Sibling Camaraderie
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| Nada Memon |
Mentors are not always a generation removed from their protégés. Especially not in the family of environmental engineer Dr. Bashir Memon and his wife Feroza, a Pakistani couple who came from graduate school in London to Tuscaloosa over two decades ago. In the past nine years, the Memon name has become synonymous with extraordinary achievement at The University of Alabama, thanks to a remarkable trio of siblings.
First in the family to come to the University and role model to her younger brother and sister was Nada Memon, a 1998 summa cum laude graduate. She's currently completing her internal medicine residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital in St. Louis.
Nada decided to attend the University when she became one of the 20 incoming freshmen selected in 1994 for membership in the Computer-Based Honors Program. The opportunity to conduct computer-based research appealed to her growing interest in the natural sciences.
A recipient of the CBHP Randall Undergraduate Research Award and a McWane Undergraduate Research Fellowship, Nada conducted biological research and authored and co-authored papers on "Heart Rate Vagal Tone Analysis" and "DNA Nicking by a Trinuclear Chromium Complex." The biology major also served as director, instructor, and publicity coordinator of the CBHP Internet Camp, an introductory computer course for K-12 students. In 1998, Nada received one of the University's premier awards, the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award, which recognizes excellence of character and service to humanity, qualities that make an excellent physician.
"Success is based on what you do with the opportunities that are presented to you," Nada says. Her younger siblings, Nabeel and Shermeen, agree.
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| Shermeen and Nabeel Memon |
A senior majoring in biology and recipient of the 2003 Septima Cecilia Smith Biology Award, Nabeel also chose The University of Alabama primarily because of the Computer-Based Honors Program. He shares his sister's interest in research and plans to attend the University of Alabama School of Medicine.
Nabeel's most recent CBHP project focuses on creating a "paperless" medical records system at the Capstone Medical Center. Nabeel assists Dr. Michael Taylor, UA associate professor of pediatrics, and Dr. Julia Hartman, manager of Alabama Online High School in the Program for Rural Services and Research, with the "conversion of paper files and book systems to a computer hard drive network; researching software available for hand-held computers; and surveying medical personnel about their use of the computer systems." The system would allow "physicians to provide up-to-date medical care to their patients, thus improving their treatment," explains Nabeel.
Nabeel's delight in scientific inquiry led him to co-edit The Journal of Science and Health at The University of Alabama (JOSHUA), a forum through which undergraduate and graduate students may publish their research.
A 2003 recipient of the Algernon Sydney Sullivan Award and the National Alumni Association Outstanding Senior Award, Nabeel likes to balance academics with community service and other activities, just like his sister Nada. During Capstone Scholars Day 2002, Nabeel presented information about the University's honors programs and student life to some of the region's highest performing high-school seniors who were invited to the scholarship event.
Shermeen, the youngest Memon sibling, has not yet decided her course of study. A freshman CBHP member, she does know she's interested in the sciences and in research.
As a high-school junior, Shermeen participated in the University's Capstone Summer Honors Program, earning 6 hours of college credit with a 4.0 grade point average. She has maintained that GPA during the first semester as a college freshman, joining the GPA ranks of her older brother and sister.
The recipient of a four-year Presidential Scholarship, Shermeen is also committed to community service. Following September 11, 2001, she organized a penny drop at local high schools and businesses to aid in the relief effort in New York and Washington, D.C.
The Memons continue to inspire each other to give their best in every situation. Susan Halliday, coordinator of special events and endowment accounts in the College of Arts and Sciences and a Memon family friend, says, "They stay on schedule, they stay involved with each other, and they stay involved with the community every day." That's the Memon family tradition.
