Education

Press Room: UAB student selected for prestigious national fellowship

The Birmingham Times — andra Cutts, a University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Engineering doctoral candidate, has been selected as one of 60 students to be a 2019 John A. Knauss Marine Policy fellow.

Published

5 years ago

February 16, 2019

Oakland Post

By Yvonne Taunton

After a week of interviews in legislative offices on Capitol Hill, Sandra Cutts, a University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Engineering doctoral candidate, has been selected as one of 60 students to be a 2019 John A. Knauss Marine Policy fellow.

Cutts is also one of only 14 of those students selected for a post in a legislative office for a one-year period. Cutts’ one-year fellowship in the highly competitive program begins this month in Mississippi’s U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s office in Washington, D.C. There, Cutts will gain a unique educational and professional experience in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, and in the national policy decisions affecting those valuable water resources.

“Initially, I was funding my own graduate education here at UAB; but my adviser, Dr. Robert Peters, frequently notified his graduate students concerning funding, educational and personal growth opportunities,” Cutts said. “I received this fellowship opportunity from Dr. Peters, applied for the competitive NOAA Sea Grant and was selected to receive a one-year position as a Legislative Knauss fellow. I am excited to be part of the program and work in Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith’s office to address issues in the Southern region and problems impacting the nation.”

The nationally recognized fellowship requires candidates to provide credentials and address questions related to the interest and desires to mitigate the damage to the Earth, particularly the environment and oceans.

“Sandra has had a keen interest and awareness in environmental public policy, so the Sea Grant Knauss fellowship provides her with an excellent opportunity to be involved with congressional policies and activities, which should be an asset to her professional growth and development,” said Robert Peters, Ph.D., professor of environmental engineering for UAB’s Department of Civil, Construction and Environmental Engineering.

As a doctoral student in environmental engineering, Cutts has studied properties that face redevelopment or reuse issues because they contain — or are perceived to contain — pollutants or contaminants. She is looking at redeveloped sites for trends and characteristics that could ultimately encourage stakeholder investment in cleaning up these sites, known as brownfields.

In addition to her coursework, she has been an intern with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, General Services Administration, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Energy’s Savannah River site. Cutts also performed environmental research in Africa, where she investigated the use of solar panels in Saharan areas.

Cutts says she has taken full advantage of graduate programs available at UAB, some of which she says helped her during the Knauss Grant application and interview process.

Lori McMahon, Ph.D., dean of the UAB Graduate School, encouraged Cutts to participate in UAB’s Three Minute Thesis competition. It gave Cutts an opportunity to refine her research topic — redeveloping former contaminated or perceived contaminated properties known as brownfields — and articulate scientific concepts concisely so they could be understandable to the general public and relatable to municipalities across the United States.

The relevance and importance of Cutts, environmental and human health research — and its potential societal impact — made her interviewers excited and, ultimately, solidified her selection.

Gaining policy insight

Working as a legislative fellow will provide Cutts with policy insight. Involvement in this process will give her the opportunity to shape the direction and type of research that would ultimately assist national policy and address and resolve constituent concerns.

“Her involvement will benefit both Mississippi and Alabama, under the coordination of the Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium, which selected Sandra as its Knauss Marine Policy fellow,” Peters said.

“She will also benefit from this experience on her dissertation activities. The primary objective of her dissertation research is to investigate the likelihood of brownfield redevelopments in the United States and the factors influencing successful redevelopment, such as previous land use, current land use, type of contaminant and remediation activity. Then she will determine the likelihood of a successful brownfield redevelopment using statistical analyses.”

Hyde-Smith says she is excited to have Cutts on her staff.

“Sandra will have an opportunity to provide input in legislative and policy matters related to preserving Mississippi’s abundant natural resources,” Hyde-Smith said.

Cutts hopes to learn how policy and science intersect, the procedures and implementation of environmental legislation, and how scientific research can have an impact on policy.

The Mississippi-Alabama Sea Grant Consortium endorsed Cutts’ application, and she was the only applicant in Alabama or Mississippi to be selected as a fellow.

The Fellowship is named after John A. Knauss, one of the National Sea Grant’s founders and former NOAA administrator. The fellowship matches highly qualified graduate students with hosts in the legislative and executive branch of government in Washington, D.C. The National Sea Grant College Program has administered the fellowship program since 1979 and has since placed more than 1,200 early-career professionals in government offices and agencies in Washington, D.C., to work as science advisers.

This article originally appeared in The Birmingham Times.

