Students from across Arkansas came to receive awards through the Duke University Talent Identification Program (TIP), which supports academically gifted seventh graders based on standardized test scores earned in elementary or middle school.

Cooper, a 17-year-old Little Rock native who participated in the TIP program as a seventh grader, became an overnight sensation when he won the Teen Jeopardy tournament earlier this year, bringing home the $75,000 grand prize.

The self-effacing teen, winner of the highly competitive Gates Millenium scholarship, told the students to study hard but also to nurture their hobbies and interests outside of academics.

UALR has been the site of the Duke TIP Awards Recognition Day since Arkansas joined the Duke Talent Search in the 1980s. The campus played host to the nearly 1,000 seventh-grade students and families who arrived on campus for the annual event on Thursday.

At least one state recognition ceremony is held in each of the states with the largest Talent Search enrollments. In Arkansas, 587 students qualified for the recognition ceremony of the 1,196 who tested.

Dr. Ann Robinson, director of UALR’s Jodie Mahony Center for Gifted Education, said the award ceremony is a joint effort between UALR and Duke University, supported by the UALR Office of the Provost.

Provost Zulma Toro delivered opening remarks for the ceremony.

UALR adds own scholars day

In 2007, the Mahony Center established UALR’s Talent Search Scholars Day to showcase UALR faculty and programs to a college-bound cohort of students and their families.

Held in conjunction with the ceremony honoring Duke scholars, the event is a UALR program organized and administered through the Mahony Center, which invites UALR faculty from high profile programs that appeal to up-and-coming scholars.

“We ask faculty to prepare a day of engaging activities for the students,” Robinson said. “As director of the center, I offer simultaneous sessions for parents who often have lots of questions about developing their child’s interests, talents, and motivations.”

Jeremy Chamberlain, a Ph.D. biology student who works in the lab of UALR Assistant Professor Matthew Gifford, was one of the researchers who sought to engage a group of talented students gathered in a Stabler Hall classroom on Thursday afternoon.

As his pet boa constrictor was being passed among the students, Chamberlain spoke of the differences between reptiles and amphibians. On the large white board behind him were written such didactic short phrases as “skin vs. scales” and “claws vs. toes.”

To further illustrate the point, several native species of reptiles and amphibians were trotted out from their small containers on a table near the front of the room for the students, who diligently answered Chamberlain’s flurry of questions.

“Nailed it again,” Chamberlain responded, enthusiastically.

Long after his interactive session with the students had formally ended, the group asked more questions about Chamberlain’s interest in herpetology and even bestowed a befitting nickname for the boa–Mr. Squeeze.

Other TIPsters also had the opportunity to learn about plaster casting, nanotechnology, music composition, and a host of other activities.

The Duke TIP day and UALR Talent Search Scholars Day is held each May.

Kinnaman is the founder of Kinco Constructors Inc., a Little Rock based construction company. He served as its president and chief executive officer for 27 years. He will receive on Saturday an honorary doctor of construction education.

Kinnaman’s contributions to the Construction Management program at UALR include funding the Jack Kinnaman Constructor Endowed Scholarship and the Phyllis Kinnaman Memorial Scholarship in memory of his first wife.

He is also leaving a bequest in his will to provide additional funding for construction scholarships.

UALR Professor and Department Chair Michael Tramel said Kinnaman and one of his company managers were instrumental in getting the program its American Council of Construction Education accreditation in record time.

“As a long-time member of the ACCE, he provided valuable insight into the self-study, selection of the ACCE visiting team, and assistance from the Industry Advisory Council during the visit,” Tramel said.

Kinnaman is a founding member of the Arkansas chapter of Associated Builders and Contractors, and in 1996 was named “Business Executive of the Year” by Arkansas Business. In 2002, he was inducted into the Arkansas Construction Hall of Fame.

Kinnaman is a fellow and former president of the American Institute of Construction (AIC), where he co-authored the AIC Code of Ethics and was a two-time recipient of the National AIC Professional Constructor Award.

In late 2000, Kinnaman sold the company he founded to four longtime employees and formed Kinnaman Consulting LLC, a consulting firm with an emphasis on construction dispute resolution.

He owned and operated Kinnaman Consulting until his retirement in 2006.

“No business leader in Arkansas has devoted as much time, nor had as much impact, on the programs for educating and training future construction industry leaders as Jack Kinnaman,” said UALR Chancellor Joel E. Anderson.

