Coming in at No. 10, this story told the legacy and impact of Howard Williams, a former truck driver who headed the Arkansas Contractors Licensing Board for decades. He鈥檚 known for his unwavering support for the education and advancement of young construction professionals in Arkansas, including helping to found the Construction Management program at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock.

The heartwarming tale of Professor Julien Mirivel, an expert in the field of positive communication, becoming a U.S. citizen 29 years after he first arrived in the country as a high school exchange student is the ninth most popular story of the year.

It鈥檚 hard to imagine earning the title of a Distinguished Alumni without being popular at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock! The story honoring the winners of the 2023 Distinguished Alumni Awards 鈥� Oscar Horton, Bill Mathis, Jr., Stephanie Caruthers, and Nancy Secen 鈥� earned its spot in the Top 10 stories of 2023.

2023 has been an exciting year for Dr. Sloan Davidson, director of the School of Nursing at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock. A story about her being named to Soiree Magazine鈥檚 2023 Class of Women to Watch proved to be the seventh most popular story of 2023.

糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Centennial Campaign Member James Bobo is a well-known personality around campus and Little Rock. The story of Bobo being selected as the 2023 Taste of Little Rock Honoree made the list as the sixth most popular story of the year.

Families are always looking for fun ways to spend the summer months, and a story on a free cybersecurity summer camp for junior high and high school students was very popular at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, coming in fifth on the list.

Student scholarships are always popular with college students and their families, which is why it was no surprise that the announcement of a new matching scholarship for 糖心Vlog传媒-Pulaski Tech students who transfer to 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock came in as the fourth most popular story of 2023.

The 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock community was excited to welcome Colin Crawford as the new dean of the William H. Bowen School of Law in July, rounding out the top three stories of 2023.

The penultimate story of last year proved the continued popularity of student scholarship programs across Arkansas. The launch of Trojan Guarantee, a groundbreaking initiative designed to break down financial barriers and empower freshmen to earn a bachelor鈥檚 degree with no tuition cost, came in as the second top story of the year.

Coming in as the top story of 2023 is the tale of doctoral student Ranjitha Hariharalakshmanan, who won a prestigious national graduate student award from the AVS for her materials science research into creating a more efficient method of water purification!

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Ranjitha Hariharalakshmanan, who is earning a Ph.D. in applied physics, has been named the 2023 winner of the from the AVS, an organization that promotes research in surface, interface, vacuum, and thin film science and technology.

Hariharalakshmanan will receive a $1,500 award, a certificate, and a travel award to attend the AVS 69th International Symposium and Exhibition in Portland, Oregon, from Nov. 5-10. She will receive the award during the AVS Awards Ceremony on Nov. 8.

鈥淚 feel honored and very proud to receive this award,鈥� Hariharalakshmanan said. 鈥淭he AVS is one of the most prestigious scientific societies in my field, and receiving a national award from them means a lot to me.鈥�

Her academic advisor, Dr. Tansel Karabacak, interim director of the School of Physical Sciences and a professor of physics, is the one who encouraged her to apply for the award.

鈥淒r. Karabacak has been wonderful in supporting me through my Ph.D. journey and especially for this award,鈥� Hariharalakshmanan said. 鈥淚 also want to thank the 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock Physics Department and my dissertation committee, who were all supportive and gave me great feedback on my research so I could present this topic in front of the AVS Awards Committee.鈥�

Her research project is called, 鈥淪calable and Sustainable Synthesis of Zinc Oxide Nanowires via Hot Water Treatment for Photocatalytic Applications.鈥� Hariharalakshmanan is working to synthesize semiconductor materials called photocatalysts, materials that initiate or change the rate of a chemical reaction on exposure to light. She uses an environmentally friendly and cost-effective method called hot water treatment to synthesize the photocatalysts.

鈥淲hen they absorb light, they can start certain chemical reactions using the light energy,鈥� Hariharalakshmanan said. 鈥淲hen this happens in water, these chemical reactions can break down organic materials in water, so you can use this photocatalyst material to purify water.鈥�

Hariharalakshmanan said this method has major advantages over traditional water purification techniques.

鈥淭he advantage of this method is that it鈥檚 clean,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ince you just use light and a semiconductor material, you don鈥檛 need a constant supply of other materials to treat water. This method breaks down organic materials, so your end result will be water and carbon dioxide, unlike other water purification processes that simply separate hazardous materials from the water. Other treatment processes aren鈥檛 successful in breaking down everything in our water, like cosmetics or pharmaceutical products. These organic contaminants are a concern as they aren鈥檛 eliminated by current water treatment solutions.鈥�

A native of India, Hariharalakshmanan plans to graduate in spring 2024 and then look for a position as a post-doctoral researcher to further enhance her research experience before becoming a university professor.

At 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, Hariharalakshmanan has been active in encouraging other students who are conducting materials science research. This year, she and her colleagues from the graduate program started a new student chapter of the Materials Research Society at 糖心Vlog传媒 Little Rock, and she is serving as the chapter鈥檚 first president.

“Ranjitha is an excellent researcher, team-player, mentor, teacher, and a caring and sharing person who melds all of her scientific and personal skills for the benefit of the community,鈥� Karabacak said. 鈥淪he is a rising star.”

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