UA to start construction on new recreation center
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 26
Construction on a new 114,000-square-foot student recreation center at the University of Alabama will start within the next month, according to UA officials. The new center, which will be called the Student Center, is scheduled for completion in early 2014 and will be where the Rose Towers residential buildings used to be, next to Jack Warner Parkway. George Brown, executive director of University Recreation, said the location was chosen to accommodate the fitness needs of students living on the north side of campus, and bring university recreation to them. “We’re bringing health and well-being through fitness to different parts of campus,” Brown said. “I think it’s a really seminal moment in terms of the university addressing the needs of the students, particularly those living on the north end of campus.” Brown said there will be few differences between the new Student Center and the current Rec Center. The new center is being built to enhance some of the more popular programs at the current center, he said.
Program supplies books to needy Black Belt schools
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 24
More than $5,000 in children’s and young adult books will be awarded to at least five schools in Alabama’s Black Belt region in December through the University of Alabama’s School of Library and Information Studies’ Book Bonanza for the Black Belt Program. Started in 2009 by Jamie Naidoo, associate and Foster-Ebsco Endowed professor with UA’s School of Library and Information Studies, the Book Bonanza for the Black Belt program donates fiction and non-fiction library books to schools that are in need. The Black Belt counties of Alabama include: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter and Wilcox counties. Schools in these counties are encouraged to apply. Each school typically receives between $1,000 and $1,500 in new books. Awarded schools are picked based on the number of books in the current school library collection, the number of books per student and how often books are checked out from the library. The schools with the most needs are awarded the books.
WTVM 9 (Columbus, Ga.) – Nov. 25
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Nov. 25
CBS 12 (Montgomery) – Nov. 24
Baldwin named U of Alabama vice president for advancement
University Business – Nov. 26
University of Alabama President Judy Bonner, in one of her first appointments as the school’s new president, announced this week she has named Karen Baldwin vice president for advancement effective immediately. Baldwin has served as interim vice president for advancement since March, according to a university press release. Prior to that she was associate vice president for advancement. “Karen Baldwin is a consummate professional and has extremely high standards for herself and for those who report to her,” Bonner said in a statement. “The office of advancement set an annual giving record under her leadership in the last year.” UA’s division of advancement is charged with fundraising, alumni affairs and university relations.
Whoever wears this rocket-powered prosthetic ankle is guaranteed Olympic gold
Gizmodo – Nov. 24
When the International Olympic Committee approved the prosthetic blades that replace Oscar Pistorius’s artificial legs when running, they set a precedent that could be hard to manage down the line. What was the committee’s criteria for approving them, and why should one prosthetic be allowed and not another? There’s no definitive answer yet, but it’s a safe bet that a rocket-powered prosthetic ankle probably won’t make the cut. Developed by researchers at the University of Alabama, the ankle strikes the perfect balance between being lightweight, but also providing enough power to allow the wearer to walk with a natural gait. The prosthetic uses an artificial muscle actuator that’s powered like a rocket using a liquid fuel known as a monopropellant. In essence, it would work kind of like the pistons in your car’s engine using tiny controlled explosions to generate extra energy that facilitates easier walking. But not surprisingly there’s still a few kinks to work out. Hot exhaust would have to be safely vented, excess heat would need to be managed, and of course the prosthetic would need a reliable way to store and refuel the monopropellant. So the researchers don’t expect to see the artificial ankle in use until 2016 at the earliest, but they’re confident it will eventually look and function exactly like a real human limb.
Speeding, alcohol, weather up crash risk
UPI – Nov. 22
Speeding, driving under the influence, time of day, weather and deer collisions all contribute to fatal U.S. crashes during Thanksgiving week, researchers say. Dr. Allen Parrish, professor of computer science at the University of Alabama Center for Advanced Public Safety, and colleagues analyzed Alabama and national fatal crash data. The researchers used traffic data from the state of Alabama and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration from 2005 to 2010. The researchers compared Thanksgiving week with every other week of the year and looked at every attribute in the crash records. The study found there was an average 748 fatalities per week during the six-year study, yet Thanksgiving week averaged 50 more fatalities, indicating this was a relatively more dangerous time to be on U.S. roads. In Alabama, about 16 fatal crashes occurred in an average week in 2011, but during Thanksgiving there were 17 fatal crashes, the study said.
