Middle school students from across Arkansas have a chance to experience college hands-on with science and math experiences at the ExxonMobil Bernard Harris Summer Science Camp at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
UALR is the only university in the state selected to host this elite program.
It is a free, two-week residential camp for fifth, sixth, and seventh-grade students focused on strengthening skills in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
The annual camp will be held July 5-17 with the theme, “Imagineering Your Future.” The application deadline is May 2, and potential campers will be notified no later than May 27 of their status.
For more information, contact Vernard Henley at 501.569.8203
The first time UALR hosted this event was in 2009, and it has been chosen since as one of the 20 sites nationally to host this academic science camp.
The program, sponsored by the Harris Foundation and ExxonMobil, is hosted by the UALR Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology.
All campers must have at least a B average in math and science, have recommendations from teachers, and submit an essay. This program supports traditionally underserved and underrepresented population.
Students live on campus and attend classes in biology, chemistry, technology, mathematics, English, and engineering design. They also participate in hands-on lab activities, conduct research, and work on projects designed to develop critical thinking skills with university faculty, secondary school teachers, and STEM educators.
Campers will also have the opportunity to attend two STEM-related field excursions.
Director of Project Management Nathan Nolen leads his life according to the following quote attributed to popular evangelist T.D. Jakes:
“If you can’t figure out your purpose, figure out your passion. For your passion will lead you right into your purpose.”
It is fair to say that Nolen’s passion for both the Boys & Girls Club of Bryant and UALR has helped him discover his true purpose.
This will be Nolen’s eighth year at UALR, in which he has held various positions in Information Technology Services, including project manager, associate director, and chief information officer.
Recently, he began his second year serving on the board of directors for the Boys and Girls Club of Bryant. He will lead a committee to review and enhance the club’s technology and also serve as secretary for the organization.
A central Arkansas native, Nolen wanted to do his part in helping his community.
“Over a year ago, a friend asked if I would be interested in this opportunity (to serve with the Boys & Girls Club), and I’ve loved every minute of it,” he said. “The stories of transformation and growth with the kids are unbelievable.”
The Boys and Girls Club of Bryant has touched more than 1,000 lives in the past year, and over 40 percent of members attend on scholarship, according to Nolen. The average daily attendance for January was over 400.
“There is currently more demand than space and resources we have available,” Nolen added.
Working at both The Boys and Girls Club and at UALR has given him different perspectives to bring to the table, Nolen said.
“It’s interesting 
that each organization is molding our future leaders, just at different times in their lives,” he observed.
In his current position at UALR, he works with campus constituents in scoping and completing business-impacting projects and initiatives.
Nolen added that The Boys and Girls Club of Bryant is always looking for volunteers for a variety of activities. To donate, volunteer, or join the mailing list, visit bryantbgc.org.
The Boys and Girls Club is an organization whose mission is to enable all young people, especially those who need it most, to reach their full potential as productive, caring, responsible citizens.
Open during summer and after-school hours, children come and participate in programs and activities lead by staff, volunteers, and mentors. Children are taught academic success, good character and citizenship, and a healthy lifestyle.
Glasses were raised and applause resounded throughout the halls of the Clinton Presidential Center on March 19 as student vocalists from the UALR’s Opera Theatre serenaded guests with “Canti del Cuore” or “Songs of the Heart” during the annual Opera Gala event.
Proceeds from the gala support the vocal arts program at UALR.
The next UALR Opera Theatre performances are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Friday, April 24, and at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 26. The vocalists will perform Il matrimonio segreto (The Secret Marriage) by Domenico Cimarosa in English translation.
“We not only have some of the best music students at UALR, we have some of the best performers in the state,” Dr. Rosella Ewing, director of opera studies at UALR, said as she introduced the Opera Gala Ensemble.
On March 19, Soprano Kelly Singer and tenor Daniel Foltz-Morrison led the ensemble’s opening number, “Libiamo ne’ lieti calici,” by Giuseppi Verdi (1813-1901), from the opera, La Traviata.
Brianna East, Alyssa Hicks, Daniel Morris, Andrew Gerstenberger, Camren Kvaternik, Amelia Loken, Nina Spinner, and Sara Wells each also performed various selections throughout the evening.
The gala included a reception where the vocalists, guests, and donors mingled before dinner was served. Loken, an American Sign Language Studies major, expressed the excitement she felt.
“I am not a music major, and here I am about to perform with this amazing ensemble,” she said. “Only at UALR can I fulfill my career goals by studying to become a sign language interpreter and still live out my dream of performing.”
