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

Girls learn tech skills at Windstream Girl: CODE Camp

Janea Snyder — Mon, 29 Jul 2019 18:30:58 +0000

Sixteen rising eighth- and ninth-grade girls just spent a week at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock learning coding skills that will come in handy for future STEM careers. The girls coding camp, made possible with a $10,000 sponsorship from , is a one-week annual residential camp that aims to motivate academically prepared females to enter the fields of computer science, information science or web design. The program is free to participants. During the camp, which ended July 26, girls stayed in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s on-campus housing so they also got a taste of what it’s like to be on a college campus. During the day, they worked with Thomas Wallace, senior instructor of information science and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s coordinator of the Web Design and Development program and information technology minor. “Our focus has been on the web stack of three core technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript,” Wallace said. “Each day we focused on a different layer. The afternoons were for lab, and that’s where they applied the skills they learned.” The girls also took a field trip to Windstream where they learned how to provision a phone system, participated in binary coding exercises, and toured a network lab. “Working directly with these girls, watching them work together to learn how to provision phones on Windstream’s network is truly an inspirational experience,” said Sara Lary, manager of the Law Enforcement Support Center. “Seeing their excitement when the equipment works and watching them call their parents to share their experience and enthusiasm is proof that we are doing good work and making a difference. Yesterday one of our campers said ‘This is awesome, I want to do this! What do I need to do so I can do something like this with Windstream?’ We need to keep that enthusiasm going for generations and continue to work to provide more opportunities for young girls to succeed at an early age.” Lary’s daughter is a former participant of the camp. “I got to witness firsthand how her experience attending this camp sparked a level of confidence, interest and motivation in her education and career path that she didn’t have previously,” Lary recalled. “Once she was given the opportunity to learn cool, relevant things with technology in a healthy environment, she became excited about her future. We can do this for all young girls. By fostering an interest in STEM (now STEAM) topics at a young age and working on the negative connotations and barriers that girls face today, educators, parents, and mentors can work together to help girls maintain confidence and curiosity in STEAM.” This year’s participants were selected from schools statewide based on essay, grades, test scores, and recommendations. Schools represented include Forest Heights Stem Academy, Lisa Academy West, Pinnacle View Middle School, Pulaski Academy, and Quest Academy, all in Little Rock; Fulbright Junior High School in Centerton; Ruth Doyle Middle School in Conway; and St. Joseph School in Russellville. Photo, top right: Girls gathered at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to participate in a week-long coding camp, sponsored by Windstream. Photos left and above right: Girls participate in technology-based challenge activities at Windstream’s networking lab on July 25, 2019. Photos by Benjamin Krain

Girls Coding camp teaches foundations for STEM careers

Janea Snyder — Fri, 27 Jul 2018 16:04:29 +0000

Eighteen rising eighth- and ninth-grade girls in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Girls Coding Camp are learning skills that might come in handy for future STEM careers. The Girls Coding Camp, made possible with a $10,000 sponsorship from , is a one-week annual residential camp now in its third year that aims to motivate academically prepared females to enter the fields of computer science, information science, or web design. The camp concluded Friday, July 27, with an open house at 10 a.m. in the Engineering and Information Technology Student Services Lab on the first floor of the EIT building. This year’s participants were selected from schools statewide based on essay, grades, test scores, and recommendations. Schools represented include Forest Heights Stem Academy, Lisa Academy West, Lisa Academy Middle School, Episcopal Collegiate and Pulaski Academy, all in Little Rock; Benton Middle School; Haas Hall Rogers in Bentonville; Lincoln Junior High School in Centerton; Cotter Public Schools; Jacksonville Middle School; Perryville High School; Watson Chapel Junior High School in Pine Bluff; Sheridan Junior High School; Warren Middle School; and West Junior High School in West Memphis. For the past week, the girls have spent their mornings in the classroom with Thomas Wallace, senior instructor of information science and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s coordinator of the Web Design and Development program and information technology minor. “Our focus has been on the web stack of three core technologies: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript,” Wallace said. “Each day we focus on a different layer. The afternoons are for lab, and that’s where they get to apply the skills they have learned.” The girls each chose a web project to work on this week. Lesleigh Sullivan, an eighth-grade student at Episcopal Collegiate School, has been creating a biography page for her project. She is co-captain of her school’s robotics team and will be involved with VEX Club this fall. She attend last year’s coding camp and wanted to return this summer to advance her skills. “This year, I learned about HTML, which I’ve never done before,” she said. “It was nice learning a new technology.” The girls stay in on-campus housing during the week, so they also get a taste of what it’s like to be on a college campus. Earlier this week, they took a field trip to Windstream, where they visited labs to see how networking equipment is tested. In addition to hands-on instruction, the girls attend “Girl Talk” seminars featuring female professionals to learn more about opportunities available for females in computer and information science.

The girls tour Windstream.

“It’s nice to know there are so many women in STEM fields who are setting the path for us so we can do something better,” said Emily Ye, an incoming eighth-grader at Forest Heights STEM Academy. One of the featured speakers was ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumna Christina Copley, who is head of information technology systems transformation for Windstream’s Consumer and Small Business Division. Copley attended the University of Central Arkansas where she began a major in kinesiology, thinking she wanted to be a coach. Then, she took an elective course in the Information Technology program and loved it. “I thought there would be more opportunities for me there, so I switched majors,” Copley said. She started working at Alltel as a data warehousing intern and continued working for the company while she took night classes at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to earn her MBA in 2014. The girls asked Copley all sorts of questions: How many coding languages do you know? When you were our age, did you think you would be a stay-at-home mom? Do you think your job is different because you’re a woman? Then, finally, they stumped her: “Who is your favorite Chris?” (Chris Pine, Chris Evans, or Chris Hemsworth?) “They were not shy and I like that,” Copley said. “When I was in eighth grade, I didn’t know any women in IT. It wasn’t clear to me that was even a path. These STEM programs are important for girls to know there are options. Now is the age when you plant the seed.”

Student-athlete looks forward to future as sports trainer, coach

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 10 Jul 2018 13:41:37 +0000

Brandon Brady, who is pursuing a master’s degree in sport management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, can’t imagine a better future than to help young student-athletes pursue their dreams. completed his last year as a member of the Trojan men’s basketball team in 2018 and plans to make a career of helping high school and college student-athletes, the same way his father and coaches did for him. Being a basketball player is a matter of family pride for the Bradys. His father, Dexter Brady Sr., has coached basketball for more than two decades. His older brother, D.J., attended school at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and was a high school basketball standout in Dallas, Texas, while his younger sister, Morgan, plays basketball at the University of Tulsa. Brady’s older brother, Jeremy, went a different route and played football at the University of Tulsa. “I started playing basketball when I was 3 years old,” Brady said. “I grew up watching my brothers. Both of them were athletes, and my dad coached me all the way until I was 16. He had his own Amateur Athletic Union team, so I played for him. I traveled all around the country to compete in tournaments against the top players in the nation.” He credits his family full of athletes for giving him the inspiration, drive, and support to pursue his passion for basketball. “I’d just like to say my family has been a great part of my success. That great foundation has made me spread my wings,” Brady said. “My brothers give me that competitive drive, and I try to follow in their footsteps. My biggest mentor is my dad. He has made sure that we were smart, took care of our grades, and got a good education. I asked him for a lot of advice on life and on the basketball court.” Having played basketball on his high school teams at Red Oak High School in Texas and Pulaski Academy in Little Rock, Brady played basketball at Eastern Oklahoma State College as a freshman and Lyon College in Batesville as a sophomore. Brady had always dreamed of playing Division I basketball in college. In 2015, he made the decision to transfer to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock and earned his place as a Trojan as a walk-on member of the team. “I transferred to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock because all my family is here, and it was close to home,” Brady said. “I could be closer to my parents, and I wanted to play at the Division I level. I wanted to push myself. I first played at junior college level then at the NAIA level , but I wanted to see if I could play with the top players in the country at Division I level, so I came to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.” As a student-athlete, Brady’s best moments come from bonding with his teammates and coaches while traveling around the country. There is one moment that stands out as the most memorable of his time as a student-athlete. He served as the Trojans student manager during the 2015-16 season, when the team made it all the way to March Madness. “My most memorable experience was when Coach Beard was here, and we won a record 30 games and went to the March Madness tournament,” he said. “At the Sun Belt Conference tournament, we won the whole game and it was great excitement when they displayed our name for the March Madness. We went to Denver and played against Purdue. That was the best experience I had.”

