COSAM Updates:

COSAM names 2013 Lilly-Lovelace Award recipients
The Lilly-Lovelace Distinguished Service Award is given annually to recognize individual staff members in COSAM who have contributed to the success of the college by demonstrating outstanding effort and dedication. This year, COSAM named four recipients of the Lilly-Lovelace Distinguished Service Award. They are: Stephen Swann (pictured above, left), manager of laboratory teaching in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry; Gwen Kirk (pictured right), office supervisor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics; Glenelle Lindsay (pictured below, left), administrative support specialist in the Office of Student Services; and Beverley Childress (pictured below, right), director of Pre-Health Professional Programs. The awards were presented during a fall Leadership Council Luncheon.
The Lilly-Lovelace Distinguished Service Award is named in honor of two former COSAM staff members: Eva Lilly and Jan Lovelace. Lilly provided 42 years of service, most of which was in the Department of Geology and Geography. Lovelace was an executive support assistant in the COSAM Dean’s Office for 13 years. The award was established in 2012 after Lovelace retired, and this year’s recipients are the inaugural awardees. COSAM congratulates Swann, Kirk, Lindsay and Childress and thanks each of them for their dedication and service.

Auburn University Museum of Natural History to open doors to public
For the first time, the Auburn University Museum of Natural History is opening its doors to the public. On homecoming Saturday, Oct. 12, from 9 a.m. to noon, the museum will host an open house, offering the community a unique opportunity to meet the curators and explore the more than 1 million specimens found in the museum’s eight collections. Giveaways and live-animal demonstrations will be included in the event, which will take place on campus at the new Biodiversity Learning Center, located between Rouse Life Sciences Building and M. White Smith Hall. For more information, click here.

Landers Receives Faculty Service and Outreach Award
Physics professor Allen Landers is the 2013 recipient of the Faculty Service and Outreach Award. The award is given by the College of Sciences and Mathematics to faculty members who are committed to the college’s mission of reaching out to others by fostering educational exchange within the university, the Alabama community and society as a whole. Landers is the Howard Earl and Carolyn Taylor Carr Endowed Professor, and in recent years, he has emerged as a leader in physics outreach and service. He is the founder of the Auburn University Summer Science Institute, an academically competitive, science and mathematics enrichment program for rising 11th-and 12th-grade students. Most recently, he was awarded a $633,000 grant by the U.S. Department of Education through the Alabama State Department of Education to provide professional development opportunities to 176 middle school science and math teachers across the state to improve their content-knowledge and confidence in teaching physical science and mathematics concepts related to robotics education. Additionally, he has served on many departmental, college and university committees and has reviewed numerous research proposals and articles.

Biological Sciences News:

Students study wildlife in Swaziland
“Warning!” reads the course description, “Mega-mammals, crocodiles, snakes, thorns, baboons, etc. may be abundant at many of the sites. Please be very careful!” The course, Field Biology and Ecology, provides one of the latest study abroad opportunities offered at Auburn University. Last summer during the inaugural course, 10 Auburn students ventured to Swaziland and South Africa for a once-in-a-lifetime, hands-on, research experience, guided by Biological Sciences professors Troy Best and Michael Wooten.
“We go to teach students about field biology and what it’s like. We teach them about animals, and it’s basically an academic exercise to experience animals in their natural settings and see what they are like, as well as learn field-research techniques such as how to collect field data and what you do with the data after it’s collected,” explained Wooten. “The trip also provides a cultural experience, because we had an opportunity to go into a village and we interacted daily with the local people. It’s life changing. As a faculty member it’s especially fun because we get to see the students grow, day by day.”
The students spent 18 days in Africa, primarily in Swaziland at the Mbuluzi Nature Reserve and the Mlawula Nature Reserve.
“One of the things that we do is put out little metal traps that catch rodents and other animals, alive and unharmed. When we go to check the traps and find that one of them is closed, it’s like a little Christmas present,” said Best. “We started out the trip by catching one of the neatest little mammals that you could catch - it’s called a forest shrew. It was the only one any of us had ever seen before. It was an active little shrew and we held it on our gloved hands, took measurements of it and turned it loose. We also caught a lot of other small mammals while we were there.”
In all, the students set more than 150 live-animal traps, or Sherman traps, in the nature reserves in order to gauge the abundance and distribution of small mammal populations in the region as part of a multi-institutional research project. They also hung game cameras to capture images of large mammals, and mist nets to capture bats.
“We caught some really, really cool bats. We only caught three, but each was from a different family and the most exciting was a fruit bat. We do not have those in the U.S.,” explained Hannah Gunter, a senior in wildlife sciences. “That was a big moment for me.”
While driving through the reserves, the students had an opportunity to stop and observe upward of 100 different animals species, from large mammals like giraffes, rhinoceroses, elephants, lions and zebras, to bird species such as the ostrich, African penguin and African fish eagle.
“My parents and I decided this experience would be a test run to be sure I like the field work, and I absolutely loved it,” said Kaelyn Dobson, a junior in zoology: conservation and biodiversity. “Being immersed in the culture of the land and having the animals right outside your tent at night – it was an adventure. I had camped in a tent before, but I had never had hippos outside my tent before!”
Gunter was also impressed with the close proximity of the wild animals: “One of my favorite parts of the trip was being awakened by hippos at night. They make this bellowing sound. It’s a sound that covers your whole body and shakes you to your core. There are not a lot of animals that make that kind of bellow – and they were right outside our research camp, so you get pretty close to nature.”
Toward the end of the trip, the students traveled to South Africa and visited Kruger National Park, one of the largest game reserves in Africa.
“In Kruger, we heard hyenas laughing and calling through the night, and lions. There is an antelope called a ‘bush buck’ that barks like a dog. It was really cool,” said Gunter. “That’s one of the things I miss most from the trip - the sounds of the animals at night.”
Elephants welcomed the students by hitting the safari vehicles with their trunks, lions walked alongside the trucks, and a close encounter with a hyena left one student’s blood cold.
“A hyena came out of the darkness and walked up to our truck, and it was probably the creepiest thing I have ever seen,” said Jennifer Heim, a master’s student in biological sciences. “They just sort of look right through you.”
Armed guides escorted the students on a walking tour of Kruger National Park, giving them an experience that was even more unique.
“Usually you are not allowed to get out of your vehicle, so to have an opportunity to go on a walking tour was amazing,” said Donald Ward, a junior in zoology/pre-med. “The guides told us there was a possibility we could be attacked by lions. They told us when facing the possibility of being attacked by a lion, it’s important to stand there and stare it down, because if you run, they will chase. But we felt safe with the guards and in solidarity with the lions because they respect humans and do not consider us to be food. Hippos actually cause more human deaths in Africa than any other animal because they do not care what they are charging, they just keep charging, and people can’t outrun them.”
Besides learning about the fauna of Africa, the students gained other valuable lessons and insight as well. Heim said she grew in her appreciation for what we have in the U.S. after watching children as young as two and three years old walking miles to get water. Dobson said she realized she definitely wants to be a field researcher, and Ward said the animal presentations each student was required to give gave him valuable public speaking experience.
“I think it also built my social skills,” said Ward. “I learned to converse about science and think scientifically about things and consider the scientific method and the ways science works. I did not learn a lot about anatomy and physiology, which is a heavy focus for medical school, but the skills I gained from the presentations and conversing with the professors and students, it was good for me. I have not built a lot of relationships with professors, so this trip was a good starting point. I loved it. It was one of the best experiences of my life.”
The study abroad program in Field Biology and Ecology is open to all Auburn University students who have a minimum of 15 hours of science credit. Plans for another trip to Africa in summer 2014 are currently under way, and details will be posted soon to the Study Abroad website.
“I had never been out of the country before and had never seen the Atlantic coast until I flew over it. I didn’t know what to think. I still don’t know what to think of the trip other than I would be back there right now if I could. I think it was worth every penny,” said John Goode, a senior in wildlife sciences. “Take the trip if you’ve got the chance.”

Auburn to host 99th annual meeting of the Southeastern Branch of ASM
This year, the 99th annual meeting of the Southeastern Branch of the American Society for Microbiology will take place at Auburn University. The meeting will take place from Nov. 7-9 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center and will include ASM members from Alabama, Georgia and Florida. Sang-Jin Suh, associate professor in the Department of Biological Sciences, is serving as the 2013-14 president of the Southeastern Branch of ASM. ASM is one of the largest discipline-specific science organizations with nearly 45,000 members worldwide, and the Southeastern Branch is one of the oldest branches. For more information, click here.

