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

Hood Named New Art Education Professor at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock

John Hill — Mon, 16 Aug 2021 13:26:51 +0000

Dr. Emily Jean Hood will join the University of Arkansas at Little Rock in the fall as the new assistant professor of art education. “We’re looking forward to welcoming Dr. Hood to the Department of Art and Design,” Chair Thomas Clifton said. “Art education is an active program with a significant number of students and a substantial employment success rate for our graduates. I’m sure Dr. Hood’s extensive experience in secondary education and her research will be a valuable asset to the program, the department and the community.” Hood’s duties include teaching undergraduate courses in art education, coordinating the art education program, including content and curriculum development, advising undergraduate art education majors, program coordination with the School of Education and local school districts, and supervising student teachers. “Teaching and art are truly magical,” Hood said. “I know I will learn so much working with up and coming art educators at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. I can’t wait to meet my students. I’m also excited about experiencing the broader ��Vlog��ý Little Rock community and making connections and collaborations with folks all over campus. The art and design department has access to a lot of great resources from facilities to travel abroad opportunities.” Hood, a native of Grants, New Mexico, has been interested in art ever since her mother encouraged her to create. “Art has always had such a big positive, even transformative, influence in my life, and art education gives me a way to pass that on to others,” she said. “My mom always encouraged me to make stuff even as a young child. As an undergrad, I was actually interested in art therapy. In a senior humanities class, I wrote a research paper about art therapy and realized that there are similarities between art therapy and art education, so I eventually opted to get a master’s degree and certification in art education.” Hood earned a bachelor’s degree in humanities from Lubbock Christian University as well as a master’s degree and Ph.D. in art education, both from the University of North Texas. Prior to joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, Hood served as a visiting assistant professor of art education at Appalachian State University, where she was nominated for the Excellence in Teaching Award this semester. She also worked as a visiting assistant professor of art education at Texas Woman’s University, a teaching fellow at the University of North Texas, and an art teacher at three Texas K-12 schools. Her research focuses on amplifying voices that have been left out of art education scholarship and pedagogy in the past. Hood said that she’s looking forward to revitalizing the art education program at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “The new program will focus on emergent and child-centered pedagogies where art is situated as a path for inquiry and exploration,” she said. “Art classrooms are often inherently relational spaces, so the new courses will focus on engaging materials, social and cultural differences, and fostering differentiation and inclusion for all members of any given art learning community.”

Shellam makes $100,000 donation to create endowed scholarship for ��Vlog��ý Little Rock art students in mother’s name

John Hill — Thu, 15 Apr 2021 21:23:13 +0000

A Little Rock woman has made a $100,000 donation to the University of Arkansas at Little Rock to create an endowed scholarship in her mother’s name for senior art students. Leslye Shellam, the daughter of Linda Blaine Flake and L. Dickson Flake, created the scholarship to honor her mother’s love of art. “Though recognized as ‘gifted’ from an early age, Linda knew that knowledge and experimentation to new, unfamiliar ideas kept her work fresh and inspired,” Shellam said. “The endowment in her name is intended to allow an art student more time for curiosity and self-exploration to channel their talent into a lifelong contribution to the rest of us who may need to be reminded of the ‘undefined’ that encourages personal creativity of all forms in each of us.” The Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Art Scholarship will benefit senior undergraduate students studying the visual arts in the College of Humanities, Arts, Social Sciences, and Education at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Mrs. Flake was a longtime practicing painter and considered painting a vocation and an avocation,” said Joseph Lampo, director of development and external relations. “Both she and her husband Dickson Flake had been active members of the Little Rock community for many years. I can’t think of a better way for a community member to honor someone than to provide support for students at the local metropolitan university studying a subject important to that person. We are grateful to Leslye Shellam for her appreciation of the need for this support.” Linda Blaine Flake was a native of Little Rock who attended Central High School through the 11th grade. Her father, Fletcher Clement Jr., was a civil engineer whose work took him and his family to places all around the world, including Canada, Morocco, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Colorado. She graduated high school in North Africa and later attended school in Gstaad and Neuchatel, Switzerland. She developed a love of the arts at a young age. Drawing and painting helped Flake navigate her early school years when the family moved frequently because of her father’s job. She had a summer job in Africa as a draftsman with the Corps of Engineers and another in the mapping section of the Arkansas Highway Department. After she married Dickson Flake, the couple moved to Detroit where their daughter, Leslye, was born. After the Flakes returned to Little Rock to be near family and friends, she studied and developed her art skills while her husband established a successful commercial real estate business.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock studio art major Caleb LeFevre presented Leslye Shellam with this charcoal drawing to thank her for her support of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock art students. Photo by Ben Krain.

