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MONDAY, OCT. 22 – SUNDAY, OCT. 28, 2012

BEST BETS

HOMECOMING ROLLS IN WITH ‘TIMELESS TRADITIONS’ – UA will welcome students, parents, alumni and visitors to campus during Homecoming Week 2012  Sunday, Oct. 21-Saturday, Oct. 27 with this year’s theme of “Timeless Traditions.” The Homecoming Parade will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 27 in downtown Tuscaloosa, followed by the UA football game against Mississippi State that kicks off at 7:30 p.m. Go online to www.homecoming.ua.edu for a complete list of events; contact is Linda Hill in media relations, lhill@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-8325. 

UH-OH, ENERGY SUPPLY PROBLEM 2.0 – Just as supply, access and environmental issues surrounding oil led to searches for alternatives to traditional energy efforts, similar issues surrounding naturally-magnetic materials are causing concerns about sustaining electric energy. A consortium of international research organizations selected the director of a UA research center to lead a collaborative effort to find an alternative source to these magnetic materials, which are known as rare-earth materials. Dr. Takao Suzuki, director of UA’s Center for Materials for Information Technology, or MINT, will lead the $1.6 million effort that involves 13 other UA researchers along with scientists in Germany, Japan and elsewhere in the U.S. The Department of Energy earlier estimated that usage of electric vehicles and wind farms could create a shortage of these materials as early as 2015. Contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu, for more information. Contact Suzuki directly at 205/348-2508 or mailto:takaosuzuki@mint.ua.edu.  

CURRENT COMMENT

DECLINING BIRTH RATES – Dr. Jeffrey P. Richetto, UA associate professor of geography, comments on a recent U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report about the declining rate of births in the United States: “At the moment, the United States’ birth rate is its lowest in the last 25 years. Although not universal across all minority groups, this overall downward trend has been the result of several socio-economic, demographic and institutional variables. In particular, overarching technological advancements in America’s industrial economy and the concomitant rise in standard of living and opportunities increasingly have attracted women into the workplace. In addition, the escalation in the cost of living (food, housing, education and health care) has made it more costly to raise children and, in fact, has made it more compelling that women enter the workplace and delay the age of starting a family. Also, teen pregnancies (adding to the birth rate) have been controlled more effectively by legislation that empowers the teen to abort the pregnancy. Moreover, with the exception of the early-to-mid-1990s, the U.S. economy has struggled with inflation and sluggish growth and, since 2007, especially high rates of unemployment, dramatic changes in America’s healthcare system, and global uncertainty have not only made businesses in America rethink their position and outlook but also families to consider more cautiously the number of children they are capable to provide for.” Contact Richetto at richetto@bama.ua.edu or 205/348-1530.

POLITICAL WISDOM – As the presidential campaigns roll toward Nov. 6, UA professors are available to add their insights and expertise to stories about politics. Follow this link to a list of potential sources on the political campaign. Contact: Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.

EVENTS

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE – Rep. Mike Hubbard, speaker of the Alabama House of Representatives, will  discuss the state’s political history as part of the Anne Campbell Bloom Alabama Governmental Affairs Forum, hosted by the UA Honors College on Tuesday, Oct. 23 at 7 p.m. in Russell Hall Auditorium. His topic will be “The Political Landscape Change in Alabama; How and Why the Historic 2010 Election Happened.” In 2010, Hubbard was elected speaker of the house becoming the first Republican speaker since Reconstruction. He was re-elected to the position for a four-year term in January 2011. For details, contact: Tonya Nelson, UA Honors College, 205/348-5557, tonya.nelson@ua.edu

LOOKING AHEAD

GHOSTS AND GOBLINS – The UA Panhellenic Association, the National Pan-Hellenic Council and the United Greek Council will host Sorority Row Trick-or-Treat on Monday, Oct. 29, from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Area children are invited to dress in Halloween costumes and visit the lawns of the campus sorority houses on Magnolia and Colonial Drives for candy and treats. Harris Hall will also be participating and there will also be tents along the new sorority road with candy and treats. Members of the sororities will be dressed in Halloween costumes to pass out candy to the children. Contacts: Maggie Gray, 256/345-3797, mcgray1@crimson.ua.edu, and Olivia Hanceri, 251/554-7195, ohanceri@gmail.com, of the Alabama Panhellenic Association.