News

November



Two Auburn Physicists Investigate New Materials for Applications in Power Electronics to Increase Energy Efficiency

11/26/2018

Two physicists from Auburn University, Dr. Sarit Dhar and Dr. Marcelo Kuroda, are the recipients of a three-year $750,000 research grant (ARMY- W911NF-18-2-0160) from the United States Army Research Lab to explore new materials for applications to high voltage power electronics. The physicists will be exploring a class of dielectrics or insulating materials known as “high K” dielectrics for application to wide-bandgap (WBG) semiconductor electronic devices, to increase energy efficiency of WBG transistors. In addition to key defense related applications, such devices are critical for advanced applications such as power conversion circuitry in electric vehicles (HEV/EV) and solar energy farms.

Click here to read more...


COSAM Faculty Focus: Laura Bilenker Researches Valuable Deposits of Precious Metals by Making Magma in the Lab

11/26/2018

Dr. Laura Bilenker grew up in Basking Ridge, New Jersey, which is about an hour west of New York City. In September 2018, she became an assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences in the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) at Auburn University. Her focus is economic geology that includes understanding more about high concentrations of valuable metals such as copper in rocks.

Click here to read more...


Associate Professor of Chemistry Wei Zhan Awarded $471,772 NSF Grant to Research Liposomes with Asymmetry

Dr. Wei Zhan

11/19/2018

Dr. Wei Zhan, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry in the College of Sciences and Mathematics at Auburn University, is the recipient of a $471,772 grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) for Janus Liposomes: Formation, Self-Assembly and Controlled Motion.

Click here to read more...


Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry Engages Potential Students at SERMACS

Exhibit Booth

11/15/2018

Faculty and graduate students from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry represented Auburn University at the Graduate School Fair at the recent 2018 Southeastern Regional Meeting of the American Chemical Society, held in Augusta, Georgia. More than 75 prospective students visited their booth, where the representatives spoke with them about pursuing a graduate degree in chemistry and biochemistry at Auburn.

Click here to read more...


Inside COSAM Labs – Martin Medina – Stalagmites and Paleoclimatology

11/09/2018

“Every cave is a library of climate and environmental information,” Dr. Martin Medina, an associate professor in the Geosciences Department of COSAM, explains. Dr. Medina’s main area of research is paleoclimatology, which is the study of past climates, and to him, caves are vital for understanding the past, present and future. Using stalagmites from caves in different Caribbean regions, Dr. Medina and his lab team are able to reconstruct past climates, dating back to hundreds of thousands of years.

Click here to read more...


Geography Awareness Week

Geography Awareness Week

11/09/2018

Established by a joint resolution of the U.S. Congress in 1987, Geography Awareness Week (GAW) is observed the third week in November every year. GAW promotes what geography is, why it is important, and the relevance of a geographic education in preparing citizens to understand and debate pressing social and environmental issues and problems. To celebrate this important week, the Geography Student Organization be holding an event open to anyone who wants to attend. The event will be held on Wednesday, 28 November 2018 on Cater Lawn from 11 am to 1 pm. There will be free pizza, games, and more! We look forward to seeing you there!​

Click here to read more...


Graduate Student from the Department of Physics Wins Poster Contest AVS 65th International Symposium and Exhibition

Min Khanal

11/09/2018

Min Khanal, a Ph.D. student in the Department of Physics, is studying experimental semiconductor physics. At this year’s American Vacuum Society (AVS) International Symposium & Exhibition held in Long Beach, California, he won the Electronic Materials & Photonics Division Student Poster Award.

Click here to read more...


Daniel Udochi Wins COSAM T-Shirt Contest

Daniel Udochi

11/09/2018

Daniel Udochi, a senior in the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) was selected as the winner of the COSAM T-shirt Design Contest. Daniel is a microbiology major with a concentration in pre-medicine. He is also an international student, a Peer Advisor, a member of the Microbiology Club, an AED member and a proud COSAM Leader.

Click here to read more...


COSAM’s Scott Santos, Distinguished Alumnus

Scott Santos and Family

11/09/2018

“Scott Santos was an outstanding graduate student at the University of Buffalo,” explains Dr. Gerald B. Koudelka, associate dean for Research & Sponsored Programs, College of Arts & Sciences, University of Buffalo. “He was a pioneer to help the department eliminate boundaries to work across disciplines and is setting the standard extremely high for the next generation of Distinguished Alumni.”

Click here to read more...


Physics Collaboration is Awarded Two Days on the Hubble Space Telescope to Study Comet 46P/Wirtanen

Image of a comet in space

11/09/2018

A collaboration led by Auburn University Astrophysicist Dr. Dennis Bodewits is the recipient of an award to use the Hubble Space Telescope for 36 orbits, or two days and six hours in December 2018. Their team will study the chemical composition of Comet 46P/Wirtanen, and atomic and molecular reactions near its nucleus. The Hubble Space Telescope, one of the world’s largest and most versatile telescopes, allows researchers to study the universe in the far ultraviolet, light that is blocked for telescopes on the ground by the Earth’s atmosphere.

Click here to read more...


DMS Graduate Student Awards

11/06/2018

This year's winners of departmental graduate student awards

Click here to read more...


Alumni Spotlight: Daniel White, Founder, President and Chief Executive Officer, Clearside Biomedical

Daniel White

11/05/2018

Daniel White has always been fascinated with biology. He wanted to pursue a career in biology, but heard over and over that he could not be successful unless he became a physician. After completing a molecular biology and genetics course at Auburn University, he absolutely fell in love—and received a perfect score in the class. He continued to take additional courses in this field and pursued an opportunity to work on a project to sequence mitochondrial DNA. Once he was in the lab, he was hooked on becoming a scientist and making a difference through biology.

Click here to read more...


COSAM’s Putter Tiatragul Selected to Present at University’s Thesis Competition

Putter Tiatragul

11/05/2018

Putter Tiatragul, a graduate student in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM), is one of just 10 students that will be presenting at the 3MT® (Three Minute Thesis) Competition on November 15, 2018.  The 3MT® Competition, founded by the University of Queensland in 2008, provides each student with three minutes and one slide to showcase their thesis. Auburn University’s Graduate School first began this competition in 2013.

Click here to read more...


Steven Mansoorabadi, Rising Star Researching Methane Conversion

Dr. Steven Mansoorabadi

11/05/2018

Dr. Steven Mansoorabadi, an associate professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, has been recognized as a rising star by the editors of ACS Biochemistry that is supported by the Office of Basic Energy Sciences within the Department of Energy’s (DOE) Office of Science.

Click here to read more...


Message from Dean Giordano - November 2018

COSAM Dean Nicholas J. Giordano.

11/05/2018

With more than 2,800 undergraduate students and 400 graduate students, the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) continues to be a leading college at Auburn University that showcases innovation and prepares students for success.

Click here to read more...