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Ceremony Celebrates Research by Alabama Law Faculty

April 18, 2018

Two members of The University of Alabama School of Law faculty were honored for their research contributions at Faculty Research Day.

As part of the celebration, Professors Jenny Carroll and Heather Elliott were recognized as recipients of the President’s Faculty Research Award during a ceremony April 17 in the Bryant Conference Center on the UA campus.

Jenny Carroll

Professor Carroll is a nationally visible scholar of juvenile justice. She also studies the role of juries in criminal cases.

“Professor Carroll argues that juries are not merely instruments for procedural fairness in criminal proceedings, but are also an expression of democracy, extending from the political sphere into the judicial,” said Dean Mark E. Brandon.

Professor Elliott is a nationally noted expert on the rules of standing–the rules that allow a plaintiff to press a civil claim for relief in a court of law. She also studies the availability and use of water in Alabama.

“As it happens, the State of Alabama presently relies on 19th-century legal regime to regulate 21st-century problems,” Brandon said. “Professor Elliott’s scholarship aims to nudge the state into the 21st century — so that we may deal effectively both with problems in the here-and-now and problems that we may reasonably expect to arise as products of changes in the earth’s climate.”

Heather Elliott

Sponsored by the offices of the President and Vice President for Research and Economic Development, the award goes to outstanding faculty researchers from across UA’s colleges and schools.

The winners are two senior and a junior investigators from each of three groupings: physical and biological sciences, mathematics and engineering; social and behavioral sciences; and arts and humanities.

The faculty-led Research Advisory Committee selected honorees from nominations across campus.

“The research and scholarship by our faculty on this campus betters our society and enhances the educational experience of our students, so it is fitting to set aside a day to honor those contributions,” said Dr. John Higginbotham, UA interim vice president for Research and Economic Development.

Faculty Research Day highlights and celebrates excellence in research and scholarship by bringing together faculty from across the campus. The event also increases awareness and generates enthusiasm for scholarship among faculty at UA as the University moves to advance its research enterprise.

In addition to remarks by UA President Stuart R. Bell and Higginbotham, Dr. Joshua Rothman, professor and chair of the history department, delivered the keynote address.

The 2017 Faculty Research Award Finalists were:

Physical and Biological Sciences, Mathematics, and Engineering

Senior Investigator:

  • Dr. Shanlin Pan, Chemistry and Biochemistry
  • Dr. Christina Staudhammer, Biological Sciences

Junior Investigator:

  • Dr. Joshua Eyer, Capstone College of Nursing
  • Dr. Asma Hatoum-Aslan, Biological Sciences

Social and Behavioral Sciences

Senior Investigator:

  • Dr. David Albright, Social Work
  • Dr. Alexander Ellinger, Marketing

Junior Investigator:

  • Dr. Peter Harms, Management
  • Dr. Amanda Ross, Economics, Finance and Legal Studies

Arts and Humanities

Senior Investigator:

  • Jenny Carroll, School of Law
  • Heather Elliott, School of Law

Junior Investigator:

  • Dr. Cindy Ann Kilgo, Educational Leadership, Policy and Technology Studies
  • Darrin Griffin, Communication Studies

The University of Alabama School of Law strives to remain neutral on issues of public policy. The Law School’s communications team may facilitate interviews or share opinions expressed by faculty, staff, students, or other individuals regarding policy matters. However, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the Law School, the University, or affiliated leadership.