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Activism

S.F. Black Leaders Rally to Protest, Discuss ‘Epidemic’ of Racial Slurs Against Black Students in SF Public School System

Parents at the meeting spoke of their children as no longer feeling safe in school because of bullying and discrimination. Parents also said that reported incidents such as racial slurs and intimidation are not dealt with to their satisfaction and feel ignored.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church. Photo courtesy Third Baptist Church.

By Carla Thomas

San Francisco’s Third Baptist Church hosted a rally and meeting Sunday to discuss hatred toward African American students of the San Francisco Unified School District (SFUSD).

Rev. Amos C. Brown, president of the San Francisco NAACP and pastor of Third Baptist Church, along with leadership from local civil rights groups, the city’s faith-based community and Black community leadership convened at the church.

“There has been an epidemic of racial slurs and mistreatment of Black children in our public schools in the city,” said Brown. “This will not be tolerated.”

According to civil rights advocate Mattie Scott, students from elementary to high school have reported an extraordinary amount of racial slurs directed at them.

“There is a surge of overt racism in the schools, and our children should not be subjected to this,” said Scott. “Students are in school to learn, develop, and grow, not be hated on,” said Scott. “The parents of the children feel they have not received the support necessary to protect their children.”

Attendees were briefed last Friday in a meeting with SFUSD Superintendent Dr. Matt Wayne.

SFUSD states that their policies protect children and they are not at liberty to publicly discuss the issues to protect the children’s privacy.

Some parents said they have removed their students from school while other parents and community leaders called on the removal of the SFUSD superintendent, the firing of certain school principals and the need for more supportive school board members.

Community advocates discussed boycotting the schools and creating Freedom Schools led by Black leaders and educators, reassuring parents that their child’s wellbeing and education are the highest priority and youth are not to be disrupted by racism or policies that don’t support them.

Virginia Marshall, chair of the San Francisco NAACP’s education committee, offered encouragement to the parents and students in attendance while also announcing an upcoming May 14 school board meeting to demand accountability over their mistreatment.

“I’m urging anyone that cares about our students to pack the May 14 school board meeting,” said Marshall.

This resource was supported in whole or in part by funding provided by the State of California, administered by the California State Library via California Black Media as part of the Stop the Hate Program. The program is supported by partnership with California Department of Social Services and the California Commission on Asian and Pacific Islander American Affairs as part of the Stop the Hate program. To report a hate incident or hate crime and get support, go to CA vs Hate.

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Community

ELITE Charter School Conducts Sit-In Protest at Vallejo City Hall After City Council Vote

ELITE Public School staff and students staged a sit-in at Vallejo City Hall on Wednesday afternoon to protest the City Council’s decision to vote against their Major Use Permit to expand into downtown. “We are deeply troubled by the turnover of the 6-1 vote, which we believe to be red-lining in 2024,” said Dr. Ramona Bishop, CEO of ELITE Public Schools.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

ELITE Sit in 1 & 2: ELITE Public School staff and students staged a sit-in at Vallejo City Hall on Wednesday afternoon to protest the City Council’s decision to vote against their Major Use Permit to expand into downtown. Photo by Magaly Muñoz.

By Magaly Muñoz

“We are deeply troubled by the turnover of the 6-1 vote, which we believe to be red-lining in 2024,” said Dr. Ramona Bishop, CEO of ELITE Public Schools. “We have followed all the requirements set forth for approval by the city and are dismayed by this sudden reversal of fortune. Our sit-in at City Hall is a testament to our unwavering commitment to justice and fairness.”

The sit-in was triggered after the Vallejo City Council members held a lengthy, special meeting on Tuesday evening to continue discussing the April 23 appeal that was made against the Planning Commission’s decision to grant ELITE a permit for expanding their charter high school into a retrofitted building in the heart of downtown.

During the deliberations, various options were presented to the Council for approving the project. These included a provisionary review period for the permit and imposing extensive conditions, such as limiting student enrollment.

The ELITE plan was to accommodate a maximum capacity of 400 students at their proposed school site, starting with an initial rollout capacity of 200 students in the first year.

Bishop rejected the suggestion by the City Council for a smaller charter capacity because the funding for the school was based on the projected number of students they would eventually seat.

During the meeting, council members complained about the lack of availability of economic impact reports that assessed the school’s potential impact on Vallejo’s downtown area.

Economic Development Director Michael Nimon sent a letter to the City Council, stating that while there was no official report, schools serve as economic generators to the surrounding areas of where they’re located.

“Schools also diversify uses and create pedestrian activity by bringing more people to downtown. Diversification of uses makes local economy more resilient by balancing residential, commercial, office, entertainment, and institutional uses,” Nimon’s letter said.

