease. It was an eight-year battle of watching him fall apart,” Poole said. “I came back to Little Rock to help my dad. I made a deal with my dad that I could stay with him for free as long as I went to college. When he passed away, I made a commitment to him as well as myself.” Since starting at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock again in 2012, Poole has been on a mission to complete his Bachelor of Science in Biology with a concentration in ecology and organismal biology. He will graduate Dec. 16 in the Jack Stephens Center with the fall Class of 2017. Poole’s most memorable academic achievement was his participation in a National Science Foundation-funded summer research experience at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory. Poole was one of only 10 recipients selected nationwide for the program, where he researched Boechera stricta populations, a flowering plant from the mustard family that produces chemical compounds to defend against predators. Poole’s mentor, Janet Lanza, a professor of biology who helped him apply for the summer research program, described Poole as self-disciplined and a perfect gentleman. “J.T. knew how to learn, was willing to devote the time needed to do well in his course, and had the maturity to balance long-term goals with short-term, immediate gratification desires,” Lanza said. He also visited San Salvador Island in the Bahamas earlier this year to research mangrove trees, small trees and shrubs that grow in the intertidal regions of the tropical and subtropical coastlines. “These trees are very important because when hurricanes come through, these trees protect the shoreline from erosion,” he said. “Over time, they have been harvested, and the trees are declining because the ocean water is getting more acidic. We went with the idea of learning more about these trees so we could preserve them for the future.”

Finding love at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Poole likes to tell people that he and his fiancé, Amber Mitchell, a 2016 graduate of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a bachelor’s degree in biology, had instant chemistry; they did meet in chemistry class after all. “We met in chemistry during the summer, and the next semester we had another class together,” he said. “Because my father was a tennis player, and she wore tennis skirts, I went up to her and asked her if she played tennis with the intention of starting a conversation about tennis. She said, ‘No,’ and I said, ‘Oh’ and turned around and walked away.” After an awkward start, Poole got a second chance at the girl who got away. “Fast forward two semesters, and we had a teaching class together. I saw the pretty girl that I failed to communicate with a year earlier. We went on a date and 2 1/2 years later we are engaged. We are literally polar opposites in a lot of ways, and I think that stabilizes us,” Poole said. Poole and Mitchell got engaged in March, and the two have plenty of activities in common. In 2016, they helped co-found the Campus Garden Alliance. Both served as president of the student organization. “Amber and I are both vegetarians and like to grow our own food, and we like to share that with others,” he said. “We harvested almost 700 pounds of sweet potatoes this year and donated it to the Trojan Food Pantry and sold 200 pounds to a Little Rock restaurant, The Root. It’s fun to share the campus garden experience with the younger students and see them being passionate about growing food.” Poole and Mitchell are now running their own business, Pawfessional Pet Services, offering pet walking and sitting services. Poole said they have doubled their clients since August alone. Poole plans to spend the next year growing the business full time before starting graduate school to get a degree in ecology and evolutionary biology. In the upper right photo,��J.T. Poole and Amber Mitchell walk their dogs. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden subject of first EARTHtalk lecture

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 25 Aug 2017 19:09:24 +0000

During the first EARTHtalk lecture of the year, Dr. Stephen Grace, associate professor of biology, will discuss the progress of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Campus Garden and the benefits of sustainable urban gardening.�� Grace’s talk, “Building a Healthy Future through the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden,” will take place at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Aug. 30, in the Engineering and Information Technology Building Auditorium. The event is free and open to the public. Grace joined the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty in 2000. He is a plant physiologist whose research is focused on the biochemistry and metabolism of plants, especially in relation to human nutrition. In 2013, Grace helped establish the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden to educate students, faculty, and staff about sustainable urban gardening and to help bring fresh food to the campus community. Since establishing the campus garden, Grace also helped start a student organization, the Campus Garden Alliance, which raises fresh produce for the Trojan Food Pantry. Grace serves as faculty adviser. For more information, contact Michael DeAngelis at 501.569.3542 or mtdeangelis@ualr.edu or visit the EARTHtalk! website. In the upper right photo,��Dr. Stephen Grace works in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock gardeners to grow fresh food for Trojan Food Pantry

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 08 Mar 2017 15:38:42 +0000

The hundreds of people who use the Trojan Food Pantry at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock will soon have access to fresh produce grown in the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden. In fall 2016, the Campus Garden Alliance became a registered student organization and entered into a partnership with the Trojan Food Pantry. The 20 members of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Garden Alliance will work on the campus garden and donate the bounty to the Trojan Food Pantry. “Being able to get fresh food is important for the health of the people who use the food pantry,” said Amber Mitchell, senior biology major and president of the Campus Garden Alliance. Thanks to the partnership, people who use the food pantry will have access to produce such as beets, cauliflower, cabbage, greens, tomatoes, peas, peppers, herbs, squash, onions. Mitchell estimated that the Campus Garden Alliance will donate 90 percent of the crops to the food pantry, while the members will keep the rest of the produce. A $2,000 grant from the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance will aid the effort to provide fresh food to the pantry. Betsy Hart, assistant director of Community Connections Center, and Stephen Grace, faculty advisor of the Campus Garden Alliance and professor of biology, were awarded a capacity building grant to purchase materials to expand the campus garden and increase storage for fresh foods at the food pantry. “We want to build the partnership between the Trojan Food Pantry and the Campus Garden Alliance,” said Sarah Beth Estes, executive director of the Community Connections Center. “We wish to build the capacity of both organizations and provide opportunities for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community members to learn more about healthy food and urban gardening and help people get access to fresh food.” The Trojan Food Pantry opened in February 2016 as a way to help ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students, employees, and their families in need of assistance. One of Hart’s major goals has always been to provide fresh food to the people who utilize the food pantry. “Most of the goods we give out at the food pantry are nonperishable items, which are not as healthy as fresh food,” she said. “We have always wanted to increase our fresh food capacity to better provide for the people we serve.” Approximately 306 people access the food pantry every month, including 109 children under the age of 18, Hart said. Food pantry participants must fill out a first-time form online or in person at the pantry in the Donaghey Student Center. A three-day supply of food is provided to participants once a week based on the items chosen on their food request form. For more information or to donate to the Trojan Food Pantry, contact Betsy Hart at edhart@ualr.edu or 501.569.3424. For more information about the Campus Garden Alliance, contact Stephen Grace at scgrace@ualr.edu. In the upper right photo, pictured from left to right are Amber Mitchell, president of the Campus Garden Alliance, John Poole, Campus Garden Alliance member, Temeka Williams, operations director of the Arkansas Hunger Relief Alliance, Patty Barker, director of the Arkansas No Kids Hungry Campaign, Stephen Grace, professor of biology and Campus Garden Alliance faculty advisor, Betsy Hart, director of the Trojan Food Pantry, Whitney Bradford, assistant director of the Trojan Food Pantry, and Sarah Beth Estes, director of the Community Connections Center. Photo by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.

- University News Archive - ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Graduate Prepares for Future as Surgeon

Campus Garden hosts Spring 2020 Plant Sale online

Campus Sustainability Day, Oct. 23, to promote responsible stewardship of physical resources

Farmstand event promotes green living on campus

����Vlog��ý Little Rock Campus Wellness Program to host De-Stress Fest May 1

Sustainability Day returns to ����Vlog��ý Little Rock