November

Freshmen at Auburn University can ease the transition to college by joining a Learning Community – a group designed to help students reach their maximum potential in their first year on campus.

Auburn University and Ocean University of China officials gathered Nov. 30 in Auburn to mark the beginning of the OUC–AU Joint Center for Aquaculture and Environmental Sciences.

A team of seven Auburn University students will attend the 16th annual Appalachian Teaching Project symposium Dec. 2-3 in Washington, D.C., where they will present the findings of their applied research project related to building a sustainable future for the Appalachian Region.

Despite back-to-back economic blows over the past decade, Alabama’s horse industry continues to have a substantial impact on the state’s bottom line, pumping an estimated $2.08 billion annually into the Alabama economy and contributing, both directly and indirectly, to about 24,000 jobs that represent $706 million in total labor income.

Construction fencing can be seen going up along West Magnolia Avenue and the Ginn Concourse as the university prepares for three Samuel Ginn College of Engineering projects: Gavin Engineering Research Laboratory renovations; demolition of the three Engineering Shops and the L Building; and renovations to Broun Hall. These three projects will continue through fall 2017.

Individuals interested in serving in one of three open positions on the Auburn University Board of Trustees are encouraged to submit their nomination information to the selection committee.

In the center of Auburn's bustling campus sits more than four acres of peace and tranquility – a space where the Auburn Family can go for reflection and remembrance. The newly completed Auburn Memorial was constructed in the undisturbed environment of the Garden of Memory, a place where others can go to remain connected to Auburn University students, alumni, faculty and staff who have died.

A project designed to increase student retention and graduation rates of low income, academically talented students, while preparing them for careers in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math, or STEM, fields, has recently been awarded a $2 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

Auburn University has established a new Center for Industrialized Additive Manufacturing and selected Tony Overfelt, the William and Elizabeth Reed Professor of Mechanical Engineering, as its inaugural director.

Francesca Adler-Baeder, a professor in the College of Human Sciences at Auburn University, received the Outstanding Engagement Award from the Board on Human Sciences at the annual meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities, or APLU.

Candied sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing and pecan and sweet potato pie are Thanksgiving staples for many people in the South. That hasn't always been the case, says Pat Curtis, director of the Auburn University Food Systems Institute.

This summer, Auburn University students discovered calculus through Michelangelo and geology through Roman rocks in their classrooms inside a 13th century Italian palace. Next summer students will have even more options to pursue coursework overseas through the Auburn Abroad Core Curriculum Program in Rome.

Auburn University Department of Biological Sciences Professor Michael Wooten recently established a professorship to honor his late wife, Marie Wooten, a longtime Auburn faculty member and former dean of the College of Sciences and Mathematics.

Auburn University and the City of Auburn have teamed up to host the first Auburn Innovation Fest on Thursday, Dec. 8 at the ALFA Pavilion at Ag Heritage Park.

The 2016 This is Auburn Speaker Series will conclude with a presentation from Dr. Seth Oster of the Southeastern Raptor Center on Friday, Nov. 18, at 3 p.m. at the Auburn Alumni Center.

The most recent United States Drought Monitor report for the state of Alabama released by the National Drought Mitigation Center categorized Lee County under extreme drought conditions. The report can be accessed at http://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/Home/StateDroughtMonitor.aspx?AL.

The Committee of 19, Auburn University’s flagship chapter of the student-led Universities Fighting World Hunger, will present its first Hunger Forum at 6 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 17, in room 2222/2223 of the Student Center. The event is free and open to the public.

The story of "Frankenstein" has been told many times in many different mediums over the past 200 years. On Nov. 10, Auburn University's Department of Theatre will premier its own rendition in celebration of the bicentennial.

Auburn University’s new Charles C. Miller Poultry Research and Education Center was dedicated Nov. 4 in an event that honored the family of the facility’s namesake, the late Charles C. Miller Jr., a poultry industry pioneer and Auburn alumnus. Miller’s son, Charles C. “Buddy” Miller III, and daughter-in-law Pinney Allen have supported the construction of the new center through a $2.5 million gift in honor of Miller III’s parents. The dedication was attended by administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends.

With the closure of the Ralph Brown Draughon Library from Dec. 10 through Jan. 7 for critical construction tasks on the Mell Classroom Building that will ensure its availability by fall semester 2017, the branch Library of Architecture, Design and Construction, or LADC, in Dudley Commons is set to take on the lion's share of the services normally performed at the main library. Everything from facilitating research across all subject specialties to providing study support will be available at what has traditionally been a special branch library.

It's been almost a year since Alaundra Shealey won the first Student Design League contest at Auburn University. Her T-shirt design – depicting an oak tree with War Eagle cascading across it in toilet paper – was available online immediately after that November day. But on Friday, it was for sale at the Auburn University Bookstore.

Auburn University has named Taffye Benson Clayton as its first associate provost and vice president for inclusion and diversity following a national search, effective Dec. 1.

Auburn University senior Sarah Pitts is a finalist for the prestigious Rhodes Scholarship. If awarded, she will be among 32 U.S. students to receive the honor of studying at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.