The letter also states that foot traffic is needed in an area of Vallejo that currently has minimal activity and the presence of the proposed school will likely not disturb any future developments.

Despite this, the council dismissed the letter as “merely an opinion” and not anything based on fact or concrete data.

Councilmember Peter Bregenzer, who remained silent throughout most of the seven-hour discussion, ultimately motioned for City staff to draft a resolution to approve the appeal and deny the project. The motion passed by a 4-3 vote.

About 50 students gathered on the second floor of the City Hall building where they chanted “Say it loud, say it clear, we don’t want no racists here” and “Where is the mayor? Bring him out, bring him out.”

The proposed high school has sparked intense debate, with many speculating that those opposed to the school are saying no to the expansion because the majority of the students are Black and Brown.

Retired Solano County Judge Paul Beeman and his wife, Donna, who filed the appeal against the school, have consistently denied that their opposition stems from racism or personal feelings toward anyone associated with the school.

In interviews with the Post, the Beemans seem to regard the proposed high school as a “nuisance” and an ill-advised choice for downtown development. They claim that it would be ineffective in economically revitalizing the community. However, they have provided no substantial evidence to support their opinions.

In contrast, ELITE has drawn parallels to redlining in relation to the community’s opposition to the proposed school location. Redlining refers to the discriminatory practice in which mortgage companies and other financial services systematically withhold loans and access to predominantly white neighborhoods from racial and ethnic minorities, particularly Black and African American communities.

“We’ve been fighting for this school for two years. We’re going to make our emergency, their emergency,” one student said in reference to Vallejo Mayor Robert McConnell’s previous comments about not rushing to make a decision on the school permit.

Within two hours of the start of the sit-in at City Hall, the City of Vallejo issued a statement that the building would be closed for the rest of the day because of the protest. The statement said that the loud noise from the protesters “hindered staff and visitors’ ability to conduct regular business.”

Although the mayor was not present at City Hall on Wednesday afternoon, interim City Manager Beverli Marshall addressed the ELITE group to answer several questions the students had. She explained the appeal process, how the different city officials played a role in the decision, and what the possible outcomes could be after the Council makes its final decision in a few weeks.

Students and staff were ultimately upset that they were being treated like criminals and that all their work over the last two years might be in vain since they believed that the Council had zero intention of ever granting them the permit in the first place.

The City Council is scheduled to meet for another special meeting on June 4 at 7 p.m. to continue discussing the future of ELITE Public Schools.

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Community

Salesian Coach Knew Angel Jackson Could Play in WNBA

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson. “If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said. That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Published

2 days ago

May 4, 2024

Oakland Post

Angel Jackson. Photo courtesy of Jackston State.

The Richmond Standard

Back in 2019, Salesian Girls Basketball Head Coach Stephen Pezzola made a bold prediction about one of his players, Angel Jackson.

“If she keeps putting in the work like she did for us, she could be in the WNBA,” the coach said.

That turned out to be very true. Last month, the Las Vegas Aces selected Jackson with the 36th overall pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. She is the second player from an Historically Black College or University, or HCBU, to be selected in the draft in 20 years.

Jackson’s success came as little surprise to Pezzola, who last year led the Pride to their 8th North Coast Section championship since he took over the program in 2008-2009. In 2019, Pezzola commended Jackson as “a very coachable kid” from the time she arrived at Salesian.

Tomekia Reed, her coach at Jackson State, shared similar sentiments, noting Jackson worked “very hard” to reach this moment.

“She came into our program doing great things and never looked back,” Reed told the Clarion Ledger. “She has trusted our leadership as we were able to develop her into an amazing player. I have watched her improve tremendously over the years.”

The 6’-6” Jackson played three seasons at the University of Southern California before transferring to Jackson State. She was ranked 10th in the NCAA in blocked shots and averaged 10 points per game in her final college season.

She finished her collegiate career with 1,047 points and was twice named Southwestern Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year.

As the 36th pick, Jackson was the final pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. In a television interview, Jackson said she didn’t expect to be picked, and called the moment “surreal.”

“It made me feel so appreciative that HBCU is getting back on the map again,” she said.

All she could do in that moment was cry.

“I called my mom immediately, and she started crying,” Jackson said. “It was the best moment you can feel as a young lady.”

There’s no stopping Jackson now. “The sky is the limit,” she said.

Her high school coach agrees.

“I knew that Angel could do it,” Coach Pezzola told the Richmond Standard this week. “We are so proud of Angel and what she has accomplished. It was an honor and joy to coach Angel at Salesian.”