University of Arkansas

As summer approaches and the days get hotter, many people prefer to stay indoors to escape the heat. But what if you enjoy exercising or gardening outdoors? Or your job requires you to spend more time in the heat, like firefighters and construction workers? This month on Short Talks from the Hill, Rosie Perez, a Ph.D. student in the Heat and Hydration Optimization Lab at the U of A, discusses her research on tactical athletes like firefighters and police and shares what she knows about beating the heat. Perez, herself an EMT, is also conducting a study of cardiac disease in firefighters.

Fort Smith native Isabella McCoy has always been curious about how things work. Fortunately, her choice to major in data science was a good fit. "Going into data science gives me the opportunity to do work across a wide variety of fields," she says, "and the ability to analyze these fields and learn about why they are the way that they are. Now a junior, Isabella is on track to graduate in 2027 with a bachelor's in data science, with concentrations in business data analytics and social data analytics, as well as a minor in mathematics.

A total 85 Arkansas student-athletes earned their way onto the 2025 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll as part of the league's total of 1,514 student-athletes. The 2025 Fall SEC Academic Honor Roll includes the sports of cross country, football, soccer and volleyball. It is based on grades from the 2025 Spring, Summer and Fall terms.

The U of A continues its rise among the nation's elite institutions for student success, as physics and mathematics major John Samuel Sooter has been named the university's first-ever Churchill Scholar, and alumna Anna Mathis was selected as a finalist for the prestigious Marshall Scholarship. Together, the honors highlight U of A students' growing national and international impact in science, public service and leadership.

A devised theatre project that began with visits to a local bookshop has led to national-level recognition for U of A graduate students. Twelve M.F.A. theatre candidates earned Certificates of Training from the internationally acclaimed Tectonic Theater Project after presenting their original, company-devised play, Bookends.

Rosa Aldana, a student in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSDI) at the U of A, has been selected to serve as the Arkansas Student State Officer for the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association (NSSLHA).

The U of A Speech and Debate Society competed at the University of Central Arkansas' End of Hi-Bear Nation Debate Tournament. The team brought home numerous accolades, which included first place sweepstakes in all individual debate, team debate and the tournament's overall sweepstakes champion. This marks the organization's first tournament win, as well as first time sweeping every category.

Student Media leaders traveled to San Francisco, California for the Associated Collegiate Press Spring National College Media Conference, learning from industry professionals and bringing home awards across categories that recognized students' creativity and innovation. Conference sessions gave students the opportunity to learn more about reporting on key issues such as immigration, mental health and homelessness. Industry professionals provided essential insight on the post-graduate job search and how students can use social media and data visualization to improve their work.

Ten University of Arkansas students and recent graduates have been selected as semi-finalists for the prestigious Fulbright U.S. Student Program, one of the nation's most competitive and highly regarded international academic exchange programs. Both undergraduate and graduate students from a wide array of colleges and programs across the university are represented in this year's exceptional cohort of semi-finalists.

Department of Music students Avery Longing and Jack Lockhart have won 2026 International Trumpet Guild Conference scholarships as part of the Ryan Anthony Memorial Trumpet Competition. This prestigious competition required them to submit recordings that were judged by an anonymous panel. Longing performed Sonata for Trumpet and Piano by Kent Kennan, and Lockhart performed Concerto for Trumpet by Oscar Bohme.

The Journal of Food Law & Policy is proud to announce second-year U of A School of Law student Brock Conklin as its new editor-in-chief for the 2026-27 academic year. "Since the beginning of this school year, while serving as a staff editor, it has been one of my goals to be selected as the next editor-in-chief," Conklin said. "For that to come to fruition is a special honor and a surreal experience. I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to lead the Journal and hope to continue bolstering its legacy."

All musical artists need access to a marketplace, and Hill Records at the U of A is providing that connection for Arkansans. The record label, which is completely student-run, creates promotional campaigns for Arkansas artists while providing hands-on learning for students interested in the music business. In "Short Takes: On the Record," Hill Records president Abbie Petersen, director of operations Natalie Jenz and Malibu Moon singer/songwriter Blake Diaz give a behind-the-scenes look at what makes their experience with the label so unique.

What started out as a response to labor shortages in poultry processing plants during the COVID-19 pandemic has turned into a robotics system that can learn by imitating human movements to handle chickens. Using an advanced imitation learning algorithm and camera perceptions, researchers with the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station have developed ChicGrasp, a dual-jaw robotic gripper with pinchers that can grasp a chicken carcass by the legs, lift and hang it on a shackle conveyor to be moved on for further processing.

Students from the U of A presented their research and STEM Posters at the Arkansas Capitol, joining undergraduate researchers from 13 colleges and universities across the state. The annual event provides students an opportunity to discuss their work with peers, educators and elected officials while highlighting the impact of undergraduate research across Arkansas. Students from the College of Education and Health Professions, College of Engineering, the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences and the Honors College presented research on topics that included pain tolerance, wild turkey calling behavior, cardiac disease modeling and other areas of scientific study.

About 200 sorority members, alumni and supporters gathered to celebrate the groundbreaking of a new Alpha Phi chapter house at the U of A. The $25 million, 37,000-square-foot facility will be located on Sorority Row at the corner of West Maple Street and North Wilson Avenue. Construction begins this spring, with the house scheduled to open in August 2027.

Two U of A students have been named finalists for the prestigious Harry S. Truman Scholarship, the nation's premier graduate fellowship for aspiring public service leaders. Jessica Doss, a junior from Little Rock, and Muskan Taori, a junior from Bentonville, were selected as finalists from a competitive national pool of candidates recognized for their academic excellence, leadership experience and commitment to careers in public service. The Truman Scholarship provides up to $30,000 for graduate study, leadership training and special internship and fellowship opportunities within the federal government.

Dr. Daniela D'Eugenio, assistant professor of Italian, organized a two-day symposium dedicated to Medieval and Book Studies, focusing on the study of facsimiles and Giovanni Boccaccio, the renowned 14th century Italian author of the Decameron.

The College of Engineering's pipeline of aspiring engineers keeps growing. A record 746 first-year students declared their majors during Decision Day events, surpassing last year's mark of 726.

The U of A College of Engineering is proud to announce the winners of the 2025-26 Student of the Year Awards. These honors, presented by Engineering Career Connections, recognize students who have demonstrated exceptional technical skill, leadership and professional growth during their industry placements.

Senior Ashton Laurent's path to Senior Walk began in elementary school in his hometown of Pine Bluff, when he began playing the violin, then the viola, sparking his passion for sharing music. Now a senior on track to graduate with a bachelor's in music education in May 2026, he is currently interning in the Bentonville School District teaching orchestra and general music. He plans to continue his studies after graduation, and has been acceptedinto the Master of Music in Black Sacred Music program here at the U of A - the only one of its kind in the nation.

The Latino Alumni Society honored new graduates at the 2025 Winter Meritos Latinos Reception at the Janelle Y. Hembree Alumni House. Speakers at the event from LAS were Cecilia Grossberger and Carolina Vargas. Brandy Cox gave remarks from the Arkansas Alumni Association. A highlight of the reception was the presentation of graduation stoles to 12 graduating students nominated by U of A faculty and staff.

In the past year, the Hughes Fellowship has supported five physics students at the University of Arkansas. Harry O'Mara, Luis Enrique Rosas Hernandaz, Sachini Withanage, Hemanta Pradhan and James Mangum have shared what they have been able to accomplish with the support of the Hughes family in the following testimonials.

Faculty, staff and students from the University of Arkansas Department of Horticulture were recognized for strong participation and multiple student awards at the Southern Region American Society for Horticultural Science annual meeting held in Louisville, Kentucky. Department faculty and staff contributed to the conference through research presentations, session moderation and student competition leadership.

No matter where your path at the U of A takes you, the Substance Education, Assessment & Recovery program at Pat Walker Health Center encourages all Razorbacks to Stay RazorSharp. SEAR provides direct individual and group interventions to university students with alcohol, cannabis and other substance-related concerns and offers a variety of research-based prevention, early intervention and recovery support services.

Graduate students in the Department of Animal Science recently took the spotlight during the annual Dr. Paul Noland Graduate Student Award Competition, an event showcasing emerging research and recognizing excellence in graduate scholarships. Seven students presented their current work with projects spanning animal health, beef production, sustainability and innovative technology.

Mahboobeh Hemmati, a doctoral candidate in the Environmental Dynamics program, recently had her paper selected as an Editor's Choice Article in Buildings, an international peer-reviewed journal on building science, building engineering and architecture. Hemmati's paper, "Comparison of Embodied Carbon Footprint of a Mass Timber Building Structure With a Steel Equivalent," compares the amount of pollution created by the construction of a mass timber structure versus a steel-framed version of the same building. Her research concludes that mass timber significantly reduces the building's carbon footprint.

Michelle Kamanga, who began her academic career at the University of Arkansas' Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences as an undergraduate (B.A. in art history, '24), is now pursuing her master's degree in art history at the university. She was selected for the Creative Exchange Fund (CXF) at The Medium, which provides funding and free space for creatives and cultural organizers to develop and present their work across five funding categories. Kamanga's project was chosen for the Spectra Series, which supports artists in hosting group exhibitions in The Medium's Main Hall or on its outdoor campus.

When T.J. Williams talks about Northwest Arkansas, he doesn't just describe it. He can navigate it from memory. He knows where buildings sit in relation to one another, how the land slopes beneath Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art and which corners of the University of Arkansas campus catch the light at night. He knows these places so well, in fact, that he has rebuilt them, block by block, inside Minecraft.

M.J. Ferguson, a political science senior at the U of A, has been selected to participate in the 2026 Ralph Bunche Summer Institute at Duke University. The program, named for Ralph J. Bunche, encourages students to pursue careers in political science by providing scholars with opportunities to participate in writing and research workshops, develop statistical skills for data analysis and explore questions relevant to the discipline. The institute also introduces participants to leading industry professionals and scholars, educates them about career opportunities and provides assistance with finding and applying to Ph.D. programs in the field.

Recently, Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies (CLCS) M.A. student Emma Bryans presented at the Middle East Studies Association's (MESA) annual conference. But the educational journey that brought her there is a story that resonates with many of us. As part of her career readiness, Bryans picked CLCS for its interdisciplinary approach, opening doors that otherwise might be closed. "I feel like I'm actually way more diversified as a cultural studies person. Something really, really cool about the CLCS program you get so many different perspectives from so many different people from around the world. I mean, don't you wanna be well rounded?"