Outreach and Impact
The Tunnel to Towers Foundation

From Opelika to New York, Auburn historians are supporting the mission to never forget the September 11 tragedy.

September 12, 2025

three people on the podcast set

Auburn University Raptor Center's director Robyn Miller and administrative coordinator Andrew Hopkins share the center's mission and future goals on the S3 EP1 edition of the Everything Auburn Podcast.

September 11, 2025

A group of eleven Rural Medicine Program students wearing white coats stand together, smiling for a photo inside the ceremony venue.

The College of Sciences and Mathematics, in partnership with UAB Heersink School of Medicine, celebrated its 20th Rural Medicine Program cohort during a white coat ceremony on Aug. 22. Eleven students received white coats, stethoscopes, and scholarships as they began training to serve as future physicians in rural Alabama communities.

September 10, 2025

Three boys catching insects with a net shown in front of a body of water and trees in the background.

Auburn University’s Museum of Natural History hosted a new summer camp at the Wehle Nature Center, where middle schoolers explored Alabama’s biodiversity through hands-on activities with insects, reptiles, plants, and fish.

September 08, 2025

Panel of speakers at symposium event

Auburn's upcoming CityBuilders symposium will explore AI-driven innovations in design and construction and strategies for leveraging technology to drive venture capital success.

September 07, 2025

Rural Studio students standing with Mark, house recipient, holding a model of his home

The $65,000 grant will be used to design and build the aptly named Cost-Effective, Resilient, Energy-Efficient, Equitable and Durable (CREED) House.

September 05, 2025

Three workers wearing safety vests and hard hats place large rocks along a streambank in a wooded area to prevent erosion and improve stormwater management.

The partnership will help restore streams, reduce runoff and add features at Hickory Dickory Park to protect local waterways and enhance residents’ quality of life.

September 05, 2025

McCrary Institute

The McCrary Institute's recent summit focused on protecting Alabama's water systems from the increasing threat of cyber attacks.

September 05, 2025

A graphic illustration shows a therapist seated and talking with a seated patient, with a dialogue box over each person

A new partnership is bringing a community-centered mental health series aimed at strengthening support and awareness to Tallapoosa County, Alabama.

September 05, 2025

A female Doberman stands in profile while wearing a blue graduation cap

Two Dobermans were recently honored for their years of life-saving service to the Bailey Small Animal Teaching Hospital.

September 04, 2025

A camper in the Learners Exploring Academic Dreams initiative is pictured sitting in a clasroom, with his back to the camera and wearning a shirt with the camp logo displayed.

This Tiger Giving Day, the Learners Exploring Academic Dreams (LEAD) initiative through Auburn’s Truman Pierce Institute in the College of Education is raising funds to provide 30 students (rising 9th through 12th graders) with a unique week-long summer camp learning opportunity on the campus of Auburn University.

September 04, 2025

Three middle school boys use lab equipment connected to laptops while other students and an adult look on during a Destination STEM activity.

Destination STEM at Auburn University gives rural Alabama students hands-on science experiences, inspiring curiosity and future careers in STEM.

September 02, 2025

Ph.D. student Md Riaz Uddin guiding K-12 students through a classroom activity on Earth’s layers during Auburn’s Geosciences summer program.

Auburn’s Department of Geosciences launched its first summer project, blending labs, fieldwork and community partnerships to inspire future scientists.

September 02, 2025

In an already stressful and trying growing season, researchers at Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension professionals have confirmed an invasive insect, the two-spot cotton leafhopper, in cotton fields in Alabama. The insect is also commonly known as the cotton jassid.

September 02, 2025

Large group of faculty, graduate students, and staff from Auburn University’s College of Sciences and Mathematics pose for a photo during the Summer STEM Institute, showcasing interdisciplinary participation.

Auburn University's COSAM Summer STEM Institute equips educators with evidence-based teaching strategies to foster inclusive, student-centered learning across disciplines.

September 02, 2025

Large group of people gathered on an indoor staircase, including individuals of various ages. Some wear matching navy blue shirts, while others are dressed casually. The background features windows and a wooden ceiling.

During the Honors College's annual Week of Service program, 86 students and 15 student counselors served a total of 1,045 hours.

September 02, 2025

NCAT Test Track aerial view

The National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) at Auburn University is celebrating 25 years of its world-renowned Test Track, a groundbreaking resource that has transformed asphalt pavement research.

September 02, 2025

Photo of people gathered in front of a small school house with a tarp over the roof

Two Auburn University faculty members are testing Alabama’s first Historic Preservation academic program to research disappearing Rosenwald Schools.

August 30, 2025

Photo of a summer camp student using a chop saw

Over 200 high schoolers workshopped what it’s like to be design and construction students this summer with the College of Architecture, Design and Construction camps.

August 30, 2025

A group of K-12 educators and program facilitators pose together in a classroom during a professional development workshop. They are smiling and gathered in front of a screen with a cardboard cutout of a tiger mascot in the background.

COSAM Outreach, in partnership with the I-STEM Connectory, delivered a record 67 days of STEM professional development for over 600 K-12 teachers across Alabama and Georgia, strengthening STEM education through hands-on training and educator support.

August 29, 2025

Daniel Sullen poses with Aubie

College of Education alumnus Daniel Sullen turns his doctorate into community impact through his role with Extension.

August 27, 2025

Auburn University’s Geo Explorer, the world’s largest mobile geosciences lab, brings hands-on science to schools and communities. Featuring glow rocks, microfossils, an augmented reality sandbox, and a tornado tunnel, the lab sparks curiosity, inspires future scientists, and gives Auburn students opportunities to connect science with the public.

August 26, 2025

Students in the ITEST Alabama summer camp are pictured looking at design drawings they

This summer, 42 high school students from Alabama’s Black Belt region spent four weeks learning software design processes and sketching out their own mobile app prototypes —discovering just how far their creativity and problem-solving skills could take them.

August 26, 2025

a close up of bees

The buzz at Auburn's Bee Center isn’t just about harvesting honey for the AU-BEES program. It’s also about groundbreaking research, immersive student experiences and impactful community outreach.

August 25, 2025

Kate hugs Aubie the Tiger

COSAM alumna Kate Bouchillon has dedicated her time to service here on the Plains as a volunteer with AmeriCorps VISTA.

August 22, 2025

People standing in front of large digital display

Affordable housing is a challenge for home seekers across the nation and The Winchester Institute for Real Estate Development recently initiated a program to help.

August 20, 2025

A group of students and faculty stand in a line with two horses

The Vaughan Large Animal Hospital is where farmers and equine owners from across the Southeast go for emergency veterinary care.

August 20, 2025

McCrary Institute

Kirstjen Nielsen and Auburn alumnus James Hoskins bring deep experience from the highest echelons of national security and private-sector leadership.

August 19, 2025

Photo of a panel holding different types of screws

Students and faculty from the School of Industrial and Graphic Design and the McWhorter School of Building Science teamed up to create marketable products for mass timber installation.

August 19, 2025

Tom Chung speaks to faculty sitting at tables in front of windows

The Auburn Mass Timber Collaborative hosted its annual workshop in May, continuing to expand mass timber education across the country.

August 19, 2025

Faculty member speaks to participants during Auburn’s Launch Your Societal Impact! summer workshop.

Auburn’s Launch Your Societal Impact! workshop brought together 12 interdisciplinary teams to turn research into real-world solutions. From smart health tech to environmental monitoring, the program highlighted how science at Auburn can drive measurable societal benefit.

August 19, 2025

Three young people stand in a community center with bags of food

In one rural Alabama county, Auburn students planning to enter the medical and health fields are breaking down barriers that limit access to health care.

August 19, 2025

The Samuel Ginn College of Engineering continues to build its presence and forge partnerships in the Rocket City, recently entering into an agreement with Leadership Greater Huntsville.

August 13, 2025

Business analytics students explain their research

The Harbert College of Business has revamped its graduate certificate in business analytics and AI to address the evolving needs of today’s professionals and businesses.