Flake continued her passion for creating art by studying at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. She also participated in a painting master class invitational in Maine, and attended workshops in China, Guatemala, Mexico, Bali, California, and New Mexico. She was a successful artist who showed her work at the former Art on the Green Gallery in Conway, Arkansas, as well as the well-remembered Heights Gallery in Little Rock. She was an active member and former president of the Mid-Southern Watercolorists and also worked in other mediums. She and Townsend Wolfe, past long-serving director of the former Arkansas Arts Center, now the Arkansas Museum of Fine Arts, had an exclusive extended two-person exhibition of their work inspired by their visits to Asia, when China was still not fully open to the Western world. “My mother, Linda Blaine Flake, was an exceptionally intelligent and insightful woman,” Shellam said. “Art was the vehicle that kept her challenged and questioning established guidelines in life as well as her career. Linda’s artwork was not produced by what might interest a prospective buyer, but was an outpouring of what she wanted to share of her soul with others. By not defining herself in a specific category, she stayed open and embraced many mediums which facilitated rewarding life experiences, spurring even more creative and personal achievements.” The scholarship, to be awarded to a rising senior, will provide assistance for any education related expenses, including tuition, books, fees, and room and board. At the end of their senior year, the scholarship recipient will also have the opportunity for a solo exhibition of their work in one of the art galleries at the Windgate Center of Art and Design. “We’re delighted and gratified by the gift of the Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Scholarship,” said Thomas Clifton, chair of the Department of Art and Design at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “This unique scholarship, which provides annual funding for a solo student exhibition, will give us the opportunity to highlight the talents of an outstanding graduating senior each year.” In the upper right photo, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock studio art major Caleb LeFevre, left, was awarded the first Linda Blaine Flake Endowed Art Scholarship by philanthropist Leslye Shellam during a celebration of World Art Day at the Windgate Center of Art and Design. Photo by Ben Krain.

Chambers wins ��Vlog��ý Little Rock student mural competition

John Hill — Fri, 09 Apr 2021 13:33:22 +0000

Emma Chambers, a junior Bachelor of Fine Arts major with a concentration in painting, has won the first student mural competition at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “I was really excited that I won the mural contest,” Chambers said. “I hoped that I would get it because I believed in myself and my painting.” The Student Government Association, in conjunction with the Faculty Senate Building and Grounds committee, created the mural contest open to all ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students. Chambers received more than 750 votes for her design of swimming koi fish. Chambers will paint the mural that will be placed on the west side of the Ottenheimer Library Lobby entrance. It will be eight feet wide and 16 feet long. She will receive $1,000 to complete the mural, including $150 for support materials, $650 for preparation, construction materials, and cleanup, as well as a $200 artist stipend. “I am really into painting fish, especially koi fish,” Chambers said. “I grew up with a koi pond, and I’ve always been interested in the form of the fish. It’s very graceful. I wanted to provide a sense of tranquility and relaxation. I wanted something that would be calming and pleasant for students.” Chambers said she also drew inspiration for her design from the koi fish mural in downtown Little Rock that was painted by Matt McLeod and ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students. Chambers is working with Ricky Sikes, artist-in-residence of painting, Peter Scheidt, assistant professor of furniture and woodworking, and Thomas Clifton, chair of the Department of Art and Design.