Anderson added, “He had a vision for construction education in the state. Not only did he help launch the program at UALR, he has promoted it and supported its development into the highly successful regional and national level it enjoys today.”

In addition to UALR, he has served on the Construction and Architecture Advisory Committees at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville, the University of Louisiana at Monroe, Clemson University, Southern Arkansas University Tech, and John Brown University.

The collection of 1,400 artifacts was donated to the center by Arlene Hirschfelder and Paulette Molin in 2012 and consists of advertisements, sports memorabilia, toys, books, clothing, and other items depicting Native American stereotypes.

Hirschfelder and Molin have been collecting since the early 1970s. Hirschfelder is a noted educator and award-winning author of dozens of books on Native American culture, education, and youth. Molin is also an educator and author, writing primarily on Native American youth and children’s literature.

“While our society has become more sensitive to stereotypes for most racial and cultural groups, it has been reluctant to give up stereotypes of American Indians,” said Tony Rose, the center’s assistant director. “The persistence of these images has a significant impact on how all people perceive the ‘human-ness’ of Native Americans. This collection will be a tremendous resource for researchers and teachers looking at questions of racial intolerance and the impact stereotyping on material culture.”

The center hopes to open the exhibit in the summer of 2014. The grant was one of 21 given out by the council this year.

The Central Arkansas Library System awarded Christ the honor for his nonfiction work “Civil War Arkansas 1863.”

The Worthen Prize is awarded each year to an author living in the CALS’s service area whose work is highly regarded. It is named for Booker Worthen, who served 22 years on CALS’s board of trustees.

Christ will receive the prize at CALS’s annual event, “A Prized Evening,” held in October.

Christ, community outreach director for the Arkansas Historic Preservation Program, has edited a number of books and articles about Civil War events in Arkansas.

He recently received the 2013 State Preservation Leadership Award from the Civil War Trust, the largest nonprofit battlefield preservation organization in the United States.

He is a member of the Arkansas Civil War Sesquicentennial Commission, serves as chairman of the board of directors of the Arkansas Humanities Council, and is a member of the board of trustees of the Arkansas Historical Association.

Christ holds a bachelor’s degree in journalism from UALR.

Moix, a journalism major from Conway, received the honor on the heels of serving as The Forum’s news editor for the 2012-13 academic year. The Forum is UALR’s weekly student newspaper.

He also won second place in news writing for “No charges sought in case of former dean, says attorney,” and sports feature writing for “Team manager turned player is fueled by his past.”

Moix interned at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. He received a second place award for Reporter of the Year at last year’s convention.

In addition, The Forum maintained its third-place ranking in the Newspaper General Excellence category for the second consecutive year.

Other newspaper staff members earned honors in the following categories:

• Justin Rowland, first and second place, newspaper advertising

• Bryron Buslig, second place, cartoon strip or single panel entertainment cartoon; second place, art/illustration

• Liz Fox, second place, review writing for “English band reflects on career with new reissue and material;” second place, meeting/speech coverage for “Oxford American editor talks new gig, commute;” second place, newspaper headlines for “History Channel pillages, plunders and perplexes with new miniseries”

• Matt Johnson, second place, sports story writing for “Lady Trojans shine at Sun Belt;” second place, news photo for “Ladies punch third straight ticket to NCAA”

• Jennifer Ellis, third place, election/political writing

• Alexis Williams, third place, personality profile for “Naming the 900: spotlight on the class of 2016”

• Paige Mason, third place, cartoon strip or single panel entertainment cartoon

• Sarah Melero, third place, editorial cartoon

• Ricky Harris, third place, editorial page layout

• Jennifer Ellis, honorable mention, sports page layout

• David Ellis, honorable mention, general column writing

• Chelsey McNiel, honorable mention, feature writing for “Field House to host women’s roller derby”

Staff of The Forum Focus also picked up awards in ACMA’s magazine categories:

• Sarah De Clerk, first place, special features writing for “Campus garden provides opportunity for education and cooperation”

• Mason, first place, magazine art/illustration for “Guide to the native plants populating the campus garden”

• Rowland, first place, contents page design; first and second place, magazine feature layout; third place, magazine cover design

• Harris, first and second place, magazine feature layout

• McNiel, second place, feature news photo for campus garden photo

• Williams, third place, nonfiction writing for “The Joint”

The first State of the Region Report Card Breakfast will be held from 7 to 8:30 a.m., Thursday, May 30, in UALR’s Jack Stephens Center, Legends Room.

