Former Bryce Hospital property is key to University of Alabama’s new growth plan
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 13
The addition of the old Bryce Hospital property is a key aspect of the University of Alabama’s 2012 campus master plan, UA’s president said Thursday. “That is a massive addition to our campus footprint and it gives us an opportunity to grow and develop as a campus in ways we couldn’t have if it wasn’t for that (acquisition),” Guy Bailey said. “How we integrate that in is very important to our future.” Officially presented to the board of trustees during the physical properties committee meeting Thursday, the 2012 master plan continues with its goals of offering open green space, traditional buildings and a walkable campus. The plan also factors in the 168-acre Bryce property with ideas on how to best utilize and integrate its buildings and space. University planner and designer Dan Wolfe emphasized the university’s intent to create a unified campus with the additional property. After examining and evaluating all of the hospital property facilities and reviewing the costs of bringing each facility up to current building codes and potential use, university officials have several ideas on how some of the Bryce buildings can be reused for campus expansion. The main building could potentially be a university welcome center, a cultural center with museums and collections and a major reception area. A performing arts center could be added onto the back of that building. A few other Bryce buildings might be used for academic space, general use and research support.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 13
UA to purchase two properties in downtown Tuscaloosa
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 13
The UA Board of Trustees’ physical property committee approved the purchase of two downtown properties in Tuscaloosa this afternoon…One building is at the corner of Greensboro and 7th Street, the other at 8th Street and 27th Avenue. These facilities would serve as economic development buildings. University of Alabama’s Deborah Lane says having a downtown hub helps the university become more accommodating for its business partners. “We’re close to where the action is, so it is very beneficial for us to be downtown to be in these locations, and it will be a good thing for businesses,” Lane said. Lane says pending board approval, there is no set time for the university to become fully operational in their downtown facilities.
New facility for rowing team looking more likely
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 14
The University of Alabama’s women’s rowing team could have a new rowing facility as early as next year if things go as planned. The project received a positive recommendation by the physical properties committee of the UA Board of Trustees Thursday afternoon and the item will be taken up by the full board today. Located on the shore of the Black Warrior River at the Park at Manderson Landing, the proposed 11,163 square foot athletic facility would have specialized storage for sculls, support boats and rest rooms. Access to the shoreline and specialized floating dock facilities required for the rowing program will also be provided, according to the project summary.
UA trustees approve next stage of Sarah Patterson’s Champions Plaza
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 13
More changes coming to the University. The Sarah Patterson Plaza is closer to becoming a reality. Today, the trustees committee approved stage three. The projected cost of the plaza is $2.8 million, and will be funded by the Crimson Tide Foundation. It will celebrate conference and national champions for all university teams. The championship plaza will be built adjacent to the Sewell-Thomas Stadium.
University of Alabama names new dean of College of Education
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 14
The University of Alabama has named a new dean at the College of Education. Peter Hlebowitsh, executive officer of the department of teaching and learning at the University of Iowa, will replace James McLean, who is retiring at the end of the year. Hlebowitsh, who will be the 10th dean of the college, will start his new job on Jan. 1. He has a bachelor’s degree in elementary education, a master’s in curriculum theory and development, and a doctorate in education, all from Rutgers University. He previously taught at the University of Houston and Long Island University. Hlebowitsh has been in his current position at Iowa since 2008. He is responsible for promoting the department’s graduate programs, sustaining the teacher-education program, managing the fiscal planning of the department, and having an active role in staffing assignments, grant and research management and course design. Since 1996, Hlebowitsh has helped secure more than $1.45 million in curriculum and development grants…his accomplishments at the University of Iowa also include the development of a Teacher Leader Center that provides extra classroom support to teacher education candidates, work on a summative performance assessment mechanism for the pre-service teachers, and the design of various incentives for faculty to get grants.
UA Professor to be honored at White House
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 13
A big honor for an assistant professor at the University of Alabama. Dr. Suzanne Horsley is in Washington, D.C., where she will be recognized tomorrow at the White House for the time and effort she has devoted to the American Red Cross. Horsley is a long-time volunteer and spent many days working at the Red Cross shelter in Tuscaloosa after the tornadoes.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 13
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Sept. 13
UA reports record enrollment
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Sept. 13
Enrollment at the University of Alabamahas set a new record. Officials at the Capstone say 33,602 students are enrolled for this fall’s semester. That’s an increase of about 1,800 students from fall 2011. By the way, the 2012 freshman class at UA boasts a record 6,397 students.
