When Mincy Moffett moved to Washington D.C. in an attempt to escape a career in finance, he never dreamed his journey would take him rappelling down buildings as a Greenpeace activist and eventually lead back to the college classroom. With lots of adventure to reflect back on, it is a national Award of Special Recognition presented to the Georgia Plant Conservation Alliance by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies that has meant the most to his career, thus far.

Sammy Rizzuto, a double major in physics and mechanical engineering, recently represented Miss Marble Valley in the 2017 Miss Alabama Pageant. Rizzuto, of Long Valley, New Jersey, is a sophomore at Auburn and previously competed in the Miss New Jersey Pageant and was named Miss New Jersey’s Outstanding Teen in 2014. Her platform, “Operation Full STEAM Ahead,” is an organization founded by Rizzuto that provides opportunities for young students in the areas of science, technology, engineering, arts and mathematics. 

Stewart Schneller, professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry and former dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, was selected as a 2017 Fellow of the American Chemical Society. The prestigious honor recognizes Schneller’s outstanding 40+ year career of groundbreaking research; contributions to science, the profession and the American Chemical Society; and mentorship of undergraduate and graduate students.

COSAM supporter Dr. Richard M. Freeman has long served the Auburn-Opelika community. As a pediatrician at Pediatric Associates of Auburn, he has cared for children for more than 30 years. As a specialist in aviation medicine, he also administers preventative care to pilots and members of aircrews. He was recently awarded the Ira L. Meyers Service Award from the Medical Association of the State of Alabama. 

Congratulations to the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and the Department of Mathematics and Statistics for reaching 120% of their goals during the 2017 Faculty and Staff Campaign. The two departments share first place in overall giving for the year. Three team captains were crowned at the annual celebration. 

Scientists in the Halanych lab made a breakthrough discovery about the origins of the innate immune system. Research indicates that humans and their closest invertebrate relatives share core components of their immune systems, components that date back more than 500 million years. The results of the research were published in the prestigious scientific journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences in a paper titled, “Toll-like receptor pathway evolution in deuterostomes.”

Dr. Jenny Oakes Sobera, biomedical sciences ’94, is a dermatologist and founder of Village Dermatology in Mountain Brook. She recently returned to Auburn to speak to COSAM’s chapter of the national pre-med honor society, Alpha Epsilon Delta. Read the alumni spotlight to get Sobera’s take on her Auburn experience, favorite parts of her job and her advice to COSAM students. 

In the next several editions of COSAM Today, we will present some student projects that were created to educate the public on key climate science topics. The projects were a requirement in a graduate course titled, “Climate Change Literacy and Communication,” taught by Karen McNeal, associate professor in the Department of Geosciences. The creations vary from websites and infographics to children’s books. We invite you to look at each project and, if you like, share their work and/or provide input about your experience at cosam@auburn.edu.

The second project in the series is a children’s book titled, “Thatch Learns to Recycle.” The book was written by Sara Speetjens, a graduate student in the Department of Geosciences.

COSAM’s 2013 Distinguished Alumni Award winner Nancy Mitchell Morris, chemistry ’64, spent her career as a research chemist studying agricultural and chemically modified products, and their interaction with the environment. Throughout her career, and now in her retirement, Morris continues to serve and support both Auburn University and LaGrange College. She was recently presented the Distinguished Service Alumni Award by LaGrange College for her contributions. 

The COSAM Office of Outreach and the Auburn University Museum of Natural History host a number of camps and activities for K-12 students throughout the summer. Check out their Facebook page for photos of the events.