CURRENT NEWS

AUBURN – The Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art at Auburn University will celebrate International Museum Day, Friday, May 18.

The first 100 visitors through the door will be entered to win a round of golf for two at Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Grand National, compliments of Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, or RTJ. At noon, the Auburn-based Woodfield Trio chamber group will perform. The museum shop will be offering a 20 percent discount on any one item purchased. The museum will serve refreshments throughout the day and admission is free, courtesy of the Jule Collins Smith Museum Business Partners.

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AUBURN – Hanna Gordon, an Auburn University spring 2012 summa cum laude Honors College graduate with a major in French, has been awarded a Fulbright-French Ministry of Education English Teaching Assistantship.

Gordon will be placed in a middle school in the Besancon region of France. She is the third consecutive Auburn University student awarded the assistantship in France, following Kristen Snow in 2011 and Helen Hunter Robertson in 2010.

"Hanna's desire to perfect her French language skills coupled with a sincere desire to embrace the French culture made her a strong candidate for the Fulbright," said Paul Harris, associate director of the Honors College. "It was a pleasure working with her throughout the application process.  She will represent Auburn University and the United States well during her time in France."

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AUBURN - Researchers at Auburn University have discovered a new species of trapdoor spider in a well-developed housing subdivision in the heart of the city of Auburn, Ala. Myrmekiaphila tigris, affectionately referred to as the Auburn Tiger Trapdoor Spider, is named in honor of Auburn University's costumed tiger mascot, Aubie.

The research team, directed by biological sciences professor Jason Bond, lead investigator and director of the Auburn University Museum of Natural History, and Charles Ray, a research fellow in the Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, was excited at the prospect of such a remarkable find just underfoot. Bond and Ray actually live in the neighborhood where the new species was discovered.

Myrmekiaphila tigris belongs to a genus that contains 11 other species of trapdoor spider found throughout the eastern United States and includes the now-famous species Myrmekiaphila neilyoungi, from Birmingham, Ala., named for Canadian rocker Neil Young.

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AUBURN UNIVERSITY - Anthony Lee and Willie Wyatt Jr., two of three seniors who attempted to integrate Macon County High School in Notasulga in 1964, will discuss their experiences related to the event on Wednesday, May 23, at 2 p.m. at the Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center, 104 South Elm Street in Tuskegee.

The event stems from a collaborative and ongoing project between the Community and Civic Engagement Initiative in the College of Liberal Arts at Auburn University and the Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center to document and preserve citizen memories related to the desegregation of public schools in Macon County.

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AUBURN – The Auburn University College of Veterinary Medicine and Nuovo Biologics, a biotechnology company, have announced a collaborative research agreement to study a new anti-cancer drug which also has antiviral properties.

Scientists with the Auburn University Research Initiative in Cancer at the College of Veterinary Medicine will be working with Nuovo Biologics to examine the anti-tumor properties of this new drug. These studies will look at the drug from the perspective of its interactions with cells, as well as in clinical trials in dogs with malignant melanoma, a form of skin cancer. Preliminary studies have shown that the drug appears to be safe, with no side effects and active against a wide variety of viruses.

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AUBURN – Keren Gorodeisky, an assistant professor in Auburn University's Department of Philosophy in the College of Liberal Arts, has been named a fellow of the National Humanities Center.

As the recipient of the Phillip Quinn Fellowship in philosophy, Gorodeisky will be in residence at the North Carolina-based center from September 2012 to May 2013, where she will work on an individual research project and have the opportunity to share ideas in seminars and lectures.

"This prestigious award recognizes Keren for what she is: a rising star in the philosophy of art," said Michael Watkins, chair of the Department of Philosophy.

The focus of her work at the center will be a book manuscript titled "A Matter of Form: Kant on the Judgment of Beauty."

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AUBURN – Employers commonly examine an applicant's resume, cover letter, references and personality to evaluate how well the potential new employee may perform. Now, the applicant's Facebook profile may play a key role as well, according to an Auburn professor.

Kevin Mossholder, a professor in the Department of Management in the College of Business, is one of three researchers who recently published a study linking Facebook profiles to job performance. Mossholder, along with lead researcher Don Kluemper of Northern Illinois University and Peter Rosen of the University of Evansville, conducted two studies of more than 500 students to find links of Facebook profiles with personality, hiring potential and job success.

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AUBURN – Auburn University will award 3,312 academic degrees May 6-8 in Auburn Arena during spring commencement ceremonies featuring talks by Auburn alumni and industry leaders.

The first ceremony on May 6 begins at 1 p.m. for the colleges of Agriculture; Architecture, Design and Construction; Education; and Human Sciences. Auburn alumnus Ron Baynes, NFL coordinator of recruiting and officiating development, will be the speaker. The second ceremony starts at 5 p.m. for the College of Business with Arthur Blank, owner of the Atlanta Falcons and co-founder of The Home Depot, serving as the speaker.

The morning ceremony on May 7 begins at 10 a.m. for the colleges and schools of Engineering; Forestry and Wildlife Sciences; Nursing; and Sciences and Mathematics. Auburn alumnus Kirby Bland, chair of the Department of Surgery at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, will be the speaker. A 2 p.m. ceremony will be held for the College of Liberal Arts with Auburn alumnus Javier Goizueta, vice president of The Coca-Cola Company, serving as the speaker.

Each ceremony can be viewed live through the university's website at http://www.auburn.edu/graduationlive.

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AUBURN – John Mason, Auburn University's associate provost and vice president for research, has been elected to the board of directors for the Oak Ridge Associated Universities.

ORAU is a consortium of leading Ph.D.-granting institutions that cultivates collaborative partnerships to enhance scientific research and education.

Mason earned a bachelor's in transportation from Pennsylvania State University, a master's in transportation engineering from Villanova University and a doctorate in civil engineering from Texas A&M University. At Auburn, he is responsible for research program development, sponsored programs, technology transfer and commercialization. He is also president of the Auburn Research and Technology Foundation.

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AUBURN - The College of Sciences and Mathematics will host a symposium titled "Global Climate Change in Education" beginning at 9 a.m. April 26 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center.

The symposium is the culmination of a program funded by NASA that began with the development of three learning modules since incorporated into grades 9 to 12 biology, chemistry and physics classrooms across Alabama. By the time implementation is complete, potentially more than 200,000 students will have had the opportunity to delve into the science of global climate change.

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