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

College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences awards $12,000 to promote summer faculty research

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 16 Jul 2019 14:05:05 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences awarded $12,000 in Summer Research Fellowship Grants to four professors who are spending their summer breaks performing unique research. The grant winners include Qingfang He, professor of biology; John Nichols, assistant professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy; David Bayliss, assistant professor of geography in the Department of History; and Fusheng Tang, associate professor of biology.�� The first grant recipient, He, received $4,000 to fund research materials and to present his research project, “Toward Sustainable Production of Biofuels and Plant Nutraceuticals in Cyanobacteria” at a conference. For his project, “Enhanced Superconductivity in Flexible Thin Films,” Nichols received $4,000 to support the acquisition of materials for investigation of the superconducting properties MgB2 and its dependence on strain, temperature, and magnetic field by manipulating the stain state of MgB2 by flexing or bending the sample. Meanwhile, Bayliss received a $1,298 grant to travel to Colorado Springs, Colorado, the home of a geospatial solutions firm that is the direct descendant of Sanborn Map Company, a provider of fire insurance maps. Bayliss will view archival materials related to Daniel Alfred Sanborn, surveyor and founder of the Sanborn Map Co., and the formation and transformation of his company over the course of a century. The research will be used in his upcoming article, “Delimiting Risk and Reward: An Historical Geography of Insurance Mapping in the United States.” The final grant recipient, Tang, received a $2,702 grant to support his continued research of the oxysterol-binding protein Osh6 as a pro-longevity protein and its relation to age-dependent diseases like cancer. The summer fellowship will fund the publication of his research as well as the use of genome editing, a state-of-the-art technology in genetic engineering, in future research.

Renovations begin on ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Physics and Astronomy Building

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 20 Feb 2018 16:00:10 +0000

The Physics and Astronomy Building at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock is getting a facelift.�� Renovations on the 50-year-old building began at the beginning of February and will be completed by Aug. 15, just in time for the fall 2018 semester. During the renovations, Department of Physics and Astronomy facilities have been moved, and courses will be taught in the Engineering Technology and Science Building and the Fine Arts Building. “The renovation of the Physics Building is an exciting project for the university that will give the students, faculty, and staff a wonderful setting to learn and grow,” said Tom Clifton, dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. “We are all looking forward to the completion of the project, which will bring the building in line with its original design by Architect Dieterich Neyland in brutalist architecture.” Renovations will include a complete remodeling of the building’s interior as well as a new roof. Some exterior additions that were made to the building over the years will be removed so that the building can be brought back to its original design. The building’s exterior will be cleaned and painted to more closely match the exterior of Ottenheimer Library. The building was erected in 1967 and last renovated in 1975. Ginocchio, Cromwell, Carter and Neyland served as the architect engineer, while the contractor was G.W. May Construction Company. The project is funded through a $7.5 million bond approved by the University of Arkansas System Board of Trustees during its May 2017 meeting. The bond covers capital improvement projects at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, including the renovations to the physics building as well as new roofs for the Donaghey Student Center and University Plaza.

Celebrate International Observe the Moon Night Oct. 27

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 19 Oct 2017 20:16:44 +0000

Anyone who is interested in getting a closer look at the surface of the moon can join the International Observe the Moon Night festivities Friday, Oct. 27, for a full night of lunar viewing. The event, which is free and open to the public, will take place from 7-9:30 p.m. at the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub, 204 E. Fourth St. in North Little Rock. In case of rain, the event will be held from 7-9:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. Telescopes will be set up for a close-up look at the moon’s surface, while Loblolly Creamery will provide treats for hungry moon watchers. Members of the and the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Physics and Astronomy will be on hand to answer questions and provide insight on the moon. Dr. Tony Hall, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock associate professor of astronomy, will provide meteorite samples for viewing and touching. Additionally, Robert Togni of the Central Arkansas Astronomical Society will give a presentation at 7 p.m. entitled, “Seeing Lunar Evolution.”

