UAB Roundup: Distinguished student, tree planting, Collat School ranking
A UAB student was recently named a finalist for a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship and then was named as UAB’s first Schwarzman Scholar.
The Collat School of Business attracted positive attention.
UAB is assisting in the revitalization of the historic Titusville community through a treeplanting program.
There is also an innovative new doctoral program in the School of Engineering.
HIGH HONORS
UAB student Zahrah Abdulrauf was named a Rhodes Scholar finalist in November, one of the few selected each year to compete for an opportunity to do postgraduate work at Oxford University in England, according to UAB News.
Abdulrauf interviewed for the scholarship in late November and was not chosen, but UAB officials were proud of how far she made it in the process, said Karen Templeton, director of communications for the Office of the Provost.
“It is a competitive process and very few become finalists and, of course, even fewer are selected,” Templeton told Iron City Ink.
In addition, in December, Abdulrauf became the first student from UAB — and one of only 154 worldwide — to be named a Schwarzman Scholar.
Schwarzman Scholars is a one-year master’s degree and leadership program at Tsinghua University in Beijing, China, that features rigorous study of global affairs and hands-on exploration of Chinese culture and commerce.
“Studying in Beijing as a Schwarzman Scholar will enable me to learn about the innovative economic development practices that have propelled China to the forefront of global innovation,” Abdulrauf told UAB News.
A UAB Honors College student, Abdulrauf majors in cognitive science and minors in economics, philosophy and media studies.
COLLAT RANKING HIGH
The Princeton Review has ranked the UAB Collat School of Business at No. 48 on the magazine’s list of the Top Graduate Schools for Entrepreneurship Studies in 2021, according to UAB News
Since 2006, The Princeton Review has compiled two school lists annually — an undergraduate and a graduate. Each list ranks the top 50 schools considered the best in the country for students aspiring to become entrepreneurs.
UAB has now entered the rankings for the first time. The rankings are based on more than 300 undergraduate and graduate entrepreneurship programs.
“In recent years, UAB has focused more strategically on entrepreneurship education,” said Patrick J. Murphy, Goodrich Chair and professor. “The Birmingham entrepreneurial ecosystem enables us to augment a world-class educational experience with outreach engagements, joint programs and staunch community support.”
PLANT A TREE OF HOPE
The UAB Minority Health and Health Disparities Research Center, as part of its Live HealthSmart Alabama, hosted a tree planting in the Titusville neighborhood west of I-65 on Nov. 9, according to UAB News.
Titusville was one of the first neighborhoods in the city where African Americans were allowed to own real estate, but the community has been devastated and blighted for a long time.
“We are so proud of this event today, which is a larger part of the strategy to revitalize Titusville,” said Archie Hill, spokesperson for the Titusville Development Corporation.
Other partners in the event were the UAB Sustainable Smart Cities Research Center, the city of Birmingham, the Cawaco Resource Conservation and Development Council, TreesBirmingham and the Birmingham Sunrise Rotary Club.
“Today, when you plant a tree, know that it is more than a tree for this community,” Hill said. “It is hope. It is revitalization. It is a reincarnation of this community.”
NEW NEUROENGINEERING PROGRAM
Beginning this fall, the UAB is offering a unique doctoral degree program in neuroengineering as a joint program between the UAB schools of Engineering and Medicine. It may be the only one of its kind in America, according to UAB News.
“Because of the many advantages we have at UAB with the proximity of our engineering school and medical research complex, we are able to offer a unique standalone program that you won’t find at other universities,” School of Engineering dean and medical doctor Jeffrey Holmes told UAB News.
“Our existing expertise in neuroscience and the wide range of collaborations between engineering and medicine give us the ability to combine diverse skill sets in novel ways, says Dr. Selwyn Vickers, dean of the UAB School of Medicine.
Gregg Janowski, an associate dean in the UAB School of Engineering, and Lynn Dobrunz, a professor of neurobiology in the UAB School of Medicine are co-directors of the program.
“Neuroengineering is the application of engineering principles and techniques to the field of neuroscience to study, restore or enhance nervous-system function,” Janowski said.
The program is currently accepting applications for fall 2021. For more information, visit uab.edu/engineering/home/neuroengineering.