Brandon Brady

He also enjoyed being active in the community. Basketball team members often volunteered at Arkansas Children’s Hospital and area schools, giving eager students game tickets as well as advice about going to college and encouraging them to listen to their teachers. Brady graduated in 2017 with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice. By that time, he had already started a personal sports training business, B. Brady Skills Training, for high school and college basketball players, primarily with student-athletes from his high school alma mater, Pulaski Academy. The experience inspired him to earn his master’s degree in sport management, which he will earn in 2019, having decided that a future as a trainer and coach was in the cards. He is also looking forward to an internship with the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Athletics Department to gain more professional experience during the upcoming school year. “I have been doing the training business for three years. I go back to my old high school, and I reach out to players and do training sessions to develop their game. I teach them things I have learned over the years to help them out,” Brady said. “I plan on working in college coaching or high school coaching and growing my skills training business. Maybe I should pick one but staying around basketball is the biggest thing.” Brady said that mentors like his father and his high school coach, Roger Franks, and college coaching staff over the last six years have made a positive impact on him. Little Rock, helped him develop basketball skills and a love of the game, which he wants to share with fellow student-athletes. “Basketball is a peaceful, active thing. Whenever you play, a lot of other stuff doesn’t matter,” he said. “It takes your mind off the stresses of life. It’s a beautiful game to play. Basketball teaches you life lessons. You can play basketball, and it can teach you about hard work, how to communicate, how to stay disciplined, and how to be responsible. That’s what I love about basketball.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock announces Donaghey Scholars for 2018-19

Janea Snyder — Thu, 21 Jun 2018 16:46:13 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock welcomes 25 new Donaghey Scholars for the 2018-2019 academic year. The Donaghey Scholars Program admissions process is highly competitive. The most promising applicants are invited to campus for an interview. Admission decisions are based on academic record, test scores, leadership ability, community service, interest in other cultures, recommendation letters, admissions essays, and the interview. This year’s incoming class of Donaghey Scholars has an average ACT score of 31. Donaghey Scholars receive a financial package that includes full tuition and fees (up to 18 hours per semester), a stipend, financial assistance to study abroad, a housing subsidy, and a new laptop. The program features an interdisciplinary core curriculum that emphasizes critical thinking, writing, discussion, and project-based learning that engages with the city of Little Rock. The students, hometown, high school and intended major are:

Emma Chambers, of Little Rock, Pulaski Academy, Studio Art
Alondra Cruz, of Little Rock, Mills University Studies High School, Business
Olivia Fitzgibbon, of Little Rock, eStem, Public Relations
Lucca Garcia, of Sheridan, Catholic High School, Nursing
Sadie Goss, of El Dorado, Parkers Chapel High School, Criminal Justice and Biology
Mohib Hafeez, of Little Rock, Lisa Academy West, Biology and Chemistry/ Pre-Med
LaTambria Hampton, of Jonesboro, Academies at Jonesboro High School, Biology and Chemistry/ Pre-Med
Jordan Hancock, of Benton, Benton High School, Art History
Meagan Herbold, of Mabelvale, Bryant High School, Physics and Mathematics
Khristina Huff, of Cleveland, Clinton High School, Biology and Chemistry/ Pre-Med
Sabah Ismail, of Fort Smith, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Political Science
Nicholas Jaeger, of Leslie, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Computer Science
Savannah James, of North Little Rock, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Political Science
Amelia Jilek, of Alexander, Bryant High School, Philosophy/ Pre-Law
Greyson Kauffman, of Cabot, Cabot High School, Criminal Justice and Psychology
Sam Koon, of Little Rock, Little Rock Central High School, English/ Pre-Law
Sydney Kornelsen, of Fallbrook, CA, Escondido Charter High School, Chemistry
Hannah Krehbiel, of Fort Smith, Northside High School, Anthropology and Chemistry
Cecily Mobley, of Fouke, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Systems Engineering
Karson Oakes, of Paragould, Paragould Senior High School, Computer Science
Gage Pipkin, of Jonesboro, Westside High School, Theatre
Philip Plouch, of Little Rock, Arkansas School for Mathematics, Sciences, and the Arts, Computer Science
Gabrielle Roberts, of Jonesboro, Academies at Jonesboro High School, Biology/ Pre-Vet
Aleigha Smith, of Ward, Cabot High School, Accounting
Ruby Trotter, of Houston, TX, Jersey Village High School, Biology and Chemistry/ Pre-Med

