Journey

Kathryn Thornton ‘74A Leader AmongWomen In Space

The College of Sciences and Mathematics 2006

A U B U R N U N I V E R S I T Y

Science and art both use creativity to explore, understand and give meaning to theworld. In an interview recently published in TIME magazine, WashingtonUniversity psychologist R. Keith Sawyer was asked, "Are great artists different

from inventors and scientists?" Dr. Sawyer responded by saying, "All research showsthat the creative process is basically the same: generating ideas, evaluating them andexecuting them, with many creative sparks over time." Thus, it is not by chance thereis a natural relationship between science and mathematics and art: mathematics andmusic; anatomy and dance; chemistry and the culinary arts.

This bond seems to have been much more common at the time of theRenaissance than it is today. Many believe that Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) was thegreatest model of the complementary nature of science and art. In science, da Vinci isbest known for his studies of optics, anatomy and turbulence in water. He fashionedfuturistic designs and inventions including flying machines, weapons, and water-liftingdevices. He studied how light and color are used in painting and treated objects asthree-dimensional bodies defined by light and shadow. In art, his Mona Lisa is arguablythe world's most famous painting. In 1994, Bill Gates purchased one of da Vinci's note-books, the Codex Leicester, for $30.8 million. On a web page entry Gates wrote: “Hiswritings demonstrate that creativity drives discovery and that art and science--oftenseen as opposites--can in fact inform and influence each other.”

More recently, impressionist Paul Cezanne devoted a lifetime to studying andpainting the relationships of space, light, and matter.

History shows that the sciences and technol-ogy have never flourished in the absence of similarflourishing of the arts. In fact, the arts can help scien-tists expand their abilities to recognize patterns.Many scientific breakthroughs happen when one rec-ognizes a pattern in something. It is the arts that canteach us this pattern recognition, be it subtle andstructural or complementary and overt. For example,it can be the rhythm and meter in a poem; the interre-lationships of sounds and silence in melodies; and thestructure and style of a unique painter.

It has been suggested that Kepler's laws ofplanetary motion, published in 1618, can be traced tothe artists Giotto (1267-1337) and Alberti (1404-1472)who had strong interests in geometry and perspective.The scientist used the artists' manner of portrayingobjects when imagining himself on Mars looking atthe Earth's motion.

It is only fitting, as we celebrate the 20th anniversary of the visionary forma-tion of the College of Sciences and Mathematics, that we have the visual reminder ofour creativity in science and art with the bronze portraits of 13 prominent scientists tobe placed flanking the north entrance of the Sciences Center Laboratory building.They will serve to remind us of our place in history. The broad expanse of the friezeContinuum on the west façade of the Sciences Center Classroom building will keep usmindful of where we came from and where we are going. The complex interactions ofform, shape, and idea in the intricate mosaic Origins that graces the floor of theSciences Center Auditorium lobby remind us of the balance and interrelationship of artand science. We are fortunate to have the talents of AU art professor, Gary Wagoner,and one of his former students, Joanna Blake, to bring these expressions to reality.

“Are great artists different from inventors and scientists?"Editor

Martha Barker

Associate EditorTim Meeks

Assistant EditorCarol Nelson

Dean and ProfessorStewart Schneller

Associate Dean for Academic AffairsLarry Wit

Associate Dean for ResearchMarie Wooten

Interim Director of DiversityDana Fields

Director of DevelopmentTammy Beck Hartwell

Director of DevelopmentSherri Rowton

Journey/Spectrum is published by theAuburn University College of Sciencesand Mathematics. Issues are printedannually and are distributed to alumniand friends of COSAM.

Inquiries concerning Journey/Spectrumshould be directed to Martha G. Barker,315 Roosevelt Concourse, Auburn, AL36830. Please send suggestions and newitems to this address as well, or by emailto barkemg@auburn.edu.

Questions concerning the college’s devel-opment program should be directed toTammy Beck Hartwell at: 334.844.1449or becktam@auburn.edu or SherriRowton at: 334.844.1235 orrowtosj@auburn.edu.

Journey/Spectrum is paid for byalumni and friends of the College ofSciences and Mathematics.

Auburn University is an equalopportunity educationalinstitution/employer.

From left: Joanna Blake,Gary Wagoner and COSAMDean Stewart Schneller.

&Journey Spectrum

Journey 2006 3

Stewart SchnellerDean and Professor

Did you know?

Fall 2005 broughtthe largest

freshmen class toCOSAM, leading to a 45 percent

increase in freshmen studentenrollment in the

past six years.

Photo by: Heather Carson

ON THE COVER

Journey Spectrum

COSAMMission Statement

The mission of the Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics is three-fold: to teach by providing an

environment that ensures excellence in the biological, physical,and mathematical sciences for the purpose of preserving,

interpreting, and conveying existing knowledge: to research bycreating, integrating, and applying new knowledge; and to reach

out to others by fostering educational exchange within the university, the Alabama community,

and society as a whole.

Journey 2006 5

3 Dean’s Message

6 President’s Message/Dr. Wit’s Message

8 Dana Fields’ Message and

COSAM Leaders/Dean’s Medalists

10 Department News

12 AU Explore

14 COSAM Celebrates 20 Years

16 Some of COSAM’s First Graduates

Reminisce

18 Sciences Center Opens to Students

20 Cover Story -- Kathryn Thornton ‘74

22 Advisory Council

24 Golf Classic/Barbara Mowat ‘56

26 Bill Warren ‘75/Jonathan Renfroe ‘89

28 Paul Flowers ‘66/ Ed Fann Editorial

30 Office of Development/Office of

Communications

32 Dr. Wooten’s Message

NMR Facility

GK-12 Grant

34 Nedret Billor

Michael Wooten

36 Toni Alexander

Susanne Striegler

38 JianJun Dong

Professors To Establish

Research Center

40 Dean’s Research Awards

Dave Worley

42 Student Research Pictures

16

18

28

39

42

The College of Sciences and Mathematics would like to thank Leon Loard Oil Portraits of

Montgomery, Ala., for their kind gift of a magnificentoil portrait of Kathryn Thornton by artist Glen

Nordyke of Louisiana. The oil portrait, which is nowproudly displayed in the Physics Department wasunveiled during the Fall 2005 COSAM Advisory

Council meeting.

