COSAM’s Steven Mansoorabadi, assistant professor of biochemistry, received a highly competitive Department of Energy, or DOE, Early Career Research Program award. Approximately 700 proposals were submitted and only 59 were selected for funding. Mansoorabadi’s research will build upon a recent scientific breakthrough made in his lab. He and his team discovered the genes necessary to create the F430 coenzyme. The presence of the F430 enzyme is what allows certain organisms to eat methane, which is both a natural gas and a leading greenhouse gas in the U.S. Picking up where he left off, the DOE Early Career Research Program award will allow Mansoorabadi and his team to focus on the mechanism of the enzyme involved in making F430, which will bring science one step closer to successfully creating a methane-inhibitor. A methane-inhibitor could reduce the release of methane into the atmosphere by industry and livestock, as well as provide a foundation for engineering a process for converting natural gas into liquid fuel.

Henri is a New York City honey bee who lives in a large beehive with lots of brothers and sisters. One day, his home is destroyed by a storm. Henri becomes quite lonely as he travels through the U.S. on his way to Florida, in search of his family. Along the way, he witnesses the effects of climate change. You can read about Henri in a children’s book titled, “The Story of the Lonely Honeybee,” by Jessica Ross, a graduate student in Geography.

The book was written as 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.

COSAM had an influential visitor this week when State Representative Joe Lovvorn stopped by the Dean’s office to present a donation to the BEST Robotics outreach program. The BEST Robotics program is a competition for middle and high school students and reaches more than 700 children from 23 schools in East Central Alabama, plus thousands more who come to Auburn to compete in the regional South’s BEST championship each December. Administered by COSAM’s Director of Outreach, Mary Lou Ewald, BEST Robotics is sponsored by COSAM and the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering. 

At age 92, COSAM alumnus George Baker offers a unique perspective on how college life at Auburn has both changed and remained the same since the 1940s. 

Bradley Merner, the James E. Land Assistant Professor of Chemistry, received a five-year, $700,000, National Science Foundation Early Career Development, or CAREER, Award for his proposal titled, “Functionalized Bent para-Phenylenes: New Strategies and Tools for the Synthesis of Carbon Nanotubes.” The NSF Faculty Early Career Development, or CAREER, program is a foundation-wide activity that offers the National Science Foundation's most prestigious awards in support of junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars through outstanding research, excellent education, and the integration of education and research within the context of the mission of their organizations. The funding will allow two doctoral students, Nirmal Mitra and Caroline Merryman, to dedicate 100 percent of their efforts toward assisting Merner in the development of new strategies for the controlled synthesis of carbon nanotubes.

The COSAM Dean's Scholarship Golf Classic is an annual event benefiting scholarships for COSAM students. Since its inception, the Golf Classic has awarded more than 50 scholarships. The 22nd annual Dean's Scholarship Golf Classic was held on September 15 at Robert Trent Jones Grand National in Opelika. Through the support of COSAM's alumni and friends, two in-state tuition scholarships were awarded to two outstanding COSAM students, Madison Armstrong, a junior in molecular biology/pre-med, and Victoria Roberson, a senior in biomedical sciences/pre-med. For more on the 2017 COSAM Dean’s Scholarship Golf Classic, see the photo album on the COSAM Facebook page.

Sierra Stiles is a COSAM alumna with a master’s in biology. She is currently pursuing a second master’s in science education in the College of Education at Auburn. From early childhood, she has devoted a tremendous amount of time and resources to the outdoors. In her video interview, Stiles reflects on her love of nature, which has translated into a career, as well as played a significant role in her personal life. 

The Auburn University Museum of Natural History hosted the annual Open House on Homecoming Saturday, September 16, and a photo gallery is available to view on the COSAM Facebook page. The Open House is an opportunity for the public to meet museum curators and staff, and explore the more than 2 million specimens found in the museum’s 10 collections. Visitors enjoyed giveaways, live animal demonstrations, and fun! For more information on the Auburn University Museum of Natural History go to aumnh.auburn.edu.

Auburn University will join 35 other top research universities nationwide as the newest participant in the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation’s prestigious, merit-based scholarship worth $10,000 each to outstanding college juniors and seniors and partially supported by living astronauts of America’s storied space programs. Established in 1984 by six surviving members of Project Mercury astronauts who partook in the first human spaceflight program of the United States from 1958 through 1963, the scholarships intend to reward top college students with majors in science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM, fields.

"The College of Sciences and Mathematics at Auburn has a strong tradition and history of preparing students for leadership roles in the STEM industry, including astronauts Hank Hartsfield and Kathryn Thornton, as well as top NASA scientists like Suzan Voss, who is a manager for NASA’s International Space Station program," said Nicholas Giordano, dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics. "Our students are the leaders of the future in the fields of science, medicine, mathematics and other STEM disciplines. As such, we are grateful for our partnership with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation. Their financial support will directly contribute to maintaining an environment that ensures excellence and is vital to our mission of preparing students for the workforce who will contribute greatly to society."

The COSAM Office of Alumni and Development hosted a tailgate prior to the Auburn University Homecoming football game against Mercer University. The food was delicious, the weather was beautiful, and the company was friendly. A photo gallery of the tailgate is available to view on the COSAM Facebook page.