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People of UAB March 09, 2026

A talking taxi, spring color and Rec Center powerlifting are some of the moments that captured our photographers’ imagination last month.


A small child and his father are talking to a facilitator, who is bending down to listen, while a crowd of kids gathers behind in the audience

“I got to go to a Vocabby event this month. Vocabby's World is an ArtPlay event that aims to help kids learn vocabulary through scientific and artistic concepts. It was so fun to see how excited the kids were to participate in the activities. They were jumping for joy and showing off their vocabulary skills. I enjoyed this shot of one of the kids being escorted by his dad to tell the announcer the word on the card he pulled!” — Ian Logue, university photographer

Come out to a free celebration of the 10th anniversary of Vocabby's World at 10:30 a.m. March 14 at the Alys Stephens Center. Get all the details in this UAB News article.


A crowd gathers around tables in the lobby of the Heersink Conference Center for the School of Medicine's annual Food Fair

“This was my first time attending the Heersink School of Medicine Food Fair, and WOW! So many cuisines were represented, and so many people showed up to partake. This slow-shutter-speed overview from above captures the warmth of the commotion there. I can't wait for next year!” — Andrea Mabry, senior university photographer

See more photos from the 2026 School of Medicine Food Fair in this article from Heersink School of Medicine News.


A student wearing a green U A B shirt looks into the camera while at full extension on the chest press machine at the Rec Center

“UAB News stories and stock photography projects are two of my favorite kinds of photo assignments; so when I found out that this particular shoot would be used for both, I was especially excited about it! I've become quite interested in weight lifting over the last few years, which made it even more fun to photograph people using the equipment at the Rec Center. We had a lot of interest and three volunteers for this photoshoot. I also love obliterating stereotypes, so I was pretty happy that we had at least one one woman interested in being photographed. She's been weight training for close to 15 years and even has a dumbbell tattooed on the inside of her wrist. Weight lifting/training has historically been male-dominated, but that is beginning to change!”— Jennifer Alsabrook-Turner, university photographer


In the foreground, a figure is making a heart with her hands connected and the heart frames a student, wearing headphones, studying on the landing of the stairs at the Hill Center

“Our social media team wanted some ‘heart hands’ photos around campus to use for heart month in February. While we were in the Hill Center, I spotted this student in the perfect position to be ‘hearted.’ I have fond memories from college of cozying up in a spot with a great view to get some studying done between classes. It's one of my favorite things to see on campus.”— Andrea Mabry, senior university photographer

Related: How do you make heart hands? Students answer that question in a video on UAB's official Instagram account.


A student walks by large letters that spell U A B positioned in front of the Commons on the Green dining facility on UAB's campus

“When the weather clears up around Birmingham, it is so much fun to walk around campus with the camera and just capture the goings on. While walking around I noticed the big UAB letters sitting outside of the Commons and got this shot of a student walking by. I enjoyed the way the lines in the Commons windows line up well with the letters. It looks to me like a title screen of a movie."— Ian Logue, university photographer


Closeup on an employee's hands, raised in a gesture while making a point, with three other employees visible around a meeting table in the background, their faces blurred

“This photo was created during a meeting in McMahon Hall and the action of the image grabs my attention. The movement from the bottom right corner toward the top left corner of the frame and the fact that two sets of hands are creating the action is visually appealing. There is obvious communication taking place without us actually seeing who's communicating. That's not an easy concept to convey without faces. I'm a sucker for a shallow depth of field, too. I love how the figures in the background look more painted than real because of the soft focus.” — Jennifer Alsabrook-Turner, university photographer


At the top left of the image, a branch with pink cherry blossoms is in focus while the rest of the frame is filled with blurred pink blossoms on other trees. At the bottom of the image is a line of parked cars.

“UAB is known for its cherry blossom trees and we have both Yoshino cherry and Autumnalis cherry. Autumnalis blossoms are pink, whereas Yoshino blossoms are white. We are experiencing the first bloom of the year of the Autumnalis; there will be a second in the fall. I really like this image because of its exploding pink color. It feels happy and alive — a celebration of sorts after a cold winter! I also like the contrast of the close-up of a few blossoms in the foreground with thousands of blurred blossoms in the background. I think the blurred blue cars in the background add variety to the color palette that really enhance the overall image.” — Jennifer Alsabrook-Turner, university photographer


A fan, coated in yellow body pain, looks into the camera and yells, with his hands raised and a UAB toboggan on his head

"This was from UAB Men's Basketball's big rivalry matchup with Memphis. Gang Green and the rest of Bartow Arena showed out big time for the team! The best two ways to shoot a big crowd are super wide to capture the full scope of the fans or to get in close and see the passion on each fan's face. I enjoyed this shot of one of the students on the front line getting loud for the team!"— Ian Logue, university photographer


Two students sit at a table in Sterne Plaza talking; the student closest to the camera is looking at a tablet computer and has over the ear headphones on; the other student looks at her

“The way light reflects off the buildings surrounding Sterne Plaza can be quite magical. These students were hanging out in the glow with such great colors that I couldn't resist snapping a few photos.”— Andrea Mabry, senior university photographer


Do you need images, graphics and video for your presentations? Check out the downloadable resources available to all Blazers in UAB's Digital Asset Library.


Written by: Jennifer Alsabrook-Turner, Ian Logue and Andrea Mabry
Photos by: Jennifer Alsabrook-Turner, Ian Logue and Andrea Mabry

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