The report focuses on the Metropolitan Statistical Area of Little Rock, North Little Rock, and Conway. It will unveil how the region’s economy is performing relative to the state as a whole and also to comparable metropolitan regions.

Participants will be invited to review the report and address opportunities to make the region more competitive for business and economic development, as well as a more attractive place to live.

Several comparative measures were used to assess how the region fares next to 10 regions. The metropolitan areas were graded and ranked in terms of economic structure, economic performance, and quality of life, helping to evaluate their economic attractiveness.

To attend the event, participants are asked to contact Susan Miller at smiller@littlerockchamber.com or 501.377.6040 by May 20.

The campus community and external audience can expect several changes in the coming months as the department, led by the digital strategy director, Dan Shisler, takes on new data-driven digital projects to put UALR at the forefront of higher education websites.

Already, the department has made an impact in social media, boasting accelerated audience growth and engagement in the past two months. That’s just one area benefiting from Shisler’s expertise.

“We envision a world-class online experience for prospective, current, and graduate students as well as an ecology that promotes campus involvement and interaction,” said Shisler, who came to UALR in February after managing the digital presence for Dillard’s, Inc.

Search engine marketing and optimization has been added to the department’s scope. Aaron Baker, formerly web services coordinator, has taken on the role of lead analyst for SEO/SEM (search engine optimization and marketing), ensuring that UALR and its vast array of programs, academic departments, and services are well-positioned in related searches.

The department is placing added emphasis on data and analytics in order to provide measurable returns.

Content-related communications and marketing will be in the hands of Jennifer Godwin, senior web content manager, who will take the lead in helping units across campus revamp and curate their sites.

Social and digital content strategist Meaghan Milliorn will continue her work in the social media realm, linking those channels with the larger digital mission. Recently, UALR reached its goal of 13,000 Facebook fans, which pushes advertised content to almost 4 million users, engaging them with trivia, photo cover contests, and other specialized social content.

Derrick Koon will begin as UX/UI (user experience and interface) designer for the department in June. He will help restructure the look, feel, usability, and accessibility of ualr.edu.

The department has adopted a student-first philosophy when it comes to content and design and plans to work closely with campus departments, programs, and academic areas to carry out that mission. Those on campus seeking help with a digital project can contact the department at its new home, ualr.edu/digital.

The Department of Digital Strategy is partnering with the  Office of Communications to carry out marketing initiatives, develop content, and enforce brand guidelines.

Team members in the department have implemented the agile process for managing projects, which will lead to greater efficiency and coordination on a large scale.

“We have a committed and creative team ready to tackle the digital landscape and transform it into something great,” Shisler said. “Exciting times are ahead for UALR, and I am eager for us to make a tremendous impact in higher education.”

Principal Investigator Dr. Anindya Ghosh headed a team of researchers, which submitted and received approval for $273,118 in funding from the foundation.

UALR provided a 30 percent mandatory match to make the purchase possible, bringing the combined total funding for the instrument to $390,168.

Campus faculty and graduate students from across several disciplines now have an indispensible tool to study samples at the molecular level, according to Drs. Brian Berry and Darin Jones, two of the co-investigators for the project.

“I’m super excited about the new instrument,” said Jones. “I look at the teaching and research possibilities this instrument provides us and it could be almost transformative.”

Berry agreed, saying the instrument also provides leverage for future grants since it demonstrates that UALR has the appropriate technological and research infrastructure in place for additional funding requests. He said the instrument also will greatly enhance the faculty members’ ability to publish papers and train their students.

“For all of us, the research impact is so significant. Our research cannot progress without the instrument,” he said.

The NMR’s boon to the scientific community is demonstrated by the number of Nobel Prizes awarded since its introduction in the early 1940s.

Its utility stems from the fact that scientists can use its high resolution picture to determine how atoms are connected to form a unique molecular structure. Faculty members from chemistry, biology, applied science, and nanotechnology will find the instrument particularly beneficial for their research.

In addition, faculty at partner institutions–Philander Smith College and The University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff–will have access to the instrument, enhanced by ‘cyber-enabled’ technology that provides a way to do research remotely.

Principal Investigator Ghoush said for the past three to four years, researchers at UALR had to drive to the National Center for Toxicological Research in Jefferson County or send samples to a different university to use such a high-tech instrument, a cumbersome and time-consuming process.

“Now, faculty have easy access to the much-needed instrument, which is centrally located and housed on the first floor of the Engineering Technology and Sciences Building, across from the dean’s office,” Ghosh said.

