Auburn University professor: fertilizer facility explosions unlikely in Alabama


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AUBURN UNIVERSITY – A professor at Auburn University says the likelihood of a fertilizer-related incident similar to the fiery West, Texas, fertilizer plant explosion that killed 14 people and injured some 200 others is extremely remote in Alabama. That is because the two products that have been linked to the blast are either not used in Alabama or are extremely rare.

“I don’t see it happening here in Alabama,” said Charles Mitchell, an Alabama Cooperative Extension System agronomy and soils specialist and Auburn University professor of agronomy and soils. “We use neither anhydrous ammonia nor ammonium nitrate to any significant degree anymore.”

Anhydrous ammonia and ammonium nitrate are the two substances that have been investigated as possible causes of the April 17 explosion of the West Fertilizer plant.

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Auburn University named to President’s Higher Education Community Service honor roll


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For the third consecutive year, Auburn University was named to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, a recognition of the nation’s leading colleges and universities for their dedication to civic engagement, service-learning and volunteering.

Auburn is one of two universities from the state of Alabama and one of three from the Southeastern Conference to be named to the honor roll with distinction. A total of 690 higher education institutions were named to the 2013 honor roll; of this number, 113 institutions earned the recognition of honor roll with distinction.

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Auburn University hosting Alabama Water Policy Symposium May 10


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AUBURN UNIVERSITY – A statewide partnership seeking a comprehensive water policy for Alabama will hold a symposium at Auburn University Friday, May 10, to inform Alabamians about current progress and also to solicit public comment. The symposium will be held in 207 Comer Hall Auditorium, from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

The theme is “Science-based Water Planning and Policy – What We Know, What We Need to Know, and How We Get There.”

Sam Fowler, director of the Auburn University Water Resources Center and a symposium organizer, said he encourages anyone interested in the discussion and development of a comprehensive water policy, whether citizens, stakeholders or elected officials, to attend.

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Auburn University’s Barth among all-star panel of Milken Global Conference experts


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AUBURN UNIVERSITY – James R. Barth, the Lowder Eminent Scholar in Finance in Auburn University’s College of Business and Senior Finance Fellow at the Milken Institute, will share his perspective on the U.S. banking crisis during the 16th Annual Milken Global Conference.

The five-day event begins Monday, April 29, in Beverly Hills, Calif., and features a variety of financial and political experts, including businessman Bill Gates, media magnate Rupert Murdoch, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore and former British Prime Minister Tony Blair. The conference will have an estimated 600 speakers and 3,000 attendees from 60 nations and every state in the U.S.

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Wood turner creating work of art from Auburn Oaks for Jule Collins Smith Museum’s permanent collection


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Third generation wood turner Matt Moulthrop, seen here with his work, in his Atlanta home and studio.AUBURN UNIVERSITY – A portion of the recently removed Auburn Oaks at Toomer’s Corner will be turned into a contemporary work of art for the Jule Collins Smith Museum by Matt Moulthrop, a third-generation wood turner. Moulthrop’s work has been displayed in museums throughout the United States, including the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American Art in Washington, D.C., and the Carnegie Museum of Art in Pittsburgh.

Moulthrop, an Atlanta resident, contacted the university after national media picked up the story about the poisoning of the Auburn Oaks. That resulted in the museum’s partnering with the artist to create artwork from Auburn Oaks wood that will be part of the museum’s permanent collection.

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Auburn University Honors College student, graduate awarded Fulbright Scholarships


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James BarnettSamantha LopezAUBURN UNIVERSITY – An Auburn University Honors College senior and a recent graduate have been awarded Fulbright Scholarships to continue their studies in Europe.

Samantha Lopez, a senior double-majoring in microbiology and French, will study in Belgium, while James Barnett, a December 2012 graduate with a double major in biomedical sciences and Spanish, will travel to Spain. They are Auburn’s sixth and seventh Fulbright recipients in the past four years.

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