Ewing directed the performances and Dr. Kyung-Eun Na, assistant professor of music, accompanied the performers on the piano and served as musical coach.
UALR will roll out a new Trojan Transit system on Monday, March 30, designed to enhance safety and sustainability initiatives and help students and employees navigate the campus faster and easier. Continue reading “New Trojan transit system rolls out March 30”
Fans turned out in droves Tuesday afternoon to welcome back the UALR Trojan women’s basketball team and their coaches. Continue reading “Trojan champs return to homecoming welcome”
Several College of Education and Health Professions graduate programs at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock were rated highly in the 2016 edition of U.S. News & World Report Best Graduate Schools, including the rehabilitation counseling program, which was ranked among the top 25 in the nation.
The UALR Department of Counseling, Adult and Rehabilitation Education (CARE) offers four graduate degrees, including the Master of Education in Counselor Education, Master of Education in Adult Education, Master of Arts in Counseling: Rehabilitation Counseling and Master of Arts in Rehabilitation for the Blind with an emphasis in Orientation and Mobility.
CARE’s mission is to prepare its graduate students with the special knowledge and skills for professional work in education and human service fields. Many of its degrees are offered either entirely or partially online.
The College of Education and Health Professions also rated well in other programs, including the UALR Department of Audiology and Speech Pathology, a partnership with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, which was ranked 52 in audiology and 106 in speech-language pathology.
The School of Social Work at UALR received a ranking of 130 in the publication.
Students from the UALR’s Department of Computer Science added to a long list of achievements in March, including a recent win at the Acxiom Programming Contest in Conway and a strong finish in the 2015 Southwest Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition in San Antonio.
ACM student chapter team “Best in State”
Two teams from UALR’s Association for Computing Machinery student chapter competed in the Acxiom Programming Contest at the University of Central Arkansas March 10, with one of the teams capturing the “Best in State” title.
The first-place team, comprised of members Thoren Paulson, Jeff Long, and Matt Marshall, finished first from among 12 competing teams from across Arkansas.
The team successfully completed seven out of seven programs due to its efficiency, meaning the team made only two submission errors over the five-hour competition.
The other ACM team members included Brandon Gray, Stu Hiltenbrand, and Aziel Burnett.
The team consecutively dominated state-level competitions from 2010 to 2012, but lost the momentum during which the top position was taken by their rivals such as Hendrix College and the University of Arkansas, according to Dr. Keith Bush, ACM faculty mentor.
The UALR ACM team has won first place in Arkansas many times in the last five years, and also has regularly competed at the regional levels.
“Now our team is back with a combination of experienced programmers and several younger, promising new members,” he said.
Hendrix College, last year’s winner, finished second, followed by Ouachita Baptist, both of which completed all seven programs.
The UALR ACM Club has weekly open meetings from 3-5 p.m. Mondays in room 203 of the Engineering and Information Technology Building.
UALR Cyber Security Club finishes strong
Students also had a strong showing in the 2015 Southwest Regional Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (SWCCDC) March 7-8.
The competition, hosted by Texas A&M University-San Antonio, saw UALR’s team emerge with a fifth place win after defending cyber attacks from a team comprised of real-world professionals who simulated the role of external hackers attempting to gain unauthorized access to competition teams’ systems.
“It really was a fierce battle between blue teams (all participating teams) and the red team (attackers),” said Dr. Mengjun Xie, faculty mentor for the UALR team.
Xie said the team defended the cyber attacks well and learned much through the process. He said simply participating will help the team compete at a stronger level in the future.
“Though they did not place in the top three, which were primarily occupied by former regional champions, they have proven the UALR team is the best in our state,” he said.
The UALR team exhibited the best performance among all first-time players, which included Sam Houston State University and New Mexico State University, according to Xie. UALR’s Cyber Security Club was formed less than two years ago and is already earning name recognition in the region.
UALR Cyber Security Club regularly meets from 1-2 p.m. Fridays in room 555 of the Engineering and Information Technology Building. Contact Dr. Mengjun Xie at mxxie@ualr.edu for more information.
“Our students deserve the spotlight for consistently improving their talent,” said UALR Computer Science Chair Dr. Kenji Yoshigoe. “I have no doubt that these members have great professional careers ahead of them.”
Yoshigoe encouraged interested students to join their classmates in applying their academic backgrounds, while also developing powerful skills, beyond the classroom.