Tansel Karabacak honored as Arkansas Research Alliance fellow

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 04 Aug 2017 21:52:53 +0000

Dr. Tansel Karabacak has joined the ranks of some of the most celebrated and promising researchers in Arkansas.�� Gov. Asa Hutchinson announced Thursday, Aug. 3, that Karabacak, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor of physics and astronomy, is a 2017 fellow of the Arkansas Research Alliance. “These five new Arkansas Research Alliance fellows will be an incredible asset to our state in the area of scientific research and progress,” Hutchinson said in a news release. “And in today’s continuously evolving economy, more people are recognizing the massive influence science and innovation have on our economy. Arkansas Research Alliance continues to serve the state well with its commitment to economic prosperity through science and technology based jobs.” The Arkansas Research Alliance was founded in 2008 to invest in research that stimulates innovation, collaboration, and economic opportunity where Arkansas possesses core competencies. The fellows program annually recognizes researchers at Arkansas State University, University of Arkansas, University of Arkansas at Little Rock, University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff. Chancellor Andrew Rogerson nominated Karabacak for the award in recognition of his research that focuses on the properties and applications of nanostructured and thin film materials. Karabacak is especially well known for his pioneering work on glancing angle deposited (GLAD) nanostructures. GLAD is a simple and low-cost fabrication method of producing a wide variety of materials in nanostructured form and can be used for several applications, such as fuel cells, solar cells, battery electrodes, photodetectors, optical filters, and biosensors. “Being named an ARA fellow was quite the surprise for me,” Karabacak said. “The people who are selected are all highly skilled researchers. I was very humbled by this recognition.” Karabacak recently received $400,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy for a to develop high-performance, cost-effective fuel cells that can be used in vehicles. Additional research being conducted at his Thin Films and Nanostructures Research Group includes a collaboration to improve the lifetime and durability of lithium ion batteries. The group is also working on fabricating materials that control the behaviors of oil and water. “By controlling such materials, we can fabricate materials with anti-freezing, anti-fogging, and anti-bacterial surfaces,” he said. “It could also be used in oil spills to separate water and oil from each other.”

Dr. Tansel Karabacak is one of the 2017 recipients of the Arkansas Research Alliance fellowship. Pictured from left to right is Jerry Adams, Julie LaRue, Tansel Karabacak, Gov. Asa Hutchinson, and Chancellor Andrew Rogerson.

As for receiving the fellowship, Karabacak is most excited about the potential research collaborations he can make through the Arkansas Research Alliance. “I feel more energized to work through the ARA, because I want to serve Arkansas on a big picture scale,” he said. “The ARA is helping me see the big picture by guiding me and other researchers to better contribute to Arkansas research, economic development, and industry.” As an Arkansas Research Alliance fellow, Karabacak will be awarded a $75,000 grant to be paid over the course of three years to assist him in his research. He would like to use some of the money to sponsor a graduate assistant at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. More about Dr. Karabacak: Karabacak holds a Bachelor of Science degree in physics from the Middle East Technical University in Ankara, Turkey, as well as a master’s degree and Ph.D. in physics from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, New York. Shortly after coming to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock from Rennsselaer Polytechnic Institute in 2006, Karabacak set about creating new thin films in a nanostructures lab. The lab houses state-of-the-art fabrication and testing equipment, as well as computational tools for analysis and modeling studies. In addition to being a professor, Karabacak is also the graduate coordinator of the applied physics master’s and Ph.D. programs. Karabacak served as chair of the American Vacuum Society Thin Films Division, the top ranking international organization for professionals in his field. He has been awarded the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Excellence in Research, 2017; the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Science Faculty Excellence in Research, 2013; and the Kathleen Thomsen Hall Award, 2007 and 2012. He also was selected for the 2010 edition of Marquis Who’s Who in America. ��

��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor receives $500k to improve transportation fuel cells

Ajani Oyindamola — Wed, 26 Jul 2017 16:26:28 +0000

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock professor has received $500,000 to develop high-performance, cost-effective transportation fuel cells.�� Dr. Tansel Karabacak, professor of physics and astronomy at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, received a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock will provide $100,000 in matching funds. The main goal of the research is to produce transportation fuel cells that cost less, last longer, and provide more power. The three-year project, “High Performance Polymer Electrolyte Fuel Cell Electrode Structures,” will run until December 2019. The funds are part of a more than $3 million grant awarded to a team led by East Hartford, Connecticut-based, a global company designed to nurture innovation in commercial aerospace, defense, and building industries. In 2016, the Department of Energy’s Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy established the Fuel Cell Consortium for Performance and Durability. The research consortium awarded more than to improve fuel cell performance and durability. Vehicles powered by fuel cells use hydrogen gas to fuel an electric motor. Clean energy alternatives like hydrogen fuel cells can reduce carbon emissions, Karabacak said. The research team will develop a structure to improve polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cells. Scientists hope this specific type of fuel cell can be used for mass transit because of their high power density, high energy conversion efficiency, and low or zero carbon emission. However, the fuel cells currently cannot be used in this manner due to their limited power and poor durability. Karabacak and his team are working with the U.S. Department of Energy to create a solution for this problem. “From an environmental point, these fuel cells are a big advantage,” he said. “It reduces our nation’s dependence on fossil fuels, but there are also challenges. The fuel cell cars on the market are very expensive. To reduce the cost, we need materials of lower cost and longer lifetimes.” One of the most expensive components of fuels cells is a platinum catalyst. Karabacak and his team will work to decrease the amount of platinum required and increase the performance and durability of transportation fuel cells, thereby decreasing cost and improving the life of fuel cell electric vehicles. The grant will also fund a postdoctoral researcher and a graduate assistant at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. The researchers will assist Karabacak and also have the opportunity to work with top scientists from universities, national laboratories, and companies in the U.S.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock honors Staff Achievement Award winners

