UAB Briefs: Blazer-themed locomotive, summer commencement, family clinic moves
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs.
In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.
UAB’S OWN LOCOMOTIVE
UAB and Watco, an international transportation and logistics service provider, recently unveiled a UAB-themed locomotive meant to promote the school around the Magic City.
UAB and Watco unveiled the 100-ton locomotive, which is painted with images of UAB mascot Blaze and the Birmingham skyline, on the campus of U.S. Steel on July 27, according to a UAB news release.
The UAB-themed locomotive will travel 96 miles of tracks around the Birmingham area.
“In recent years, UAB has intensified efforts to propel our brand,” said UAB Provost Pam Benoit in the release. “We are deeply grateful for Watco’s generosity, partnership and artistry in providing this striking icon of UAB spirit."
COMMENCEMENT
Summer commencement ceremonies at UAB will be held Friday, Aug. 10, and Saturday, Aug. 11. An estimated 1,650 students are expected to graduate this summer, and about 900 will participate in the university’s ceremonies, according to a UAB news release.
A doctoral hooding and commencement for nearly all graduate programs will be held in Bartow Arena, Friday, Aug. 10, at 6 p.m. Students receiving master’s degrees now receive their diplomas with the doctoral candidates. For summer 2018, the UAB Graduate School will confer the university’s highest degrees on 98 students from 22 states and eight countries in 46 disciplines, the release states. The speaker for the graduate ceremony will be Jacqueline B. Vo of Springville, graduating with a Doctor of Philosophy degree in nursing.
Undergraduate diplomas will be awarded to students in Bartow Arena on Saturday, Aug. 11, at 9:30 a.m. The speaker for the undergraduate ceremony will be Jamie E. Long of Arab. She was in the University Honors Program and is graduating B.S. in nursing.
Tickets are not required for the ceremonies, but seating is first come, first served. Bartow Arena doors will open one hour prior to each ceremony.
For both ceremonies, University officials recommend that guests leave nonessential bags at home or in the car. For more details, go to uab.edu/commencement.
The ceremonies will be livestreamed on the UAB Facebook page. They will also be recorded and added to the website for viewing about a week after the ceremonies.
FAMILY CLINIC MOVES
The UAB Family and Community Medicine Clinic, formerly located on 20th Street South near Five Points South, was scheduled to move to UAB Hospital-Highlands by July 31, according to a university news release.
The move should help both patients and physicians, according to Thalia Baker, associate vice president of UAB Primary Care.
The new location puts patients close to additional services, such as imaging and other specialists, and makes it easier for doctors to collaborate in treating patients they have in common, Baker said in a university news release.