Dogs enlisted in search of family plot in Perry County: UA archaeology offices help with ancestry project
Tuscaloosa News – Jan. 26
One man investigating his ancestry has given up on conventional technology and is instead using dogs in the search for an old family cemetery in southern Perry County. Charles Weissinger, in conjunction with the University of Alabama archaeology offices, said he has been searching a 6-acre swath of land in the West Alabama countryside of Hamburg for the past two years using myriad techniques and technologies. . . . That’s where the Institute for Canine Forensics comes in. The institute, based in Woodside, Calif., trains dogs to specialize in finding remains that are dozens of decades old, said Adela Morris, the institute’s president. Four dogs and their handlers were given specific sections of land to independently investigate, Morris said. If a dog “hits” on a spot it believes may be a burial plot, the dog lies down until the spot is noted, Morris said. The handlers are told not to compare notes until the end of the day in order to avoid potentially influencing one another and skewing the results, Morris said.
University of Alabama analyst Carolyn Trent upbeat on jobs, business for Birmingham in 2012
Birmingham News – Jan. 26
Carolyn Trent knows more than most people about how Alabama’s major metro areas are rebounding from the downturn. As a socioeconomic analyst for the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research, her job requires her to perform constant analysis of statewide economic trends. Trent says she sees bright signs on the horizon for the Birmingham metro area in 2012, with many projects expected to create jobs. “Most business leaders were pessimistic in the fourth quarter, but there is cautious optimism for this year,” Trent says. In an email interview, Trent discusses the first-quarter results of the center’s Business Confidence Index survey as it relates to the Birmingham metro area.
Real books outpace eBooks
Crimson White – Jan. 26
Price, distributors and efficiency are just three things students generally consider when purchasing their textbooks. Today, because of the rise in digital education, along with the use of tablets and e-readers, students have to also decide whether they want to purchase books in print or digital form. For the spring 2012 semester, the University of Alabama Supply Store had a total of 3,022 course material title requests, Bernadette Chavira-Trull, associate director of books at the University Supply Store, said. Of the 3,022 titles, only 45 were e-book titles.
Pulitzer-winning author to share stories locally
Union City (Tenn.) Messenger – Jan. 26
Alabama author Rick Bragg’s stories, nevertheless, stir memories and cement bonds we share as Southerners growing up in small communities — whether our Possum Trots are in Tennessee or Alabama or in areas that don’t even truly conform to recognizable geo-political-cultural boundaries. He will be discussing those common threads and referring to his trilogy of family stories and his three other books when he visits the area next week. The former New York Times columnist, who claimed writing’s most prestigious award — the Pulitzer Prize — for his work there, will be the guest of honor at the Union City Rotary Club Distinguished Speaker banquet at 6 p.m. Feb. 3 at the Hampton Center…In addition to penning books — and there are a couple more “under construction” at the moment — Bragg provides a monthly column for Southern Living magazine and draws on his storehouse of personal experience and on-the-job-training to instruct aspiring authors who are students at the University of Alabama. He teaches classes in writing there.
Mentor program puts learning in students’ hands
Crimson White – Jan. 26
UA’s Division of Student Affairs’ First Year Experience is currently accepting applicants for its Peer Leaders program until Monday. “The biggest objective of the Peer Leaders program is to give new students the tools they need to be successful, to teach them about campus resources, to teach them about having successful study skills and to help them learn what it is that students do for fun,” said Jim Dawkins, coordinator of UA’s First Year Experience.
Meteorological society about more than weather
Crimson White – Jan. 26
The UA Meteorological Society arrived in tornado-damaged Clay-Trussville to help the American Red Cross perform damage assessment and shelter operations. “We’ve brought water bottles and tarps,” Patrick Reilly, president of the group, said. For residents with damaged roofs, the tarps will come in handy during the next big rain event. The destruction and width of the tornadoes were less significant than that of April 27, but Clay-Trussville and the surrounding area still suffered heavy damage.
Woods Quad showcases sculptors’ finest pieces
Crimson White – Jan. 26
The Woods Quad, also called the “Arts Quad,” is located near the Crimson Promenade and features many contemporary art statues of all shapes and sizes. There are six notable pieces around Woods Quad, with each significant histories and many others scattered around campus.
Student promotes organ donor awareness
Crimson White – Jan. 26
Warner DePriest, a University of Alabama junior, was just six months old when he had a liver transplant due to cirrhosis and congenital issues. But he doesn’t want to talk about it – that’s not really a big deal to him. Because of blockage in his transplanted liver, he had to travel to Pittsburgh for serious surgical procedures five times last fall. Through it all, he remained enrolled at UA. But that’s not a big deal either…For years, DePriest has been actively involved in organ donation and transplant communities. Now, he wants to begin to raise awareness on college campuses.
Lawyers to replant lost trees in Rosedale Park
Crimson White – Jan. 26 (Print version only)
Environmental lawyers and UA law students will replant trees destroyed in the April 27 tornado in a Tuscaloosa park Saturday, Jan. 28. The UA School of Law Environmental Law Society received a large donation from the American Bar Association Section on Environment, Energy and Resources to replant lost trees in Rosedale Park.
Math center celebrates 10 years of success
Crimson White – Jan. 26 (Print version only)
In the fall of 2001, the University created the math Technology Learning Center to teach all introductory level math courses. This year, the MTLC will celebrate its 10th anniversary. The department of mathematics will host two receptions in the learning center next week, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and on Tuesday from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
UA faculty-in-residence family talks about living with autism
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 25
“This is not making fun of autism but it’s just trying to find some humor in things because it’s such a serious disorder.” this event is also part of the Honors College faculty-in-residence “Telling Your Stories” series. The series gives faculty a chance to share a glimpse of their life with the community.
UA to hold bone marrow registry
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 25
Every four minutes, a person in the United States finds out he or she has leukemia. It is a diagnosis that is frightening to all who encounter it, and one that requires a tremendous amount of strength to persevere. University of Alabama student Martin Townsend found himself in this situation last spring, and while Townsend is in remission, he needs your help to stay that way….. Tomorrow at the University of Alabama there will be a bone marrow registry. It will take place at Lloyd Hall and starts at 10 a.m. and runs until 2 p.m.
Tuscaloosa natives to screen UA television pilots at Bama Theatre tonight
AL.com – Jan. 26
UA telecommunication and film students and Tuscaloosa natives Clifton Lewis and Henry Busby screen their own and colleagues’ television pilots at the Bama Theatre tonight at 7. The projects were made for TCF 451 Advanced Television Production class. Under course instructor Adam Schwartz, students were assigned to pitch a narrative television series concept to the rest of the class, which then voted on the ones they’d like to develop into a pilot together during a semester. Once the concepts were chosen, Schwartz then assigned crew roles to students based on applications they turned in at the start of the semester.