Join the Donald E. Davis Arboretum and Auburn Parks and Recreation for Friday Fright Nights, a black-and-white, monster movie series each Friday in October. Gates open at the Davis Arboretum at 6 p.m., and attendees are encouraged to bring blankets, chairs and a picnic dinner to enjoy during the show. Movies begin at 7:30 p.m. The remaining schedule for October includes the following:
Friday, Oct. 13, “The Mummy” (1932)
Friday, Oct. 20, “The Creature from the Black Lagoon” (1954)
Friday, Oct. 27, “Dracula” (1931)
For more information, including a description of special monster-themed activities featured prior to show time, join the Facebook event group at or contact the Davis Arboretum at arbinfo@auburn.edu.

How does life work? How does nature produce the right numbers of zebras and lions on the African savanna, or fish in the ocean? How do our bodies produce the right numbers of cells in our organs and bloodstream? In his book, “The Serengeti Rules: The Quest to Discover How Life Works and Why It Matters,” award-winning biologist and author Sean Carroll tells the stories of the pioneering scientists who sought the answers to such questions, and shows how their discoveries matter for our health and the health of the planet. Carroll will give the College of Sciences and Mathematics Leadership Council Distinguished Lecture on Oct. 19, at 6 p.m. in the Sciences Center Auditorium, where he will discuss his book, “The Serengeti Rules.”

Auburn scientists led a team of researchers from the Universities of Alabama and Florida on a project to further decipher the evolutionary relationships between comb jellies and provide more proof that these invertebrates are indeed at the base of the animal kingdom. The study was published by Nature.com in a paper titled, “Ctenophore relationships and their placement as the sister group to all other animals,” and will be featured in an upcoming edition of the journal Nature Ecology and Evolution.

“We were surprised to discover just how different the early evolution of animals is compared to what has been traditionally assumed,” said Biological Sciences Professor Kenneth Halanych. “We found interesting and major changes in lifestyle, including feeding habits and habitat preferences…Understanding relationships within ctenophores, or comb jellies, is paramount to understanding some of the important features found in early animals, such as the evolution of the nervous system and muscles. Interestingly, the earliest branching ctenophore began developing muscles like those found in bilateral animals.”

COSAM’s Donald E. Davis Arboretum is taking orders for the fall plant sale. The plant sale features the Auburn Azalea series, which is a collection of hybrid native azaleas that were created through the efforts of Auburn scientists, faculty and staff over the course of decades. The azaleas are planted throughout the university landscape and come in various colors, including multiple shades of orange.

The fall 2017 plant sale will feature the following Auburn Azalea cultivars: ‘Aubie,’ ‘Pat’s Pink,’ ‘Tom Corley,’ ‘Corley’s Cardinal, ‘Tiger’ and ‘Baker Dean.’ Also available through the Davis Arboretum plant sale are a wide variety of native trees, shrubs, ferns, grasses, perennials, vines and native azaleas.

To receive an order form, email a request to arbinfo@auburn.edu. Forms must be submitted by 5 p.m. on Oct. 25. Plants will be ready to pick up Nov. 15-17 at the Davis Arboretum. Payment is due at the time of pick up. The arboretum will accept cash, check and credit cards (no American Express). Order forms can be dropped off in person, mailed or emailed to the arboretum at arbinfo@auburn.edu. Mailed forms must be received by the deadline of Oct. 25.

Dr. James William “Jim” Ott was recognized as the 2017 COSAM Distinguished Alumnus. Recipients of the award are recognized for achieving significant status in their field, whether business, academic, military or government. Awardees have also demonstrated a history of commitment to Auburn University and COSAM. Ott, a lifelong supporter of Auburn University, founded Triangle Systems, Inc., developing software for IBM mainframe computer systems. Presently, he continues to oversee the company. He was presented with the award at a dinner held in his honor.

In 2016, Biological Sciences Professor Geoffrey Hill made a scientific breakthrough when he and a team of scientists discovered the genetic basis for red coloration in birds.  In an effort to expand on the mysteries surrounding color in nature, Hill teamed up with a group of 20 world leaders in animal coloration research to formulate a scientific summary of the research efforts that are underway and discoveries that have been made. The paper, “The Biology of Color,” was recently published in Science magazine.

“This paper was the result of a workshop in Berlin in the summer of 2016,” said Hill. “The workshop brought together the 20 world leaders in animal coloration research, and I was invited. At the workshop, we drafted our overview paper, which drew on the expertise of the 20 world authorities. My role in the paper was to work on the sections related to color genomics.”

Coloration serves multiple purposes for animals in nature, including social signaling, antipredator defenses, parasitic exploitation, thermoregulation, and protection from ultraviolet light, microbes, and abrasion. As such, the research conducted by Hill and the team of world coloration experts could have far-reaching impacts in diverse areas, such as medicine, security, clothing and the military.

On Oct. 5, COSAM's Office of Communications and Marketing, and the COSAM Social Media Ambassadors held the 3rd annual COSAM Cookie Connection. Participants who used the hastag #CisforCOSAM on social media had a free chocolate chip cookie delivered to them on campus. Much of the excitement was captured in a video for everyone else to enjoy. If you would like to participate in future COSAM social media events, be sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram!

Marquis Who’s Who named Dr. Don Watson Powell ’60, a Lifetime Achiever. The distinction recognizes Dr. Powell’s distinguished career, leadership and credentials.

Dr. Powell is an accomplished academic gastroenterologist who graduated from Auburn with a degree in biology/pre-med before attending medical school at the University of Alabama School of Medicine. He completed an internship and residency with the P.B. Brigham Hospital in Boston before joining Yale University Medical School as a resident. From 1969 to 1971, he served a specially appointed physiology fellowship with the National Institutes of Health at Yale University Medical School. Dr. Powell has dedicated many years to educating medical professionals in internal medicine and intestinal health and advancing biomedical knowledge as a National Institutes of Health funded-investigator. He currently serves as professor of Internal Medicine and Neurosciences, and Cell Biology and Anatomy. He is also an external advisor to the Texas Medical Center Digestive Diseases Center in Houston, the Claude. D. Pepper Older Americans Independence Center, and the K12 Rehabilitation Research Career Development Center at the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston.

The fall Dean’s Leadership Council meeting was held on Oct. 6-7. The agenda included a luncheon on Friday followed by a presentation from SynDaver, an organization that demonstrated their life-like cadavers that can be used as teaching tools in the classroom and lab. Friday evening featured the Distinguished Alumnus Award Dinner in honor of Dr. James Ott '64. On Saturday morning, COSAM hosted the annual Donor Appreciation Tailgate. A photo gallery of the fall 2017 COSAM Dean’s Leadership Council weekend is available to view on the COSAM Facebook page.

We would like to thank The COSAM Dean's Leadership Council, donors and supporters who joined us last weekend for our fall meeting and tailgate. Your generosity is crucial to the success of our college, and we sincerely appreciate your support.