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

Latest ‘The Night Sky’ installment: Why Pluto is no longer a planet

Shanna Fitzgerald — Thu, 25 Jun 2015 21:57:34 +0000

It wasn’t that long ago when Pluto lost its “planethood.” Why exactly did that happen? Check out the latest installment of “The Night Sky,” a ��Vlog��ýLR Television production featuring Darrell Heath of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s College of Arts, Letters & Sciences. For more ��Vlog��ýLR Television-produced content, click here.

Mann, Ghosh, Berry win 2014 Faculty Excellence Awards

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Fri, 11 Apr 2014 14:29:15 +0000

Drs. Kristin Dutcher Mann, Anindya Ghosh, and Brian Berry are the 2014 recipients of the University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Faculty Excellence Awards in the categories of public service, research and creative endeavors, and teaching, respectively. The faculty received the awards at a ceremony held Thursday, April 10, in the Stella Boyle Smith Concert Hall at ��Vlog��ýLR. The ceremony was followed by a reception in the lobby and gallery of the Fine Arts Building. Each university-level award consists of a framed certificate and a cash gift of $10,000 for teaching and $5,000 for research or creative endeavors and for public service. For the past 26 years, the awards program has provided a way to recognize the great work of ��Vlog��ýLR faculty and is made possible through the valued contributions of The Bailey Foundation, PepsiAmericas, and the ��Vlog��ýLR Chancellor’s Circle. A panel of national judges reveiwed the achievements of the college-level winners and selected the winners. Mann, a professor of history in the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences, was named the Public Service award winner. Her grant procurement efforts total nearly $3 million. Dr. Mann was recognized with the History Channel’s Outstanding Service in the Field of History award. She promoted and encouraged participation in projects, such as the Life Interrupted Project, which recounts the experiences of Japanese Americans housed in internment camps in Arkansas during World War II. The project continues to be part of the Little Rock School District’s social studies curriculum and, as such, is a testament to the quality of Dr. Mann’s work. Ghosh, a professor in the College of Science, was named the winner in the Research and Creative Endeavors category. He has developed a national and international reputation for his research efforts in inorganic chemistry with particular emphasis on green chemistry. Six patents have been issued to him, and he has submitted an additional six patent applications, which are still under review. He has been active in submitting research proposals to federal agencies such as the National Science Foundation, National Institutes of Health and Department of Defense, as well as private industries. In total, he has secured more than $1 million in funding from different agencies for his research. Berry, a professor of chemistry in the College of Science whose expertise is in the self-assembly of polymeric materials, was named the Bailey Teaching Award winner. Dr. Berry primarily teaches organic chemistry, viewed by many students as one of the most difficult areas of chemistry. Despite this, Berry has received glowing evaluations each year from his students. As further evidence of his accomplishments as an educator, he was awarded the American Chemical Society’s Central Arkansas Section Professor of the Year Award in 2010. College-level winners were also recognized at the annual ceremony and received a $1,000 cash award and a framed certificate. Faculty winners at the college level in the following categories include:

Teaching

Lindsey Gustafson, William H. Bowen School of Law
Dr. Floyd Martin, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Dr. Jim Vander Putten, College of Education
Thomas Wallace III, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology
Dr. Lillian Wichinsky, College of Professional Studies

Service

Dr. Amin Akhnoukh, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology
Dr. Glenn Anderson, College of Education
Lynn Foster, William H. Bowen School of Law
Cindy Gilbert, College of Science
Dr. David Montague, College of Professional Studies

Research and Creative Endeavors

Dr. Edward M. Anson, College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences
Dr. Samuel Atcherson, College of Professional Studies
Dr. Nancy Landrum, College of Business
Dr. Bronwyn MacFarlane, College of Education
Josh Silverstein, William H. Bowen School of Law
Dr. John Talburt, George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology

Three regional science fairs bring middle and high school competitors to ��Vlog��ýLR Feb. 28

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 26 Feb 2014 18:06:48 +0000

The ��Vlog��ýLR College of Science will host three regional science fairs for middle and high school students in day-long competitions on Friday, Feb. 28.