With fall semester behind us and the spring term well under way, there is much good news to reportto you. Auburn began celebrating its 150th birthday — its Sesquicentennial — with a Founder’sDay ceremony, a Birthday Bash and Block Party all in February. I hope all of you had an opportu-

nity to attend these events, which marked only the beginning of a year-long celebration of this importantmilestone in Auburn’s history. I invite you to visit www.auburn.edu/150 to see other planned activities. It’s myhope that we will use this year not just to celebrate Auburn’s past, but also to commit ourselves to its future.We also recently kicked off the public phase of our “It Begins at Auburn” capital campaign. This campaigncomes on the heels of Auburn’s best fundraising year ever. In the fiscal year that ended in September, privategiving to Auburn totaled a record $101.2 million.With this effort as prelude, I am confident we will reach ourcampaign goal of $500 million.

In November, we broke ground on a research park that will mark a new era in collaboration among ourfaculty and students and the private sector. This park will establish Auburn as a widely recognized researchforce, broaden and strengthen the research industry in east Alabama, produce an economic development enginefor the state and region and create new revenue sources for the university. This effort would not have been pos-sible without the support of Gov. Bob Riley, Rep. Mike Hubbard and Auburn Mayor Bill Ham. Thanks to theirleadership, the state has committed $10 million to the project and the City of Auburn has committed $5 millionin infrastructure development. We are grateful for their support.

We are also currently active in the state Legislature to achieve three primary goals: full fundingof fringe benefits for AU faculty and staff, pay raises for faculty and staff equivalent to any granted K-12employees and funding that will reflect AU’s status as a research institution in light of an increased emphasisand expectation for higher education to play a role in the state’s economic development. We will again work withthe University of Alabama in this regard and ask your support for our efforts. War Eagle!

Dear Auburn Alumni and Supporters,

Ed RichardsonPresident, Auburn University

6 Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics

Academic and Student Affairs

Larry WitAssociate Dean for Academic Affairs

This has been a bountiful year for COSAM students. First, we are bigger than we have ever been...2,500undergraduates to be precise. Most of this is due to a bumper crop of 844 freshmen who joined us thispast fall. Yes, the word is out; COSAM is a great place to get a college education. Thanks for all you do

to represent us so well to the ever-emerging new crop of students.

Our facilities are now second-to-none. There is no more odiferous Saunders Hall, no more traveling to thePharmacy Building to take organic lab, and no more visits to the antiquated Cary Hall and PhysiologyBuilding. "It is almost fun to go to chemistry labs" is a comment that I actually hear these days. If youhaven't visited us lately, you must come by and see our wonderful new home. There you will see students sit-ting in the new COSAM quad surfing the web in our wireless atmosphere, genetics students at their respectivecomputer learning stations, histology/developmental biology students studying their slides via their individualscope and iMac, and organic chemistry students using their individualized hoods. There simply aren't any finerfacilities anywhere. I would be happy to show you around if you are ever in the area.

Despite our burgeoning size, we have tried to maintain our personal touch. In fact, this year we incorporated acouple of programs including a student welcome reception. We initiated a peer instructor/advisor program inwhich our freshmen and sophomores have the opportunity to be mentored by some of our finest upperclass-men. The program is hugely successful and has had great reviews by our students. Yes, we still require all ourstudents to meet with their advisor each semester. Although this is always a busy time, it gives us at least onechance to personally interact with each of our students.

Several new challenges await us this academic year. Managing the logistics that all these new students bring isnot a simple task. Also, the university is adopting a new data management system these days which willbecome "live" in the student areas in the near future. We have already been besieged with challenges, andthings are likely to get worse before they get better. Finally, there is the ever-present need for scholarships. Thecompetition for students is keen, and another university northwest of here (that has an elephant for a mascot),is making an enormous push to penetrate what have been traditional Auburn markets. If we are going toremain competitive, we must be able to offer comparable scholarships. For those of you who are already help-ing in this venture, I thank you. For those of you who have not, let me encourage you to begin to partici-pate…every bit helps.

As I am writing this, it occurs to me that tomorrow I will begin my 31st year at Auburn. Such occasions giveme pause to reflect. It has been a wonderful ride, mostly because of people like you who share the Auburnspirit and make this such a special place. Thanks for making it so. Please let me know what has been going onin your life. I would love to have you visit; as I said, I will show you the new "digs." If not, just send me an e-mail at witlawr@auburn.edu.

Journey 2006 7

Office of Diversity

Dana FieldsInterim Director of Diversity

The Office for Diversity and Special Academic Projects continues their hard work of recruiting and retainingminority students in COSAM. The Summer Bridge Program, which has been a valuable asset to COSAM and itsminority students since 1994, was a great success this summer. Thirty-two incoming COSAM freshmen complet-ed four weeks of intense coursework in chemistry and pre-calculus and were given a very realistic picture of whatto expect at AU both academically and socially. This year’s Bridge was especially unique in that it was the firsttime the Summer Bridge participants were able to meet and interact with past Bridge participants. A number offormer Summer Bridge students returned for the reunion and shared experiences and lessons learned since com-pleting the Bridge program and graduating from Auburn University.

