UAB Briefs: Step Show, The Aeolians, a Rising Star in engineering
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs.
In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
Today we look at two special evenings of entertainment coming to the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center on Feb. 9 and Feb. 10.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.
STEP SHOW
Students will perform and raise money for scholarships for deserving UAB students during the 29th annual Camille Armstrong Memorial Scholarship Step Show, to be held at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center on Saturday, Feb. 9, at 7 p.m., according to a UAB news release.
Presented by the Black Student Awareness Committee, the Step Show features step teams from various Southeastern universities competing for cash prizes.
Comedian Funny Maine will serve as the host.
The show will feature performances by members of the Divine Nine and several UAB Greek chapters, including Alpha Phi Alpha, Alpha Kappa Alpha, Omega Psi Phi, Delta Sigma Theta, Phi Beta Sigma, Zeta Phi Beta, Sigma Gamma Rho and Kappa Alpha Psi.
The annual event is named for Camille Yvette Armstrong, a UAB student who majored in political science, who died in a car wreck in 1986.
A scholarship was established in her honor and has been presented each year since 1992 to deserving African-American UAB undergraduates who want to pursue careers in law.
This year’s scholarship recipients — who will share a total of $5,000 — are Morgan Richardson, Darrell Forte and Monike Titus.
Pre-sale tickets are $20 for general admission, $17 for UAB students and $15 for students in fraternities and sororities.
Tickets purchased the day of the event are $25, $20 and $17, respectively.
Tickets can be purchased at the UAB Ticket Office, the Alys Stephens Center box office and online.
FAMOUS CHOIR
The Aeolians of Oakwood University, a widely acclaimed choral group, will perform at the Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center on Sunday, Feb. 10, at 5 p.m., according to a UAB news release.
The Aeolians, under the direction of Jason Max Ferdinand, have a wide repertoire, ranging from the Baroque era to the 21st century and are also known for their renditions of negro spirituals and work songs, according to the release.
Originally organized in 1946 by the late Eva B. Dykes, the Aeolians have traveled widely. They were recently named the 2018 winners at the World Choir Games in South Africa.
They have performed several times at UAB.
General admission tickets are $30, with a limited number of $10 student tickets. To order, call 975-2787 or go to alystephens.org.
A RISING STAR
Zoë Penko — a UAB senior with a double major in mechanical engineering and applied mathematics — recently received the 2019 Rising Star Award from the Society of Women Engineers, according to a university news release.
Panko was one of seven students across the country to be named a Rising Star, according to the SWE website.
The award recognizes SWE collegiate members with less than two years of membership who have made outstanding contributions to their school and community, as well as to the Society and the engineering community, according to the site,
Also elected as one of 23 SWE Future Leaders for 2018, Penko is a member of several honor societies and has received numerous scholarships, according to the news release.
Penko “is committed to becoming not just a good engineer, but an outstanding one,” said Helga Alexander, who was formerly Penko’s former SWE faculty adviser.
FIGHTING AIDS SYMPTOMS
Researchers at UAB and Case Western Reserve University have received a $3.25 million, five-year grant from the National Institute of Nursing Research to begin recruitment for the first longitudinal study designed to see how diet and exercise can help adults with HIV manage their symptoms, according to a UAB news release.
Those symptoms include pain, fatigue and memory loss. However, physical activity and a good diet appear to help patients.
The PROSPER-HIV study will observe 850 patients at four HIV clinic locations for three years.
“We hope these discoveries can improve clinical care for those living and aging with HIV and support tailored lifestyle interventions for their unique needs,” said Amanda Willig, one of the principal investigators and an assistant professor in the UAB Division of Infectious Diseases.