Bob Boyd named Assistant Provost for Institutional Effectiveness

Following an internal search, Bob Boyd, professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, or COSAM, has been named the university’s first assistant provost for institutional effectiveness, effective Jan. 1, 2023.

Geographic information scientist seeks to help people dependent on private well water

“My dedication and passion to help human vulnerability drives my research,” said Jake Nelson, assistant professor in the Department of Geosciences. “I want to help ensure that people have equal access to resources that benefit their health and their families. And, with the impact of climate change, the risk to these populations is only going to increase.”

Nelson is the recipient of a $22,652.50 grant from the United States Geological Survey via the Alabama Water Resources Research Institute, or AWRRI, that runs through Aug. 2023.

Make an end of the year gift to COSAM

As the end of the year quickly approaches, we would like to take this opportunity to thank all those who have and continue to support COSAM in so many different ways. Your time, talents and treasures truly make a difference in the college and your generosity inspires us! Thank you! We hope you take time this holiday season to relax, rejuvenate and reflect.

If you are interested in making an end of the year gift, please feel free to go online to https://alumniq.auburn.edu/giving/to/cosam to make a gift by credit card. Please note that checks or gifts sent through mail must be postmarked by December 31 for the 2022 tax year. If you need assistance, please contact a member of the COSAM Advancement team at 334.844.2931.

Student teams excel at South’s BEST regional robotics championship

Middle and high school students put weeks of preparation to the test as they competed at the South’s BEST regional robotics championship held Dec. 3-4 at Auburn University’s Beard-Eaves-Memorial Coliseum.

South’s BEST (Boosting Engineering Science and Technology) is a regional competition of BEST Robotics, a non-profit middle and high school robotics competition whose mission is to engage students in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) while inspiring them to pursue careers in STEM-related fields.

Auburn professors discuss causes of national decline in Apis mellifera honey bee colonies

Apis Mellifera honey bees are important insect pollinators whose impact has environmental, ecological and economical ramifications across the world. Recent research shows that U.S. beekeepers experienced a 43% colony loss for the crucial winged insect between April 2019 and April 2020.

Auburn University faculty members Roberto Molinari from the Department of Mathematics and Statistics, Geoffrey Williams from the Department of Entomology & Plant Pathology and Stephanie Rogers from the Department of Geosciences were part of an international team of scholars who researched the phenomenon of honey bee colony loss occurring in the U.S. The group recently published findings from its study in “Scientific Reports” as part of a collection dedicated to insect decline and extinction. Here they discuss what elevated colony losses mean for the future, as well as discuss how their study can help beekeepers better manage their colonies moving forward.

Auburn wins across the board in the first Marble Bowl

“The battle was touch and go with the University of Alabama making a strong fourth quarter push and entering Sunday in the lead of number of observations and species,” said Jon Armbruster, director of the Auburn University Museum of Natural History and curator of fishes. “A strong push by Auburn folks across the entire state saw us crushing the competition in all categories: 17,549 to 17,058 observations, 3,283 to 3,208 species, and 235 to 126 observers.”

The very first Marble Bowl was an opportunity for anyone to take photos of unique observations of nature and upload them to iNaturalist. Each university received points for their submissions with Auburn leading in every category.

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