University of Arkansas at Little Rock

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock's George W. Donaghey College of Engineering and Information Technology recently held its annual awards ceremony on May 3, where college students were recognized for their achievements over the 2018-19 academic year.

Two baseball players from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock have been selected for the Major League Baseball Draft. Junior pitchers McKinley Moore and Chandler Fidel heard their names called on day three of the draft. Moore was selected in the 14th round (pick 410) by the Chicago White Sox, while Fidel was selected in the 23rd round (pick 700) by the Cleveland Indians.

A team of University of Arkansas at Little Rock students brought home first place in the Sustainability Competition at the American Society of Civil Engineers Deep South Student Conference for their design and build of a sustainable doghouse. The winning team consisted of Kassandra Castrillo, an environmental engineering major, Parker Little, architectural and construction engineering major, and civil and construction engineering students William Littlejohn, Isaac Martinez, and Garrett Wallace. "The design team from UA Little Rock chose bamboo as the primary material for the doghouse because it is fast-growing, strong, lightweight, resistant to bacteria, and water-repellent," said Dr. Nick Jovanovic, faculty advisor to UA Little Rock's team. "They also designed and built prefabricated panels that fit together with built-in pegs and slots to minimize the number of bolted connections and reduce construction time without sacrificing structural strength and stability."

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock Sustainability Committee has awarded nearly $7,000 to five projects proposed by UA Little Rock students with the goal of making the campus more sustainable and environmentally friendly.

A group of 13 graduating students from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Department of Construction Management and Civil and Construction Engineering faced a unique problem for their senior design project. Split into three teams, each was given the same set of architectural plans for an identical, two-story building. Yet, each building will serve a different purpose in a different city across the U.S. Tasked with completing a structural systems design, construction cost estimate, and construction schedule for a one-year timeline, each group faced vastly different challenges in the design of their building.

In 2016, Kaiden O'Suilleabhain's life was on track. He had just graduated from the University of Arkansas-Pulaski Technical College and was about to start school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock as an engineering major. His life soon took an unexpected turn he wasn't sure he would ever overcome. "I had sudden cardiac arrest and suffered a brain injury. I was actually in a coma the first day that classes started," O'Suilleabhain said. The year and a half that followed his injury would prove to be an intense journey through an extended hospitalization, rehabilitation, recovery, and setbacks, but O'Suilleabhain fought hard to get his life back and started at UA Little Rock in fall 2017. All his hard work paid off, and he recently graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in professional and technical writing at the Jack Stephens Center

At age 15, Vickie Austin left high school in Wynne, Arkansas, after becoming pregnant with her first child, though she always intended to finish her education. Fast forward 41 years, and Austin, 61, recently graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock with a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology and a minor in psychology and a strong desire to help others. In the fall, she will begin a master's degree program in rehabilitation counseling at Arkansas State University in Jonesboro, but Austin doesn't intend to wait until she finishes her master's degree to start helping others.

Though she was considering several post-graduation options, the clear winner for Resendiz is a full scholarship from the Global Markets, Local Creatives program from the European Union, which will allow her to earn two master's degrees while studying at three different universities in Europe. Resendiz was one of only 22 scholarship recipients from more than 975 applications. The scholarship covers tuition, fees, and healthcare and comes with a living and travel stipend. In the fall, Resendiz will move to Scotland to spend her first semester at the University of Glasgow. She will study at the University of Barcelona during the second semester and finish out her second year at the University of Gottingen in Germany. At the end of her program, Resendiz will have master's degrees in global markets and economic development. "This was the most interesting way for me to do a master's degree program and live abroad," Resendiz said. "I want to live and work abroad for a few years before coming back to the U.S. Eventually, I want to work for the United Nations in economic development and international relations or an organization that has a social cause behind it like Winrock International or Heifer International."

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate got the surprise of a lifetime when her family from California flew all night to surprise her on graduation day. Vivian Littrell's May 11 graduation from UA Little Rock with a bachelor's degree in criminal justice was already a special event, since the 71-year-old grandmother of four and mother of two from Little Rock was finishing her lifelong goal of earning a college degree. "I decided that I wanted to complete my bachelor's degree before my youngest grandchildren were out of high school," she said. "I've been out of college since 1984, when I last attended Philander Smith College. I wanted to major in adult education with a minor in psychology. That was my objective back then, but now many years later, I have a different agenda."