Emma Chambers’ winning design for the student mural competition

She is a Little Rock native and member of the Donaghey Scholars Honor Program. In addition to the BFA, she is earning minors in applied design-ceramics and Spanish. After she graduates in spring 2022, Chambers plans to attend graduate school to further her study of ceramics or open an art studio. Chambers will complete the mural by April 30, and Chancellor Christina Drale will preside over the unveiling in May. A specific date for the unveiling ceremony will be forthcoming.

Arkansas Arts Council honors Warrick as 2020 Arkansas Living Treasure

John Hill — Wed, 23 Sep 2020 21:07:49 +0000

The Arkansas Arts Council has selected Michael Warrick, a professor of art at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, as the 2020 Arkansas Living Treasure for his work and dedication to the craft of metalworking. Warrick will be honored during a virtual event on and at 5 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 8. The virtual event will include videos of Warrick’s work and a discussion about his methods. Speakers will include Gov. Asa Hutchinson and Stacy Hurst, secretary of the Department of Parks, Heritage, and Tourism, among others. “We are excited to be able to offer a virtual event to honor a master of metalworking,” said Patrick Ralston, director of the Arkansas Arts Center. “It is important, especially during these troubling times, to recognize the leaders, educators, and master craftsmen and women who keep Arkansas’s rich cultural and arts heritage alive.” The annually recognizes an Arkansas artist who excels in the creation of a traditional craft and who actively preserves and advances his or her craft through community outreach and educating others. “I’m pretty excited about being named the 2020 Arkansas Living Treasure,” Warrick said. “I’m turning 70 this year. I’ve been working at my craft and trade for more than 50 years. It’s nice to be recognized for that.”

Michael Warrick’s latest sculpture, “Mockingbird Tree with Oranges.”

Warrick is known as a dedicated instructor who teaches multiple metalworking courses. He has remained committed to maintaining and advancing his craft through mentoring, teaching, lecturing, demonstrating, and building through teamwork. “I love ��Vlog��ý Little Rock,” Warrick said. “I love the students and the challenges. It’s always evolving. I’ve got some great colleagues to work with and a great new building to work in. This is my 30th year of teaching at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, but I’ve never stopped learning, and I’m still excited about teaching.” Thomas Clifton, chair of the Department of Art and Design at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, described Warrick as an active and involved faculty member with a great passion for art and teaching. “I am often amazed at his energy and determination,” Clifton said. “This combination of traits has allowed him to amass an unparalleled national exhibition records of 42 solo exhibits and 174 competitive and invitational exhibits over the course of his career. Michael’s prolific career has made it challenging to walk through Little Rock without coming across one of his sculptures. Michael is well represented throughout our city, like no other artist I know. His record of accomplishments is without equal.” Warrick’s work has appeared in exhibitions and public installations locally and worldwide. He regularly does commission work, including a piece he created in 2017 for the Little Rock Sister City Commission to give to the City of Hanam in South Korea to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the sister cities partnership. A video about that project is available via . Through his partnership with artist Aaron Hussey, Warrick created the in 2001. Warrick began learning metalworking in 1967, when he took an industrial arts class in high school that included welding. He became a certified welder in 1972 and worked on large-scale mining equipment trucks, industrial fixtures, and railroad cars. He attended Illinois State University as an art student in 1976. There, he learned metal casting and sculpting, and as a graduate student, he learned to work with cast iron. By 1995, he had picked up the technique of ceramic shell casting, which allowed him to cast finer and thinner bronze works. Warrick is constantly learning, experimenting, and evolving. In 2015, he learned 3D printing with polylactic acid plastic (PLA) and used the new technology in tandem with traditional lost wax casting for his metalwork. The resulting large-scale, 21-by-15-by-15-foot sculpture sits today outside the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. The sculpture is a fascinating mix of stainless steel, bronze, glass, and concrete that celebrates the Louisiana Purchase. “I am a firm believer that there is much value to learning traditional methods for creating in cast metal,” Warrick said. “I am also curious about contemporary techniques in the production of objects and how they might be enhanced by joining old and new techniques.” Since joining ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in the fall of 1990, Warrick has been instrumental in securing grants, including one to build a foundry and kilns for metal casting for the university. Another grant allowed him to bring in renowned lecturers in metalworking. He also sat on a committee that brought public sculptures to the university to “embellish the culturally rich environment.” “Creating and teaching are very important to me,” Warrick said. “I have made it a personal goal to help others learn and create through the craft of metalworking. In my own creative metalwork, it is my hope that I can bring elements of our humanity and history through the craft.”

