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COSAM Today
Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics Newsletter - November 9, 2015
COSAM Today Top Story

Hill receives inaugural Advancement of Research and Scholarship Achievement Award

Auburn University ornithologist Geoffrey Hill is the recipient of the inaugural Research Advisory Board Advancement of Research and Scholarship Achievement Award for his accomplishments and innovative research during his 22 year career.

Hill is an Alumni Professor in the Department of Biological Sciences in the College of Sciences and Mathematics and curator of birds for the Auburn University Museum of Natural History. His research focuses on the function and evolution of ornamental traits in birds and on the co-evolution of hosts and pathogens. He has garnered $8.8 million in external grant support, including grants from the National Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Health.

"His efforts exemplify the high quality, competitive research and scholarly activity that increases understanding, provides solutions and improves lives at home and around the world," Auburn University Vice President for Research and Economic Development John Mason said. "I am grateful to the Research Advisory Board for their support and pleased that they chose to honor Dr. Hill with this significant award."

Hill, who will receive a $25,000 grant to further his research, was honored at Auburn’s recent "This is Research: Faculty Symposium" and will be recognized in February at the Faculty Awards Ceremony. The award is recognized as Auburn’s most prestigious research award.

He is among the most cited and published ornithologists and behavioral ecologists in the world, and was recently recognized with the 2014 Brewster Award for lifetime achievement in ornithology, the world’s highest honor for an ornithologist.

His awards also include the Presidential Early Career Award in Science and Engineering from President Bill Clinton, the Auburn University Creative Research Award, the Auburn University Graduate School Faculty Mentor Award and the Dean’s Research Award, given by Auburn’s College of Sciences and Mathematics. For his achievements in research and teaching, he also was named an Auburn University Alumni Professor.

The Auburn University Research Advisory Board is a group of more than 40 industry professionals from across the country who actively support Auburn’s efforts to grow a fully-robust research and scholarship culture in which faculty discover new knowledge, support economic development and enrich the lives of others.


COSAM student selected as finalist for Rhodes Scholarship

Auburn University senior Chloe Chaudhury has been selected as a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. If awarded, she will be among 32 U.S. students to receive the honor for an opportunity to study at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.

Chaudhury, a senior in the Honors College and College of Sciences and Mathematics, will interview Nov. 20-21 in Birmingham, Ala., as part of Rhodes District 7. Approximately 1,000 students are endorsed annually for the scholarship by their respective universities, with 200 being named finalists.

She is a native of Auburn, Ala., and is majoring in biochemistry and minoring in dance.

She serves as an undergraduate learning assistant for freshman physics students and conducts research under Assistant Professor Satya Pondugula in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Her research examines the development of novel and safer therapeutic approaches to reverse chemoresistance in human cancer patients.

To read the full story, click here.

Two COSAM graduates honored with 2015 Master's Thesis Awards

Two recent COSAM graduates were among six Auburn University graduates to receive a 2015 Master's Thesis Award.

Xia Li, who graduated in August 2015 with a master's degree in geography, presented "Impact of Decreased Wetlands on Microclimate of Kolkata, India." Her thesis committee included faculty members Chandana Mitra, Luke Marzen and Li Dong. Li is currently working as a volunteer for the Department of Geosciences while seeking a full-time job opportunity.

Annelise Mowry, who graduated in August 2015 with a master's degree in biological sciences, presented "Energetic Tradeoffs Between Reproduction and Longevity in the House Mouse." Her thesis committee consisted of faculty members Wendy Hood, Andreas Kavazis and Geoffrey Hill. Mowry is currently looking for job opportunities in the Atlanta area. 

The Master’s Thesis Awards recognize the scholarship of master’s students whose theses make an unusually significant contribution to their respective disciplines. Auburn’s colleges and schools nominate students for the awards, and an award committee named by the Graduate School selects the winners for the two categories. Award winners receive an honorarium of $250 and a certificate, which is presented at the Graduate School’s annual awards ceremony each spring.


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