Faculty Excellence
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Discussing philosophy of science with Marshall Abrams
Marshall Abrams, Ph.D., associate professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Philosophy, teaches about and conducts research on philosophy of science. The College of Arts and Sciences recently sat down with Abrams to discuss philosophy of science, his courses, and his 2023 book titled Evolution and the Machinery of Chance: Philosophy, Probability, and Scientific Practice in Biology.
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Ward to serve as new chair of the Department of History
Walter Ward, Ph.D., will serve as the next chair of the Department of History in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences.
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2024 winners of the College of Arts and Sciences Dean's Award for Excellence in Teaching
The Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes full-time, regular faculty members of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences (CAS) who have demonstrated exceptional accomplishments in teaching.
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Celebrating CAS Authors: 20 faculty members in the College of Arts and Sciences published books in 2023
Twenty faculty members across multiple departments in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences wrote or edited 23 books last year.
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Social work at UAB ranks top 20 percent nationally
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s (UAB) Department of Social Work is once again ranked among the top 20 percent of programs accredited by the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE). According to U.S. News and World Report, UAB has the No. 2 ranked social work program in the state of Alabama. Among all public universities nationwide, UAB’s Department of Social Work ranks No. 44.
Read more![Headshot of Kevin McCain](/cas/news/images/images/philosophy/kevin-mccain.jpg)
McCain to lead the Department of Philosophy
Kevin McCain, Ph.D., has been named the chair of the Department of Philosophy in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences.
Read more![Photo of Department of Social Work faculty smiling during a presentation](/cas/news/images/images/socialwork/Master-of-social-work-program/Medical_SocialWork_preview.png)
Clinical/Medical Master of Social Work program utilizes ‘the vast resource that is UAB’
“There are about 330 accredited Master of Social Work programs around the country, and in some fundamental ways we’re similar to all of them. What sets us apart is that unique clinical/medical focus,” said program director Colleen Fisher, Ph.D., MSW.
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Remembering Ada Long’s legacy
Having received the permission of immediate family, I wanted to announce the sad news of the passing of the founding Director of the University Honors Program and Professor of English Emerita, Ada Long.
Read more![Environmental photo of filmmaker Tara Marie King](/cas/news/images/images/africanamericanstudies/Cary-Estes-article/T.Marie_King_article_preview.png)
Popular culture makes for popular classes within the African American Studies program
The African American Studies program in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences includes courses examining the lasting impact of music, movies, and television, from depictions of racial stereotypes to expressions of cultural pride. Here is a look at a few of the courses being offered within the program:
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Medical sociology program gives students an expansive approach to health care
In the world of medicine, treating the body and treating the person can be two distinctly different things. The medical sociology program in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Sociology is a way to bridge that gap.
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College of Arts and Sciences hosts retreat on artificial intelligence
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s College of Arts and Sciences hosted a half-day research retreat focused on artificial intelligence at the UAB Alumni House.
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Department of Art and Art History enters a new era in the 501 Building
For nearly 50 years, many faculty members and students in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Art and Art History have called the Humanities Building home.
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Wagner connects students with clients in capstone course
![Headshot of Tricia Phillips, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Mathematics](/cas/news/images/images/math/Phillips/Phillips_profile_preview.png)
Phillips brings creativity to Department of Mathematics
Sometimes, when planning a future career, people need a mentor or a friend to give them a thoughtful nudge or an encouraging word to pursue their dreams and true interests. For Tricia Phillips, Ph.D., assistant professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Mathematics, it was an advanced placement (AP) calculus teacher who told her she could become a college-level mathematics instructor despite her doubts.
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Kana named associate dean for the College of Arts and Sciences
![Dr. Carl McFarland (standing) with Dr. Tennant McWilliams (seated) at a reception. Photo courtesy of Dr. McFarland.](/cas/news/images/Tennant-McWilliams-seated.png#joomlaImage://local-images/Tennant-McWilliams-seated.png)
Remembering Tennant McWilliams, celebrated historian and former dean
Tennant Schultz McWilliams, Ph.D., former dean of the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s School of Social and Behavioral Sciences and celebrated historian, died on October 23, 2023.
Read more![Sarah H. Parcak, Ph.D., Professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Anthropology](/cas/news/images/images/anthropology/Parcak-Ireland-2023/Parcak_preview.png)
2023 recipient of the Ireland Award for Scholarly Distinction is Sarah Parcak
Sarah H. Parcak, Ph.D., Professor in the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Department of Anthropology, has been awarded the 2023 Caroline P. and Charles W. Ireland Award for Scholarly Distinction.
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Undergraduate research courses expanding in new science building
The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s Office of Service Learning and Undergraduate Research offers one-year fellowship programs to faculty that aim to “develop exemplary curricular approaches to education.” The programs include Faculty Fellows in Service Learning and Faculty Fellows in Undergraduate Research.
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Demystifying GPU
Do you ever wonder what kind of computer ChatGPT runs on? Do you know how the world’s top supercomputer was built to achieve the computing power of the human brain? Do you know much about the key technology that’s made deep learning thrive in the past 10 years?
![Verna Keith, Ph.D.](/cas/news/images/images/sociology/verna-keith-600x450.jpg)