Students participate in the 2013 American Chemical Society Chemistry Olympiad at ��Vlog��ýLR

The Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair (CARSEF), the Central Arkansas Regional Junior Academy of Science, and the American Chemical Society Chemistry Olympiad will be open for competition. The CARSEF and the Junior Academy of Science fairs will be held from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the Donaghey Student Center, while the Olympiad will be held from 1 to 3 p.m. in the ��Vlog��ýLR Science Lab Building, Room 280. The top three projects in the senior division of CARSEF will be eligible to attend the International Science and Engineering Fair in Los Angeles in May. If nominated by CARSEF, up to 15 sixth, seventh, and eighth-grade students may also submit research papers to Broadcom MASTERS (Math, Applied Science, Technology and Engineering for Rising Stars). Awards ceremonies for the junior division begins at 3:30 p.m., while awards for the senior division begins at 4:45 p.m. Both ceremonies will be held in ��Vlog��ýLR’s Dickinson Hall Auditorium. More about each fair: Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair CARSEF is for public, private, and home-school students from Cleburne, Conway, Faulkner, Lonoke, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, Van Buren, White, Woodruff, and Yell counties. The junior division is open to fourth through ninth grade-students. The senior division is open to students in grades nine to 12. (Ninth grade competitors may be in either junior or senior division but not both.) Keith Harris, fair director and research associate in ��Vlog��ýLR’s Department of Teacher Education, said the competition is to encourage participation in a science fair from rural counties in Arkansas. The CARSEF event will accept projects in international science and engineering fair categories. Central Arkansas Regional Junior Academy of Science The Central Arkansas Regional Junior Academy of Science offers separate junior and senior divisions for students in Conway, Faulkner, Logan, Lonoke, Monroe, Perry, Pope, Prairie, Pulaski, and Yell counties. Participation is encouraged by public and private schools. Categories for the competition include behavioral and social sciences, biochemistry, botany, chemistry, computer science, earth and space science, engineering, environmental science, mathematics, medicine and health, microbiology, physics, and zoology. American Chemical Society Chemistry Olympiad Any high school chemistry student in the central Arkansas region can compete in the Olympiad by being nominated by a high school chemistry teacher. The Olympiad involves a series of theoretical exams, laboratory exercises, and other activities aimed at identifying the best chemistry students from nations around the world. The local competition is sponsored by the Central Arkansas Section of the American Chemical Society, a chapter of the American Chemical Society. The top 10 students selected will return to ��Vlog��ýLR in April to take the national exam to qualify for the U.S. National Chemistry Olympiad team.

Fribourgh Award to be presented to Banko

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 25 Feb 2014 15:21:34 +0000

Peter Banko, president and chief executive officer of St. Vincent Health System, will be honored Thursday, March 20, as the 2014 recipient of ��Vlog��ýLR’s Fribourgh Award. Banko will be the guest of honor at a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion.

“Peter Banko’s vision and commitment to partnerships has been critical to the growth of the ��Vlog��ýLR nursing program and to improving health care within our community,” said Ann Bain, interim dean of the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Science, which is sponsoring the event. “The ��Vlog��ýLR-St. Vincent Health System partnership would not be possible without his support and leadership. I can think of no other person who is more deserving of this prestigious award.” Tickets are $75 per person, of which $60 is tax deductible. Proceeds benefit the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Science Leadership Endowed Scholarship Fund for undergraduate students in health, mathematics, and science. For reservations, contact Laura Beck at 501.569.3151 or RSVP online. Banko has been recognized with numerous honors, awards, and distinctions including Fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, Fellow in the Health Forum’s Creating Healthier Communities Program, and the American College of Healthcare Executives’ Senior Executive Institute. He is a founding member of The Alembic, a round table of health system CEOs working to transform health care. Banko earned his Master of Health Administration degree from Cornell University and Bachelor of Business Administration degree from the University of Notre Dame. Created in 2010, the Fribourgh Award honors former ��Vlog��ýLR professor and administrator, Dr. James H. Fribourgh, and his contributions to ��Vlog��ýLR and the state’s science community. The award also extends that honor and recognition to others who have met the high standards set by Fribourgh’s example. Professor emeritus Fribourgh spent more than 45 years at ��Vlog��ýLR, serving as chair of Life Sciences, interim chancellor, vice chancellor for academic affairs, and distinguished professor of biology. The Natural Sciences Building at ��Vlog��ýLR was renamed the James H. Fribourgh Hall to honor him upon his retirement.

EarthTalk kicks off with quake lecture

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 28 Aug 2013 23:10:04 +0000

The science lecture series, ��Vlog��ýLR EarthTalk, debuted this semester and will feature lively discussions about meteorites; hydraulic fracturing and earthquakes; and the San Andreas fault.

The next lecture, “Ground-Water Models of the Alluvial and Sparta Aquifers: Management Tools for a Sustainable Resource,” will be at 4:15 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 12, in Fribourgh Hall room 101.