A well-known associate dean at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock said he is looking forward to helping the "most important people on campus" after completing his college education. Richard Harper II, associate dean of students, graduated May 11 with a Doctor of Education in higher education administration. He wears many hats on campus, serving as the immediate past president of Staff Senate and the advisor to the Student Government Association. "Now that graduation is over, I plan to continually live by my professional motto," he said. "I'm here to positively impact the lives of students. The other motto I live by is that students are the most important people on campus. Without them, there would be no purpose for us to be here. I will continue to advocate for students and make sure our services are high quality and continue to be an asset for higher education."

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate will soon be sharing his knowledge of the criminal justice system with students on the west coast. Dr. Marc Glidden, visiting assistant professor of criminal justice, graduated May 11 with a Ph.D. in criminal justice and a tenure-track assistant professor position at California State University, Northridge. "Criminal justice is such a developing field," Glidden said. "Since it is such a new field of study, there will always be topics to be curious about."

Helgestad graduated from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock on May 11 with a Bachelor of Science degree in biology and is well on her way to becoming a dentist. She already works as a registered dental assistant with Dr. Kathleen Good Ederle in Little Rock and is applying to dental schools this month. "I like dentistry because I enjoy doing art and being creative, but I also enjoy business. Combining these areas together is what general dentistry is like," she said. "Working as a dental assistant, I see how happy people get even with just a little cosmetic work to their teeth."

The Top Paper award recognizes the highest class grade for the semester at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law.

The Top Paper award recognizes the highest class grade for the fall 2018 semester at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

The Top Paper award recognizes the highest class grade for the summer 2018 semester at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Bowen School of Law.

The University of Arkansas at Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law announces its spring 2019 graduates.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate has honored his family's legacy by devoting his graduate research to uncovering the history of the Arkansas Highway Police. Cody Besett, 27, of Rogers, graduated May 11 with a Master of Arts in public history with an emphasis in archives and digital collections. Since his father and grandfather were both officers with the Arkansas Highway Police, he was inspired to write his thesis about the state law enforcement agency.

Juliann Fiallos, a junior geology/biology double major from Ansonia, Connecticut, spent several months this spring examining the levels and impact of microplastics in the Fourche Creek wetlands. Microplastics are microscopic pieces of plastic that are released into the environment as plastic products slowly begin to break down.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock junior distance runner Hunter Paul has been named to the CoSIDA Google Cloud first team Academic All-District for the 2018-19 track and field/cross country seasons.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock graduate has created a computer program that can identify emotions on a person's face in real time. Suzan Anwar, of Little Rock, graduated May 11 from UA Little Rock with a Ph.D. in computer and information science. In August, she will begin a new position as an assistant professor of computer science at Philander Smith College, where she has taught robotics courses for the past year. Anwar and her dissertation advisor, Dr. Mariofanna Milanova, professor of computer science, created a face analysis package that uses face and eye detection and eye tracking software to recognize emotions like happiness, sadness, anger, disgust, fear, and surprise. The second part of the system can track the position of a person's head and what their eyes are looking at when they feel a specific emotion. The software has the potential for a variety of real-world applications.

Riley Pittman, a senior at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, has received First Team All-Sun Belt honors for his outstanding performance during the 2019 baseball season.

Chandler Fidel has received First Team All-Sun Belt honors for his outstanding performance during the 2019 season.

Aaron Ramos, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, was named a second team selection for the All-Sun Belt Conference for the 2018-19 men's golf season.

A University of Arkansas at Little Rock senior who graduated with three bachelor's degrees has been accepted to medical school and is on her way to fulfilling her dream of becoming a doctor. Erica Olson, of Gassville, Arkansas, graduated from UA Little Rock on May 11 with bachelor's degrees in biology, chemistry, and Spanish. The budding doctor, who received a $7,500 Class of 1954 Scholarship from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, will begin taking classes at UAMS in the fall with plans to become a family physician. "It has been my dream for almost a decade that I would like to become a family physician," Olson said. "Everyone is excited about specializing in surgical processes, but for me, I like the appeal of growing with the patients. I like the consistency of establishing bonds and being able to work with people throughout their life and their children's lives. I'm open to looking at other specialties in medical school, but I think that is where my heart lies."

