UAB Magazine Online Features
How to Train Your Dragon
Getting Inside the Head of UAB’s Mascot
By Caperton Gillett
Left to right: Shaniqua York, Blaze, Addie Phillips, and Chase Redus
IT ISN'T EASY TO DANCE WITH ABANDON while wearing a 10-pound dragon head. But for those brave souls who think they have what it takes to don the mantle of Blaze—UAB’s costumed mascot—showtime comes each spring, when UAB Spirit Groups leader David Gilliland auditions hopefuls for the coveted role of “Blaze handler”—the official name for the men and women inside the costume.
Wannabe Blazes must prepare original skits with music, dancing, and props to demonstrate their versatility, sense of humor, athleticism, and—most of all—showmanship to prove they’re dragon enough to represent UAB.
“Blaze is expected to attend every football game, every men’s and women’s home basketball game, and a few other sporting events when requested,” Gilliland says. In addition, “Blaze probably attends more special events than games,” from nonprofit fundraisers to campus spirit events to a memorable visit to the Rick and Bubba Mascot Challenge, where the dragon clocked 6.5 seconds for the 40-yard dash and a respectable third-place finish. “It is important that Blaze always represents UAB in a positive manner,” Gilliland says. But what does that entail?
Running Helps Alumna Beat Life's Challenges
The cover of Runner’s World magazine typically shows professional models or professional athletes. Jennifer Andress, a 42-year-old mother of two, is neither of those, yet the UAB alumna and runner appeared on newsstands this summer after winning the race of her life—against cancer.
Andress, a 2001 graduate of UAB’s Master of Business Administration program, is one of seven people featured on eight different versions of RW’s July issue. Each of the cover models, who include cyclist Lance Armstrong and Survivor champion Ethan Zohn, are cancer survivors as well as accomplished runners.
While Andress may not have the running credentials of the usual RW cover girl, she does have three sub four-hour marathons to her credit, including the prestigious Boston Marathon. Those races, however, are just the latest challenges to test Andress’s endurance.
Life Lessons
UAB Alumni Give Back with Teach for America
By Caperton Gillett
Teach for America matches college graduates with schools in need. The highly competitive program challenges bright students to put their careers on hold for two years while they teach at schools in 39 high-need regions across the United States. To date, eight UAB alumni have responded to this challenge, working in classrooms from New Mexico to downtown Atlanta. Four of those graduates—two who recently completed the program and two who are still serving—explain why they chose to join Teach for America, and what the experience has taught them.
Vision Quest
New Views Inside the Eye
By Tyler Greer
Fifteen years ago, Yuhua Zhang, Ph.D., was learning to design cameras, telescopes, and microscopes in his native China. Then his mother-in-law developed sudden, severe bleeding in her left eye, and his focus changed. After learning that doctors did not have the equipment to produce high-resolution images of the retina, he devoted his career to ocular imaging. Now, Zhang, a UAB assistant professor of ophthalmology, has developed a high-resolution imaging instrument that provides an unequaled view of the human eye.
“This is, to our knowledge, the fastest practical adaptive optics for the living human eye,” Zhang says. “The development of this instrument has positioned UAB at the forefront of this emerging technology—available at only five other centers worldwide.”
Adaptive optics is technology that was originally created to help high-powered telescopes see clearly through the turbulent atmosphere in deep space. Applied to vision, adaptive optics enables retinal imaging systems to compensate for the optical defects of the human eye’s cornea and lens, offering the ability to visualize living cells within the eye.
UAB’s adaptive-optics scanning-laser ophthalmoscope (AOSLO) will help ophthalmologists detect age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, and glaucoma, allowing them to treat the diseases earlier and slow their progression.
