UAB Briefs: Global rankings, Ali’s boxing glove, better MRIs
Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs, in which we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
Look for UAB Briefs at ironcity.ink on Fridays.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email Iron City Ink at sydney@starnespublishing.com and jchambers@starnespublishing.com.
UAB gets strong global ranking
UAB has earned what seems to be an impressive ranking in U.S. News & World Report’s 2017 Best Global Universities report.
The school came in at No. 162 among the 1,000 universities in 65 countries that U.S. News evaluated. UAB is ranked No. 67 among U.S. universities and is the top-ranked global university in Alabama.
The quality of the school’s academic research was recognized in the report’s “citation impact” ranking, which looks at the number of highly cited papers published by faculty. UAB was No. 68 globally.
To see a complete breakdown of the university’s ratings by category, click here.
Earlier this year, UAB was ranked No. 147 in the world and No. 1 in Alabama by The Center for World University Rankings.
Hey man, cool prizes!
A boxing glove signed by Muhammad Ali.
Sheet music signed by Adele and the late Whitney Houston.
A 6-foot-tall silver dragon sculpture.
Dinner for two with Noah Galloway of TV’s Dancing With the Stars.
What do these unusual items have in common?
They will all be part of a silent auction at the annual Uncork Education scholarship fundraiser to be held by the UAB National Alumni Society on Sun., Nov. 6, at 6 p.m., at the National Alumni Society House on campus, according to a news release.
Other auction items will include works of art; travel, sports and theater packages; and Conference USA Basketball Tournament tickets.
This event will also feature a wine tasting and beer from Birmingham’s Cahaba Brewing Co. Hors d’oeuvres will be served.
In 2015, auction participants helped the alumni society raise about $48,000 for UAB scholarships and grants.
Tickets are $60 for individuals and $100 for couples, for individuals 35 and over. For those under 35, tickets are $40 for individuals and $75 for couples. Each ticket includes bottomless beer or wine glasses.
Visit the NAS online to purchase tickets at www.uab.edu/alumni.
Brain images
Researchers at UAB and Auburn University have received a five-year, $2.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to determine whether a new magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technique will provide more detailed images of the brains of epilepsy patients.
The study is meant to determine if the new method will yield images from common 3 tesla — or 3T — MRI machines that are as clear as the images from the more powerful but rare 7T MRI machines, according to a UAB news release.
Auburn has the only 7T machine in Alabama, and there are fewer than 20 in North America, according to Dr. Lawrence Ver Hoef of the UAB Department of Neurology and principal investigator of the new study.
Ver Hoef and his team will test the new technique while doing MRIs of 40 epilepsy patients using the old 3T machines at UAB. The images will be compared to those created using traditional techniques on the 7T machine in Auburn.
Doctors need precise imaging to determine which patients are good candidates for epilepsy surgery and to minimize bad side effects.
Epilepsy surgery – UAB is the only institution in Alabama that offers it – involves the removal of small sections of the brain responsible for causing seizures.
UAB one of lucky 13
UAB is one of only 13 schools nationally to take part in a free, six-week summer enrichment opportunity called the Summer Health Professions Education Program.
It gives college sophomores and juniors a chance to learn more about career opportunities in nursing, pharmacy, public health and other fields.
The program – with funding from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation – involves a collaboration between the UAB schools of Medicine, Dentistry and Health Professions.
It was previously called the Summer Medical and Dental Education Program and has been around since 1989.
More than 20,000 students have participated since the program was established, gaining clinical experiences and learning more about math and science, study skills and financial planning.
SHPEP is focused on improving access to information and resources for college students from communities underrepresented in the health professions, including African Americans, Hispanics and other cultural groups.
To apply to or learn more about SHPEP, go to www.shpep.org.
Applications for the 2017 summer season will be accepted from Nov. 1, 2016, through March 1, 2017.