On Feb. 21, you can show your support for COSAM during Tiger Giving Day, a 24-hour crowdfunding event designed to help our students and faculty accomplish great things. COSAM is sponsoring two projects. One is raising funds to add lighting to the Arboretum paths. The other is acquiring a 3D printer for the SCORE Robotics Program. Please visit TigerGiving.org and select one of our projects on Feb. 21.

Associate Professor Paul Cobine in the Department of Biological Sciences was recently selected as an Editors’ Pick at the Journal of Biological Chemistry. He and his team discovered the protein that carries copper into mitochondria. The discovery is the result of approximately 10 years of research.

On Feb. 22, The COSAM Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs Ambassadors are hosting a showing of “The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks” at 5:30 p.m. in SCC 115. The event commemorates Black History Month as the film brings to light issues of race, class and ethics in scientific research. Join us for the movie, which will be followed by a lively panel discussion that will include scientific research experts. Free popcorn and drinks will be provided.

Dr. William Vann, Jr., was inspired by his uncle Dr. James W. Vann, to attend Auburn University and pursue a career in dentistry. His uncle was in the first graduating class at the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry, and is a life-long Auburn fan. 

“He was (an remains at age 92!) a patient teacher and role model mentor, and his mentorship went beyond me,” said Dr. William Vann. “He also served as role model for Dr. Richard K. Vann, my first cousin and a Montgomery pediatric dentist…and he was a role model and mentor for Dr. Pat Davis, a Dothan Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeon who was our neighbor and a boyhood friend of mine in Headland.”

Once at Auburn, Dr. Vann said the well-rounded, liberal arts education he received prepared him for success in his career.

Dr. Judi Jehle, chemistry/pre-med ’72, played golf for Auburn University before there was a women’s golf team. Read about her experience as a collegiate golfer during a time when women’s sports were not offered by the NCAA.

The COSAM Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, or ODMA, has launched ODMA HYPE, or Highlighting Your Peers’ Excellence. ODMA HYPE is an initiative to bring awareness of diversity in STEM on Auburn's campus by highlighting our wonderful faculty, alumni and students. The program aims to show a wide representation of who pursues STEM degrees, as well as the breadth and depth of disciplines to encourage students from all backgrounds to pursue professions in STEM fields. The first ODMA HYPE episode features Edward Thomas, Charles W. Barkley Endowed Physics Professor and Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Studies in COSAM. To recommend someone for a future episode of ODMA HYPE, please contact Daphney Portis, coordinator of civic innovation in the Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs at drp0010@auburn.edu.

Laura Folse, geology ’80, will be recognized at the annual Women’s Leadership Conference on Thursday, March 8, as the 2018 Alumna Woman of Distinction. The award is presented by the Auburn University Women’s Center within the Office of Inclusion and Diversity and recognizes Folse as a role model who inspires others through her demonstrated leadership skills, distinctive achievements, and ongoing commitment to personal and professional growth.

Folse is the CEO of BP Wind Energy and was the 2015 Marie W. Wooten Distinguished Speaker at the Society for Women in Sciences and Mathematics Symposium luncheon. She has worked more than 20 years in the oil and gas industry, held several top-tier positions in the energy sector, and managed budgets in excess of $600 billion annually and approximately 800 scientists and engineers, a majority of whom were men.

COSAM congratulates Folse on this well-deserved recognition.​

We filmed Mathematics Professor Chris Rodger telling two truths and one lie. Can you guess which statement is the lie?

The video is the first in a new series designed to provide unique insight into our faculty and staff. The answer will be posted on Wednesday, Feb. 21, on COSAM’s Facebook and Twitter accounts.