Southern Miss News Wednesday, May 1, 2019
Welcome to the daily email for media members that includes news and notes from The University of Southern Mississippi (USM). Today's message includes a coverage opportunity regarding three USM students earning prestigious Goldwater Scholarships. No other Mississippi college or university had multiple winners this year. News releases feature a USM social work graduate student who overcome years of addiction and incarceration to reach impressive heights, USM assistant professor Kimberly Ward's election as president of the Educational Audiology Association, and a recap of Dr. Jerry Alliston's recent work in Africa through the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Disability Employment.
Media inquiries can be directed to Van Arnold at 601.266.5568 or van.arnoldFREEMississippi or David Tisdale at 601.266.4499 or d.g.tisdaleFREEMississippi.
Special Coverage Opportunity
USM Goldwater Scholarship Winners Available for Interviews
Three USM students have earned prestigious Goldwater Scholarships, marking the first time since 1995 that the University has produced this many winners in a single year. The students will be available for interviews today at 2 p.m. at the Honor House on USM's Hattiesburg campus. The Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Foundation provides scholarships to college sophomores and juniors who intend to pursue research careers in the natural sciences, mathematics and engineering. To schedule coverage, contact Van Arnold or David Tisdale.
News Releases
‘A Miracle': Social Work Student Flourishes Following Years of Addiction, Incarceration
At his lowest point as an addict, Sidney Smith would eat out of a garbage can, dreaming about moving to South America so he could cultivate his own drugs. Over a 27-year period, Smith spent more than 13 years in prison in Louisiana and Mississippi for drug-related felony convictions. He could never get clean despite at least 10 rehabilitation stints, either relapsing after graduating or getting kicked out before completing the program.
Today, though, Smith, 49, is seven years sober. He's about to become a two-time graduate of The University of Southern Mississippi's School of Social Work, has had his voting rights restored and has navigated extensive bureaucratic processes to become a state-licensed social worker and to meet security clearances to intern as a graduate student with the VA Medical Center in Biloxi, Miss. He will earn his master's degree in social work May 9.
USM's Ward Elected President of Educational Audiology Association
Dr. Kimberly Ward, assistant professor in the School of Speech and Hearing Sciences at The University of Southern Mississippi, has been elected President of the Educational Audiology Association.
http://news.usm.edu/article/usm-s-ward-elected-president-educational-audiology-association
Alliston Provides Training, Promotes Employment for People with Disabilities through Fellowship Work in Kenya
Dr. Jerry R. Alliston, associate director of The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) Institute for Disability Studies (IDS), is a respected educator and champion for young people with disabilities. He promotes their inclusion in the community and workplace in Mississippi and across the United States. Alliston recently had the opportunity to share his expertise and enthusiasm for transition to adulthood in Nairobi, Africa, through the Professional Fellows Program on Inclusive Disability Employment.
Photo/Video Opportunity
Dr. Heather Stur, an associate professor of history and fellow in The University of Southern Mississippi's (USM) Dale Center for the Study of War and Society, will deliver a lecture as the outgoing General Buford "Buff" Blount Professor in Military History today at 6 p.m. in room 101 of the Liberal Arts Building on the Hattiesburg campus. Her presentation, titled Saigon at War: South Vietnam and the Global Sixties will be drawn from her forthcoming book of the same name. She will discuss South Vietnamese political perspectives on the Vietnam War in an effort to incorporate South Vietnamese voices more fully into the Vietnam War narrative. To schedule coverage, contact David Tisdale.
Expert Availability
The University of Southern Mississippi provides a wide range of faculty experts who can offer insights on newsworthy topics. To schedule an interview, email mediaexpertsFREEMississippi. For a full list of USM media experts visit: http://news.usm.edu/resource/usm-faculty-experts-media-requests
Did You Know?
With a research focus on the Gulf of Mexico and a fleet of five vessels, The University of Southern Mississippi's School of Ocean Science and Engineering offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in marine and coastal sciences.
About The University of Southern Mississippi
The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) is a comprehensive public research institution delivering transformative programs on campuses in Hattiesburg and Long Beach, at teaching and research sites in central and southern Mississippi, as well as online. Founded in 1910, USM is one of only 130 universities in the nation to earn the Carnegie Classification of Institutions of Higher Education's "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity” designation, and its robust research enterprise includes experts in ocean science and engineering, polymer science and engineering, and sport venue safety and security, among others. USM is also one of only 40 institutions in the nation accredited in theatre, art and design, dance and music. As an economic driver, USM generates an annual economic impact of more than $600 million across the state. USM welcomes a diverse student body of approximately 15,000, representing 71 countries, all 50 states, and every county in Mississippi. USM students have collected four Truman Scholarships and 35 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, while also leading Mississippi with 21 Goldwater Scholarships, an honor that recognizes the next generation of great research scientists. Home to the Golden Eagles, USM competes in 17 Division I sports sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). For more information, visit usm.edu.