��Vlog��ý Little Rock honored for exhibit preserving history of Robinson Center

John Hill — Mon, 09 Mar 2020 15:29:50 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Center for Arkansas History and Culture has been recognized for its efforts to showcase the history of the Robinson Center. Preserve Arkansas awarded the center an honorable mention in the Outstanding Achievement in Preservation Education category for the mural/timeline exhibit at Robinson Memorial Auditorium. The Arkansas Preservation Awards, held annually in January, recognizes preservation efforts across the state. These achievements range from outstanding examples of rehabilitated structures, revitalized neighborhoods, and commercial districts. The “Timeline of Historic Robinson Center” was unveiled Nov. 9, 2019, in the Robinson Center. The exhibit was a collaboration between ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Center for Arkansas History and Culture, Department of Art and Design, Department of History, and the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. The timeline stretches more than 50 feet along the interior wall, detailing the history of the center from the 1930s to the present. At one end of the timeline is a 10-foot-tall photograph of Joseph Taylor Robinson, the former Arkansas governor and U.S. senator for whom Robinson Auditorium was named. At the other end is a reproduction painting of the newly remodeled building that re-opened Nov. 10, 2016, following a 28-month, $70-million restoration, renovation, an expansion led by the Little Rock Convention and Visitors Bureau. Shannon Lausch, an archivist at the Center for Arkansas History and Culture, was the lead researcher and wrote the primary text panels for the exhibit. Charles Romney, associate professor of history, and Vincent Vinikas, professor of history, also contributed to the research. Kevin Cates and Thomas Clifton, professors in ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Art and Design, oversaw the exhibit design. “I coordinated the research and writing for the Robinson Center exhibit,” Lausch said. “The exhibit’s success came from the collaboration among many people with different talents. I enjoyed working with my colleagues and getting to know people outside of my department. Many of the historic images used in the exhibit were taken by a Little Rock architectural photographer, whose collection I was working on at the time. It was gratifying to see his photographs used to illustrate the exhibit.” The Robinson Center was constructed during the Great Depression as a building project under President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal legislation. At the groundbreaking ceremony on Dec. 14, 1937, city officials dedicated the building to Sen. Robinson, who had died six months earlier. The city saw it as a fitting tribute to name the structure after Robinson, whose work in supporting the New Deal had enabled projects like the Robinson Auditorium. Over the years, Robinson has hosted theater, music, dance, lectures, sports, and civic events. When it opened, it became the first auditorium in the South with air conditioning. Conventions, theatrical shows, and numerous musical acts all came to Little Rock. In fact, the first recording of Elvis Presley’s “Hound Dog” was made on Robinson’s stage. “Remembering the connections between past and present allows us to build a brighter future,” Vinikas said.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock receives more than $750,000 to expand art offerings