The instrument will be maintained by the Graduate Institute of Technology.

Co-investigator and Chemistry Chair Jeffrey Gaffney said the research-grade instrument was “absolutely crucial” to further develop College of Science research programs in materials, pharmaceutical synthesis, and environmental science, among others.

“I am extremely proud of my junior faculty in leading the way to this successful instrument acquisition from the National Science Foundation. I expect it will be extremely useful in our teaching and research,” Gaffney added.

“Nuclear Magnetic Resonance spectroscopy is the premier method for determining the structures of organic molecules,” said co-investigator Tito Viswanathan.

“And the presence of a 400-MHz instrument is essential for advanced research,” he said. “I do not know of any chemistry department in the nation that offers a Ph.D. degree that doesn’t have a high field NMR equipment.”

The National Science Foundation grant is providing in-depth training for the instrument’s potential users over the summer months.

Sreevishnu Cheerla, a chemistry graduate student, will be trained to help maintain the instrument as well as perform day-to-day operations. His assistantship will be funded by the College of Science as part of the institutional match.

He was clearly already at home in the instrument’s lab room as he demonstrated how to interpret the results of a sample being analyzed. Others who worked on the project included Steve Grace of the Department of Biology; Julian Post of the Graduate Institute of Technology; Alexandru S. Biris of the College of Information Sciences; Frank Hahn of Philander Smith College; and Richard Walker of UAPB.

Hodges, a criminal justice major, will be joined on the floor of the Jack Stephens Center by her mother, 51-year-old Dawn Teer, who is about to complete the requirements for a bachelor of arts in professional and technical writing.

“I think it’s pretty neat,” said Hodges. “I am extremely proud of her for returning to school to complete her degree. I know what a challenge it has been at times.”

“I’m so stunned,” said Teer. “I didn’t think this day would ever come.”

And, like mother, like daughter, both are getting minors in business management.

Teer still has an upper-level Spanish course to finish before the degree will be issued, but because she is within the required number of credit hours, she will be able to share her commencement experience with her daughter.

Teer stopped attending college when she got married and started a family several years ago. It was a decision her father – who died unexpectedly at 53 of a massive heart attack – predicted she would later regret.

When Teer’s youngest son graduated high school in 2006, she decided it was time to honor her deceased father’s wishes and finish the education she started long ago.

“I know where he’s at and I know he’s watching,” Teer said. “This one’s for him.”

Ceremonies will begin at 9:30 a.m. and 3 p.m. Both events will be available for viewing online via the Spring 2013 Ceremony Live Stream.

At the 9:30 a.m. ceremony, the following colleges will confer degrees:

• College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
• College of Education
• College of Professional Studies

For the 3 p.m. ceremony, the following colleges will confer degrees:

• College of Business
• College of Science
• George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology

The UALR William H. Bowen School of Law Spring 2013 Commencement ceremony will also take place on Saturday. It will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the Wally Allen Ballroom of the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock. A reception honoring the Class of 2013 will follow immediately after the ceremony in the ballroom foyer.

Persistence pays off for soon-to-be graduate

Azure Yarbrough, 35, knows a thing or two about diligence. After placing her education on hold to care for her two children, who were each diagnosed with a bleeding disorder, Yarbrough continued her education after a 17-year gap and will graduate Saturday with a degree in biology.

Yarbrough’s children, now 15 and 10, will watch as their mother leads her college as a student marshal during the processional, an honor bestowed on outstanding students. Learn more about Yarbrough.

Mother, daughter duo to walk at Commencement

Bethany Hodges, a criminal justice major, will be joined on the floor of the Jack Stephens Center by her mother, 51-year-old Dawn Teer, who is about to complete the requirements for a bachelor of arts in professional and technical writing.

Teer stopped attending college when she got married and started a family several years ago. It was a decision her father–who died unexpectedly at 53 of a massive heart attack– predicted she would later regret.

“I think it’s pretty neat,” said Hodges. “I am extremely proud of her for returning to school to complete her degree. I know what a challenge it has been at times.” Learn more about Hodges and Teer.

Two Commencement Ceremonies

The Stephens Center will open for guests at 8 a.m. for the morning ceremony and 1 p.m. for the afternoon ceremony. Early arrival is recommended.

At the 9:30 a.m. ceremony, the following colleges will confer degrees:

1. College of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences

2. College of Education

3. College of Professional Studies

For the 3 p.m. ceremony, the following colleges will confer degrees:

1. College of Business

2. College of Science

3. George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology