Chase Richburg was selected to be the summer 2017 COSAM Graduation Marshal. Student marshals are selected by an awards committee from each college. To be considered, students must have completed a minimum of four semesters at Auburn University with a scholastic average of 3.40 (graduating cum laude) or higher and possess qualities of leadership, citizenship, character and promise of professional ability.

COSAM’s Overtoun Jenda, assistant provost for Special Projects and Initiatives and professor in the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, has secured a $5 million grant to increase diversity in the STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) workforce. The funding came from the National Science Foundation’s Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation, which strives to assist universities and colleges in diversifying the nation’s STEM workforce by increasing the number of baccalaureate and graduate degrees awarded to populations historically underrepresented in STEM disciplines. Jenda will use the funds for a five-year partnership agreement between eight other Alabama institutions of higher learning to increase the number of students from the Black Belt who receive undergraduate and graduate degrees in STEM fields. In the last year, Jenda has received a total of $10 million in grant funding for his efforts to increase opportunities for minority and underserved populations in the state of Alabama, including an NSF INCLUDES program grant and an NSF MAKERS grant.

Auburn University's core traditions are passion and spirit. These are the hallmarks of the Auburn Family, and you would be hard-pressed to find a program more steeped in tradition. As we look forward to the start of a new school year, take a look at the Auburn University Traditions webpage and test your knowledge of our traditions.

The Eastern indigo snake enjoys a diet of copperheads. That’s just one of the reasons scientists at Auburn University have been working since 2010 to reintroduce the species into the forest in far south Alabama. Once found prevalently throughout its range, copperhead populations have spiked since the non-venomous, docile Eastern indigo snake disappeared.

Another reason scientists want to see the snake thrive in Alabama once again is the species represents a BIG part of our natural heritage. The glossy, iridescent indigo snake is the longest native snake in North America, and heavy too, reaching as much as 8.5 feet long and 11 pounds.

Molly Teasley, a graduate research fellow in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, and Sarah Greene, a graduate student in general science education, completed a project for COSAM Associate Professor Karen McNeal’s “Climate Change Literacy and Communication” course. The assignment entailed creating a project that educates the public on key climate science topics in a way that is both accessible and effective. Teasley and Greene created a comic strip based on a character named “Maggie the Mitigator,” a superhero who defends the environment. Maggie the Mitigator takes a kid-friendly approach to addressing a variety of small actions and personal choices people can make to become better stewards of the environment.

Alabama has a dire shortage of primary care physicians practicing in rural areas of the state. The fact is, MOST of Alabama is rural, which means most Alabamians do not have appropriate access to quality healthcare. The College of Sciences and Mathematics is working to address the problem through the Rural Medicine Program. The program is a partnership with the University of Alabama School of Medicine, and it offers specialized training and other incentives to future physicians from rural areas of the state who plan to return to medically underserved areas and offer primary care.

August 21 is the first day of fall semester at Auburn. It also happens to be the day of a historic, out-of-this-world event — a solar eclipse. To celebrate the occasion, the College of Sciences and Mathematics and the Jule Collins Smith Museum are partnering on the “2017 Eclipse Across America” national event as part of Auburn's Welcome Week activities. The event will be held on the Student Center Green Space from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. and will promote eclipse safety and build community through the sciences and arts. The peak of the solar eclipse for the Auburn area is 1:36 p.m. Approved safety glasses will be distributed while supplies last, and physics faculty will be on hand to answer eclipse-related questions. There will also be games, giveaways, a photo booth, and make-and-take keepsakes to commemorate the occasion. The Auburn University event hashtag is #AUsolareclipse. Visit https://eclipse2017.nasa.gov/safety for eclipse viewing safety tips, and go to the Eclipse Across America at Auburn University event website for the most up-to-date information. You can also join the Facebook event.