Janea Snyder — Thu, 31 Jan 2019 17:11:11 +0000

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock’s Department of Art and Design will expand its art outreach with a $754,108 gift from the Windgate Foundation. Part of the gift will enable the university’s Department of Art and Design to establish a series of educational art workshops for high school students and art teachers around the state and in contiguous states. “The Windgate gift will help us promote excellence in the visual arts by exposing students to both traditional and contemporary arts and bringing students and art educators to experience our program and our facilities,” said Joseph Lampo, director of development and external relations. “Ultimately, we want to help those students who show promising talent become well-trained artists and makers.” New outreach activities will take place during the school year and during the summer at the Windgate Center of Art and Design on the campus of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. Beginning this summer, the university will offer workshops for junior and senior high school students and art teachers. “These sessions will be designed not only to instruct or train participants in a particular technique or process, but also to introduce them to our highly skilled Department of Art and Design faculty and the up-to-date equipment and facilities of the Windgate Center of Art and Design,” said Thomas Clifton, chair of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock’s Department of Art and Design. A $20.3 million gift from in 2015 enabled ��Vlog��ý Little Rock to construct the Windgate Center of Art and Design, which opened in 2018. The center houses a fine arts foundry and specialized areas for ceramics, digital fabrication, graphic design, jewelry making, illustration, metal fabrication, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpting, woodworking and space for art history and art education. The state’s only programs in furniture design and metalsmithing also are housed in the center. “The Windgate Center of Art and Design is a state-of-the-art facility with an accomplished and passionate faculty, and we are pleased to continue our partnership with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock for their art outreach program,” said Pat Forgy, executive director of the Windgate Foundation. “We encourage high school students and art teachers in Arkansas and beyond to take advantage of this exciting opportunity to visit campus and explore workshops in areas such as woodworking, metal and digital fabrication, ceramics, sculpture, painting, drawing and more. Through these workshops, art teachers will learn the latest techniques and students will be able to discover the numerous possibilities available in pursuing a visual arts education.” During the academic school year, high school art students and their art teachers will be able to spend a day in the department’s studios. Participants will work with ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty and have a day of college-level classes. The sessions will begin in fall 2019 and be offered on select Fridays during the semester. Art teachers will have their own summer workshop in which they receive instruction in current art techniques. The ��Vlog��ý Little Rock Art and Design Department is partnering with the , which will assist in recruiting teachers for the workshops. Teachers who participate in the summer workshops will receive support from Thea Foundation for the following school year. Beginning in summer 2021, the university will offer on-campus housing at no charge to students and teachers attending the summer camps. All workshops, including supplies and instructional materials, will be free for students and teachers. Transportation costs will not be covered. “We want this opportunity to be accessible to students and teachers in central Arkansas and beyond,” Lampo said. “By offering residential opportunities, we hope to encourage students and teachers who may not be able to participate otherwise. This is just one way we are expanding our collaboration with the arts community and helping nurture promising careers in the visual arts.”

Estes named new interim dean of College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences

Ajani Oyindamola — Fri, 22 Jun 2018 14:15:53 +0000

Dr. Sarah Beth Estes has been named the new interim dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. Estes will succeed Dr. Thomas Clifton, who will return to the Department of Art and Design as chairperson. Estes will begin her new appointment July 1. She currently serves as the associate provost of community, careers, and extended education and will continue to serve in that role in addition to the interim dean position. “In his two years of service as interim dean of Arts, Letters, and Sciences, Professor Clifton has made many contributions, most notably overseeing the opening of the Windgate Center for Art and Design as well as initiating a Science Advisory Council,” said Dr. Velmer Burton Jr., executive vice chancellor and provost of ��Vlog��ý Little Rock, who also welcomed Estes to her new role. “I know Dr. Estes will ably expand current initiatives as well as bring some new opportunities to the college,” Burton said. “Her experience in working across disciplines as well as her leadership experience in multiple roles lends itself well to the interdisciplinary nature of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences. Her work in experiential learning and career services will be of great benefit to the many students who are majoring in arts, letters, and sciences. I thank Professor Clifton for his service and Dr. Estes for accepting this appointment.” Estes is a 1988 graduate of Hendrix College with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. She also holds a master’s degree and Ph.D. from the University of Iowa. She was a faculty member at the University of Cincinnati and affiliate of the Kunz Center for Work and Family before arriving at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2006. Estes began her ��Vlog��ý Little Rock career as the coordinator of the gender studies program and as a faculty member in the Department of Sociology and Anthropology, where she taught courses on gender, social statistics and research methods, and interdisciplinary courses in the Donaghey Scholars Program. She has held many leadership roles at the university, including associate dean for research, engagement, and interdisciplinary programs in the College of Social Sciences and Communication; associate dean of the College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences; and associate chair of the Department of Sociology and Anthropology. Much of Estes’ heavily cited research has focused on how work-family policies are related to aspects of family life, including parenting behavior, children’s well-being, and the gendered division of household labor. In the last few years, she has collaborated with the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas to produce several research studies, including “Economic Indicators for Women in Arkansas: State, Region, County,” published earlier this year. Estes serves as first vice president on the board of the Women’s Foundation of Arkansas, which is dedicated to improving economic outcomes for women and girls in Arkansas. She was also the founding chair of the Green Dot Violence Prevention Program established at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock in 2013, was voted the Faculty Member of the Year by the Student Government Association in 2014, and has coordinated the Stonewall Scholarship Committee, which awards an annual scholarship to students whose research incorporates lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender issues.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to honor CTEH’s Cory Davis with Fribourgh Award

