Monthly Newsletter
January 2022
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Grant Funds Research in Quantum Topology |
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Dr. Christine Ruey Shan Lee, an assistant professor of mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences, traces a figure-eight knot with light outside the Mathematical Sciences and Physics Building. Her research in quantum topology earned a grant from the National Science Foundation. She plans to explore the relationship between quantum knot invariants, which is a relatively poorly understood family constructed from the ideas of quantum physics and mathematics. |
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The University hosted a Winter Week of Welcome to celebrate the beginning of the semester with new, returning, and transfer students. College of Arts and Sciences faculty and staff are happy to welcome our students, and we are excited so start the spring semester.
We open this month's newsletter by featuring Dr. Christine Ruey Shan Lee, assistant professor of mathematics in the College of Arts and Sciences. Her research in quantum topology earned a grant from the National Science Foundation. We are also excited to share that Dr. Jason Strickland, assistant professor of biology, and biology senior India Hughes helped identify two new snake species for a group of herpetologists in Mexico. An article about the discovery was published recently in Herpetozoa, an international peer-reviewed journal. We also feature in this newsletter Dr. Samuel Baker, associate professor of philosophy. He is on sabbatical at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, where he’s writing a book about Aristotle. A Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship from Harvard University Press is enabling him to continue his research during the spring semester.
We also spotlight two alumni, including Dr. Deidra Suwannee Dees, who serves as the archive director for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians and earned graduate degrees from Cornell and Harvard universities. She strives to preserve tribal history while sharing the story of Muscogee people with future generations. Kenneth Johnson recently got married in the chapel at USA Health University Hospital during his recovery from being hit by a pickup truck. He was a center on the first football team at South. In 2014, he earned a degree in criminal justice, did an internship with campus law enforcement, and was hired as a University police officer.
Students, faculty, staff, and alumni are invited to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during this year's Week of Connection and Service. This celebration consists of a variety of events hosted by the Offices of Community Engagement and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion. Please click here to learn more.
We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season, and we wish you a Happy New Year.
Best wishes,
Dr. Andrzej Wierzbicki
Dean
USA College of Arts and Sciences
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University of South Alabama students, faculty, staff and alumni are invited to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., during this year's Week of Connection and Service. This celebration consists of an intergenerational panel discussion on advancing equity, an interactive workshop about inclusive practices when serving diverse populations, the annual Dr. King community march and rally, and a keynote address about "Creating a 'Beloved Community' for Africatown with Technology-Based Service Learning."
January 13
January 17
Martin Luther King Holiday for Faculty, Staff and Administration
January 24
January 31
February 3
African Tribal Art Lecture by Laura Roberts: Exhibition in the Rodning Gallery (Third Floor) Marx Library
February 8
February 10
Department of History's Annual N. Jack Stallworth Lecture Featuring Thavolia Glymph, Professor of History and Professor of African and African American Studies at Duke University
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Long Known to Snails, New Snake Species Identified
Dr. Jason Strickland, assistant professor of biology at the University of South Alabama, and biology senior India Hughes helped identify two new snake species for a group of herpetologists in Mexico. An article about the discovery was published recently in Herpetozoa, an international peer-reviewed journal.
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A World of Good
Dr. Samuel Baker, an associate professor of philosophy at the University of South Alabama, is on sabbatical at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton, where he’s writing a book about Aristotle. In the spring, he will continue his research thanks to a Loeb Classical Library Foundation Fellowship from Harvard University Press. His scholarship has focused on Aristotle’s definition of happiness and the “ergon argument” which leads to it.
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Working for Her Tribe
South alumna Dr. Deidra Suwannee Dees, the archive director for the Poarch Band of Creek Indians, earned graduate degrees from Cornell and Harvard universities. Dees strives to preserve tribal history while sharing the story of Muscogee people with future generations. When team teaching a class in Native American Studies at South, she flashes back to her own days as a working student. She served as chair of the Minority Affairs Committee for the Student Government Association and wrote articles for the student newspaper.
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Healed for the Holidays
Kenneth Johnson got married in the chapel at USA Health University Hospital during his recovery after being hit by a pickup truck. He serves a University police sergeant and has since returned to work. Johnson was a center on the first football team at South. His Jaguars were undefeated for two seasons. In 2014, he earned a degree in criminal justice, did an internship with campus law enforcement and was hired as a University police officer.
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Majors Spotlight: Biology Taught Young Doctor a Lot About Society, Too
As an undergraduate biology major at South, Dr. Ravi Rajendra learned how our cells must continuously interact with each other to keep our bodies functioning. He believes the same is true for people trying to function in society. After medical school graduation in 2021, he headed to New Orleans for five years of orthopaedic surgery residency at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center.
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Send us your ideas!
We want to hear from you! Email your story ideas for the USA College of Arts and Sciences monthly newsletter to Amber Day, USA Marketing and Communications, at [email protected].
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