Warhawk Weekly 4-29: Honors Day spotlights scholars; Stone to speak at commencement
AUM Honors Day spotlights top scholars
Each spring, AUM hosts Honors Day to recognize students whose extraordinary academic achievements, diverse backgrounds, and contributions both in and out of the classroom set them apart as the university’s most outstanding scholars.
On Friday, April 25, AUM honored five Chancellor’s Scholars for the 2024-2025 academic year during the university’s Honors Day celebration. The highest honor bestowed by the university is awarded to one outstanding student from each of AUM’s colleges, with the recipients revealed at the event.
AUM’s 2024-2025 Chancellor’s Scholars are Nathan Jordan (College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences), Alan Gamper (College of Business), Whitley Watwood (College of Education), Alejandra Palacios-Castaneda (College of Nursing & Health Sciences), and Aditya Singh (College of Sciences).
“It was very surprising to be named a Chancellor’s Scholar,” said Watwood, who will graduate in May. “It’s truly an honor to not only represent special education but the entire College of Education.”
Watwood, a soccer player and special education major, was also named both a “Top Graduating Senior” Scholar-Athlete and the College of Education’s “Outstanding Student.”
Several scholars expressed surprise and gratitude for receiving the university’s top student honor in addition to other awards from their colleges.
A student at AUM since 2020, Palacios-Castaneda was excited to share the news with her family in attendance at the ceremony. She was also named “Outstanding Student” in the College of Nursing & Health Sciences’ Department of Medical and Clinical Laboratory Sciences.
“I wasn’t expecting to be recognized, but I’m excited that my family, who has been supporting me through everything, can now see how hard I’ve been working,” she said.
AUM to welcome Stone as commencement speaker
A local civic leader, educational advocate and AUM alum will address Spring 2025 graduates when the university celebrates one if its largest-ever graduating classes on Saturday, May 10, at the AUM Athletics Complex.
AUM will welcome Gordon Stone as its commencement speaker for the event. Stone has served as mayor of the Town of Pike Road since 2004 and has been executive director of the Higher Education Partnership since its formation in 1997.
Stone earned an MBA from AUM after completing a bachelor’s degree in agricultural economics and business at Auburn University, where he was a football letterman under former head coach Pat Dye.
As a mayor, Stone has guided Pike Road’s growth from 350 residents to more than 12,000, focusing on effective planning, school excellence, efficient services and quality of life initiatives. In his role with the Higher Education Partnership, Stone leads an advocacy group representing students, faculty, staff, alumni and other key stakeholders of Alabama’s 14 public four-year universities.
Get the full Commencement Schedule from the Registrar’s Office.
AUMnibus makes its return to print
AUM’s student-run newspaper, The AUMnibus, released its first print edition since April 2018 with a celebration at Goodwyn Hall on Monday.
AUM communication senior Alexis Stafford, editor and webmaster of The AUMnibus, led the production of the commemorative edition, which also served as part of her senior thesis project for the University Honors Program. Reviving the print edition had been a long-standing goal for Stafford since she became editor her junior year.
“We wanted to celebrate all of the hard work that both I and the rest of the staff writers [put into the print edition],” she said. “We also want people to celebrate the news that we have on campus. It’s important to know what’s happening on campus, and in the community in general.”
The Spring/Summer 2025 edition includes student and campus news, such as coverage of AUM’s new $36 million science and technology building and an article on volleyball player Maya Thompson, who was named to the Gulf South Conference’s First Team All-Conference. According to The AUMnibus, she is only the third player in AUM history to receive the honor.
In addition to Stafford, the AUMnibus’ student news team includes photographer Jordan White, staff writer and social media coordinator Cam Harris, staff writer Trace Espinosa, staff writer Christa Burns, and staff writer Kate Lindsey-Hunter. The publication’s faculty advisor is Katherine Irwin, a lecturer in the Department of Communication and Theatre.
About The AUMnibus
Founded in 1971, The AUMnibus is the editorially independent student newspaper of Auburn University at Montgomery. It originated as The Aardvark (1970) and briefly published under the name The Advocate (1970–71). Since its inception, the publication has chronicled AUM’s history and student life. In 2018, The AUMnibus transitioned to a fully digital format. Its mission is to serve as a training ground for student writers and reporters, a platform for student expression, and a vital democratic resource that ethically informs the AUM campus and community.
AUM enters GSC softball tournament as top seed
No. 6-ranked AUM will enter the Gulf South Conference Softball Championship as the top seed after clinching the regular season league title last Friday.
The Warhawks (34-10, 25-8 GSC) will open tournament play on Wednesday at 6 p.m. against No. 8-seeded Trevecca at Choccolocco Park in Oxford, Ala. AUM enters the conference tournament having won 10 of its last 11 games.
Student researchers follow their curiosity
For biology major John Ryan McMichael, taking a “deep dive” into research meant investigating the movements of sea creatures best studied by submarines or underwater drones.
His presentation at the recent College of Sciences Student Research Symposium on the “arm swimming” biomechanics of octopi underscores the sort of opportunities AUM undergraduates have to pursue their curiosity. At many large four-year universities, students only begin to engage in poster presentations or pursue inquiries that can lead to publications at the graduate level.
“It really is about the [research] process,” McMichael said. “The symposium is the final step where you can bring it to your community and discuss it.”
Check out photo galleries from the recent College of Sciences Symposium and the Experiential Education & Engagement Center’s Celebration of Research and Creative Activity.
Summer camps offer blend of science and art
Need a summer outlet for your son or daughter? AUM’s summer camp offerings for middle school and high school learners offer a blend of scientific inquiry and artistic creativity.
Camps include a free STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics) Camp for local middle school students and other opportunities specializing in video game storytelling and character development, digital photography, and digital illustration.
Seeing the big picture through Big Data
Make sense of the story Big Data is telling you by enrolling in our Data Analytics & Statistical Modeling certification program. It’s perfect for professionals and students who are interested in building expertise in data visualization, decision science and statistical analysis and modeling.
Space is limited for this 8-week program offered by AUM Continuing Education. Early bird registration is open until May 2.
Don’t miss out on campus events
There’s an easy way to keep up with all of the fun events offered on our campus. Enroll in AUM365 and get the 4-1-1 from Curtiss The Warhawk himself. Text curti$$ to 334-398-6025 to receive reminders about upcoming happening.
