Professor Emeritus Dave Worley has a reputation for enhancing lives all around the world. From advancing water filters in India to, most recently, developing a cost-effective, staph-resistant bandage, Worley has produced 40 patents throughout his career.

An honorary doctorate is the highest honor Auburn University bestows, and this spring, husband-and-wife team John and Rosemary Brown were both awarded the honor. The Browns' love for Auburn remains unwavering as they maintain a strong commitment to the university.

Red Hills Brewing Company in the heart of Homewood, a suburb of Birmingham, is slated to brew a braggot and dedicate proceeds from the drink to COSAM’s Alabama Natural Heritage Program. The funds will be used for conservation of the Red Hills Salamander, the official state of Alabama amphibian and inspiration for the brewing company’s name and mascot. Red Hill Salamanders are ONLY found in Alabama, and they are listed as endangered. The braggot will be ready in fall 2017. Stay with us for updates!

Jo Heath, professor emerita of mathematics, recalls that the late Andrew C. Connor, a former COSAM mathematician, had “a cowlick of brown hair that popped up no matter what goop he put on it or how often he tried to smooth it down.” Connor is also remembered for his confident, feisty spirit, and his mathematical brilliance and creativity; so, when he succumbed to cancer, family and friends honored his legacy by establishing the Andrew C. Connor Award, given annually to undergraduate students enrolled in a mathematics class at Auburn.

COSAM student Brittany Gamble’s family home in Mobile burned to the ground last April when it was struck by lightning. No one was hurt, but they lost everything in the fire. A Go Fund Me page has been created to assist them as they try to piece their lives back together. Please consider showing your support for this Auburn student.

COSAM hosted the 2017 Comer Award Ceremony, and a photo gallery is now available to view on the COSAM Facebook account. Established in 1923 by former governor Braxton Bragg Comer, the Comer Awards recognize the most outstanding students in the physical sciences, biological sciences and agriculture.

COSAM triumphed at The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi awards ceremony, receiving five of the 10 awards bestowed, including at least one award in every COSAM-eligible category. The ceremony recognizes students at Auburn University for academic excellence. Among the award recipients was COSAM’s Natasha Narayanan, who was selected the most outstanding senior in the entire university and honored with the Phi Kappa Phi Most Outstanding Senior Scholar. COSAM also received all three of the outstanding junior awards and one of the five Jewel Golden Eubanks ’33 scholarships.

The Society of Women in Sciences and Mathematics, or SWSM, held its annual symposium on May 4, and a video of the day is available to watch on the COSAM YouTube channel. Girls from area high schools were invited to the one-day symposium to learn more about majors and careers in sciences and mathematics. Breakout sessions were hosted by COSAM undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and alumnae, and were followed by a keynote speaker and luncheon. This year’s Marie W. Wooten Distinguished Speaker was Audrey Goins Brichi, ’74, ’77, former manager of diversity and inclusion for Chevron Corporation’s Office of Global Diversity, Ombuds and University Partnerships. A photo gallery of the event is available on the COSAM Facebook account.

For more information on how you can get involved with SWSM, contact Kimberly Mulligan, director of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, at kxm0001@auburn.edu or 334-844-4642.

To commemorate the spring 2017 graduates, COSAM hosted a graduation picnic on Sunday, May 7, prior to commencement. A photo gallery is now available to view on the COSAM Facebook account, and a video is available to watch on the COSAM YouTube channel.

COSAM would like to congratulate our spring 2017 graduates. You worked hard to get to graduation, and no doubt you will continue to meet with success as you go forward into the next phase of your life. The entire COSAM family is proud of you, and we wish you all the best in whatever your future holds. Please be sure to stay in touch, and keep us updated on your progress by sending correspondence to cosam@auburn.edu. War Eagle!

“You are living in one of the most exciting and yet terrifying times of your life,” said John Vollenweider, pre-dentistry ’76. In the May edition of the Georgia Dental Association’s publication, GDA Action, Vollenweider penned his words of wisdom and advice for recent graduates.