Gerber receives Goldwater Scholarship
Crimson White – April 29
Daniel Gerber, a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, recently won the Goldwater Scholarship for 2010…Gary Sloan, professor and coordinator of prestige scholarships and awards in the Honors College, said 300 undergraduate students majoring in math, engineering or the natural sciences can receive $7,500 each in Goldwater Scholarships every year for two years…Sloan said that in the past four years, four UA students have been Goldwater scholars and two have received honorable mentions. Sloan added that some of the undergraduate students do as well or better than graduate students in their research, which helps a lot when they apply for the scholarship. “The reason we’re so successful is because our students are so involved in research,” Goldwater said. “I’m excited and glad to be honored in that way.
Students conduct research in Worm Shack
Crimson White – April 28
…Guy Caldwell, associate professor of biological sciences, and his wife, Kim, assistant professor of biological sciences, head the research team. “Our students have been major contributors to several papers published in internationally recognized scientific journals and have presented their research at major conferences,” Guy Caldwell said. “In addition to playing a role in the drug discovery process, their work has included identifying new therapeutic targets and genetic factors linked to Parkinson’s disease.” Caldwell also said the Michael J. Fox Foundation selected the students’ work for further funding…Students majoring in scientific fields can perform hands-on research in The Worm Shack beginning their freshman year. “It is so helpful to have the Caldwells and graduate students as mentors to teach you how to do real scientific research and guide you through the process of becoming a scientist,” said John Ricketts, a senior majoring in biology…
Students join in effort to preserve area history
Tuscaloosa News – April 29
Students at Paul W. Bryant High School are learning through field work — with the help of students at the University of Alabama…The high school and college students stepped outside the classroom this semester and immersed themselves in the surrounding community. Using oral history interview techniques, they spoke with area residents to research topics such as 20th-century history, the Vietnam War, Tuscaloosa government, and the art, history and culture of West Alabama. Tonight, the Bryant High and UA students will host Voices of Tuscaloosa: An Oral History Research Exhibition to showcase the results of their semester-long effort. The free exhibition begins at 7 p.m. at UA’s Morgan Hall. The project was started by UA English professor Amy Dayton-Wood, who enlisted her students as tutors and writing mentors for the high school students. But it evolved into a service learning initiative, which integrates community involvement into the curriculum…the UA students also took on oral history projects of their own, researching topics such as conspiracy theories, coal mining, women in the Catholic church and book collecting…
Tour de France winner, cycling pioneer says sport has changed
Tuscaloosa News – April 29
Nearly 150 people filled the University of Alabama Student Recreation Center on Wednesday night as three-time Tour de France winner Greg LeMond made his first trip to Alabama…LeMond was invited to Tuscaloosa by Robin Reyes, an international businessman who teaches a class in the UA Honors College. Reyes has known the cyclist for several years. “It was getting to the end of the semester, and I called him and said, Greg, the semester’s almost over, and he was like, ‘All right, I’ll come next week,’ ” Reyes said. The cyclist spoke to Reyes’ class earlier in the day, but he wanted to share the opportunity with other avid riders in Tuscaloosa…
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) — April 28
UA climatologist will watch to see how oil spill affects wildlife and swimming in the Gulf of Mexico
WVUA (Tuscaloos) — April 28
University of Alabama climatologist Jason Senkbeil will be keeping tabs on the spill’s impact on swimming conditions and sea life…
Online anonymity fueled ‘Web War’ on Estonia
The Register – April 28
The attacks that paralyzed Estonian internet traffic for three days in 2007 were fueled by online anonymity and a phenomenon known as contagion, according to a report by three academics. The paper, titled Storming the Servers: A Social Psychological Analysis of the First Internet War, is among the first to study the social and psychological forces that contributed to the massive DDoS, or distributed denial of service, attacks on Estonia. They are likely to play out in future online conflicts, the authors warn.… The paper was authored by Rosanna Guadagno of the Department of Psychology at University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa; Robert Cialdini of the Department of Psychology at Arizona State University, Tempe; and Gadi Evron of the Yuval Ne’eman Tel Aviv Workshop for Science, Technology and Security…
There’s Little to Fear, Much to Gain from ‘Web 2.0,’ Say Educators
American Academy of Family Physicians – April 29
… John Waits, M.D., is program director of the Tuscaloosa Family Medicine Residency Program and associate professor in the department of family medicine/obstetrics and gynecology at the College of Community Health Sciences, University of Alabama School of Medicine. Waits told AAFP News Now that Web. 2.0 is an increasingly popular communication application that some writers have dubbed the “front porch of the 21st century.” He said Facebook, for example, can build rapport between teachers and students…”I know that this may not fit with everyone’s idea of the teacher/student-learner paradigm, but I firmly believe that teaching is best done in a relationship,” Waits said. “The relationship is enhanced in ways that could not be achieved traditionally without an enormous investment of relational time — time that usually does not exist.” In addition to his use of Facebook, Waits said he has a public blog that he uses to post excerpts from or links to medical journal articles and other information. The benefits of the blog include convenient distribution via e-mail or RSS feed, automatic archiving, comment features and sharing features, Waits said…
Students find hot study spots for exam week
Crimson White – April 29
…Tom Wilson, the associate dean of libraries, said they have heard good responses from students about the noise level stipulations in Gorgas during Dead Week and finals. “Students really appreciate the smaller amount of activity as you go up on higher levels in Gorgas,” he said. “For students that have collaborative projects and would be engaged in louder activity should stay on the lower levels. Students that need quieter study typically go to [the fourth floor] in Gorgas….Wilson said the libraries are seeing an increase in people utilizing their study areas. Rodgers, in particular, is open 24 hours a day, five days a week during the school year…
Graduate school a big commitment
Crimson White – April 29
…David Francko, associate provost and dean of the graduate school, said the stumbling blocks to success in graduate school are different from those in undergraduate school. “In graduate school, you’re a full adult,” Francko said. “The challenge is time management, and there’s a research project to complete that’s your project and no one else’s.”…Francko said the graduate school office in Rose Administration building welcomes graduate students to walk in with concerns or questions. “We have an open door policy in our office,” Francko said. “We find many students coming here for individual attention.”…