Ajani Oyindamola — Tue, 19 Jun 2018 14:19:15 +0000

William “Cory” Davis, senior vice president of operations and principal consultant at the Center for Toxicology and Environmental Health in North Little Rock, has been selected as the recipient of the ninth annual Fribourgh Award from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. “It’s a great honor to be recognized by my alma mater in this way,” Davis said. “This award not only acknowledges the recipient, it gives other ��Vlog��ý Little Rock students the opportunity to pursue careers in math and science and give back to our state in the future.” The Fribourgh Award honors individuals who have made considerable contributions to the state of Arkansas through mathematics and science. This year’s reception will be held on Thursday, Sept. 20, from 6-8 p.m. at the Chenal Country Club in Little Rock. Proceeds will be used to create an endowed scholarship in the Davis Family name to help ��Vlog��ý Little Rock attract and retain high-achieving, full-time students majoring in math and science. “We appreciate this opportunity to recognize Cory Davis for his noteworthy work in our state’s scientific community,” said Thomas Clifton, interim dean of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Arts, Letters and Sciences. “He’s an excellent example of how impactful ��Vlog��ý Little Rock alumni can be, not just to one individual but to the entire populace.” After graduating from ��Vlog��ý Little Rock with a and industrial psychology minor in 2000, Davis met Drs. Jay Gandy, Phil Goad, Glenn Millner and Alan Nye of the (CTEH), a management, technology and science-based consulting firm, and was hired as an industrial hygienist. For nine years, he then served as manager of the company’s Toxicology Emergency Response Program (TERP), which is responsible for providing high-level scientific consulting for situations involving the catastrophic release of hazardous materials. Today, he is senior vice president of operations and principal consultant—handling large-scale emergency response, industrial hygiene, environmental consulting and emergency preparedness projects. He is widely known as one of the best advisors in the North American emergency response industry.

Cory Davis/Photo by Ben Krain

Under Davis’ leadership, CTEH has grown to more than 150 employees and nine offices across the U.S. He is thankful to his mentors and colleagues who are dedicated to helping his fellow Arkansans and others in need around the globe. “I’ve been proud to work with my colleagues at CTEH to build a first-class team of environmental, health, safety and management professionals who are willing and able to provide the science and intelligence our partners need during times of crisis,” Davis said. “Every day, we’re developing new solutions—from cutting-edge technology to hands-on training programs—to help protect people, their communities and the environment.” The Fribourgh Award Reception began in 2010 to honor the late Dr. James H. Fribourgh, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock professor emeritus, who served for more than 45 years as chair of Life Sciences, interim chancellor, vice chancellor for academic affairs and distinguished professor of biology. Past recipients include Jerry B. Adams, president and CEO of Arkansas Research Alliance; H. Watt Gregory III, partner at Kutak Rock LLP; Dr. Charles E. Hathaway, ��Vlog��ý Little Rock chancellor emeritus and Donaghey distinguished professor; Peter Banko, president and CEO of St. Vincent Health System; Dr. James Hendren, former CEO and chairman of Arkansas Systems Inc., Dr. Mary Good, founding dean of the ��Vlog��ý Little Rock College of Engineering and Information Technology; and Jerry and Sherri Damerow. Tickets for this year’s reception are on sale for $75 per person, $50 is tax deductible, at . For sponsorship information, please contact Derek Boyce at dcboyce@ualr.edu or 501-683-7355.

��Vlog��ý Little Rock to host Arkansas Science Olympiad April 6-7

Janea Snyder — Wed, 04 Apr 2018 14:37:42 +0000

This weekend more than 300 middle- and high-school students from across Arkansas will convene at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock for the 8th annual Arkansas Science Olympiad, which is coordinated through the university’s STEM Education Center. The opening ceremony begins at 6 p.m. Friday, April 6, in Dickinson Hall lobby, and competitions run Saturday, April 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. around campus. Students will compete for prizes and the chance to advance to the National Science Olympiad to be held May 18-19 at Colorado State University in Fort Collins. This year’s Science Olympiad features 42 events – 21 for middle school students (grades 6-8) and 21 events in the high school division (grades 9-12). Each event presents a challenge that students have to solve within a time limit. Medals will be awarded in each event, and trophies awarded to highest-scoring teams. New this year is the Raye Montague Trophy, which will be awarded to the highest-ranking majority female team. The award is named in honor of Arkansas native Raye Montague, an engineer for the U.S. Navy who in 1970 created the first computer-generated rough draft of a naval ship. She was given a month to complete the assignment and finished the task in 19 hours. (Raye Montague is also the mother of David Montague, director of eLearning and professor of criminal justice at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock.) “One of the goals of Science Olympiad is to encourage more women to participate in the sciences, and we encourage them through competition,” said Eric Kaufmann, professor and director of undergraduate studies of mathematics and statistics, and state director of the Arkansas Science Olympiad. The competition started with just seven teams in 2011; this year 29 teams are competing. This is also the first year for multiple regional tournaments with earlier competitions held at Northwest Arkansas Community College and ASU-Newport. Participating schools include Central Arkansas Christian School in North Little Rock, Benton High, Sylvan Hills High in Sherwood, Parkview Science and Arts Magnet in Little Rock, Lisa Academy West, Lisa Academy North High, Lisa Academy North Middle, Lisa Academy Chenal, Haas Hall Academy in Fayetteville and Bentonville, Little Rock Central High School, County Line High in Branch, Nettleton Junior High and High schools, The Academies at Jonesboro, Little Rock Christian Academy, Cabot Junior High and Annie Camp Junior High in Jonesboro. “It’s definitely growing,” Kaufmann said. “Our entire goal was to get students excited about science, and there’s an enthusiasm in these students. Science Olympiad just brings it out.” About three dozen ��Vlog��ý Little Rock faculty have a hand in this year’s events – from devising the competitions to running them. Scientists from ��Vlog��ýMS, the Arkansas Geologic Survey, the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration, Museum of Discovery, Central Arkansas Astronomical Society, and the Little Rock Zoo also are helping run the events. In addition, about two dozen undergraduate and graduate students will be assisting as community service. “It’s really a tremendous outreach program,” said Thomas Clifton, interim dean of the College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences at ��Vlog��ý Little Rock. “Our community partners really help us make this event a success, and our own students get very involved. It’s our hope that every middle school or high school student who participates in Science Olympiad feels the excitement that comes from solving a problem and reaching a goal.” Here’s just a few of the creative challenges the students will have waiting for them when they get to ��Vlog��ý Little Rock: Battery Buggy – Students bring their pre-built buggy to the event and are given a set distance their buggy must travel. They must design a cart to travel that exact distance in the quickest time and stop at the target point. Mystery Architecture – Student have 30 minutes to design, build, and test a structure (bridge, tower, or cantilever beam) using unknown materials. Wright Stuff – Students design, build, and launch rubber-band powered balsa wood airplanes. The plane that stays in air the longest is the winner. Game-On: Students are given a theme and have 50 minutes to design and develop a computer game using the program SCRATCH. Hovercraft – Students take a written test that covers mechanics, and then they build a craft, which must travel from Point A to Point B in a certain time. Missions Possible (Rube Goldberg Machine.) The challenge: Build a simple machine in the most complicated way possible. Towers – The team that designs the lightest tower that supports the most weight will be declared the winner. Potions and Poisons – Chemistry challenge based on household poisons and venoms found in nature.

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

Hood Named New Art Education Professor at ����Vlog��ý Little Rock

Shellam makes $100,000 donation to create endowed scholarship for ����Vlog��ý Little Rock art students in mother’s name

Chambers wins ����Vlog��ý Little Rock student mural competition