Bat Walk to take place in October
On Oct. 23, the Department of Biological Sciences and the Auburn University Museum of Natural History will host the 2013 Bat Walk at the Donald E. Davis Arboretum. The kid-friendly event begins at 6:30 p.m. with a brief presentation on bats given by Auburn University graduate students. Following the presentation, participants will be divided into groups to look for bats in the Davis Arboretum. A bat detector and night-vision scope will be on hand to assist in locating the animals. Bat Walk will also have live bats on location for observation, as well as door prizes. The event is open to the public and free of charge. Participants should bring a flashlight. For more information, contact Biological Sciences graduate student Sam Hirt at 801.717.0594 or by email at hirtsam@auburn.edu.

Society for Conservation Biology continues to explore the natural world
The Society for Conservation Biology, a student organization in the Department of Biological Sciences, has been busy this semester. In September, the group took a tour, led by Sharon Hermann, assistant professor of Biological Sciences, of campus sites that are being used as demonstration areas for restoration of longleaf pine forests. They also went on a night swamp walk at Tuskegee National Forest, led by Professor Debbie Folkerts and Shawn Jacobsen, field lab coordinator, and a behind-the-scenes tour of Callaway Gardens. Upcoming events include a kayak trip on Oct. 27. For more information on the Society for Conservation Biology, like them on Facebook.

Chemistry and Biochemistry News:

Worley gives Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lecture
S. D. Worley, emeritus professor of chemistry, gave Auburn University’s 2012-13 Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lecture Wednesday, Oct. 2. His lecture, "Invention of a Water Disinfectant – Laboratory to Marketplace," addressed his role in the development of a drinking water disinfectant that utilizes special beads with germ-killing agents. The N-halamine technology, as it is known, was commercialized by Seattle-based HaloSource Inc. and is used to disinfect drinking water in several developing nations. For more information about the Distinguished Graduate Faculty Lecture, go to this website.

Geology and Geography News:

COSAM to offer climate change study abroad course in Republic of Panama
A new study abroad program in the Republic of Panama, “Climate Change and Environmental Management,” is available to Auburn students. The course will take place in summer 2014 and is co-sponsored by the College of Sciences and Mathematics’ Department of Geology and Geography and the Water Center for the Humid Tropics of Latin America and the Caribbean. Those who participate in the course will gain basic knowledge and skills in the science of climate change; analyze trends in climatic variability and human vulnerability in Panama; explore direct and indirect effects of a changing climate on water resources management; and learn to use technologies such as GIS and remote sensing. For more information contact Assistant Professor Chandana Mitra at czm0033@auburn.edu or Professor Luke Marzen at marzelj@auburn.edu.

Weekly Colloquium focused on sustainable future
The Department of Geology and Geography hosts a weekly colloquium, and recently, Subhro Guhathakurta, professor of city and regional planning at Georgia Technical Institute and director of the Center for Geographic Information Systems, delivered a talk titled “Confronting an Uncertain Future: Planning in the Era of Climate Change and Other Global Crisis.” In the talk, he detailed how the most significant issues impacting cities and regions are forces outside their borders, such as economic downturn, climate change and the war on terror. The presentation touched on how to confront these challenges and find a way to prepare for uncertainties through a new form of planning. He also discussed the evolving concept of sustainability and its effect on planning, and he illustrated some recent efforts to develop some novel modeling and visualization tools to monitor and communicate sustainability indicators. The Community Planning Program in the College of Architecture, Design and Construction also helped organize the event. Click here for more information on the weekly colloquium.

Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs News:

College of Sciences and Mathematics to host Minority High School Visitation Day
The College of Sciences and Mathematics will host the annual Minority High School Visitation Day on Friday, Oct. 18, from 8:30 a.m. until 2:30 p.m., in the Student Center Ballroom. The event is designed to give high school students, counselors and parents an opportunity to investigate the exceptional educational opportunities, numerous career options and diverse services Auburn University offers its students. Participants will meet COSAM and Auburn University administrators, faculty, staff and students in a small setting and obtain timely and accurate information about the undergraduate admissions process, scholarship opportunities, financial aid options, academic programs, and academic and social support provided by Auburn University. Potential students will also learn about the sciences and mathematics disciplines, including pre-health programs. Various student organizations will also be highlighted, and the day will end with a guided campus tour. For more information, email Bianca Evans, minority programs coordinator for the COSAM Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, at bde0005@auburn.edu or call 334.844.4642. You can also visit the website at www.auburn.edu/cosam/diversity.