In addition to the high school recruiting trips that are scheduled every fall semester, COSAM’s Drop-In Centerhosted its second annual minority high school visitation day. Students from throughout Alabama and Georgiaheard information about the great programs in Auburn University’s College of Sciences and Mathematics,College of Engineering, College of Architecture, and College of Agriculture. Faculty, parents and students wereexcited about the event and we look forward to an even bigger minority visitation day next year.

Another new program has been added to the list of resources available to our students. The Alabama EPSCoRSummer Research Program is in its second year of providing research experience to minority sophomores,juniors, and seniors. The Alabama EPSCoR Summer Research project collaborates with the NSF-supportedAlabama Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation (LSAMP) project to increase the participation ofunderrepresented minorities in EPSCoR research activities. The students selected for the program are denotedas EPSCoR/LSAMP interns. Research mentors are identified for the recruited students and support is providedfor these students to effectively engage in selected research. The EPSCoR/LSAMP interns present their researchfindings in the annual LSAMP Research Conference held each summer at the University of Alabama atBirmingham.

As a result of creating such minority programs and opportunities in COSAM as the ones mentioned above,Auburn University received national recognition by receiving the Minority Access Institutional Role ModelsAward in Las Vegas, NV in September of 2005. Minority Access, Inc. is a non-profit educational organizationthat supports individuals, institutions, federal, state, and local government agencies and various corporations todiversify campuses and work sites by improving the recruitment, retention and enhancement of minorities. Theannual Role Models Conference focuses on institutions, students, and individuals who excel at accomplishingthese goals.

Finally, we would like to congratulate Dr. Overtoun Jenda, who is now going on to do for the entire universitycampus what he did for the College of Sciences and Mathematics, as the Associate Provost for Diversityand Multicultural Affairs for Auburn University. We are sad to see him go, but we are confident that he willcontinue the wonderful work he started in COSAM and make a positive change for Auburn University in areasof diversity and minority issues.

8 Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics

2005-2006 COSAM LeadersThe COSAM Leaders are an exemplary group of students who serve the college as its official ambassadors.

Back row (from left): Nathan Bullington, Clayton McEntire, David Johnson, David Kyle, BJ Jones, Alan Baggett,Rick O’Neal and Jeff Thompson. Front row (from left): Emily Tapley, Kathryn Foti, Stefanie Lycans, ShinecaWeeks, Anjali Gandhi, JJ Cook, Haley Hallman and Christina Guice.

2005 Dean’s MedalistsAllyson AgertonGeology/GeographyBirmingham, AL

Christopher BrownChemistry/BiochemistryAuburn, AL

Christopher LongPhysicsCedar Rapids, Iowa

Dale HansenBiological SciencesMemphis, TN

John DykesBiological SciencesAtlanta, GA

Jonathan JenningsBiomedical SciencesEnterprise, AL

Philip PutnamBiomedical SciencesAuburn, AL

S. Christopher FullerMathematics/StatisticsValley, AL

Shad WilliamsBiological SciencesAnniston, AL

Journey 2006 9

BIOLOGICAL SCIENCES

Department ChairJames Barbaree

CHEMISTRYBIOCHEMISTRY

Interim Department ChairDave Worley

• The building housing the Departmentof Chemistry and Biochemistry hasundergone a series of renovations costingin excess of a half million dollarsdesigned to create additional laboratoryspace for faculty and graduate student

research. Existing NMR equipment hasbeen relocated to a renovated area where itjoins the new 600 MHz NMR equipmentrecently purchased for biological/chemicalresearch.• Drs. Anne Gorden, Smita Mohanty, andJohn Gorden have recently joined our fac-ulty. Dr. Anne Gorden is an AssistantProfessor of Organic Chemistry, Dr. SmitaMohanty is an Associate Professor ofBiochemistry, and Dr. John Gorden is aResearch Assistant Professor of Inorganic Chemistry. The Department hopes to hiretwo new faculty members and a continu-ing Chairman during this academic year.• Professor David Stanbury was awarded a3-year single PI grant from NSF for$405,000 entitled "Reactions InvolvingMain-group Radicals in Solution." Theseradicals play prominent roles in energytransduction in living organisms, in chem-ical carcinogenesis, in the technology offuel cells and solar cells, and in environ-mental chemistry. Professor ThomasAlbrecht-Schmitt was awarded the Dean'sResearch Award in the College of Sciencesand Mathematics and the Alumni SigmaXi Research Award. He was elected to theEditorial Board of the Journal of SolidState Chemistry and was awarded twomajor research grants from theDepartment of Energy.

GEOLOGYGEOGRAPHY

Department ChairChuck Savrda

• Bob Cook completed 23 years of merito-rious service as head of the department,and Chuck Savrda assumed duties asdepartment chair.• Toni Alexander, a cultural/historicalgeographer, joined the department inAugust.• Sonny Dawsey and brothers saw therelease in Brazil of the Portuguese versionof their book on Confederados.• Bill Hames’s geochronology laboratorybegan producing data in support of NSFand USGS-sponsored research, includingwork with Jim Saunders on the timing ofgold mineralization in Nevada.• David King, who continued his studies ofimpact stratigraphy, was appointed to the

Alabama Board of Licensure forProfessional Geologists.• Luke Marzen continued his USGS-sup-ported work with the AlabamaView con-sortium.• Mark Steltenpohl organized and led well-received field trips for both the GSA SEsection and Alabama Geological Society.• Ashraf Uddin, promoted to AssociateProfessor, received new NSF funding,including a grant with Jim Saunders andMing-Kuo Lee for arsenic-related studiesin Bangladesh.• Lorraine Wolf was promoted to professor.• Ming-Kuo Lee received funding fromVulcan Materials for studies of acid-minedrainage, and from USGS-NEHRP forpaleohydrologic studies in the NewMadrid fault zone.

