University of Alabama physicist digs in ice to unlock universe’s mysteries
Birmingham News – Sept. 7
At first glance, Dawn Williams’ research doesn’t seem to make much sense. For one, the University of Alabama physicist is drilling holes in the ice in order to see the stars. And although the particles she’s studying are some of the tiniest known, she’s hoping they’ll provide clues to how entire galaxies work…Williams is part of a team of researchers that has received $250 million from the National Science Foundation to build the world’s largest neutrino detector in Antarctica. The device — basically a telescope sunk a mile and a half into the ice — should help scientists find the tiny subatomic particles as they stream in from distant parts of outer space. By spotting them, they hope to learn about how galaxies form and the roots of dark matter, the undetectable mass astronomers believe makes up a good portion of the universe. “You can use neutrinos to see deep inside things, so if you can detect them, you can understand the inner workings of these objects,” said Williams, who serves as the project’s data quality coordinator.… Right now, 79 of the 86 strings are in use, and the device should be at 100 percent capacity this winter, when three UA students will have a chance to visit the site. About 300 scientists from around the world will have access to the telescope…
Wikipedia’s co-founder speaks at UA
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 9
…An Alabama native and co-founder of the free online encyclopedia, Wales delivered a lecture with people sitting in the aisles and even more standing in the doorways of the theater. The lecture was the first of the Liberty and Power series founded by UA associate history professor David Beito as a way to explore the history of individual liberty and government power through speakers representing a wide range of subjects. Wales earned a master’s degree in finance at UA, then worked in Chicago at a futures and options firm for several years…
Crimson White – Sept. 9
FOX6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 8
New program helps first generation students
Crimson White – Sept. 9
With the creation of the Alabama First program, the University is making an effort to help first generation college students throughout their college experience. Nearly 20 percent of the UA undergraduate population is made up of first generation college students…Lowell K. Davis, assistant dean of students, assistant to the vice provost for Academic Affairs and coordinator of the Alabama First program, said Alabama First continues communication with parents of first generation students after their students begin school. “We communicate with the parents and invite them to the activities,” Davis said. “First generation parents may not know what is expected of their son or daughter in college. They may not know the terminology or be familiar with the financial aid or admissions processes. We try to reach out and tell them what to do to make sure their son or daughter will be successful here.”…Motell Foster, a freshman majoring in telecommunications and film, is a first generation college student who said he fell in love with the campus the first time he toured it. After receiving a scholarship, he said he knew it was the place for him. “I toured Auburn and UAB,” he said. “Alabama just felt down home.” Foster, who lived in Talladega’s Presbyterian Home for Children for three years and has been a part of foster care for seven, says he has been on his own for most of his life. “Everyone was happy for me and encouraged me to come to the University,” he said. “All of the support I’ve received from UA is amazing.” While many colleges have programs designed to help first generation students, many are organized by demographics such as race, sex and financial need. Alabama First is distinctive in that it supports all first generation college students, regardless of demographic.
Warning issued about counterfeit UA tickets
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 9
The University of Alabama warns fans to watch out for counterfeit tickets at Crimson Tide home football games…Fans who want to check the validity of their tickets can visit the UA Athletic Ticket Office at Coleman Coliseum during regular business hours between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. At 2 p.m. on game day, fans can have tickets verified by UA officials at the stadium at gates 3 and 32. UA athletic officials warn that people who purchase stolen or counterfeit tickets will be denied admission at the gates. Anyone trying to gain entry with a fraudulent ticket could be subject to investigation.
Rock legends to play with UA symphony
Crimson White – Sept. 9
Legendary progressive rock group Kansas, known for hit songs like “Dust In The Wind” and “Carry On Wayward Son,” will be performing with the University of Alabama Huxford Symphony Orchestra tonight and Friday night at 7:30 p.m. The two shows, which are set to take place in the Moody Music Hall, will kick off the Kansas Collegiate Symphony Tour, a two-month long, nationwide tour in which Kansas will perform with the symphony from each host school…
Start financial lessons while children are young
Bellingham (Wash.) Herald – Sept. 9
… Involve children, in an age-appropriate way, in family discussions about spending, such as the cost of vacation destinations and a new car purchase, as well as routine money chores, such as balancing a checkbook or clipping coupons, said Jan Brakefield, a professor of consumer sciences at the University of Alabama, who teaches money seminars called Cash Camp to middle-schoolers…
Opinion: Wi-Fi service should be extended
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 9
…The cost is modest. The Tide-Fi network, which brought wireless access to the Strip near the University of Alabama campus, cost just $3,500. That was funded by the city, area businesses and UA. It offers users free Internet access for two hours a day…We hope city officials will move quickly to bring wireless broadband Internet access to neighborhoods where families can’t afford it otherwise.
ACTion Card Office to host forum
Crimson White – Sept. 9
Students with questions about the University of Alabama’s home football games will have the chance to get answers tonight via a teleforum hosted by the ACTion Card Office. “Teleforum is a new format using technology to have a telephone town hall meeting,” Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Molly Lawrence said. “This will be the University’s first teleforum.”…“It’s like a radio call-in show but you’re doing it through your telephone,” Brooks said. A fact sheet Lawrence submitted to The Crimson White said the ACTion Card Office will be available to comment on student tickets, ACTion cards, Bama Cash and gameday merchandise. The Athletics Department will answer questions about entrances, opening times, restricted items and seating. Student Affairs and the SGA will comment on the rules of block seating and the High Tide Club…
UA professors to begin Visiting Writers Series
Crimson White – Sept. 9
The Bankhead Visiting Writers Series kicks off tonight, with readings from Kellie Wells and Dave Madden, both UA creative writing professors. The event will begin at 7 p.m. in Smith Hall, Room 205, and admission is free to all. Dave Madden, an assistant professor of English at the University, said he would be reading from “The Authentic Animal,” his book on the history and culture of taxidermy, forthcoming in 2011 from St. Martin’s Press…Kellie Wells, also an assistant professor of English, will be reading from her novel “Fat Girl, Terrestrial.” She has won several awards for her works, including the Flannery O’Connor Award and the Great Lakes Colleges Association’s New Writer’s Award in fiction and has received a Rona Jaffe Prize…The Bankhead Visiting Writers Series brings both emerging and internationally renowned writers to the University of Alabama campus to read from their work…