Gulf Probe: Blowout Preventer Was Flawed
ABC News – March 24
…“This is the first time in all of this that there has been a clear design flaw in the blowout preventer cited,” said Philip Johnson, a University of Alabama civil engineering professor who did not take part in the analysis. “My reaction is, ‘Holy smokes, every set of blind shear rams out there may have this problem.’ ”… Johnson said the report indicates that the blowout preventer had a design flaw that may have gone unnoticed by the entire industry, not just by Cameron…
MSNBC.com – March 24
Tuscaloosa News – March 24
UA team has alternate fuel breakthrough
Crimson White – March 24
In an article released in Science magazine last week, a team of University of Alabama faculty and students announced it had devised an efficient method of recycling hydrogen, a step in the direction of widespread use of hydrogen as an alternative fuel to gasoline. The team, headed by David Dixon, has worked in conjunction with Los Alamos National Laboratory for the past six years on hydrogen research. Dixon co-authored the article with Edward “Ted” Garner III, a graduate student; J. Pierce Robinson, a UA undergraduate and Monica Vasiliu, a post-doctoral researcher…According to Dixon, the basic idea of the experiment is to run a car using a fuel cell, which will be powered by hydrogen gas and oxygen. “Think of hydrogen like gasoline works today, except it’s a gas rather than a liquid,” said Dixon, Robert Ramsay Chair of Chemistry at the University…
Brown named new alumni affairs director
Crimson White – March 24
On April 1, a new director of alumni affairs will step into Alumni Hall. Calvin Brown of Decatur, Ala., will replace Pat Whetstone, who has been in the position for 20 years. Brown is currently a partner and portfolio manager with BlueCreek Investment Partners in Huntsville, Ala. He graduated from the University in 1983 and has been active in his alumni chapter since graduation…Among his involvement with The University, he is a member of the UA President’s Cabinet, chair of the Library Leadership Board and a board member for Capstone Village. He was on the steering committee of the “Our Students Our Future” capital campaign…Vice President of Advancement Pam Parker said that as director, Brown will be like the head of a family. He will oversee the alumni magazine, manage chapter development, raise money for scholarship endowments, engage in student recruitment and provide leadership for all of the 21 staff members at Alumni Hall. “I’m looking forward to working with him,” Parker said. “He will really keep things moving forward and have good ideas as well….
UA Robotics team places high in Hardware competition
Crimson White – March 24
Seven UA engineering students placed 13th out of 50 teams at the IEEE SoutheastCon Hardware robotics competition on Mar. 20, according to team member Chris Millan.
According to a UA news release, the competition was designed last year after the 2010 Haiti Earthquake and features tasks resembling rescue missions that student-designed robots must complete. “Our robot was supposed to be an autonomous search-and-rescue robot,” Millan said. “The goal was that the robot would travel around a disaster site, a building which was wooden walls and a floor to form four rooms.”…
Crossing Points students take part in mock interviews
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – March 23
Dozens of special needs students from Tuscaloosa County get a taste of life in the real world thanks to Crossing Points. The organization held it’s annual mock interview fair at the University of Alabama. Tuscaloosa area employers gave kids an idea of the types of questions they’ll have to answer during job interviews. The group is made up of kids from Tuscaloosa city and county schools who get on-the-job experience from 14 job sites on and off campus.
Huntsville woman wins money for saving
WHNT (Huntsville) – March 23
Lisa Forester, a GI tech at the Huntsville endoscopy center, was surprised with a $1,000 check at work. It’s part of the Save Now, Win Later initiative from Impact Alabama and the University of Alabama Center for Ethics and Social Responsibility. Lisa won the money by investing some of her 2010 income tax refund in federal savings bonds.
Biology expert to speak on evolution
Crimson White – March 24
Douglas Futuyma, a leading researcher in ecology and evolution who teaches at Stony Brook University in New York, will be speaking on the theory of evolution in his lecture, “Evolution: The Most Important Theory in Biology.” The lecture will take place tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Biology building…