Nominate a faculty member for the Odessa Woolfolk Community Service Award who has served the Birmingham community through education, economic development, health-care delivery, the arts, social services, human rights and/ or urban and public affairs. The deadline is 5 p.m. Feb. 19. Direct questions to Linda Piteo at 934-9438.

Richard M. Allman, M.D., director of the Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging at UAB since 1992, has been appointed chief consultant for Geriatrics and Extended Care Services for the Department of Veterans Affairs in Washington, D.C. He will begin his service Jan. 12, 2014.

UAB’s Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center has received a National Endowment for the Arts Challenge America Fast-Track grant to support a public performance and outreach programs conducted through ArtPlay.

Changes to a key protein amplified its natural ability to counter kidney disease, according to UAB research. The team now will work to confirm those results and conduct toxicity and dosing studies that would need before they could conduct human clinical trials. The study was published in the journal Nature Medicine.

UAB is expanding services beginning Jan. 1, 2014, to provide instructional design and online course-development support to faculty who wish to convert existing courses and/or develop new online courses. 

Check the blog each day for a new, simple challenge to help you make healthful choices during the holiday season or follow UAB Wellness on Twitter or Facebook to receive the daily challenges between now and New Year's Day.

This spring will be filled with dozens of events, from free student and faculty recitals to master classes and more. A full list of events and ticket information is online. New events are added weekly. Please check the department's website for current information.

UAB will implement a new password/passphrase standard effective Jan. 1, 2014 for all active Blazer ID users. This standard supports the Data Protection and Security Policy and is designed to improve the overall security posture on campus. This standard applies to all users and systems at UAB which use a BlazerID. Read more about the new standard requirements at uab.edu/it.

Blazer Express, our new campuswide shuttle system, will replace Campus Ride and Campus Escort services beginning Jan. 6, 2014.