Ajani Oyindamola — Thu, 20 Apr 2017 18:32:51 +0000

Ashia Hall Muhammad believes helping those in need is her calling.�� Muhammad, assistant director of the McNair Scholars Program at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, spends more than 500 hours a year volunteering with Jack and Jill of America, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education. For her efforts, Muhammad received the Community Service Award during the April 20 Staff Achievement Awards Ceremony at the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology. Muhammad was joined by Larry Rhodes, instructional technology specialist for the College of Social Sciences and Communication, who received the Ben Fry Service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Award, and Victoria Rand, administrative assistant for the Department of Physics and Astronomy, who was the winner of the Personal Growth Award. The campus community submitted nominations for the Staff Achievement Awards, with an independent judge selecting the winners. Each winner received $1,000. The ceremony also recognized staff members for years of service, graduation, and retirement. “The achievement awards really highlight the incredible staff at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Staff Senate President Laura McClellan said. “Reading the nomination letters is such a source of encouragement. Our staff are dedicated, creative problem-solvers devoted to our students and to the work we all do on campus. It’s been my honor to be on the achievement awards committee.” This year’s nominees include Jesse Ball, Katie Becker, Deborah Cook, Heyam Dannawi, Shawna Diaz, Trakenya Dobbins, Nihal Erian, Terry Harrison, Darrell Heath, Randy Henslee, Devon Holiman, Kim Jackson, Rachel Jones, Stephanie Jones, Karl Lenser, Meaghan Milliorn, Geoff Nash, Kathy Oliverio, Mia Phillips, Victoria Rand, Andrew Robbins, Andrijana Vukovich, Estelle Wells, Cheryl Wilcox, and Angela Willis. Lindsay Wheeler and Amber Krum are the recipients of the $250 Staff Senate Scholarship for employees continuing their education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, while Frances Frazier won the $75 Jerry Crittenden Book Scholarship. Sodexo, Disability Resource Center, and Mickey’s Cakes and Sweets sponsored the event, which was hosted by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Staff Senate.

Community Service Award

Muhammad is president of the Greater Little Rock chapter of Jack and Jill of America. In this position, she partnered with St. Mark Baptist Church and Engineering for Kids of Central Arkansas to host a free robotics summer camp for middle school students. From 2014 to 2016, she was on the National Public Relations Committee for Jack and Jill of America, where she developed social media guidelines and marketing and branding campaigns for the organization. With Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Muhammad is part of a team that meets with 40 local high school students every month to provide workshops on college, career exploration, community service, and environmental ownership. She believes it’s important to foster community service in the next generation. In the past year, Muhammad and the high school students she mentors organized a college fair, made blankets for the homeless and fed them, and cleaned up a local park. Muhammad is the president of the Arkansas Council for Women in Higher Education, where she has served on the executive committee for six years. Marty Mayfield, fiscal support analyst in the Academic Success Center, nominated Muhammad for the award.

Ben Fry Service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

Staff Senate President Laura McClellan (left) and Ben Fry Service to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Award Winner Larry Rhodes (right)

Rhodes is described as a dedicated and invaluable staff member. In addition to his regular duties, Rhodes serves on the university-wide technology initiative and as the photographer and graphic designer for the College of Social Sciences and Communication. His work greatly increased the profile of the college. “It is difficult to capture Larry’s commitment to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and this college in words,” wrote Dean Lisa Bond-Maupin, one of two people who nominated Rhodes for the award. “It does not seem enough to say that he is by far the most dedicated employee I have encountered in 25 years of higher education.” “Larry’s day-to-day mode of operations is to exceed expectations, continuously improve, show kindness, and contribute where he is needed most,” Bond-Maupin wrote. “He is a wonderful, warm ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community member known to volunteer to take wedding or family photos for a strapped colleague.” Rhodes also put his photography skills to use while serving as a chaperone for a group of 15 students who traveled to Morocco in November 2016 to attend the International Model Arab League. “Larry was not only an excellent traveling companion; he turned out to be an incredible photographer,” wrote Dr. Rebecca Glazier, who also nominated Rhodes for the award. “The students documented our travels through a blog, and Larry provided most of the pictures. When we got back to Little Rock, the students were able to share their adventures with the community through a public event that prominently featured Larry’s photographs.”