MATHEMATICS STATISTICS

Department ChairMichel Smith

• The TEAM-MATH project, funded by a$9 million NSF grant, held its secondtwo-week workshop this past summer;about 750 elementary, middle school andhigh school teachers attended. Over thenext five years of the project, hundreds ofK-12 Alabama mathematics teachers willhave the opportunity to attend thesesummer workshops.• Drs. Michel Smith and Overtoun Jendain collaboration with Drs. Gary Martinand Marilyn Strutchens from MathematicsEducation were awarded an NSF NoyceScholarship grant with planned fundingof $400,000 to support students withdegrees in the Mathematical Sciences toobtain certification to teach and becomehigh school teachers.• Dr. Jack Brown received the AlumniTeaching Excellence Award and theCOSAM Outstanding Teacher Award.Kevin Meadows received the COSAMOutstanding GTA Award; Chris Brown, adouble major in mathematics and chem-istry, received the Comer Award; ChrisFuller was named a Dean’s Medalist; ScottVaragona was an Outstanding Junior.• This spring, the department plans tohost the regional combined MAA/SIAM

• James Barbaree was elected President ofthe SE American Society for Microbiology for 2007.• Narendra Singh and Steve Dobson wereawarded Fulbright Fellowships.• Jim Bradley is a Co-PI on an NSFNanotechnology Undergraduate Education grant ($200,000).• Craig Guyer is the co-author of twobooks published this year.• The June, 2005, issue of the BiologicalBulletin was published with a micrograph on the cover from SteveKempf’s publication (Anti- tubulin label-ing reveals ampullary neuron ciliary bun-dles in opisthobranch larvae and a newputative neural structure associated withthe apical ganglion).• Ray Henry is the Co-PI on an NSFEPSCoR Infrastructure Improvement grant for the CMB (1.5 Million dollarsover 3 years).• Nanette Chadwick was the featured col-laborator in the Ask Aubie column of theOpelika-Auburn News.• Les Goertzen was awarded the G.Ledyard Stebbins Medal by the International Association for PlantTaxonomy. The award recognizes the most significant paper in plant sys-tematics from the previous year.• Tony Moss cruised the Chesapeake andDelaware Bays to collect ctenophores andmicrobes for the Cape Henlopen project.

10 Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics

conferences; Dr. Narendra Govil is chair ofthe organizing committee.• The department has hired Dr. PengZeng; Dr. Zeng received his Ph.D. fromPurdue and has joined the statistics group.• Dr. Jerry Veeh has announced his inten-tion to retire this year.• The department commissioned EricHarshbarger ‘92 to design LEGO artworkrepresenting a mathematical theme. Hecreated “TWENTY-ONE,” a visual solu-tion of the problem of partitioning asquare into a number of smaller squaressuch that no two of the smaller are thesame size.• The new Statistics Practicum Seminarcourse was first implemented in 2005.The new course is a requirement in thegraduate statistics program that givesgraduate students experience in applying

PHYSICS

Department HeadJoe Perez

Mathematics and Statistics Department hosts 12th International Conference

The Department of Mathematics andStatistics and the College of Sciences

and Mathematics at Auburn Universityhosted the 12th International Conferenceon Statistics, Combinatorics, Mathematicsand Applications (SCMA), December 2-4,2005.

"This was truly an internationalconference with almost half of the partic-ipants having traveled from outside theU.S., representing six continents and 29countries,” said Dr. Mark Carpenter,Chair, Auburn Local OrganizingCommittee. “The underlying goal of thisconference was to facilitate the confluenceof the mathematical sciences throughinvited symposia, contributed sessions andseveral invited plenary speakers."

The conference is sponsored bythe Forum for InterdisciplinaryMathematics and is held once a year atvarious locations around the world. Thisyear's conference consisted of 300 presen-tations and over 400 attendees; approxi-mately 70 were AU students and faculty.

There were 14 world-famous fea-tured speakers from Combinatorics,Statistics and Mathematics; and special

invited symposia covered topics such as Bioinformatics, Biostatistics, DataMining, Cryptography and Coding Theory, Econometrics, Engineering Statistics,Environmental/Ecological Statistics, Internet Traffic Data Analysis,Mathematical Biology, Medical Imaging, and Statistical Genetics, among manyother special programs and traditional mathematical and statistical topics.

A student paper competition was held and judged by an internationalreview panel. Three of the six student winners were from AU’s Department ofMathematics and Statistics, including first place winner Gergely Ambrus. Thefive honorable mentions included Roxanne Baker and Michael Tiemeyer of AU,Dipankar Bandyopadhyay of the University of Georgia, Yoshiyuki Ninomiya ofKyushu University and Michael Swinson of Georgia Technical Institute.

The Saturday night mixer featured Salsa, Turkish, African-Caribbeanand Indian Dancers, the AU Rhythm Section and piano music by Dr. RobertDonnelly from the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry.

• Mitch Pendzola and Francis Robicheauxrecently received an Innovative and NovelComputational Impact on Theory andExperiment (INCITE) Award from theDepartment of Energy after submitting aproposal entitled: Computational Atomicand Molecular Physics for Advances inAstrophysics, Chemical Sciences andFusion Energy Sciences.

Pendzola and Robicheaux’s team(which included six other scientists fromthe United States and United Kingdom)was one of only 15 around the world toreceive the award out of 42 team appli-cants. The award will allow the group650,000 processing hours on the HP-MPPat Pacific Northwest NationalLaboratory.

Process-hours refer to how time isallocated on a supercomputer. A projectreceiving 50,000 hours could run on 50processors for 1,000 hours, or about 42days. Running the same project on a sin-gle processor desktop computer wouldtake almost six weeks.1

1.U.S. Department of Energy, Office ofPublic Affairs, Washington, D.C.

statistical techniques to real world prob-lems. Students and faculty from otherdepartments receive important consult-ing work by the students in the seminar.