Justin Warren, a recent graduate of UA LIttle Rock, was named a first team selection for the All-Sun Belt Conference for the 2018-19 men's golf season. Warren closed his final season in Little Rock taking his place as one of the top golfers in program history. He finished the 2018-19 season with a 71.41 scoring average - the lowest ever by a Trojan and ranking fourth in the Sun Belt Conference. Warren finished at par-or-better in 21 of his 32 rounds this season with five top-10 finishes, including setting the program record for lowest round (64) and lowest 54-hole tournament total (11-under 202). For his career, Warren competed in 22 events over two seasons for Little Rock with a 72.86 scoring average, ranking second all-time for career average. Nearly half of his 65 career rounds were at par-or-better, accomplishing the feat 32 times, with six top-10 individual finishes. The Picton, Australia native will now begin his professional career after qualifying for the PGA Autralasia Tour earlier this year.

Four UA Little Rock students were inducted into Sigma Lambda Chi, the international honor society for construction in a ceremony on May 10. The students inducted were Gozde Gursoy, Erica James, Donna Mantione, and Honorary Inductee Larry Blackmon. Sigma Lambda Chi was established in 1949 and is comprised of 67 chapters across the United States and Australia. UA Little Rock's chapter of Sigma Lambda Chi was founded in 1999 by Michael Tramel, who serves as its faculty advisor. It has received a "gold" rating since 2017 due to the hard work and dedication of its members. Inductees will receive a stole and cord for their graduation regalia.

Chandler Fidel received Sun Belt Pitcher of the Week honors for his outstanding performance in Friday night's game one win over Texas State, announced Tuesday by league officials. This is the first time the junior has received this honor in his career. Fidel was masterful in his 13th start of the season, throwing 124 pitches in nine innings of work, allowing just three runs and six hits on the night. The Garland, Texas native fanned 12 hitters, which tied a career high. Fidel leads the conference in innings pitched with 86.1 on the year and ranks third in total strikeouts with 88. The ace has held opposing hitters to a .237 average this season, which is seventh in the conference. Little Rock gets back to action tonight when they take on Central Arkansas in the final contest of the Governor's I-40 Showdown. First pitched scheduled for 6 p.m. at Dickey-Stephens Park.

University of Arkansas at Little Rock volleyball player Taylor Lindberg's career will continue professionally as the setter has signed a professional contract with club Liigaploki of the Finland Volleyball League. "I'm very excited to be able to continue my volleyball career and follow in my father's footsteps in playing professionally over in Europe," Lindberg said. "I would like to say thanks to all my teammates, coaches, friends, and family for the support over the years. This is a new beginning for me, and I am thankful for coach Lodi and Liigaploki for giving me this opportunity." Linderg closed her Little Rock career by rewriting the Trojan record books as a four-year starter for head coach Van Compton. Lindberg finished with 3,065 career assists, ranking second all-time, becoming the second player in program history to surpass 3,000 assists. Playing in 113 matches, Lindberg also tallied 414 kills, 698 digs, and 241 blocks with 73 service aces. Lindberg's 2018 season was one of the top in program history as she became the first Trojan to surpass 200 kills, 700 assists, and 200 digs in a season, finishing with 218, 799, and 251, respectively. Playing every serve of the season, Lindberg registered three triple doubles on the year, finishing in the top-10 nationally, helping lead Little Rock to the sixth postseason appearance in program history.

Little Rock swimming senior Ann Kharlamova has been named the winner of the 2019 Kevin A. Crass Heart of a Trojan award. The honor was announced at the Trojans' Senior Honors Luncheon on May 7. The award, which began in 2017, is given annually to a Little Rock student-athlete based on athletic performance, community service, leadership and dedication to their team. Kharlamova is the third winner of the award, joining Cory Malcom (baseball - 2017) and Fali Garuba (soccer - 2018). "We are incredibly pleased to recognize Anna as this year's Kevin A. Crass Heart of a Trojan Award winner as she embodies Kevin's example of what it means to be a member of Little Rock's Team," said Vice Chancellor and Director of Athletics Chasse Conque. "Her leadership ability and performance for our swimming program over the last four years has been remarkable, coupled with her community service endeavors and efforts to be an ambassador of Little Rock Athletics exemplifies what this award stands for."

University of Arkansas at Little Rock senior baseball player Riley Pittman was named to the CoSIDA Google Cloud Academic All-District First-Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America. The North Richland Hills, Texas native is a marketing major and currently holds a 3.74 GPA. He is the second Trojan to receive the recognition under the tenure of Head Coach Chris Curry, the last being Hunter Owens in 2017. Pittman recently broke Little Rock's all-time record for career home runs, currently sitting at 25 for his career. The senior is hitting .331 with a team-high 12 home runs, 47 RBI, and 105 total bases on the season.