UA professor’s invention may help diagnose inner ear disorders
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 17
…The UA professor calls the invention, for lack of a better term, a “roto-tilt chair” because it rotates and tilts the person sitting in it. The chair could enhance diagnosis and expand what is known about balance disorders, specifically the wobbly issues that arise from inner ear malfunctions. “It was built to be a very flexible chair to test all five parts of the vestibular inner ear,” Formby said. “We want to expand what’s possible for diagnostic testing for vestibular problems and for balance problems.”…engineering professor Keith Williams and two of his graduate students are fine-tuning the dynamics of the chair, giving valuable experience to engineering students hoping to go into the medical engineering field. “Students are going to play a big role under Keith getting the greatest potential out of the chair,” Formby said…
Students donate books for Black Belt
Crimson White – Sept. 17
Beginning this week, students, faculty, staff and Tuscaloosa community members are invited to take part in “Books for the Alabama Black Belt,” a campaign designed to put a book in the hands of the more than 30,000 children in the Alabama Black Belt. This campaign, sponsored by the University Center for Economic Development, College of Human Environmental Sciences, Community Service Center and the SGA, is an effort to help children in the Black Belt counties develop a passion for reading and learning at an early age…
Prevention focus of health conference
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 17
The Rural Health Institute for Clinical and Translational Science will host its 10th annual Rural Health Conference today and Friday, with the theme “Prevention: More than Just an Apple a Day.”…The coordinator for the event, Dr. Lea Yerby, who is also a member of the Rural Health Institute, said she is looking forward to hearing about how people are taking steps to make prevention possible. “I’m excited about the big picture,” Yerby said. “Health reform is very popular and very partisan. And we’re going to break it down and get to the truth and say, ‘Here’s what we know works.’ ” The event will also focus on community members and how they address the problem of rural health care or the lack of health care in their own communities…
UA’s ‘Strip’ now has free wireless service
Birmingham Business Journal – Sept. 17
Wireless Internet service is now available to visitors of Tuscaloosa’s Strip retail and restaurant corridor, thanks to a public-private partnership. The University of Alabama, the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, Strip businesses, the city of Tuscaloosa and AT&T partnered to offer the free service…
Greek grade report released
Crimson White – Sept. 17
…The overall Panhellenic average GPA was a 3.24, and the overall Interfraternity Council average GPA was a 2.88. Members in both sororities and fraternities on campus are required to maintain certain GPAs for membership…According to the spring 2009 grade report for the UA Panhellenic Council, Alpha Chi Omega sorority, with 210 members, came in first place with an average GPA of 3.42 for the 18th consecutive year…
Panel tackles constitutionality of reform plans
Crimson White – Sept. 17
As the debate over health care reform continues to rage across the country, students will have an opportunity today to gain insight and information from UA professors. The College of Arts and Sciences is hosting a panel today from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. in Room 226 of Lloyd Hall to discuss the constitutionality of various health care reform proposals. Panelists will include Joseph Smith, political science professor; Bryan Fair, law professor; David Lanoue, chair of the department of political science; and Tony Freyer, a professor in both the history department and the law school…
Dumont Lectures on Importance of Effective Communication
Crimson White – Sept. 17
…Dumont, an engineer from the Louvain School of Engineering with a doctorate in applied physics from Stanford University, wrote the class textbook, entitled “Trees, Maps & Theorems.” His lecture encompassed the idea of the structure of communication within the professional world…Dumont used projects prepared by the MGT 395 class in his lecture, critiquing their proposals regarding a hiring choice to outline the main points of his textbook. He then completed the project as if he were a student and shared his results with the audience…