UALR’s Department of Computer Science, located in the Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology, is among the most highly regarded in the state. The department offers bachelor and master of science degrees in computer science as well as a Ph.D. in integrated computing.
The Arkansas Department of Human Services has announced $200,000 in grant funding to MidSOUTH, the community service unit of the UALR School of Social Work.
The grant, titled “Child, Adolescent and Family Education and Training,” began March 2 and will conclude June 30, 2015.
The funding will help MidSouth enhance its clinicians’ responsiveness to the behavioral needs of children, youth, and their families. In addition, the grant will provide for the enhanced quality of services to assist the Arkansas Department of Behavioral and Health Services, Children’s Treatment Services.
The scope of the MidSOUTH project will also include the expansion of workforce development, continuing education, resource development, and technical assistance to professionals and family members.
MidSOUTH provides leadership, training, and product support in the areas of addiction, child welfare, technology, distance learning, and organizational development.
For more information about MidSOUTH’s programs and services, call 501-569-3067.
A UALR chemistry professor’s work on aerosols, which was recently published in a special issue of “The Journal of Physical Chemistry A,” grabbed the attention of a National Public Radio blogger who wondered if eating snow was a wise idea.
Dr. Jeffrey S. Gaffney’s research involves new ways to determine organic compounds and their associations with various aerosol particle types.
Examples of large aerosols that exist in nature include geyser steam, fog, and clouds, but fine submicron aerosols can also be taken up into snow, sleet, and hail, which are primarily composed of water.
Using techniques known as Laser Raman Microscopy and Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy, Gaffney and his long-time research colleague, Dr. Nancy Marley, made measurements noting the variety of chemicals in aerosols.
They took samples from the rooftop of the Science Lab Building at UALR and compared them to samples taken in Mexico City.
Some of these chemicals included polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, which are characterized by strong absorption onto carbon soot particles.
“These are the same types of aerosols I told NPR get trapped in the ice matrix as snowflakes are created, and then carry them down to the ground from the air,” he said.
“What is interesting is that most of these soot particles are not readily removed by rainfall, but the snow formation process allows them to be removed much more efficiently.”
His contribution to NPR was for “The Salt,” a blog by Anne Bramley, who wondered if snow was dangerous to eat. The blog inquired about snow’s composition in light of recent record amounts of snowfall across the U.S.
“Snow contains various and sundry things depending on where it [comes from],” Gaffney said in the blog, and it might include such elements and compounds as sulphates, nitrates, formaldehyde, or mercury.
Gaffney was invited to submit his work for a special issue of the “Journal of Physical Chemistry A,” honoring Nobel Laureate Dr. Mario Molina, recognized in 1995 for defining links between chlorofluorocarbons and ozone depletion in the stratosphere.
He is chair and professor in the UALR College of Arts, Letters, and Sciences Department of Chemistry.
Sarah Quintanar, an assistant professor of economics at UALR, knows a thing or two about serious football rivalries.
In “Everybody Hates a Winner, and You are Close to Your Rival: A Study of Rivalry in College Football,” Quintanar and her co-authors explain what factors compel fans to cheer for one team and disdain another. 
The article will be published in an upcoming issue of “Economic Inquiry” and was co-written with Drs. Cary Deck and Javier Reyes of the University of Arkansas and Sudipta Sarangi of Louisiana State University.
Building on studies of factors that influence rivalries between nations and siblings, the economists wanted to see if those same factors drive sports rivalries. They used college football as a prototype, where some of the biggest rivalries play out in stadiums across the U.S. every year.
Through the use of conference-level data from a survey of college football fans, the authors came to several conclusions.
For instance, Boise State is the most hated college football team in the country. The strongest football rivalry between two universities is Central Michigan University versus Western Michigan University.
As for the Southeastern Conference? That’s between the University of Alabama and Auburn University. Two other SEC teams, University of Arkansas and LSU, have the 55th strongest rivalry out of all existing rivalries.
However, LSU does not have strong feelings towards Arkansas. About 68 percent of Arkansas fans consider LSU the strongest rivalry while very few LSU fans consider Arkansas its strongest rival; that distinction goes to Alabama.
“We all had a lot of fun working on this paper,” Quintanar said. “I love being able to apply economics to subjects that may not traditionally be thought of as related to economics.”
Quintanar said she hoped the paper inspired students to study economics and find their own passion in the subject. Quintanar received her Ph.D. from Arkansas’ rival, LSU. She teaches microeconomics, applied econometrics, and business statistics at UALR.