August 13, 2025

Oprandy sitting at desk

The American Medical Association tapped Frank Oprandy from the Harbert College of Business as one of only four non-physicians to serve on a specially convened advisory committee exploring ways for medical professionals to better navigate the business of practicing medicine.

August 13, 2025

sunset on Auburn University campus

The recent passage of the One Big, Beautiful Bill ends SNAP-Ed programs nationwide on Sept. 30. Alabama SNAP-Ed, known as Live Well Alabama, was set to celebrate 30 years of life-changing service in October.

August 11, 2025

Virk accepts the Larry W. Turner Award.

Simer Virk, an associate professor in the Department of Biosystems Engineering and a specialist with Alabama Extension earned a prestigious national honor from the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

August 11, 2025

Three participants explore the lifecycle of papermaking.

The Alabama Center for Paper and Bioresource Engineering, housed within the Department of Chemical Engineering, hosted high school students, interns/co-ops and industry professionals for its annual Paper and Bioresource Engineering Summer Camp and Pulp and Paper Fundamentals Workshop.

August 07, 2025

Bernard LaFayette Jr. and Khari Allen Lee posing for a photo at LaFayette

In celebration of Bernard LaFayette Jr.’s lifelong commitment to nonviolent social change, Auburn musicians arranged a special performance of one of his civil rights songs at his 85th birthday luncheon at the Caroline Marshall Draughon Center for the Arts & Humanities.

July 31, 2025

Four young girls in matching orange shirts examine specimens through microscopes at a science camp, focusing intently on their observations.

Science Matters Camp returned to Auburn this summer, engaging students in elementary grades 1–7 with hands-on STEM activities, themed learning and real-world discovery — from building roller coasters to collecting specimens alongside museum scientists.

July 25, 2025

Emily Kling holds a small alligators for students to touch in front of the Environmental Education Building

Alumna and distinguished environmental educator Emily Kling established a fund to bolster youth education opportunities at the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center (KPNC), including camps and a new full-time educator.

July 24, 2025

For more than two decades, Auburn home football games have featured an iconic War Eagle soaring over the cheering stadium. All this summer and fall, the Auburn University Raptor Center celebrates the 25th anniversary of football’s most famous flight.

July 24, 2025

several people with golden shovels break down on research facility

Auburn University and the City of Orange Beach broke ground on its latest collaboration — the Gulf Coast Engineering Research Station — which will serves as a permanent hub for studying coastal environments and communities.

July 24, 2025

A student looks into a test tube in a lab

The week-long, enriching summer science experience brings high-achieving high schoolers to campus to explore advanced science topics with College of Sciences and Mathematics faculty members.

July 21, 2025

Sean Forbes and children in the garden

The Auburn College of Education’s O Grows program is hosting their annual summer farmers market.

July 18, 2025

the City of Auburn Classroom features tall windows, a natural light setting, desks, monitors, and natural accents.

It was only last winter that the Kreher Preserve and Nature Center, an outreach facility of Auburn’s College of Forestry, Wildlife and Environment, celebrated the dedication and ribbon cutting of its new Environmental Education Building. Yet the building has already had a profound impact on the university and the Auburn community.

July 17, 2025

GEAR UP Achieve student Jessean Patterson

For Jessean Patterson, the sky is the limit but first comes high school. The rising ninth grade student from Brundidge, Alabama is a GEAR UP Achieve scholar at Pike County High School and his resume is already bursting at the seams.

July 17, 2025

A dog sitting in front of police vehicles with their lights flashing

Auburn's Canine Performance Sciences program has produced hundreds of highly trained dogs to serve in communities across the country.

July 16, 2025

A teacher watches a small blue robot approach 3D-printed bowling pins on a tabletop activity mat

COSAM’s new Code Explorers program trains K–2 teachers across Alabama to bring robotics and computer science into early elementary classrooms.

July 14, 2025

A student teacher working with campers

Auburn’s College of Education explores international issues with high school students in the World Affairs Youth Seminar.

July 09, 2025