Journey 2006 11

AU Explore introduced more than 1,700middle and high school students to

the thrills of sciences and mathematics.

12 Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics

On Friday, April 22, 2005, more than 1,700 students fromacross the states of Alabama and Georgia gathered at

the College of Sciences and Mathematics new Sciences Centercomplex to take part in the inaugural AU Explore sciencesand mathematics open house event.

“Our primary goal was to show students how relevant sci-ences and mathematics are to their everyday lives,” saidCOSAM Director of Outreach, Mary Lou Ewald. “We hadmore than 1,700 students attend our first AU Explore andfor 2006, we are expecting close to 2,500.”

Students were given the opportunity to play games at theScience Carnival, get up close and personal with bats, raptorsand snakes at the Wildlife Pick-N-Pet and take part in avariety of short and fun hands-on science seminars at theScience Fun Workshop.

AU Explore 2006 is scheduled for Friday, April 21. For moreinformation, log on to www.auexplore.auburn.edu

Photography by Tim Meeks Journey 2006 13

Dr. Robert Kribel, who was the Head of the PhysicsDepartment at that time, was named Acting Dean of theCollege of Sciences and Mathematics in December 1985. JoHawkins, also of the Physics Department, was appointedAdministrative Secretary to Kribel.

Temporary offices were housed in the Leach ScienceCenter; but the following year, the college made its perma-nent home in the Extension Cottage. Dr. J. Ivan Legg fromWashington State University arrived to become Dean of theCollege in 1987. Under Legg’s leadership, the College saw anincrease in its number of students and the beginning of theScience Olympiad at Auburn University. Legg led COSAMthrough the ‘80s and into the ‘90s, and in 1992, left for aposition at Memphis State University.

Associate Dean for Academic Affairs, Larry Wit,was named Acting Dean while a search took place for a per-manent dean. During this time, COSAM was awarded a five-year $1 million grant from the Howard Hughes Foundationfor undergraduate science education.

By 1993, Dr. Stewart W. Schneller, previously chairof the Chemistry Department at the University of SouthFlorida, was chosen to be COSAM’s permanent dean. He hada great vision for the future of COSAM and brought numer-ous innovations to his role as Dean of the College.

The 1980’s brought big changes to Auburn Universitywhen then-president, James Martin, declared that it

was time to “make Auburn University a major nationalresearch university…beyond the agricultural productionareas that had once been the university’s mainstay.”1 Oneway to achieve this goal was to concentrate on the need tobring the physical, biological and mathematical sciencestogether into one new college, putting sciences and mathe-matics at the forefront and becoming the foundation forinstructional, research and outreach success. It was believedthat the organization of these disciplines would follow thegrowing trend toward interaction between the variousbranches of science and mathematics; and would be a posi-tive move, not only for these disciplines, but for the universi-ty as a whole.

On March 6, 1985, the Board of Trustees approvedreorganization authorizing the new college. It would includethe Departments of Chemistry, Physics, Geology andMathematics from the School of Arts and Sciences and theDepartments of Botany/Microbiology and Zoology/WildlifeScience from the School of Agriculture. With that decision,the College of Sciences and Mathematics (COSAM) cameinto existence with the fall quarter of 1986.

VxÄxuÜtà|Çz EC lxtÜá

14 Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics

Schneller recognized the need for outreach andminority opportunities in order for the college to increaseawareness and interest in the fields of the sciences andmathematics. The outreach and minority affaris programswere both established under Schneller’s leadership. Theseprograms would later prove to be effective recruitment tools.

At COSAM’s 10th anniversary in 1996, Schnellernoted six qualities which illustrated the excellence of thecollege: the proportionately large number of faculty receiv-ing teaching awards; the high percentage of COSAM stu-dents in the University Honors Program; the only firstteam 1995 USA Today Academic All-American from thestate was a COSAM student; the internationally recognizedfaculty research; a high percentage of students inductedinto Phi Kappa Phi honor society; and a high acceptancerate of students applying to professional schools.

Today, COSAM is comprised of five departments:Biological Sciences, Chemistry/Biochemistry,Geology/Geography, Mathematics/Statistics and Physics. Itis one of the largest at Auburn with 150 faculty and morethan 2,500 undergraduate students and nearly 300 graduatestudents.

COSAM saw a significant rise in student enrollmentin sciences and mathematics with a 45 percent increase from1999-2005. Schneller attributed this growth to an increasingawareness by high school students of the emerging careeroptions that have been reinforced by the college’s recruitingefforts; COSAM’s pre-college outreach programs; the college’scommitment to minority student success; increased scholar-ship resources provided by donors; dedicated faculty and staffwho have put into place quality programs that provide ameaningful learning experience in the sciences and mathemat-ics; and most recently, the 2005 opening of a new state-of-the-art three building Sciences Center.

During 2006, the college will reflect on those whocame before us and honor the achievements which have result-ed from their efforts with the dedication of the 140,000 squarefoot, three-building Sciences Center, one of the Southeast’spremier instructional facilities. COSAM looks forward to con-tinued excellence in its students and faculty as well as its pro-grams, research and facilities as it strives to be the leadingcenter for university science and mathematics teaching,research and outreach in the State of Alabama and beyond.

1AU Report, July 27, 1998

by TvtwxÅ|v XåvxÄÄxÇvx

COSAM has more of its students in the Honors College than does any other college.

The average ACT/SAT score for incoming freshmen students in COSAM is greater than the all-university average.

The pre-professional program in COSAM has successfully placed its students in medical,dental, etc. schools at a rate of 30% above the national average; similar successes exist in placing students in graduate schools and professional positions in our other major fields.

