George Keller of our Department of Biology and Environmental Sciences sent this message my way a few days ago.  For potential security reasons, I have removed the name of the student. 

  

"One of our graduates is completing a Master’s degree at the University of California, San Francisco studying the reasons for self-immolation among Afghani women.  They burn themselves in protest of government policies.  Our graduate learned Farsi in Tajikistan while a student at Samford, traveled to western Afghanistan for her research, and has established a foundation for the future study of self-immolation for herself and others with a goal of eliminating the practice.  She hopes to attend medical school and practice medicine among Afghanis, either permanently or through sponsored trips." 

 

 
Located in the Homewood suburb of Birmingham, Alabama, Samford is a leading Christian university offering undergraduate programs grounded in the liberal arts with an array of nationally recognized graduate and professional schools. Founded in 1841, Samford is the 87th-oldest institution of higher learning in the United States. Samford enrolls 6,324 students from 44 states, Puerto Rico and 16 countries in its 10 academic schools: arts, arts and sciences, business, divinity, education, health professions, law, nursing, pharmacy and public health. Samford fields 17 athletic teams that compete in the tradition-rich Southern Conference and ranks with the second-highest score in the nation for its 98% Graduation Success Rate among all NCAA Division I schools.