The featured speaker is John Czarnecki of Arkansas Water Resources Center who will discuss sustainable tools for aquifers – underground layers of water-bearing permeable rock from which groundwater can be extracted using a water well.

an image of an aquifer

All lectures in the series are free and open to the public.

Upcoming lecture topics and dates:

Sept. 26 – Erik Pollock; “Caves and Isotopes”
Oct. 10 – Rhiannon Mayne; “Meteorites”
Oct. 24 – Jackie Langille; “Crustal extension in the convergent Himalaya: Constraints from northwest India”
Nov. 7 – Rebecca Bendick; “How continents challenge the theory of plate tectonics”
Nov. 21 – Ben van der Pluijm; “Smart Clays: Fault Lubrication and Creep on the San Andreas Fault”
Dec. 5 – Tricia Kelley; “Evolution and Creation: Conflicting or Compatible?”

The series began Thursday, Aug. 29, with a presentation by Scott Ausbrooks of the Arkansas Geological Survey. Ausbrooks discussed the correlation between hydraulic fracturing and the Guy-Greenbrier earthquake swarm of 2009-2010. Future talks will bring in experts from around the United States to share research into plate tectonics, and evolution and creation. For more information, go to EarthTalk Lecture Series.

Chemistry chair points to need for baselines in climate change research

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 29 May 2013 18:54:35 +0000

A milestone was reached last Friday as scientists determined that concentrations of carbon dioxide nudged up to 400 parts per million.

But CO2 is not the only gas needing baseline measurements, according to Dr. Jeffrey S. Gaffney, chair of the chemistry department at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Gaffney is internationally respected for his research in environmental and atmospheric chemistry.

“We know that there are higher ethene levels over certain regions, including the southeastern United States, and are likely to occur in the future,” Gaffney said. “What we don’t know is the impact on ecosystems and agriculture, or even humans. Baseline measurements are key.”

Gaffney’s emphasis on the need for baseline measurements was the topic of his recent keynote address at an Arkansas Academy of Science Meeting.

Although he has been advocating it for years, Gaffney said the need for such data in climate change research is greater than ever. Gaffney frequently points to the role of atmospheric ethene as a case in point.

The gas is emitted from biofuels such as ethanol and other sources, including wildfires. Gaffney said wildfires are expected to increase significantly with climate change because of earlier springs and longer growing seasons, with droughts anticipated to increase in the summer months, especially in the western and midwestern United States, according to most climate models.

And while it is well known that ethanol’s combustion as a biofuel leads to enhanced emissions of certain gases, including ethene and methane, little attention has been given to what the gases’ impact will be in the long term, especially with the potential for increases from wildfire events, according to Gaffney.

To put it another way, while some think higher ethene levels are devoid of lasting negative impacts, it has yet to be confirmed as fact, says Gaffney.

The use of motor vehicle ethanol (E10) has risen and is expected to increase further with the move towards the use of higher level ethanol content. In addition, agriculture and controlled burns, as well as wildfires, will likely increase current and future levels of ethene, he said.

Ethene is a potent plant growth hormone and could impact crop yields. Most see its effects as a fruit ripening agent in local grocery stores as it is used to rapidly take green bananas to the ripe yellow ones.

It is also the topic of a paper (Atmospheric Environment, 56, 161-168, 2012) that was dedicated to Nobel Prize-winning chemist F. Sherwood Rowland, whose work on ozone depletion made him a voice for scientists – Gaffney included – who shared his concerns about climate change and global air quality with an ever-increasing human population.

“That paper was based on data that Dr. Don Blake and Dr. Rowland took in 2002 over a number of states, including Arkansas, during a period before ethanol/gasoline blends were mandated and when there were no wildfires,” said Gaffney.

Examination of the data indicated ethene was only a tenth of a part per billion in desert regions; however, in forested regions such as in rural Arkansas data indicated about three-tenths of a part per billion.

“So any increases over that level are likely to have an impact,” Gaffney said. “We know that fire plumes and ethanol/gasoline blends will likely be hundreds of times higher than that, but we have not been continually taking measurements to see what is happening as we have more fires or burn more biofuels in our cars.”

And it is not just ethene, according to Gaffney, but many other gases and aerosols that scientists should be following that impact the climate, as well as air quality, especially formaldehyde and other aldehydes, black carbonaceous aerosols, and ozone, in addition to the carbon dioxide most frequently talked about. Gaffney interviewed Rowland in 2007 for the (1983-2009). Rowland died in March 2012.