The high school GPA for new COSAM freshmen is the highest on campus.

Almost 50% of the May 2005 COSAM graduates graduated with honors.

53% of the Spring 2005 Phi Beta Kappa inductees were COSAM students.

w

w

w

w

w

w

COSAM Today

Journey 2006 15

By Carol Nelson

WORK: Since graduation in 1986, I have held numerous posi-tions, but with only two employers - U.S. military and FedEx.Both involve aviation. I flew fighters for 15 years in the mili-tary and now fly an MD-11 for FedEx. I am currently pursu-ing my graduate degree through the AU College of Business’sExecutive MBA program, and will graduate in May 2006.

FAMILY: Wife, Christine; daughter, Corey; son, Austin; Ourdaughter is currently a joint-enrolled high school student tak-ing classes at AU. She has recently been asked to be a part ofthe AU Women’s swimming program.

FAVORITE AU CLASS: Probability Theory. I had a professorfrom Pakistan who, despite his accent and challenges withEnglish, delivered a fun class that looked at many “realworld” applications of probability - Vegas games! Despitestruggling in that class, I learned, had fun and recalled fromthis class NOT to gamble when I lived in Nevada!

WHAT COSAM TAUGHT ME: The methodologies required formath coursework have provided a great foundation for think-ing, and enabled a unique context in the way I look at things.Knowing there is math behind all that I experience; whetherin aerodynamics while flying, time compression while in com-bat or budget planning with government dollars, I am notintimidated by the mathematical complexity of the particularenvironment I am in.

“It is a strategic way of thinking that has come from knowing that, in the details, there are numbers,

properties, theorems, formulas and ‘good ol’ physics’behind many things that I do.”

“From a scientific per-spective, coming up with

an original idea, an origi-nal hypothesis, then test-ing that hypothesis, prov-ing it and being able to

contribute in an importantway to what we knowabout a disease is very

rewarding.”

“I enjoyed many of my classes at Auburn,but the first calculus class was great.”

WORK: I am a pathologist in the U.S. Army currentlyassigned to the Naval Medical Center in San Diego, Calif.My current position includes primarily surgical pathology,cytopathology and clinical pathology. Research and teachingare also a part of my practice.

FAMILY: Wife, Carol; son, Davis; daughter, Hannah.

FAVORITE AU PROFESSOR: Dr. Robinson because he presented the material and expected you to master calculusby practicing and to be able to apply it to problems.

WHAT COSAM TAUGHT ME: Never quit. When you keepplugging along, eventually you will acquire the necessaryknowledge and skill to meet life’s challenges.

WORK: I am an Associate Professor at Vanderbilt University.I spend the vast majority of my time on research-relatedactivities. My field is “neuropsychiatric genetics,” which isessentially trying to identify genetic risk factors that predis-pose people for increased susceptibility to psychiatric anddevelopmental disorders. I’m currently teaching a neurogenet-ics class to graduate students. I am also the co-director of aneurogenomics post-doctoral training program at Vanderbilt.

Rich Hughey

James Shikle

James Sutcliffe

COSAM Hears From Some of Its First Graduates . . .

16 Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics

“I love that I am available and involved with [mychildren] any and all the time. There have been so

many instances where I have thought, ‘I wouldhave missed this if I had been working.’”

WORK: Upon finishing residency, I went in to privatepractice working part-time with a large Birmingham psy-chiatry group. I continued to work part-time after I hadmy first child and then decided to quit working to stayhome with them after my second child was born. I haveseveral opportunities to re-enter my field, which I plan todo this fall when my youngest enters kindergarten.

FAMILY: Husband, Hardie; children, Julia, 10; Hardie, 7;Jack, 5.

FAVORITE AU PROFESSOR: My favorite teacher atAuburn was Dr. Larry Wit. His upper level physiologyclasses were very challenging, but they seemed as close tomed school as we would get in college. His classes provedto prepare us well for med school and I have always appre-ciated that.

FAMILY: Wife, Cara; sons, Dylan 5 and Cian 3.

FAVORITE AU CLASS: I had three favorite classes and profes-

sors. The first was Biochemistry taught by Mike Friedman;

the second was Cell Biology taught by Jim Bradley; and the

third was Physiology taught by Larry Wit. All three had a

major influence on me, and I really appreciated the opportu-

nity to learn from them.

WHAT COSAM TAUGHT ME: Again, those three professors,

Friedman, Bradley and Wit provided the foundation in sci-

ences that was crucial to my own professional training.

WHAT COSAM TAUGHT ME: What stands out most to me ismy time spent in the lab while in college. Having to go to athree hour lab two or three afternoons a week (when yourfriends are out doing something fun!) prepared me for the sac-rifices necessary for post-graduate work and beyond.

“Most people ask whyI have a mathematicsdegree when I chose topractice law. I respond

by saying that I have thebest of both worlds as Itruly enjoyed the math

and sciences studies, butalways had a desire to go

to law school.”

WORK: I am an attorney in private practice in Birmingham,Ala. We specialize in the defense of Fortune 500 companies incivil litigation. Personally, I serve as an adjunct professor atCumberland School of Law teaching students the art of trialadvocacy.

FAMILY: Wife, Denise; children, Trey, 14; Britney, 12.

FAVORITE AU CLASS: I don’t recall a specific class or profes-sor at Auburn that I found to be my favorite. All were differ-ent and challenging and thus were rewarding in their ownway.

WHAT COSAM TAUGHT ME: Handling many personal injurycases, I actually use my mathematics training every day. Weare required to do various calculations to determine the dam-ages that may be assessed in a case along with the respectivesettlement values of a case. I often review the mathematicaland engineering analyses of experts and my training atAuburn significantly benefits my practice in that regard.

