Coridan receives researcher award
FAYETTEVILLE -- Robert Coridan, an assistant professor of chemistry and biochemistry at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, is the recipient of an early career researcher award from the U.S. Department of Energy.
Coridan, a solar energy researcher, will receive $750,000 over five years to assist his work toward improving the efficiency of photoelectrochemical materials.
He joined UA in 2015 and is one of 73 scientists to receive the federal Department of Energy honor.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy announcement, award selection was based on a review by outside scientific experts.
Supply of rooms adequate this fall
FAYETTEVILLE -- All students in campus housing had non-temporary room assignments for the first week of classes at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, a spokesman said.
The availability of rooms ended a recent streak of five years when demand exceeded the supply of rooms at the start of the fall semester.
Last fall, for example, 40 students began the year with temporary room assignments, such as in a converted study room.
But fewer students have housing contracts this semester at UA compared with last fall, said UA spokesman Christopher Spencer.
On Friday, he said the university had housing contracts with 5,413 students.
The total is down by about 318 contracts, or 6%, as compared with last fall, when there were 5,731 student contracts on the first day of fall classes.
The university also added net housing capacity for this fall when it closed two dormitories, Buchanan-Droke and Gladson-Ripley, but opened a new residence, Adohi Hall.
The new capacity in UA-run housing is 6,234 beds compared with 5,732 beds a year ago.
Freshmen under 21 are generally required to live on campus or with a parent. Preliminary enrollment totals are not available until the 11th day of classes.
Kegley president of national group
FAYETTEVILLE -- A University of Arkansas, Fayetteville professor began serving in July as president of a national animal science organization.
Beth Kegley, 56, was elected as president of the American Society of Animal Science, which has about 7,000 members, according to its website.
She will serve as president for one year.
The organization, established in 1908, supports scientific discovery, as well as the public's understanding of scientific issues related to animals and their role in food and fiber production, among other areas.
"The organization provides opportunities for the exchange of ideas and for professional development for Animal Scientists.
The society will continue to evolve and look for ways to do that," Kegley said in an email.
Kegley's research areas include the effects of cattle nutrition on disease resistance. She joined the UA faculty in 1996.
Policy changes on campus meetings
FAYETTEVILLE -- A University of Arkansas, Fayetteville policy change explicitly allows members of the campus community to hold "spontaneous and contemporaneous gatherings" without previous approval.
UA, in announcing the change, stated that it was clarifying campus policy to address a recently passed law, Act 184 of 2019, which has a stated aim of protecting expressive activities on college campuses.
The state law established new requirements for public forums at state-supported higher education institutions, defining outdoor areas of campus as public forums for campus community members.
As with the previous UA policy, nonuniversity entities not invited to campus may ask to reserve space for activities.
The revised policy establishes criteria for reviewing reservation requests from campus or noncampus entities.
The law requires such criteria to be "content- and viewpoint-neutral," and the listed UA criteria include consideration for whether the proposed activity would "materially and substantially disrupt another expressive activity" in a different reserved area.
The new policy took effect July 15.
Metro on 09/01/2019