UAB Briefs: Jobs open, homecoming activities, Honors Hall

In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus at The University of Alabama at Birmingham.

We also provide updates regarding UAB’s efforts to cope with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

For example, Gov. Ivey’s “Safer at Home” state order remains in effect and restricts visitors in state hospitals. UAB Hospital and UAB Medicine clinics have implemented and must enforce these visitation guidelines.

For information regarding how to plan your in-person UAB Medicine hospital or clinic visit, click here.

To read other UAB COVID-19 updates or find health information, go to uab.edu/coronavirus.

Let us know about people, events and programs on campus that deserve a mention in UAB Briefs. Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.

ESSENTIAL EMPLOYEES NEEDED

UAB Medicine has openings for essential employees in a variety of medical specialties, including nursing, respiratory therapy and radiologic technology, according to UAB Media Relations.

There are also jobs available in support services, such as environmental services, guest services, food/nutrition services, case management and social work.

These are all positions deemed essential for the efficient operation of UAB Hospital and outpatient facilities.

For a list of available essential jobs and information on applying, go to uabmedicine.org/web/careers. 

HOMECOMING ACTIVITIES

All this week, from September 27 through October 3, UAB is celebrating homecoming with the theme “Land of the Green & Gold.”

Homecoming festivities at UAB will climax when the UAB Blazers football squad takes on The University of Texas at San Antonio at Legion Field on Saturday, Oct. 3, at 11:30 a.m. Tickets are $20.

The Blazers will continue their recent homecoming tradition of honoring Children’s Harbor by wearing their alternate gray and lime uniforms with the names of patients on the backs of the jerseys. Children's Harbor offers counseling and other support services for seriously ill children and their families. 

In addition, the winners of the annual Mr. and Ms. UAB Scholarship Competition sponsored by the UAB National Alumni Society will be announced at halftime. The winners each receive $2,500 scholarships and serve as ambassadors of UAB and on the Student Alumni Society Leadership Council in the coming year. The first alternates each receive $1,000 scholarships. 

Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Homecoming Parade will become the Virtual Homecoming Parade for 2020 on Friday, October 2, at noon. To be shown at instagram.com/uab_homecoming, the event will feature the Marching Blazers, spirit teams, photos and videos.

In another virtual event, fans can create their own paintings of UAB mascot Blaze during Painting with the Provost on Thursday, October 1, at 7 p.m., to be hosted on Zoom by Provost Pamela Benoit. To register for this interactive webinar and see the short list of supplies needed, click here.

For all the details on homecoming, go to uab.edu/homecoming.

HONORS COLLEGE TAKES THE LEED

The new UAB Honors College building, Honors Hall, opened in August 2020 at 1321 10th Ave S. in a renovated facility that once housed the iconic Snoozy's College Bookstore.

And Honors Hall —  a two-story, 11,000-square-foot facility —  has become one of the latest buildings at UAB with the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, according to UAB Media Relations.

Honors Hall is LEED ID+C certified for interior design and construction and features indoor spaces that reduce stress on the environment by generating less waste and lowering the use of energy, water and other resources. This also reduces the operational life-cost of the building, thus promoting long-term sustainability and efficient energy use in building operations.

UAB spent $3.55 million to renovate the old bookstore, and Honors Hall has two honors classrooms, two group study rooms, a quiet study space, a student lounge and additional seating throughout the building, along with staff and faculty offices.

The interior includes multi-purpose meeting rooms that will host honors classes, faculty fellow events and student gatherings, as well as activities and workshops for the Honors College Leadership Council.

“Honors Hall has a wonderful open design that will provide a great setting for our many honors events and activities, and it offers a welcoming space conducive to the informal honors community that is such a big part of being a student in the UAB Honors College” said Shannon L. Blanton, dean of the UAB Honors College

“I … believe that having our own building — a ‘home’ if you will — will do a lot to bolster connection and community within the Honors College,” said Mary Anne Powell, senior and president of the Honors College Leadership Council.