UAB Briefs: The U.S. Army's band, program kudos, hot new majors
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs, in which we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention?
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The Army’s musical ambassadors
The U.S. Army Concert Band and Soldiers’ Chorus – the oldest and largest of the U.S. Army Field Band’s four performing components – will perform a free show at UAB’s Alys Stephens Center on Sunday, March 26, at 4 p.m.
The program will feature more than a dozen selections, including “America the Beautiful,” by Samuel A. Ward; “The Star-Spangled Banner,” by John Stafford Smith; “The Stars and Stripes Forever,” by John Philip Sousa; “Hymn to the Fallen” – from the film, “Saving Private Ryan” – and “Liberty Fanfare,” both by John Williams.
These two ensembles – founded in 1946 and 1957, respectively – combine to present joint concerts and have performed in all 50 states and in 30 foreign countries for hundreds of millions of people.
The Concert Band, with 65 members, and the Soldiers’ Chorus, with 29 members, perform regularly in both small-town auditoriums and some of the world’s famous concert halls.
By playing together, the two ensembles are able to play a wide variety of music, including orchestral pieces, operatic arias, Sousa marches, jazz classics and Broadway musicals.
The band and chorus also perform independently.
In addition to their tours, concerts, chamber recitals and educational outreach, members of the Concert Band and Soldiers’ Chorus frequently represent the Army at formal and ceremonial functions, including presidential inaugural parades.
This performance is free, but tickets must be reserved. Contact 975-2787 or ascboxofc@uab.edu or go to alysstephens.org.
Comprehensive care for MS
The National Multiple Sclerosis Society has designated the UAB Multiple Sclerosis Center as a Center for Comprehensive MS Care – the highest designation in the society’s three-tiered system, according to a UAB news release.
UAB is now one of only seven such centers within a 200-mile radius of Birmingham.
The society will recognize the university during its annual Birmingham Walk MS event at Regions Field on April 8.
“The needs of patients with multiple sclerosis are varied and complicated, and need complex, comprehensive management,” said Dr. Khurram Bashir, a professor in the Department of Neurology and co-director of the Multiple Sclerosis Center. “Our focus is exclusively on MS.”
Kudos for UAB programs
U.S. News & World Report has ranked four programs in the UAB School of Nursing in the top 25 in the United State and also offered some bragging points for the university’s schools of medicine and business.
The latest rankings were released on March 14 in the 2018 edition of the Best Graduate Schools guidebook, available at usnews.com/best-graduate-schools.
The Nursing Health Systems Administration specialty program was ranked No. 6, the Master of Science in Nursing program was ranked No. 13, the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner specialty program ranked No. 18 and the Doctor of Nursing Practice No. 23.
UAB School of Medicine is ranked No. 15 in geriatrics, No. 31 for its primary care program and No. 35 in research.
And the UAB Collat School of Business broke into the nation’s top 50 part-time MBA programs, jumping from No. 89 in the previous year’s rankings to No. 46.
Two hot fields, two new majors
UAB will begin enrolling students in two new undergraduate degree programs – immunology and genetics and genomic sciences – in the 2017 fall term.
The undergraduate immunology program was developed in response to growing interest from current undergraduate students.
Focusing on the function of the immune system, immunology protects us from infectious diseases and cancer and is critical for the health of the world’s population.
The UAB program is designed to facilitate a new generation of undergraduates who will be equipped to succeed in this growing field.
Genetics is another hot field. As practices such as genetic testing and genome sequencing become more prevalent, the demand for qualified and experienced genetics researchers and health professionals will continue to rise.
The new programs are shared between the College of Arts and Sciences and School of Medicine and will allow students to collaborate in the classroom and lab even as freshmen.
“Students will get a first-hand look at how science can be used in medicine, taking ideas from the classroom into the lab, and then applying them to real-life scenarios,” said Steven Austad, chair of the Department of Biology.
Top ranked… again
In 2016, the UAB School of Dentistry was ranked first – for the fifth straight year – in research funding from the federal National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research. The school received almost $11 million in NIDCR funding last year.
“Our success stems from a robust emphasis on research within our strategic plan, specifically focused on four themes: biomaterials science/biomimetics, infection/host response, craniofacial development/genetics and implementation science/clinical outcomes research,” said Dr. Michael S. Reddy, the school’s dean.