Gayan Wijeratne, Ph.D., assistant professor of chemistry, is studying versatile molecules with heme iron centers that could be useful in new cancer therapies and greener, cheaper fuel cells. He also will use this grant to attract more high school students to higher education in science.

Assistant Professor Wenli Bi, Ph.D., in the Department of Physics will expand studies in a field that could lead to new green technologies — and more opportunities for women and underrepresented minorities in cutting-edge physics.

Meet four more hardworking staff who completed their degrees this month.

The first installment, “Bending the Arc: The Vote,” which tells the stories of Black people and white allies who fought for racial justice during the 1960s, is the collaborative effort of retired and current UAB employees and community partners.

What was it like to complete a degree while working full-time during a pandemic? Three employees share their stories ahead of this weekend’s commencement ceremonies.

“Is Mommy a Doctor or a Superhero?,” written by emergency medicine physician Amy Faith Ho, M.D., uses colorful illustrations and whimsical characters to show that doctor moms are heroes and children can find superheroes within themselves.

With his idea for a coil that travels through the vasculature much like a sailboat riding the breeze, a UAB neuroradiologist has earned a commercialization grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

A faculty member in the School of Health Professions turns his own experiences running research projects into a vision for a comprehensive, automated digital solution with the help of funding from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

A novel detergent-like compound developed by UAB researchers that blocks HIV and HSV viruses from entering cells could have the same effect against the virus that causes COVID-19. The team is exploring the compound’s potential with a commercialization grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

Colleagues explain say retiring Animal Resources Program Director Samuel Cartner, DVM, Ph.D., has helped shape the institution’s research.

ScopeAssist, invented by a physician and an engineer, is designed to help surgeons deal with the rigors associated with endoscopic surgeries.

Doctors don’t have anything to reliably collect urine from neonates. A solution to this problem earned a commercialization grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

The vaccine pipeline rests largely on a single tree in Chile. A sustainable, cost-effective solution from this UAB chemist earned him a commercialization grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

Most PPE goes on the provider, not the patient. A solution to this problem from UAB faculty earned them a commercialization grant from the U.S. Economic Development Administration.

An interdisciplinary team of faculty and graduate students are using machine learning to identify geographic areas in which social determinants contribute to the COVID-19 burden as a way to improve the public health response.

This history of Dina Avery’s family and Tarrant’s Rushing Spring community is a lifetime of stories and experiences that influence Avery’s work with minority and disadvantaged populations today.

Farah Lubin, Ph.D., associate professor of neurobiology, and Michelle Gray, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, were listed among those singled out by a leading publisher of cutting-edge biomedical and physical science research.

An innovative study led by Luciano Costa, M.D., Ph.D., generated national buzz for its success in beating back blood cancer — and enrolling African American patients.

Adam Gerstenecker, Ph.D., recognized for contributions to understanding causes, effects of loss of memory and thinking skills.

UAB neurobiologist Farah Lubin, Ph.D., went against type to go to college, change the paradigm on how memories are made and make science more welcoming for under-represented students.

UAB’s chief of police to continue leadership of national accrediting body for law-enforcement agencies.

Frank Messina is the nation’s only faculty athletics representative selected for a four-year term on the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee, which promotes the health, education and safety of student-athletes.

Louis Justement, Ph.D., has been named president-elect for the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology.

Patricia Martinez, assistant vice president for Student Affairs, is recognized for decades of contribution to the student-housing experience.

Assistant Professor Martha Dawson, DNP, whose career in nursing and health systems leadership spans more than 40 years, will be installed as the 13th president of the association during the annual conference later this month.

UAB optometrists and ophthalmologists worked with lead medical personnel from UAB Athletics to modify AHSAA restrictions that prohibited tinted visors or other apparatuses in competition to get accommodations for high school athletes who had light sensitivity and similar health conditions.     

Grace Cunningham, who will graduate this weekend with her master of science with a concentration in exercise physiology, was diagnosed with lupus at 20 years old, but hasn’t let it slow her down.

From national television appearances to hands-on mentoring events, faculty, alumni and students of the School of Engineering demonstrate that innovation and leadership have no boundaries.

From traveling to Antarctica to publishing children’s books, from taking biology educational tools to India to planting pollinator gardens on campus, women have been integral to shaping UAB’s reputation its 50-year history. As part of its annual coverage of Women’s History Month, the UAB Reporter has gathered examples of its more recent coverage of women at UAB.

Joe Appleton, Ph.D., founding dean of UAB’s School of Engineering, died Jan. 17. The school was created in 1971, two years after UAB became an independent university in 1969, and Appleton helmed the school until 1978.

Philosophy’s Brynn Welch turned a real-life experience, the adoption of son Ben, into practical change — first through scholarly research, then a children’s book and now the classroom.

In “The Overworked Shoes,” Barbie Randall tells the story of a couple whose busy lifestyle left little quality time for their family and a strange encounter that would change their lives forever.

“Big Data and Visual Analytics” provides insight into methods and technologies used and the barriers to entry for big data research in various fields.

Maggie Amsler has traveled to Antarctica 27 times studying krill, chemical ecology and ocean acidification, learning more about herself and the continent along the way.

Kiera Walker, a two-time UAB graduate, parlayed her degree in biology and lab experience into a new opportunity to help people in the moment.

Women have been integral to helping bring the UAB’s medical and academic prowess to the national and international forefront during the past five decades. For Women’s History month, the UAB Reporter has gathered examples of its more recent coverage of women at UAB.

Join Suzanne Austin, Ana Oliveria, Sami Raut and Hyeyoung Lim for discussions of their career paths and a Q&A session.

Join us in recognizing their efforts by nominating an outstanding UAB woman student, postdoc, faculty member, administrator, staff member and community member.  Nominations are due by 5 p.m. Jan. 19. 

Kondal Kyanam, assistant professor in the Division of Gastroenterology & Hepatology, will begin his term in June.