College of Science to honor top students

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 23 Apr 2013 21:09:02 +0000

The ��Vlog��ýLR College of Science, the second largest college within the university, will hold its annual awards ceremony and reception at 4 p.m., Friday, April 26.

The event, which honors top students in the fields of science, mathematics, health science and nursing, will be held in the Donaghey Student Center.

Each year, the eight departments within the college submit the names of students who have won at the department level for consideration at the college-level for the Academic Excellence Award.

2013 college-wide winners by degree level include: Kala Cline Grimes, associate’s degree (nursing); Erin Taylor, bachelor’s degree (physics/biology); Amy Alexander-LeCroy, master’s degree (chemistry); and Alokita Karmakar and Mehmet Cansizoglu, doctoral degrees (nanotechnology and physics, respectively).

A student inspired by faculty

Alexander-LeCroy, who will graduate in May, returned to ��Vlog��ýLR as a cosmetologist interested in the chemistry behind the products used in the hair-care industry.

What started as a simple curiosity slowly developed into a passion for science fueled by “the brilliant faculty within the college,” according to Alexander-LeCroy.

“Being able to work alongside and learn from the professors, experts in their respective fields, is an honor in and of itself,” she said. “The dedication of the faculty to student success is evident not only in the classroom, but also in the care and attention they offer if and when further assistance is needed.”

Alexander-LeCroy recently accepted a job at L’Oreal USA Inc. as a chemist, which was both her career and company goal upon returning to college.

Other college-level awards include: Saad Azam and Danielle Kemmer, winners of the COS Leadership Endowed Scholarship; Corey Graham, winner of the Tracy L Thompson Scholarship; and Saad Azam, winner of the Steven L. Mourning Scholarship.

In addition to the overall college and scholarship winners listed above, there will be 75-plus departmental awards and scholarships awarded from the eight College of Science departments.

Science leadership winners desire to serve

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 16 Apr 2013 21:54:02 +0000

Danielle Kemmer and Saad Azam, the most recent recipients of the ��Vlog��ýLR College of Science Leadership Endowed Scholarship, both said that their desire to serve is the reason they chose to major in science. The scholarship is funded to assist undergraduate studies in health, mathematics, and science. Kemmer and Azam received their awards at a reception honoring Charles E. Hathaway, 2013 recipient of the College of Science’s Fribourgh Award at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion on April 4. Interestingly, Kemmer, a biology major who transferred to ��Vlog��ýLR during her sophomore year, originally chose communications as her major and expressed no interest in science. That changed when two months into her freshman year, she was the victim of a brutal assault that resulted in major injuries requiring extensive facial reconstruction. When her bandages were removed following surgery, it only took one look in the mirror for her to decide she wanted to pursue a degree in science. “My surgeon gave me back my life and the ability to move on from a traumatic experience,” she said. “I knew I wanted to give back to others like my surgeon had done for me.” Kemmer refused to take full credit for the award, saying she was very thankful she had “an amazing village” supporting her efforts. She said that while it may take a village to raise a child, it also “takes a village to get someone through college.” “I have never regretted my decision since declaring biology as my major,” she said. “��Vlog��ýLR has given me so many opportunities to pursue my dreams and allowed me to work with some very gifted faculty and students.” Kemmer is a volunteer at ��Vlog��ýMS, as well as Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Central Arkansas. She shadows doctors to gain experience in the field and will take the MCAT (examination for entry into medical school) this summer. For Azam, his choice of major resulted from a similar desire to help others. Azam made the recent decision to double major in both chemistry and biology. Because he will be spending this summer at a NASA facility on a fellowship, he postponed plans to take the MCAT and graduate. After completing his undergraduate degree, he will apply to several MD/PhD programs. “With that dual degree, I would not only be able to help my patients at a clinical or a surgical level, but also gain insight into the modern research enterprise,” Azam explained. Azam said this specialized training not only organizes the experimental and clinical thinking of a physician-scientist, but will also enable him to understand the principles behind the functioning of the human body and mechanisms that result in human diseases. “I believe understanding the mechanism and groundwork will allow me to help my patients with their problems permanently,” he said. Delaying his planned graduation by a couple of years also helps Azam get more involved in the community, such as the Harmony Health Clinic, a non-profit organization that is staffed by volunteer professionals like doctors, nurses, medical students, and undergraduates. “Even though my medical knowledge is limited, working in this clinic has given me the opportunity to gain hands on experience in a high-need environment,” he said. Azam said the scholarship also enables him to have a leadership role with the 10/20 Project, designed to focus attention on individuals with urgent needs (the hungry, homeless, addicts, or disabled population). The project asks supporters to spend $10 or 20 minutes of service to help meet the needs of these individuals. Not only that, Azam said he would also like to volunteer at Camp Aldersgate on the weekends, if possible. The non-profit organization provides summer-time experiences for kids with special needs. “We sometimes take for granted the community we live in,” Azam said. “I believe an individual and society coexist with each other for survival and being part of a volunteer organization can really bridge the gap.”

