AUBURN - An Auburn University researcher has discovered a genetic link between obesity and Alzheimer's disease, which could be the first step in curing the memory-debilitating illness that affects millions of individuals, especially the elderly.

Marie Wooten, associate dean for research and professor of biological sciences in the College of Sciences and Mathematics, found that if a certain protein molecule, called p62, is absent from the brain in mice, they are much more susceptible to Alzheimer's disease.

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AUBURN - TigerMeds, a pharmacy services program for Auburn University employees, has reported more than $1.3 million in savings on prescription costs for individuals and the university during the program's first year.

Auburn's group health insurance plan saved more than $1 million in prescription costs during the past year through implementation of the TigerMeds program. That figure is based on an external pharmacy benefit analysis by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama, administrator of the self-insurance plan.

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By Katie Jackson

Being in the right place at the right time sometimes requires being in the wrong place at the worst possible time.

That seems to be the case for Dennis Shannon, a professor of agronomy and soils at Auburn who arrived in Haiti on Monday, Jan. 11 - the day before the small island nation was devastated by a 7.0 magnitude earthquake.

Shannon, who has worked extensively in Haiti over the past 20 years on soils and agroforestry projects, returned there in January with U.S. Department of Agriculture and University of Florida colleagues on a food security project for the U.S. Department of State. The team spent Tuesday formulating a plan for soil sampling and testing to help Haitian farmers rapidly increase food and crop production in the country. Arriving back at their hotel, the Villa Creole in Petion-Ville just outside Port-au-Prince, at about 4:30 p.m., Shannon and UF agronomist Ed Hanlon were in the hotel lobby when the quake hit.

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AUBURN - An Auburn University professor in the College of Agriculture who was on the ground when a massive earthquake devastated Haiti last week and who provided medical care to many of the victims will present a seminar about his experience on Friday, Jan. 22, at 2 p.m. in 207 Comer Hall on the Auburn campus.

Dennis Shannon, professor of agronomy and soils, arrived in Haiti the day before the earthquake struck and was standing in his hotel lobby when the tremors began. Shannon, along with a U.S. Department of Agriculture economist and two University of Florida agronomists, were in the country to work on a food security initiative for the U.S. Department of State.

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AUBURN – The American Association of Equine Practitioners recently honored veterinarian John Thomas Vaughan with its annual Distinguished Educator Award for advancing the equine veterinary profession through impactful teaching and mentorship. Vaughan, dean emeritus of Auburn University's College of Veterinary Medicine, accepted the award during the Dec. 8 President's Luncheon at the 55th convention in Las Vegas.

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The Auburn University Office of Admissions and Recruitment is inviting faculty and staff and their high school seniors for an admissions open house Tuesday, Dec. 8, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Quad Center. Sessions will be held at 4:20 p.m. and 5:20 p.m. with presentations by the offices of Admissions and Recruitment, University Scholarships and Student Financial Services. Topics covered will include the admissions and enrollment process, available scholarships and employee dependent tuition waiver. Representatives from these areas will also be available throughout the reception. Please RSVP to rsvpaub@auburn.edu by Friday, Dec. 4. For more information, call 844-3540.

AUBURN - Following an internal campus search, Auburn University Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Mary Ellen Mazey has announced the appointment of J. Emmett Winn as associate provost.

Winn had served as interim associate provost for five months, following the departure of Sharon Gaber to be provost at the University of Arkansas. As associate provost, Winn is responsible for faculty hiring and personnel issues as well as issues related to academic policies and procedures. Reporting directly to him are the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art, the Graduate School, the Office of Information Technology, the English as a Second Language Program and the Office of International Education.

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AUBURN - Successfully transitioning from high school to college can be one of the toughest assignments in a student's life but an Auburn professor hopes to help smooth the process.

Michael Bozack, a physics professor who has taught at Auburn for 20 years, recently wrote "Street-Smart Advice to Christian College Students (From a Professor's Point of View)." Bozack covers multiple aspects of student life, including how to choose a major, how to manage a schedule, how to study and even how to understand professors.

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AUBURN - Gregg E. Newschwander, a professor of nursing and chair of the Department of Nursing at the University of Virginia's College at Wise, has been named dean of the Schools of Nursing at Auburn University and Auburn Montgomery, Provost Mary Ellen Mazey announced today.

With more than 20 years of undergraduate and graduate teaching experience, Newschwander previously held administrative positions at the University of Vermont, The Catholic University of America and the University of Virginia in Charlottesville. He has remained active in clinical practice throughout his career, with expertise in pediatric emergency and trauma nursing.

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AUBURN - Francesca Adler-Baeder, an associate professor and extension specialist in the Department of Human Development and Family Studies, was recently named one of Auburn University's 2009 Distinguished Diversity Researchers. The competitive award is given by the Research Initiative for the Study of Diversity and the Office of the Vice President for Research to celebrate and showcase the best diversity research being done on campus.

Selected among nominees in the category of "established diversity researcher," Adler-Baeder's work assesses community-based relationship education programs targeting low-resource and underserved populations of youth, couples and non-married parents. A hallmark of her work is the development and use of diverse partnership teams of researchers, students and community partners.

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