UA’s Spring Commencement Exercises
Friday, May 2, 6 p.m.; Saturday, May 3, 9:30 a.m. and 1:30 p.m.
Coleman Coliseum
MEDIA CONTACTS
David Miller, 205/348-0825, dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu
Shane Dorrill (Broadcast Media Only), 205/348-8319, sdorrill@ur.ua.edu
All undergraduate and graduate diplomas will be awarded on Friday or Saturday. More information can be found at http://ua.edu/commencement/ and http://registrar.ua.edu/degrees/commencement/. The commencement ceremonies will be broadcast live over the Internet. The webcast will be archived on UA’s website, and it will be available for viewing for 30 days following the ceremony.
Inspiring Graduates
Sean Mendez
Biology
Biology Major Exercises Flies in Fight against Obesity – Complete requirements for biology degree … check. Order cap and gown … check. Study for finals … check. Exercise the flies … check. UA graduation candidate Sean Mendez designed an exercise device for fruit flies, potentially enabling a UA geneticist to better understand obesity. Mendez, a UA senior from Buffalo, New York, works in Dr. Laura Reed’s research laboratory. Reed, a UA assistant professor of biological sciences, says for years she’s wanted a method to test exercise’s impact on the tiny flies she uses as animal models in her research. Preliminary test results from the device are described as “promising.” The device, named the Treadwheel, will likely be the centerpiece of an upcoming National Institutes of Health funding proposal, Reed says. Many of the biological systems within flies share enough similarities with humans to potentially draw effective insight into human obesity and Metabolic Syndrome, Reed says. For example, flies can contract diabetes and, as they age, heart disease. Their insulin-signaling pathways, key in diabetes, share similarities with those of humans, as do their kidneys, liver and the adipose tissue – the types of tissue where fat is stored. Mendez has been accepted into medical school at the University of Buffalo. Mendez may be reached at srmendez@crimson.ua.edu. Reed may be reached at lreed1@bama.ua.edu or 205/348-1345. For more information, contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323, cbryant@ur.ua.edu.
Asher Elbein
Natural history and creative writing
Bringing Dinosaur-Age Creatures to Life – Asher Elbein, a UA graduation candidate, remembers drawing dinosaurs in kindergarten after his teacher told him he couldn’t bring toys to class. Today, Elbein, who graduated from an Atlanta-area high-school, is still immersed in artwork, but his audience is larger than a kindergarten classroom. Twenty pieces of his graphite and digital images are on display within UA’s Alabama Museum of Natural History. The exhibit, “Old Bones, Old Stories: The Paleontology and Folklore Art of Asher Elbein” will remain displayed through Aug. 31. Elbein is a May graduation candidate from UA’s New College, with an interdisciplinary degree in natural history and creative writing. For interviews, contact Elbein directly at aelbein@gmail.com. To reach the Randy Mecredy, the museum’s director, phone 205/348-2136 or email rmecredy@bama.ua.edu. Watch for a news release or contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323, cbryant@ur.ua.edu for more information.
Greta Greene
Interdisciplinary studies, emphasis in science, technology and culture
Full Circle to the Capstone – Greta Greene entered The University of Alabama in 1989, eager to earn a business degree. A couple of years later, she’d switched majors to fulfill her dream of becoming a math teacher. By 1994 – 120 credit hours later – she’d withdrawn from the University, short of fulfilling degree requirements, and she says she “never looked back.” Greene worked in economic development and soon started a family with her husband, Chris. But after Chris died, Greene wanted to complete her career preparation. She’d been a stay-at-home mother since 2000, and the thought of re-entering the workforce more than 10 years later would see her confront the check-box that separates high school graduates from college graduates. That motivation, coincided, she says, with hearing the distance education radio ads “Back to ‘Bama.” “I thought I was so far from reaching that goal,” Greene said, “but I prayed about it, contacted UA, and soon, I was enrolled in two classes. At that point, I had a plan, which was the most important thing for me.” Friday, Greene will earn an interdisciplinary degree with emphases in science, technology and culture. Greene, who lives in Birmingham and took courses through New College, said her degree plan fit perfectly with her daily schedule as a home-school teacher to her three children, two of whom are entering junior high school. And while she isn’t sure the direction in which her degree will take her, she says she’s “trusting the Lord and thankful to Him for her success” in finishing what she started more than 20 years ago. For interviews, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, 205/348-0825 and dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
Contact
David Miller, media relations, 205/348-0825, dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu