Doctoral student graduating after tornado put education on hold
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
Amanda Cassity had experienced storms before. But that day was the first time she felt real fear. It was the first time she thought, “My family might die.” The University of Alabama will hold its 2012 summer commencement at 9 a.m. Saturday at Coleman Coliseum. About 1,535 diplomas will be awarded. The ceremony will be broadcast live over the Internet, and the webcast will be archived on UA’s website and available for viewing through August. Cassity lost her Forest Lake home and many of her personal belongings in the April 27, 2011, tornado. It took many months before she began to feel a sense of normalcy again. Part of that journey comes to an end today when she will receive her fourth — and final — degree from the University of Alabama, a doctorate in educational administration. “It’s kind of hard to believe. People call me ‘Dr. Cassity,’ and I have to stop and take a second to realize they’re talking to me,” she said. “It is the most valuable and meaningful educational experience I’ve had. A challenging one, but valuable.” Cassity, the Tuscaloosa County Board of Education director of secondary instruction, started work on a doctorate in 2008. Her goal was to finish in three years, and she had been right on track until the tornado knocked her off course.
UA graduates find love through on-line degree program
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 3
Well, you’ve heard about these on-line dating sites: E-harmony, Match.com. Some of you might have even used one, and while finding a mate on one of these sites is becoming more and more common, what about meeting your soul mate through an online degree program? It happened to Brittany Turner and Lamont Pearson. They met through the University of Alabama‘s Library and Information Sciences program back in 2010. And what started out as a friendship, evolved into something neither of them expected. WVUA’s Courtney Highfield has more: “The first bit of interest we had was at orientation. We had slideshow presentations and we both had a little bit of humor to ours so that’s where we both noted that “We were like how could someone be as big of a nerd as I am?”
MINT summer internship provides opportunity to learn about science
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 4
Daniel Caudle spent the summer learning how to grow crystals. Not the pretty kind that parents might put on display, but rather the kind that could one day, many years from now, save someone’s life. Pressure applied to the crystals creates an electrical current, and because the crystals are made out of zinc oxide, it is safe, said the 16-year-old junior at Sipsey Valley High School. This kind of energy could eventually be used to power a pacemaker or be woven into clothing fibers and used as a constant cellphone charger. Caudle was one of eight area high school students who spent the past nine weeks working with researchers at the University of Alabama’s Center for Materials for Information Technology, or MINT, during the center’s high school summer research internship. Researchers at the MINT Center include faculty from physics, chemistry, chemical engineering, biological engineering and other disciplines who are involved in studies on materials for energy storage, data storage, sensors and other applications of new technologies. “We have someone working on energy harvesting, solar cells and a host of other things,” said Timothy Mewes, internship program coordinator and an associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy. “The students are able to work with faculty in these different areas and really learn the whole spectrum of what we do.”
Campus goes Greek with new buildings
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 5
Hundreds of students in the University of Alabama’s Greek system will experience a new environment during their college years. Construction of eight new fraternity and sorority houses has either been completed or will be finished during the next two years. Members of the fraternities Phi Delta Theta and Sigma Chi and sorority Delta Gamma will begin moving into their new homes as early as next week. Sororities Alpha Delta Pi, Alpha Gamma Delta and Delta Delta Delta are scheduled to move into new houses before spring 2013; fraternity Theta Chi before fall 2013; and fraternity Pi Kappa Phi before spring 2014.“I’m just amazed by the end product,” said House Corp. President Frank Morris as he looked around the new Phi Delta Theta house. “Anybody that walks in the front door is going be flabbergasted. It’s spectacular.” Before building a new fraternity or sorority house, several factors are considered, including housing demand, the changing needs of the organization and its growth. The Office of Greek Affairs evaluates those factors and makes recommendations, said UA spokeswoman Cathy Andreen.
MOM STOP: Water and children are a dangerous mix
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 5
Last summer, I was the extremely pregnant woman waddling around the university’s outdoor pool, chasing my 2-year-old daughter as fast as any 9-month-pregnant person could go. I often got looks of pity, and sometimes other mothers would step in and help me catch my kid. The scary thing is, at that point, my toddler was faster than me. My daughter loves the water and has never had any fear. She would get so excited to be at the pool that she’d run straight for the water and jump in, if I didn’t catch her first. Luckily, it’s a phase she’s outgrown, and she now knows to “wait for Mommy.” But now that my son has started walking, he has seemingly inherited his sister’s fascination with water. Last weekend, we celebrated his first birthday at a family lake house, and much of the time outside was spent in a game of keep away, constantly rerouting my son away from the water. I seriously thought about putting both of my kids in life jackets during the party just to be safe, even indoors. We also hired a sitter specifically to have an extra set of eyes on all the kids. The fact is, water, babies and toddlers can be a dangerous mix … “Parents should watch their kids, always keeping your child at arms reach,” said Shane Reeves, coordinator of aquatic programs at the University of Alabama University Recreation Center … Children may have a reduced risk of drowning if they have had swim instruction, but there is no evidence that swimming lessons can prevent a baby younger than 1 from drowning. Swim programs should also never be considered “drown proofing” a child of any age, Reeves said. “Sometimes people say that by taking lessons, you are drown proofing your child, and there is no such thing,” Reeves said. “People still need to take precautions. One (swim) session a summer is not going to teach a kid to swim.”
Wayman Named National Hollings Scholar
Jackson County Banner – Aug. 5
The University of Alabama has announced that Emily Wayman has received the highly competitive National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administra-tion (NOAA) Ernest F. Hollings Und-ergraduate Scholarship. She is a chemistry major in the College of Arts and Sciences at Alabama, and was among some 100 students nationwide awarded the scholarship this year. Fifteen UA students have been named Hollings Scholars since the inception of the scholarship in 2005. The Hollings Scholarship provides $8,000 per year for full-time study during the junior and senior years, and $6,500 for a 10-week internship at NOAA headquarters in Silver Spring, Md., or a NOAA approved facility during the summer between the junior and senior years. The scholarship is given in addition to any existing awards that the student may already receive. Students studying biological and agricultural sciences, physical sciences, mathematics, social and behavioral sciences, computer and information sciences, and engineering are eligible to apply. Wayman is involved in the University Fellows Experience, the Computer-Based Honors Program, and the University Honors Program at UA. She is also a member of Gamma Sigma Epsilon, Cardinal Key, and Golden Key International Honor Society. Emily has volunteered with the University of Alabama Director of Photography, and she began a community outreach teaching photography to at-risk elementary school students in Tuscaloosa, Ala. She currently serves as an Honors College Ambassador and is a Peer Mentor for Chemistry students in the new Shelby Science Complex. In 2008, Emily was named The University of Alabama Freshman of the Year.
LOST AND FOUND: Intern provides tips to help others realize their dreams
The Gadsden Times – Aug. 5
The last time we talked, I presented you with a not-so-practical look at just how I got to New York City. However, there was a lot of groundwork that went on years before I met Dillon Collins. As the poster child for type-A college students, allow me to share with you a few things you can do each day to better yourself and land the internship of your dreams: 1. Be vigilant with your emails: High school students, this will not mean much to you now, but when you get to college, you must always remember this cardinal rule. Email is the adult form of texting, and responding in a timely manner is essential. If you neglect your email even for a day, you may miss a great opportunity. 2. Speaking of opportunities, take them all: Don’t pass up even one opportunity to try something new or become a part of something. This can mean joining the French Club at school, going to lunch with someone new or attending yet another leadership conference. Constantly broaden those horizons … (Kirkland Back is a 20-year-old Gadsden original … A student at the University of Alabama, she is doing an internship with magazine publisher Condé Nast at W.)
UA holds summer commencement
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 4
Earlier today, several University of Alabama students received their diplomas in the school’s summer commencement ceremony. For most university students, the path to get there was routine: graduate from high school, go to college, leave in four years. But for one graduate, the road wasn’t so smooth, WVUA’s Marilyn Vaughn has the story. “Graduation is a special time but when your path to the stage isn’t the most direct route. The accomplishment can be that much sweeter … just ask Erika Dunning. “I actually started at Auburn University my freshman year. That didn’t work out for me … I had to come back home and I found the University of Alabama.