To read more about our featured graduates, or if you are a 1986 COSAM alum and would like to submit an update, please

visit our website at:

www.auburn.edu/cosamand click on the 20th Anniversary icon

in the special features section.

Jill Siniard Kimbrough

Tom Oliver

Journey 2006 17

In 2005, COSAM’s Sciences Center complex welcomed students to campus forthe fall semester.

The new 140,000 square foot facility positions the college to lead innova-tive instruction, research and outreach well into the 21st century. The complexconsists of a four-story biology/chemistry instructional laboratory facility, a 300-seat auditorium and a two-story classroom and administrative building.

One of the most modern university teaching facilities in theSoutheastern United States, the complex is intended to match the expectations offuture students by complementing and supplementing the traditional professor-focused lecture environment with space-age technology including: flat panel plas-ma screens for sharp instructional imaging, wireless PDAs (personal digital assis-tants) for real-time classroom participation and virtual laboratories for 3-D simu-lations.

In addition, the combination of chemistry and biology laboratories with-in the four-story building will seed interdisciplinary teaching on the Auburn cam-pus and enhance the students’ knowledge of the biological, physical and mathe-matical sciences.

Right: AU Art Professor Gary Wagoner and his former student,Joanna Blake ‘99, stand beside the mosaic Origins. They are also theartists who created the frieze Continuum.

Sciences CenterOpens To StudentsSciences CenterOpens To Students

18 Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics

The Robins & Morton Group ofBirmingham has recently received three awardsfor their work on Auburn University's College ofSciences and Mathematics Sciences Center. Thehonors include the South Central ConstructionAward of Excellence and two Merit Awardsfrom the Excellence in Construction Program ofAssociated Builders and Contractors, Inc. onboth the state and national level.

Robins & Morton provided constructionmanagement services on the 140,000 square footSciences Center project.

"From conceptualization to reality thishas been an extremely rewarding experience.Credit goes to the university leadership for mak-ing the project possible and giving us designfreedom. Also, I want to acknowledge the archi-tects of Gresham, Smith and Partners and theconstruction manager team of the Robins &Morton Group for working so closely andpatiently with us to assure the Sciences Centerwas truly a state-of-the-art instructional com-plex that is second to none," COSAM DeanStewart Schneller said.

Award Winning

Naming OpportunitiesThe naming of a designated space with-

in the Sciences Center is an opportunity tohonor, in perpetuity, an individual, family ororganization’s commitment to the AuburnUniversity College of Sciences and Mathematics.

For each named facility, a plaque willidentify the generous benefactors whose giftsymbolically supported the construction of aworld class learning environment. As genera-tions pass through the college, the facility’snames will become a part of COSAM’s vernacu-lar; no different than Samford, Haley or Parker.

For more information, or to receive aBuilding For The Future Sciences CenterNaming Opportunities booklet, contact TammyBeck Hartwell at 334.844.1449(becktam@auburn.edu) or Sherri Rowton at334.844.1235 (rowtosj@auburn.edu).

Left: The COSAM Quad, created as a result ofthe Sciences Center construction, provides studentswith a quiet place to relax, study; and, because itis a wireless hotspot, log onto the Internet.

Photography by Heather Carson

Journey 2006 19

Kathryn Thornton ‘74

A Leader Women in SpaceAmong Women in Space

Logging more than 16 million

miles in orbit to become

In 1989, Kathryn Thornton climbed aboard the SpaceShuttle Discovery where she would become not only the

first woman to participate in a classified U.S. Governmentspace mission, but also a member of the first crew to returnto orbit following the 1986 Challenger disaster.

After returning from her first mission, Kathrynwould go on to participate in three more shuttle flights, logmore than 16 million miles in space, become the secondwoman to walk in space, and set a female record for thenumber of spacewalks and total time spent on spacewalks --just to name a few of her accomplishments.

A native of Montgomery, Ala., Kathryn earned herbachelor’s of physics in 1974 from Auburn, and then went onto earn her master’s and doctorate of physics from theUniversity of Virginia.

After earning her doctoral degree in 1979, Kathrynwas awarded a NATO Postdoctoral Fellowship to continueher research at the Max Planck Institute for Nuclear Physicsin Heidelberg, West Germany and later returned toCharlottesville, Va., where she worked as a physicist at theU.S. Army Foreign Science and Technology Center. It was atthat time a certain job posting caught her attention.

“It was a notice from NASA,” she said. “I hadn'treally thought about becoming an astronaut before, but Idecided to send in the application. I figured all they could dowas say, 'no.'"

But, they didn't say, “no” and five months laterKathryn was called for an interview.

"It was a week-long process of mostly medical tests,but there was also an interview with the selection board andvisits with astronauts to find out what the jobs were like and

that sort of thing," she said. "I met so many interesting peo-ple and I had a great time, but I just knew when I left therethat I would never see Houston again."

But sure enough, two months later she receivedanother call.

"There were about 5,000 applications in that roundand they interviewed about a 120 of us about 20 at a timefor the next six weeks. Then they selected 17…to this day Ibelieve they called the wrong number when they called me,"she smiled.

Kathryn said it was a tough decision to leaveVirginia and move to Houston because her husband was aprofessor of physics at the University of Virginia and thecouple had a two-year-old daughter. They decided it was anopportunity that couldn't be passed up so in July of 1984,with her husband’s blessings, she packed her and her daugh-ter's bags, kissed her husband goodbye and moved toHouston.

"When I first went down there I didn't know whichend of the shuttle was up; I mean I knew absolutely noth-ing," she grinned. "I didn't really know what I had gottenmyself into to tell you the truth, but it sounded like a gooddeal."