Alumni Highlights:

Ray named vice president at Electric Power Research Institute
COSAM alumna Anda Ray, physics ’78, was named vice president, environment and chief sustainability officer, at the Electric Power Research Institute. In her new role, Ray will lead EPRI’s research sector that addresses environmental and health impacts from the generation, delivery and use of electricity, answering the fundamental scientific questions about impacts on air, land and water. The sector also conducts technology research projects to reduce the cost and improve the economic and environmental performance of renewable energy resources.
Most recently, Ray was the senior vice president of engineering, environment and support services at the Tennessee Valley Authority where she worked for more than 30 years. She also served as TSA’s environmental executive and corporate sustainability officer, and led the agency’s research and development initiatives. Additionally, Ray served in many diverse management roles at TVA, including nuclear power, customer relations, strategy development, financial and business planning, and land and shoreline management, which included the protection of archeological resources and threatened and endangered species. She served as TVA’s recovery executive for the first year after the coal ash spill at the Kingston Fossil Plant, which received national media coverage.
Ray has also been active on the national front, having appeared on: National Public Radio; World Business Review with former U.S. Secretary of Defense Caspar Weinberger; and 60 Minutes with Leslie Stahl. She was also recognized by Harvard Business Review for work on corporate performance scorecards, and she has worked with the U.S. Secretaries of Energy and Agriculture on developing the first National Biomass Roadmap. She led the effort establishing the first wind farm and first green power premium program in the southeast U.S., as well as the development of TVA’s first renewable energy policy. Most recently, she was the agency’s lead negotiator and was instrumental in reaching one of the nation’s most significant Clean Air agreements with the Environmental Protection Agency in 2011. 
Ray has also served on several boards of directors including an energy service company, a solid oxide fuel cell manufacturer, an energy storage developer, an economic development foundation, and an editorial board for a journal on applied research and public policy.
She holds a master’s in solid state physics from Emory University and she taught undergraduate physics at both Auburn and Emory as a graduate assistant. Prior to TVA, she worked with AT&T’s laboratories on fiber optic and laser communication technologies. She is a certified project manager, active scuba diver and was a private pilot. For more information on Ray’s new position with the Electric Power Research Institute, see the press release here.

Stauffer wins second Emmy for work on “SNL”
COSAM alumna Jennifer Serio Stauffer (pictured far left), zoology ’03, recently won her second Emmy for her work as a hairstylist on Saturday Night Live. During the 65th Annual Creative Arts Emmy Awards, Stauffer, a Huntsville native, received her second win in two years in the category of Outstanding Hairstyling for a Multi-Camera Series, for her work on "SNL."
"Every year we pick an episode that we think was the strongest, and we look at things like how many wigs there are, what kind of hairstyling there was," Stauffer said. "For instance, this year we won for the Jennifer Lawrence episode, which was in January. There was stuff from the 1890s, we had, like, a period piece, and there was a videotape where we were remaking 'The Hobbit,' so he had a bunch of wigs that looked like 'The Hobbit.' So it showed a bunch of different periods and hairstyles."
Stauffer shares her 2013 Emmy with fellow "SNL" hairstylists Bettie O. Rogers, Jodi Mancuso, Inga Thrasher and Cara Hannah Sullivan. Other nominees included episodes of "The Big Bang Theory," "Dancing with the Stars," "The Voice," and the "85th Academy Awards" telecast. For more information on Stauffer and her latest Emmy, see the story at this link.

Mathematics and Statistics News:

Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership awarded $1.05 million to meet Common Core challenges

The Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership is a national effort aimed at redesigning secondary mathematics teacher preparation programs in order to meet the challenges of the Common Core State Standards for Mathematics. The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust awarded the MTE-Partnership a $1.05 million grant to begin the next phase of work to redesign secondary mathematics teacher preparation programs. The funding builds on earlier awards from the Helmsley Trust, the National Science Foundation and 100Kin10. The MTE-Partnership is comprised of 38 teams from 30 states, and Auburn University is the lead institution for the Central Alabama Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership team.
“This is an opportunity for Auburn University to work with local and national partners to improve the preparation of new mathematics teachers so they can better meet the increased mathematical demands their future students will face,” said Marilyn Strutchens, team leader for the Central Alabama Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership, member of the MTE-Partnership Planning Committee, and M.C. Fraley Distinguished Professor in the College of Education's Department of Curriculum and Teaching.
The Central Alabama Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership team is one of four involved in a “Research Action Cluster” aimed at improving instruction in calculus, which is a key to better preparing future mathematics teachers as well as students from a wide range of majors.
“Developing new strategies that engage students in actively learning mathematics will not only increase their success in the course but also help them build the thinking skills needed for long-term success,” said Ulrich Albrecht, professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics and leader for the Mathematics Research Action Cluster Team at Auburn.
The Auburn partnership is also involved in a Research Action Cluster focused on improving future mathematics teachers’ clinical experiences.
As the lead institution for the Central Alabama Mathematics Teacher Education Partnership, Auburn University is working with Tuskegee University, Alabama State University, Alabama Math, Science, and Technology Initiative (http://www.amsti.org/), Auburn City Schools and Tallassee City Schools.
“Partnerships within the university, including mathematicians and mathematics educators, as well as with other universities and K-12 schools and districts, are critical to meeting the partnership’s objectives,” said W. Gary Martin, Leischuck Endowed Professor in the Department of Curriculum and Teaching and co-director of the MTE-Partnership.
In addition to Strutchens, Albrecht and Martin, faculty from Auburn involved in the Central Alabama Mathematics Education Partnership team include: Narendra Govil, professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics; Huajun Huang, associate professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics; Steven Stuckwisch, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics; and Peggy Dagley, director of Professional Education Services in the College of Education.
The MTE-Partnership was organized by the Association of Public Land-Grant Universities to: build a national consensus on guiding principles for the preparation of mathematics teachers; promote partnerships among all sectors throughout the teacher development process; develop and coordinate a networked research and development agenda; serve as a clearinghouse for model programs and practices; and advocate for change at university, state and national levels. For more information, visit the website.

Han gives lecture at international workshop
Professor Yongsheng Han recently gave plenary lectures as an invited main speaker at the International Workshop on Harmonic Analysis and its Applications in Partial Differential Equations held at the School of Mathematical Science at the Capital Normal University in Beijing. The primary goals of the workshop are to promote and encourage cooperation, understanding and collaboration in the field of the harmonic analysis and partial differential equations. Han specializes in harmonic analysis.

Shen gives talk at international conference
Professor Wenxian Shen gave an invited plenary talk at the First International Conference on Dynamics of Differential Equations, which took place recently at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The talk focused on stochastic differential equations. She is also a main invited speaker at the International Workshop on New Mathematical Developments Arising from Ecology, Epidemiology and Environmental Science. The workshop will take place at the Beijing International Center for Mathematical Research Oct. 17-20. For more information on the upcoming workshop in Beijing, click here.

Symposium held in honor of Kallenberg
A symposium was recently held in honor of professor Olav Kallenberg in Sweden at the Institut Mittag-Leffler of the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences. The symposium recognized his scientific work in the field of probability. The workshop was centered on themes which are important in Kallenberg's work, and lectures were given on a variety of subjects including: exchangeability; symmetries and invariance principles; random measures; point processes and random sets; and superprocesses and random trees. Kallenberg presented a lecture titled, "Some failures, problems, and conjectures from a lifetime in probability." He formulated six open problems which have been the driving force behind much of his mathematical work. For more information on the symposium, including photos, click here.

Physics News:

COSAM hosts atomic physics conference
The Department of Physics hosted the Atomic Processes in Physics conference Oct. 7-10, at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. Atomic physicists from all over the world gathered to discuss and share information in areas such as: low-temperature and atmospheric plasmas; astrophysical plasmas; small LASER-produced plasmas; high-energy density plasmas; magnetic-fusion plasmas; next-generation light sources; measurements of atomic processes; fundamental data and modeling; and free electron LASERS. The conference featured plenary lectures, invited talks and poster presentations. For more information, visit the conference website.