Fribourgh Award Honors Charles Hathaway

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 18:35:37 +0000

Charles E. Hathaway, chancellor emeritus and Donaghey Distinguished Professor, will be honored Thursday, April 4, as the 2013 recipient of the College of Science‘s Fribourgh Award.

Hathaway will be the guest of honor at a reception from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at the Arkansas Governor’s Mansion. Tickets are $75 per person, of which $60 is tax deductible. Tickets will benefit the college’s Leadership Endowed Scholarship Fund for undergraduates in health, mathematics, and science.

“The James H. Fribourgh Award was created in 2010 to honor not only Dr. Fribourgh’s contributions to ��Vlog��ýLR and the state’s science community, but to extend that honor and recognition to others who meet the high standards he set,” said Dean Michael Gealt.

Hathaway served as ��Vlog��ýLR chancellor from 1993 to 2002. He previously served as vice president for academic affairs at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio.

As chancellor, Hathaway led efforts to advance the university in the areas of research, graduate education, and community engagement. Under his leadership, ��Vlog��ýLR received a three-year $1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to help revitalize the surrounding neighborhood. He was also instrumental in helping establish the Donaghey College of Information Science and Systems Engineering, now the George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, thereby bringing engineering education to central Arkansas.

A native of Texas, Hathaway received a B.S. in physics from Texas A&M University and a Ph.D. in physics from the University of Oklahoma. He is a member of Phi Kappa Phi, American Association for the Advancement of Science, and the History Institute at ��Vlog��ýLR.

Professor emeritus Fribourgh, the former science dean and interim chancellor for whom Fribourgh Hall is named, was the first recipient of the award. Jerry B. Adams, president and chief executive officer of the Arkansas Research Alliance and a member of the ��Vlog��ýLR Board of Visitors, received the award in 2011, and H. Watt Gregory III, a partner in Kutak Rock LLP, was the 2012 recipient.

For reservations to the Fribourgh event, contact Laura Beck at 501-569-3151.

Gealt Elected to EAST Executive Board

��Vlog��ý Little Rock — Wed, 21 Nov 2012 17:36:05 +0000

Dr. Michael Gealt, dean of ��Vlog��ýLR’s College of Science, has been elected to the executive committee of’s Board of Directors.

Established in Greenbrier, Ark., as as antidote for bored, at-risk students, the EAST (Environmental and Spatial Technology) educational model focuses on student-driven service projects accomplished by using teamwork and cutting-edge technology.

Students identify problems in their local communities and use tools such as global positioning system and geographic information system (GPS/GIS) mapping, computer assisted design (CAD) software, 3-D animation suites, virtual reality development, and more to develop solutions, collaborating with civic and other groups in the process.

“EAST has been instrumental in helping students develop an interest in using math and science to solve community problems,” Gealt said. “EAST students have impressed me with their enthusiasm and strong work effort. I am thrilled to be given the opportunity to help EAST in their educational efforts.”

Earlier this year, a team led by Gealt and College of Education Dean Angela Sewall established a collaboration between their colleges to recruit more science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) undergraduates into teacher prep programs so they can teach in these critical areas in public schools.

The new ��Vlog��ýLRTeach program answers Gov. Mike Beebe’s call to increase the number of secondary school science and mathematics teachers by recruiting more STEM – science, technology, engineering, and mathematics – undergraduate students into public schools.

The Governor’s Workforce Group selected ��Vlog��ýLR to receive $216,000 to support participation in the national UTeach program. Other state universities selected in the program were the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville and University of Central Arkansas.

The ultimate goal of ��Vlog��ýLR’s collaboration is to replicate the UTeach program that started at the University of Texas in Austin and has been replicated at universities in Pennsylvania, Ohio, Tennessee, Georgia, and more.

Last August, Beebe announced a $2.68 million initiative involving several programs, including UTeach, New Tech High Schools, where where students are taught practical applications for their class programs; and EASTcore, a program to expose students to Project-Based Instruction in STEM disciplines.

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