Photo by Benjamin Krain

Central Arkansas high school students win big at international science, engineering fair

Janea Snyder — Wed, 23 May 2018 18:42:39 +0000

Little Rock high school students who took top prizes at the Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair held earlier this year at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock recently advanced to the international competition where two students won big awards. Six Central Arkansas students competed at the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, on May 13-18. They are:

Mohammed Abuleum, Pulaski Academy
Anusha Bhattacharyya, Little Rock Central High School (ISEF qualifier at State Science and Engineering Fair)
Meghana Bollimpalli, Little Rock Central High School
Sanjana Padala, Little Rock Central High School
Hetvi Shah, Little Rock Central High School
Chengyue “Oscar” She, Little Rock Central High School

Meghana Bollimpalli, 17, of Little Rock, received one of two $50,000 Intel Foundation Young Scientist Awards for her novel, low-cost approach for synthesizing materials that could greatly cut the production and energy costs of making electrodes for devices like supercapacitors. She found that combining common substances like tea and molasses with nitrogen and phosphorus in a commercial microwave formed a powder that could be used as a coating for electrode-like materials, giving them similar properties of more expensive metals like platinum. She also took home an $8,000 first-place prize in the chemistry category. She is the first top awardee from Arkansas since 1996. Anusha Bhattacharyya won a scholarship to Arizona State University and a third place $1,000 award in the Earth and Environmental Science category for her research to find a suitable adsorbent using naturally abundant environmentally benign materials to remove nitrophenols from water in an efficient, inexpensive, and sustainable way. “We are certainly proud of how well our local students fared in the international competition and how advanced their projects and research were, but that is the nature of STEM disciplines,” said Keith Harris, director of the Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair and a science instructional facilitator in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s STEM Education Center. “These are highly competitive fields, and CARSEF recognizes these emerging scientists whose projects exemplify high degrees of difficulty, thoroughness, complexity, creativity, innovation and effective communication.” The Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair is one of several academic competitions for middle and high school students organized yearly by the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock STEM Education Center to promote STEM as career options. ��Vlog��ý Little Rock has hosted the regional fair continuously since 2011. “Our hope is to give more K-12 students access to and encourage participation in these programs to see what STEM careers are all about, all while increasing support of these programs from the campus and community,” Harris said. This year, about 450 students in grades 4-12 competed in the central Arkansas regional fair. Top winners earned the right to advance to the international fair where they faced competition from nearly 1,800 participants from 75 countries, regions, and territories. The 2019 Central Arkansas Regional Science and Engineering Fair will take place on March 1, 2019. For more information about programs offered, visit ualr.edu/stemcenter Top right photo: Sanjana Padala, Anusha Bhattacharyya, Meghana Bollimpalli, Hetvi Shah, Mohammed Abuelem (Pulaski Academy), Oscar She attend the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair in Pittsburgh, Penn., on May 13-18, 2018. Photo by Patrick Foley, Little Rock Central High School

��Vlog��ý Little Rock STEM Education Center to host girls’ STEM conference

Janea Snyder — Thu, 12 Apr 2018 20:45:12 +0000

Middle school girls from around central Arkansas will be on the University of Arkansas at Little Rock campus on Friday, April 13, for the Girls STEM Leadership Conference organized by ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s STEM Education Center. The half-day event brings together seventh- and eighth-grade girls for STEM sessions and a panel discussion led by women working in STEM fields. Participating schools include Pulaski Academy, Quest, eStem, and Mabelvale Middle School. The conference is the second such conference hosted this year at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. The first conference on March 27 served about 100 students from North Little Rock Middle School. A third conference will be held later this year. “We’re here to promote STEM education at the university and within the school districts closest to us,” said Kent Layton, interim director of STEM Education Center. The conferences aim to educate girls about career opportunities in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Last year, the center served 400 girls.

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