June 2008

War Eagle and welcome to
eCommons, the
electronic version of
Auburn Commons.

Here's a look at what is happening this month:

The Auburn University Foundation received $530,000 from Energen Corporation during the school's recent campaign to support two programs: Energen First Scholarships and the Provost Leadership Undergraduate Scholarship Program.

The Energen First Scholarships will benefit first-generation college students residing in central Alabama. "This scholarship won't be limited to 4.0 students, as we aim to serve students who meet the university's enrollment requirements and need a helping hand," said James T. McManus II, chairman and chief executive officer of Energen Corporation.

Read the rest of this story

Auburn University researchers have found that wearing thong-style flip-flops can result in sore feet, ankles and legs. The research team, led by biomechanics doctoral student Justin Shroyer, presented its findings at the recent annual meeting of the American College of Sports Medicine in Indianapolis.

"We found that when people walk in flip-flops, they alter their gait, which can result in problems and pain from the foot up into the hips and lower back," Shroyer said. "Variations like this at the foot can result in changes up the kinetic chain, which in this case can extend upward in the wearer’s body."

Read the rest of this story

AU student-led art projects benefit local rural community

Twelve students in Visiting Professor of Art Suzanne Hagood's Special Topics Course learned about more than art spring semester as they worked jointly with residents of Russell County to create nine art projects that reflected the culture of the county's communities and some of the interests and concerns of its people.

After their project proposals and budgets were approved, the students traveled to Russell County to begin building relationships with its citizens and to gain acceptance for the kind of community-based art they wanted to introduce.

Read the rest of this story and see multimedia features

Auburn University professors are researching new ways to store and recycle nuclear waste as the federal government seeks to boost nuclear power production.

The U.S. Department of Energy is funding AU's Center for Actinide Science to find chemical compounds that would combine with radioactive elements, allowing them to be safely stored without risk of radiation leakage. The nuclear material would be recycled for future use in energy production.

Read the rest of this story

Two of Alabama's best-known trees, Auburn's Toomer's Corner live oaks, are about to get spruced up.

Specialists in the care of live oaks from the regional office of Bartlett Tree Experts in Tucker, Ga., are performing a horticultural version of “Extreme Makeover” on the historic trees at the southwest corner of College Street and Magnolia Avenue, where Auburn University meets downtown Auburn.

Bartlett personnel are evaluating the structural integrity of the trees, removing dead or damaged limbs, installing cables to brace weak branches, breaking up compacted soil around the roots, adding organic matter and fertilizer around the base and treating for insects.

Read the rest of this story

Research by an Auburn University doctoral student is drawing connections in science magazines to Kevin Bacon, the Hollywood actor whose name has become synonymous in the popular culture with social networks among celebrities.

However, Theo Manno, a doctoral candidate in biological sciences, has found three degrees of separation, on average, not six, among his subjects, none of which are the famous actor, and none of which are American or even human. Yet Manno's research on free-ranging, wild Columbian ground squirrels in Alberta, Canada, found some parallels with human social activity.

Read the rest of this story

AU's Multicultural Center names new director

Shakeer Abdullah has been named director of Auburn University's Multicultural Center effective July 1. The center is a division of the university's Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs.

Abdullah comes to AU from his position as director of multicultural affairs at Capital University Law School in Columbus, Ohio, where he is involved in the recruitment and counseling of prospective students and implements diversity and service learning programs for all students.

Read the rest of this story