Community News

The Randall Research Scholars Program hosted its annual Honors Celebration recognizing the achievements of RRS students during the 2025-2026 academic year. This event honors RRS internal award and fellowship recipients, external award recipients, university award recipients, intramural teams, and the graduating senior class of 2026.

Read more: Internal Awards.

Jackson Pearce is pursuing a double major in Political Science and Legal History and an MBA through the CREATE Path to MBA program. He is passionate about leadership, formulating policy, and driving tangible change on campus through servant leadership. He just concluded his term as Speaker of the Student Government Association (SGA) First Year Council, where he led weekly meetings, introduced and deliberated legislation, and implemented policies to address student concerns, creating solutions for issues on campus in the process. He now serves on the 115th SGA Executive Cabinet as Director of Policy, where he will continue to impact his peers as the lead coordinator of policy development within SGA. As an aspiring law student, Jackson is an Associate Editor with the Capstone Journal of Law and Public Policy and a member of the Legal Research Club, where he is developing analytical and research skills. Jackson is also a passionate musician - he performs as a member of the Million Dollar Band on gamedays, while also participating in the Symphonic Band, Horn Studio, Horn Choir, and Basketball Pep Band. Additionally, he is active in the community, serving as an Altar Server and Eucharistic Minister with BamaCatholic and volunteering with organizations such as the Knights of Columbus.

Read more: Omicron Delta Kappa Outstanding Freshman.

Michael Constantine is a chemistry, chemical engineering, and French major from Tuscaloosa, AL. He is continuing work begun before his junior year of high school with Dr. Keivan Davami in the mechanical engineering department on additively manufactured tensegrity structures, a topic on which he has one submitted manuscript and two additional manuscripts in preparation. He is starting research on a second topic with Dr. Davami, graphene to diamond conversion, while also working with Dr. Malgorzata Makos in the chemistry department on the applications of machine learning to computational chemistry. He is a member of the Student Affiliates of the American Chemical Society and will be serving as President of the UA French Club for the 2026-2027 academic year. After graduation, Michael plans to pursue a PhD in chemistry.

Read more: Omicron Delta Kappa Outstanding Freshman.

Zachary Goldman is a physics major from Tampa Bay, Florida. He works with Dr. Atulya Iyengar to develop computational methods for analyzing neurogenetic markers in the fruit fly model. His previous project in the lab used multi-photon microscopy to quantify neuronal activity in seizure-sensitive genotypes. Outside of research, Zachary is the co-founder and executive director of two nonprofits (Bama Fundravers and the Tuscaloosa Premier 1000) and serves as an ambassador for the College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Undergraduate Research. He is also an avid medical volunteer and has contributed to healthcare advocacy work that supported a Florida statewide ban on the opioid-agonist 7-hydroxymitragynine. Zachary plans to apply to MD programs in the upcoming 2026-2027 cycle.

Read more: Outstanding Student Awards.