Dhar working with industry to advance silicon carbide development
Sarit Dhar, assistant professor of physics, is working on a multi-institutional, research-and-development project led by industry leader United Silicon Carbide Inc. Specializing in the development of silicon carbide power devices, United Silicon Carbide, Inc. works to deliver innovations that enable higher efficiency energy transmission, power supplies, traction and motor controls. The project is titled “Silicon Carbide High-Voltage Power Technology,” and is funded by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory. Silicon carbide is an emerging semiconductor material that has electrical, thermal and mechanical properties that allow it to far surpass the performance of conventional silicon power technology and make it the prime candidate for next-generation high-voltage switching devices for military, as well as commercial, applications. For the project, Dhar will work with faculty from Rutgers University to extend the state-of-the-art in silicon carbide semiconductor high-voltage switch design. The U.S. Army awarded $212,000 for the multi-institutional, 18-month project.
“Conventional silicon devices are not available above 6.5 kV, and SiC (silicon carbide) MOSFETs (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors) are also not efficient in this voltage range. Therefore, United Silicon Carbide is working towards developing a greater-than-10kV class of advanced silicon carbide insulated-gate bipolar transistors, or IGBT, optimized for applications requiring high-pulsed currents and low-energy losses. Auburn will be involved with research on gate dielectrics for these advanced applications,” said Dhar. “We are developing products that are not yet on the market, so Auburn is playing a role in industry development. The work also contributes to U.S. competitiveness and can eventually result in more high-tech jobs.”
For more information on Dhar, visit his website.

Lin receives grant from Department of Energy
Professor Yu Lin received a grant from the Department of Energy for research into the transport of mass, momentum and energy at plasma boundaries. During the research, she will investigate the mode conversion process from incident fast waves to kinetic Alfven waves that occurs at the plasma boundary layer. She will also study the associated plasma transport across the boundary layer in an effort to understand three-dimensional nonlinear physics in mode conversion, nonlinear decay of kinetic Alfven waves and the associated diffusive ion transport in kinetic Alfven waves, and the mode conversion process.
“Our theoretical and simulation studies will have a broader impact to space and laboratory plasmas. In the magnetosphere and the solar wind, the mode conversion may also play important roles in drive field-line resonances that have been associated with auroral precipitation and the particle heating and powering of the fast solar wind,” said Lin. “Understanding the nonlinear decay of KAWs (kinetic Alfven waves) is timely because there is growing evidence of the importance of KAWs in magnetic reconnection and the global dynamics of substorms. The study is also fundamentally important to the plasma and energetic particle transport due to energetic particle-excited shear Alfven wave instabilities in the fusion laboratory plasmas.”
Lin’s research will also support graduate students at Auburn who will participate in the research.

Arboretum News:

Get your 2014 Arboretum calendar
The 2014 Donald E. Davis Arboretum calendars are now available for purchase. Calendars are $7 at the Auburn University Bookstore and $5 through the Davis Arboretum. The calendar features award-winning images from the 2013 Davis Arboretum photo contest. To purchase a calendar through the Davis Arboretum, call 334.844.5770 or send an email to arbinfo@auburn.edu/.

Davis Arboretum to host workshop and native plant sale
The Donald E. Davis Arboretum and the Environmental Awareness Organization, a student group dedicated to environmental awareness and sustainability, will host a workshop and native plant sale in November. The workshop will take place on Monday, Nov. 4, at 5:30 p.m. in 112 Rouse. Participants will gain basic information on the benefits of using native plants and learn which plants grow best in east Alabama. A native plant list of more than 100 species and order form will be available at the workshop, and landscape and plant experts will be on hand to answer questions and make personalized recommendations. Attendance at the workshop is not required to order native plants. The plant list and order forms will be available for download on the Davis Arboretum website on Tuesday, Nov. 5. Or, to receive an emailed copy of the plant list and order form, send a request to Dee Smith, curator of the Davis Arboretum at drs0001@auburn.edu or call 334.844. All orders must be placed by Monday, Nov. 11. Plants will be available for pick up during the week of Nov. 18-22.

Audubon tour at the Davis Arboretum this Sunday
The Donald E. Davis Arboretum took part in a collaborative publication with the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, a book titled, "Audubon in the Arboretum: A Field Guide." The book showcases works by Audubon along with a detailed description of the plants featured in each print. Readers will gain insight into the natural world Audubon encountered, and the publication coincides with the openings of the exhibition "Audubon in the Arboretum" at the museum and the Audubon trail in the Davis Arboretum. On Sunday, Oct. 13, visitors can tour the museum's exhibition of Audubon plates at 2 p.m. and take a walking tour of the Audubon trail, featuring the plants in each plate, at the Davis Arboretum at 3 p.m. The book was published by the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, with research support from the Auburn University Libraries, the Donald E. Davis Arboretum and the College of Sciences and Mathematics. Audubon in the Arboretum: A Field Guide" is on sale at the Museum Shop at the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art. For more information, go to the website.