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – Sept. 13
UA student named Boys & Girls Club youth of the year
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 13
A Tuscaloosa teen was recognized for quite an accomplishment today … Tyler Merriweather has been named the Boys and Girls Club youth of the year for the state of Alabama. Even after gaining state-wide recognition, Merriweather still serves as a mentor to an even younger group of children. Tyler Merriweather has been in the Boys and Girls Club for years, he is now one of their most successful members, Merriweather recently was selected as the youth of the year for the entire state of Alabama, but he still loves giving back … He is now a freshman at the University of Alabama, studying accounting.
UA business school establishes business resource center in Vernon, Alabama
CBS 4 (Columbus, Miss.) – Sept. 13
Small business owners in Vernon, Alabama are getting some much-needed assistance. The Alabama Entrepreneurial Research Network held a ribbon-cutting ceremony yesterday morning in Vernon. The center, located inside the Vernon city library, is the 18th center across the state established by the University of Alabama’s business school to offer training, online resources and business planning software. University officials say the program has yielded positive results. Just last year, there were 17 business resource centers. “We had reported from those centers about 80 jobs that were either saved or started as a direct result of the AERN program.” It took 18 months to complete the Vernon business center and it’ll cost up to $25,000 to maintain each year.
New paper addresses causes of shattering glass cookware; Margin of safety described as ‘borderline’
Esciencenews – Sept. 13
A new paper appearing in the September 2012 edition of the Bulletin of The American Ceramic Society for the first time provides a scientific explanation of why some glass cookware sold in the United States is more susceptible than others to “explosive” shattering and the possibility of exposing consumers to injury from flying glass shards…R.C. Bradt and R.L. Martens, the authors of “Shattering Glass Cookware,” became interested in the topic after hearing anecdotal reports of glass cookware shattering and reading reports of cookware failure and related injuries in publications such as the January and October 2011 issues of Consumer Reports. Consumer Reports and others documented that the explosion-like glassware failures seemed to be linked to rapid changes in temperature, such as when the cookware was removed from the oven and placed on a counter or dinner table … Bradt, a professor of materials engineering (emeritus) at the University of Alabama and Martens, manager of the university’s Central Analytical Facility, sought to make sense of why the soda lime silicate glassware is prone to thermal stress failure. Bradt and Martens applied basic materials engineering concepts-such as thermal stress, elastic modulus, thermal shock and temperature differentials-to the borosilicate and soda lime glasses.
UA doctoral student to attend dinner with Joe Biden honoring LGBT leaders
Al.com – Sept. 14
A second year University of Alabama School of Social Work doctoral student will attend a dinner with Vice President Joe Biden honoring the nation’s emerging LGBT leaders…Sarah Young, a second-year Ph.D. student, was nominated to attend by leaders at the Bisexual Resource Center in Boston, Mass. Young will attend the “end of summer barbeque” Wednesday, Sept. 19 at the home of Biden and his wife, Jill Biden. According to the White House Office of Public Engagement, the dinner will offer invitees the chance to meet other emerging LGBT leaders, build networks and “learn about what the Administration is doing for the community.”…Young co-founded the Mississippi Safe Schools Coalition during her time as New Voices Fellow with the American Civil Liberties Union of Mississippi. She is also an instructor at Mississippi State University and is on the board for Equality Alabama. In 2011, Young was selected as a Point Foundation Scholar, one of 16 graduate students in the nation selected and the first for The University of Alabama. In summer 2012, Young was selected as one of three national Palette Fund interns, obtaining a small grant to examine Safe Schools Coalition work in the South while interning with the Southern Poverty Law Center.
Freedom Soda: New York’s Ban On Big Sodas Hits Us Where We’re Human
NPR – Sept. 14
Both sides have been pouring money into ad campaigns, slinging mud and twisting words. But this is not the Presidential election, it’s the battle for soda. Today, a panel in New York City is expected to approve the ban of soda and other sugar-sweetened beverages in containers larger than 16 ounces in restaurants, street carts and stadiums. New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is known for his far-reaching policies when it comes to public health. He is, after all, responsible for snuffing out New Yorkers’ cigarettes. But this soda restriction proposal seemed to be one step too far for many people…In fact, a recent New York Times poll shows 60 percent of New Yorkers oppose the ban, even though 51 percent reported drinking soda less than once a week or never. So why all the vitriol over soda? It turns out the emotional response to the issue runs deeper than our physical attachment to giant fizzy drinks … Food, though, is different, according to Kathryn Oths, a professor of Anthropology at the University of Alabama. Soda and other similar products, “[are] cognitively mapped as food or nourishment, not as vices or extras.” “Soda is not a controlled substance, but rather sits on the dining room table or in the fridge, available to all. For some, to appear to be taking away one’s soda … is chipping away at some of the remaining pleasures that people have available to them,” says Oths.