After her training was delayed due to the January1986 Challenger explosion, Kathryn said she was anxious toreceive her first flight assignment because she had waited along time and backing out wasn't even a thought in hermind.

Her first assignment came aboard the Space ShuttleDiscovery, which launched at night from the Kennedy SpaceCenter in Florida on Nov. 22, 1989, carrying Department of

20 Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics

Defense payloads. After 79 orbits of the Earth, the five-daymission concluded at Edwards Air Force Base in California.

"By the time you board the shuttle you have done alot of training and you are just anxious to get on board. Youknow something could go wrong, but waiting another day ortwo, a week or even five years isn't going to change that."

Kathryn admits that after all the preparation, thelift-off was somewhat uneventful.

"We usually board the shuttle about three hoursbefore lift-off. It can be uncomfortable because you are lyingon your back and it is not like layingon a soft cushion. You are laying onyour parachute, survival kit andradio," she said. "We spent most ofthe time listening to command com-munications and hoping not to hear,'we have a problem,' that would causea scrub. Most of the countdown, wewould talk and sing school fightsongs, tell jokes and that kind ofstuff."

Once the shuttle reached itsorbit, the crew got down to business.Kathryn said it wasn’t the task athand that was weighing on her mind,because she had received plenty oftraining, but rather it was a bit ofmotion sickness that concerned her.

“After we had deployed thesatellite and completed our tasks forthe day, I was feeling crummy, butwas determined not to get sick,” shesaid. “I sort of rolled up in my sleep-ing bag and I was just feeling terriblewhen I heard the alarm that signalsthe loss of cabin pressure. And for asplit second, I thought, ‘Geez, I amfeeling sick and now I am going to befreeze-dried right here.”

Fortunately, the problemturned out to be with the toilet andnot the cabin pressure, so besides alittle motion sickness on the first day,Kathryn said the first flight wasabsolutely amazing.

"The hardest part of thereturn was not the wobbly feeling you experience at first,"she said. "The hardest part was trying to stop smiling. I hadthis grin on my face for a month and I just couldn't get itoff, I was so happy. I was ready to go and would haveclimbed aboard another shuttle the next day. The sad partabout coming back is that you have to wait a long timebefore you get another shuttle assignment."

It would be three years before Kathryn’s nextassignment, but there was no down time.

“Being an astronaut is a full-time job. If you arenot training for your own mission, then you are supportinganother mission. There are lots of ground jobs to do, such asworking with mission control, participating in tests, and

working in the simulator. So basically you stay in training allthe time.”

This second assignment came in May 1992 on themaiden flight of the new Space Shuttle Endeavour duringwhich time the crew completed a record four EVAs (extravehicular activity) to repair and deploy the InternationalTelecommunications Satellite (INTELSAT) and during themission, Kathryn completed her first spacewalk.

"When you climb into the suit you immediately addan extra 350 pounds to your body weight and it restricts

your ability to control it somewhat,but after you have been out there awhile, your body begins to adjust."

Kathryn's first spacewalk tookseven hours and 45 minutes to com-plete.

"It goes by in a heartbeat becauseyou have so much to do and you aremoving so slowly. You have one bag ofwater inside that you can tip your headto get to and you have something sortof like a Fruit Roll-Up, but you don'treally have time to think about gettinghungry or thirsty."

Shortly after returning from hersecond mission, Kathryn was assignedas a mission specialist EVA crew mem-ber on the Endeavour to repair andservice the Hubble Space Telescope.

The crew’s mission was to installcorrective optics into the world’s firstspace-based optical telescope, andAmerica and the media were watchingand waiting to find out if the astro-nauts were successful in repairing theimpressive telescope. After a record fivespacewalks, the crew successfullyreturned the telescope to full capacity.

In October of 1995, Kathryn madeher fourth and final space flight aboardthe Space Shuttle Columbia as the pay-load commander of the second UnitedStates Microgravity LaboratoryMission.

In 1996, after making a graduationspeech at the University of Virginia,

she was asked by the university to return to campus.Kathryn decided to join the faculty and today serves as theAssociate Dean of Graduate Programs for the School ofEngineering and Applied Sciences.

Between her job and her family, Kathryn doesn’thave much free time, but when she is able to sneak away fora minute, she enjoys a quick flight.

“I have my pilot’s license so I like to go out some-times and just defy gravity,” she smiles.

Photos courtesy of Kathryn Thornton and NASA

Journey 2006 21

By Martha Barker

Pictured above are members, guests and friends of COSAM’s Advisory Council. First row: Hank Hartsfield, Dan Philen, Phil Bailey,Herb Martin, Bill Johnston and Linda Stone. Second row: Rita Patton, Dave Worley, Marie Wooten, Chuck Savrda and JohnBullington. Third row: Scott Harvey, Danny Royal, Andy Morris, Rosemary Greaves, John Trawick, Roger Cox and Michelle Burgess.Fourth row: John Johnson, Lani Kaiser, Michele Humphrey, Harold Zallen and Wallace Smith. Back row (from left of stairs): MikeBangham, Kathryn Thornton, Larry Wit, Jim Ott, Jim Baird, Dean Stewart Schneller, Ed Wampold, Joe Perez, Ralph Jordan andPaul DePriest.

The Society of Women in Sciences and Mathematics iscommitted to mentoring the next generation of womenwho will begin their careers in sciences and mathematics.The Society will host a symposium on Aug. 25, 2006 withspecial guest speaker Rossanne Philen.

Society ofHealth Professionals

The AU Society of Health Professionals is open to allPre-Health alumni and friends. All contributions willbe used to fund endowed scholarships, professorshipsand program enhancements in the College of Sciencesand Mathematics.

Introducing Two New COSAM Organizations

Society ofWomen in Sciences and Mathematics

ADVISORY COUNCILADVISORY COUNCIL

22 Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics