Arkansas Achievers

• Really tiny things are a big deal to Jin-Woo Kim. For his work in nanotechnology, he has been named the 2019 Arkansas Biosciences Institute Established Investigator of the Year. Kim, a professor of biological and agricultural engineering for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture and the University of Arkansas College of Engineering, has spent years developing methods for turning nanoparticles into practical tools for medical, agricultural and manufacturing uses. Nanoparticles are between 1 and 100 nanometers long, a nanometer being equal to 1 billionth of a meter.

• The Arkansas Educational Television Network has announced that Kristen Valley of Boone Park Elementary School in North Little Rock has been selected for the PBS KIDS Early Learning Champions program. Established in 2018, the program recognizes committed educators who work with young children, from infants to second graders, and offers a variety of community building, leadership and professional learning opportunities provided by AETN and PBS KIDS. Valley has taught prekindergarten for 15 years and is the parent engagement professional for Boone Park Elementary School. She was selected for her dedication to working with children and families, as well as her energy, curiosity and creativity. "Being a Pre-K teacher, PBS gave our children and families a means to quality education," Valley said. "Our school is 100% under the poverty line, and they do not have cable television. "PBS has had an enormous impact on our Arkansas children and families."

Meaghan Milliorn, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock's manager of social media and web communications, received the Red Stapler award during the HighEdWeb 2019 Conference on Oct. 13-16 in Milwaukee. Milliorn received the award for giving the best of track presentation in the "Supporting Our Students" track. Milliorn's presentation, "Amplify Your Academics: How We're Creating a Win-Win Solution in a Decentralized Web Structure," focused on the creation and launch of the university's new marketing-focused academics website.

• Four alumni of Arkansas State University's ROTC program will be inducted into the Hall of Heroes on Saturday and recognized at halftime of ASU's football game with Coastal Carolina. The inductees are Brig. Gen. Bradley J. Cox of Jacksonville, Brig. Gen. Kevin L. Vines of Sherwood, 1st Lt. Charles B. Hinson of Jonesboro (deceased) and Lt. Commander Peter C. Carrothers of Sugar Land, Texas.

• The following people have been initiated into The Honor Society of Phi Kappa Phi, the nation's oldest and most selective collegiate honor society for all academic disciplines: Bridget Betts of Little Rock at the University of Mississippi, Sarah Ware of Little Rock at the University of Mississippi and Anna Garner of Little Rock at the University of Mississippi. They are among about 30,000 students, alumni, and faculty and professional staff members to be initiated into Phi Kappa Phi each year. Membership is by invitation only and requires nomination and approval by a chapter. Only the top 10% of seniors and 7.5% of juniors are eligible for membership. Graduate students in the top 10% of the number of candidates for graduate degrees may also qualify, as do alumni, who have achieved scholarly distinction; and faculty and professional staff members.

• University of Arkansas at Little Rock systems engineering major Abbas Al-Wahhamy of Little Rock gained valuable leadership skills at the Student Vice President Leadership Summit of Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society in Charlotte, N.C. The July 2019 summit was open to current Phi Kappa Phi student vice presidents of their respective schools who were recommended by their local chapters. The summit offered opportunities to engage in fun and interactive activities geared toward leadership development. Al-Wahhamy has been a member of Phi Kappa Phi since 2017 and said he felt humbled to attend this year's summit. "I am very pleased that I was able to represent the University of Arkansas at Little Rock at the Phi Kappa Phi Honor Society Student Vice President Leadership Summit," he said. "The entire summit was very organized and ran efficiently due to the entire staff that displayed a great sense of customer service and hospitality to all the attendees." At the summit, Al-Wahhamy learned how to advertise for his chapter on campus, how to use resources, operate social media and problem-solving skills.

• Student volunteers at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock helped clean up Coleman Creek on Oct. 23 in honor of Sustainability Day. The volunteers included Seth Cook, Eireona Flowers, Jerrica Gipson, Caleb Head, Makira Hines, Kevin Jones-Benjamin, Willie LeBlanc, Cecily Mobley, DeShawn Parks, and Kameron Wayne. Cook, a biology graduate student and graduate assistant with the Emerging Analytics Center, organized the creek cleanup days after interning with the Sustainability Committee. Coleman Creek empties into Fourche Creek and is considered the most important urban watershed in Arkansas because the watershed drains and filters runoff from Arkansas's capital city.

Arkansas Achievers is an opportunity to give recognition to Arkansans for their achievements.

Civilian and military achievements are accepted.

Please follow these guidelines:

Achiever(s):

1) Must be an Arkansan or have graduated from a school in Arkansas.

2) Received an award, scholarship, medal or promotion.

Pageants, deans' lists, graduations or military enlistments are not accepted.

No photographs please.

To submit an Achiever email us at [email protected] with the words "Arkansas Achievers" in the subject line.

Metro on 11/10/2019

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