Personal Growth Award

Staff Senate President Laura McClellan (left) and Personal Growth Award Winner Victoria Rand (right)

Rand is described as an independent, hardworking employee who strives to learn new things. Haydar Al-Shukri, interim chair of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, nominated Rand for the award. “She is a brilliant woman, with the ability to grasp complex ideas and find practical solutions to difficult problems in the shortest possible time,” Al-Shukri wrote. “Throughout her work at the department, she expressed the ability of independently conducting scientific study. She is invariably pleasant, polite, and professional, but she is tenacious and aggressive in going to the heart of any project she works on.” In the upper right photo, Staff Senate President Laura McClellan (left) honors Community Service Award Winner Ashia Hall Muhammad (right).��

��Vlog��ý Little Rock chooses top faculty of 2017

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 14 Apr 2017 14:01:56 +0000

Drs. Kathryn King, Tansel Karabacak, and Suzanne Penn have been selected as the top University of Arkansas at Little Rock faculty members of 2017.�� The three professors were the recipients of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Faculty Excellence Awards in the categories of teaching; research and creative endeavors; and public service. Each will receive a $5,000 award. The winners were honored during an April 13 reception at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology Auditorium. Eleven other faculty members, who earned Faculty Excellence awards at the college level, also were honored. The 15 members of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Board of Visitors reviewed the achievements and selected the winners. Since 1989, when the first award was given, the event has provided a way to recognize the great work of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty and is made possible through the valued contributions of the Office of the Chancellor, the Office of the Provost, and the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Chancellor’s Circle. More about the winners:

Faculty Excellence in Teaching

Dr. Kathryn King, assistant professor of anthropology, is known for her willingness to help students learn by creating a socially conscious learning environment. Students and colleagues praised King for her knowledge of the field, class organization, and student focus. King has also been involved in curriculum development for the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Anthropology Department, having created several innovative courses such as Race and Ethnicity, the Anthropology of Death, and Historic Mortuary Archaeology, in which students collected data from historic cemeteries across central Arkansas. King received a Ph.D. and master’s degree in anthropology from the University of��Tennessee and a bachelor’s degree in anthropology from the University of Kentucky.

Faculty Excellence in Research

Dr. Tansel Karabacak, associate professor of physics and astronomy, is an internationally known expert in the glancing angle deposition (GLAD) method to fabricate nanostructured metals, alloys, oxides, and semiconductors. Shortly after joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Karabacak created a new thin films and nanostructure laboratory, which utilizes state-of-the-art fabrication and testing equipment and computational tools for analysis and modeling studies. Karabacak collaborated with students, about 20 faculty members, and approximately 55 national and international researchers outside ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. He has been involved in projects with 10 companies and built connections with about 20 project managers from federal funding agencies. Karabacak managed research projects and contributed to 83 journal papers, 39 peer-reviewed conference proceedings, two book chapters, and two patent disclosures. He has also presented or co-authored about 175 invited talks and conference presentations. Karabacak has a Ph.D. and a master’s degree from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute and a bachelor’s degree from the Middle East Technical University.

Faculty Excellence in Public Service

Dr. Suzanne Penn, associate professor of clinical law at William H. Bowen School of Law, is dedicated to serving individuals who do not have access to legal assistance. In 2014, Penn created a clinical experience for law students in the Delta region of Arkansas, an area that has long been underserved by attorneys. The Delta project is comprised of two courses: The Delta Experience and the Delta Clinic. In the Delta Experience course, students travel to the Delta to educate low-income residents about grounds for divorce and what is necessary to obtain one without attorney representation. In the Delta Clinic course, students travel with Penn to Desha and Chicot counties to conduct client interviews, perform fact investigations related to case success, prepare divorce complaints and motions for fee waivers for clients. The students appear in courts as needed to represent their clients and also observe sessions of the courts. �� Penn earned a Juris Doctor from Tulane University and a bachelor’s degree with honors from Hendrix College. In the upper right photos are Drs. Kathryn King (left), Tansel Karabacak (middle), and Suzanne Penn (right). Photos by Lonnie Timmons III/��Vlog��ý Little Rock Communications.��

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

College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences awards $12,000 to promote summer faculty research

Renovations begin on ����Vlog��ý Little Rock Physics and Astronomy Building