While methods exist for detecting enriched uranium where it should not be, Dr. Jonathan Merten hopes to develop a technique that gives reliable results virtually on the spot. Merten, assistant professor of chemistry, is working on a contract with the Defense Threat Reduction Agency of the Office of Naval Research. His goal is a laser-based method for measuring uranium enrichment levels in microscopic samples in less than a second. Read more in the news release.

Laveta Wills-Hale, Childhood Services, has joined the board of directors of Arkansas STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) Coalition, which involves representatives of higher education, business and industry. At Childhood Services, Wills-Hale focuses on out-of-school-time projects, including the Arkansas Out of School Network, and facilitates training such as the STEM Design Academies. These events provide problem-solving activities designed to boost children's STEM aptitude.

A number of A-State staff members were honored today at the annual Distinguished Performance Awards and Service Recognition ceremony. In case you missed it, the award winners, retirees and service milestone recipients were listed in last week's edition of Inside A-State.

With Inside A-State continuing to publish weekly during the summer, we continue to welcome and encourage your ideas, tips and suggestions for content. Take a moment to let us know about your colleagues' professional achievements. Help us know about those with whom you serve.

Rebecca Spicer, procurement manager in Procurement and Travel Services, has been named "Buyer of the Year" by the Arkansas Chapter of NIGP, a not-for-profit institute for public procurement professionals. This award is based on her significant contributions to the purchasing profession and the Arkansas chapter. Spicer has served on numerous ARNIGP committees and is currently serving as membership and registration committee chair.

Dr. Stefanie Snider, instructor in art history, spoke at "Doing the Body in the 21st Century," a conference conducted by the gender, sexuality and women's studies program at the University of Pittsburgh. In her presentation, "On the Limitations of the Rhetoric of Beauty: Embracing Ugliness in Fat Visual Representations," she said exploring visual representations of fat bodies might lead to a broader set of ideas for establishing equality and social justice.