Fox 5 (Atlanta) – Nov. 22
NBC 13 (Rockford, Ill.) – Nov. 22
UA professor to study traffic on Highway 280 in Birmingham
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Nov. 24
If the most precious gift you can receive this holiday is time, ALDOT is seeking to return just a little bit to you, but remember, they’re not Santa Claus. There is no magic pill for U.S. 280. There is nothing we can do there to completely make traffic go away. State traffic operations engineer Stacey Glass explained what ALDOT is doing is trying out new technology they’ve seen work in Georgia. But how will the state know if the system is working? That’s where University of Alabama’s Steven Jones and UAB’s Andrew Sullivan come in. The engineers have collected three years of crash data which they’ll compare to data they’ll collect for three years.
No rare earths in next generation electric vehicles
ABC 24 (Memphis) – Nov. 26
A variety of electric motors that use no rare earth minerals are being developed in the United States to power future generations of electric vehicles. Private U.S. companies, universities and national government laboratories – working alone and in collaboration – are designing and beginning to manufacture electric motors without rare earth minerals that are expensive and in limited supply…The University of Alabama is developing rare-earth-free nanostructure magnets. Researchers say these new iron and manganese-based composite materials for use in EV electric motors will demonstrate magnetic properties superior to today’s best rare earth magnets. “Alternatives to rare earths will contribute to the cost-effectiveness of EVs and wind generators, facilitating their widespread use and drastically reducing the amount of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere,” says the university in a statement announcing its $823,000 award from ARPA-E.
CBS 12 (Cincinnati, Ohio) – Nov. 24
Massive Iron Bowl crowd hits town today
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 24
Iron Bowl fans should watch out for counterfeit tickets and bring a thick jacket to the game as the city expects more than 150,000 people in town for today’s game. A sellout crowd of 101, 821 will be at Bryant-Denny Stadium for the 77th gridiron meeting of the University of Alabama Crimson Tide and the Auburn University Tigers. The game kicks off at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised by CBS. UA has warned fans to watch out for counterfeit tickets. Fans can have tickets verified by UA officials at the stadium at gates 3 and 32. UA athletic officials warn that people who purchase stolen or counterfeit tickets will be denied admission at the gates…Fan activities on the Quad today will include a Supply Store tent on the northeast corner from 8 a.m.-1:30 p.m., an autograph session from noon-1 p.m. with former Tide quarterback Jay Barker at the Allstate tent in the southeast portion and the Elephant Stomp featuring Big Al, the Million Dollar Band and cheerleaders beginning at 1:30 p.m.
CBS 42 (Birmingham)– Nov. 23
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham)– Nov. 23
CBS 8 (Montgomery) – Nov. 23
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 23
EDITORIAL: Kudos to University of Alabama students for service projects
Gadsden Times – Nov. 25
Young people are sometimes seen as self-absorbed and oblivious to their surroundings. Monumental shifts in politics and the economy are said to go right over their heads. The world falls apart around them, but their eyes never shift from the video game they’re playing. The younger generation will always have its carefree and uncaring members. But University of Alabama students are showing that they are engaged with society and that they do care about their community and their world. Two recent efforts amply demonstrate that. UA students participating in the 19th Annual Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger Food Drive donated more than 266,000 pounds of food for needy people. This year, it wasn’t as much as Auburn University students donated — more than 273,000 pounds — but it was more than UA’s winning effort last year, when students donated about 237,000 pounds … UA’s Public Relations Student Society of America is also working with the Tuscaloosa Gives Back campaign to collect new and slightly used coats for victims of Hurricane Sandy. Those who have suffered through hurricanes Ivan, Katrina, Rita and others can attest to the comfort providing basic needs can bring. With winter coming soon to the Northeast, warm clothing is essential for victims. These are only two efforts students have been involved in recently. For years, student service, professional and Greek social organizations have contributed to the communities over and over. Perhaps the future is in good hands after all.
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 25
How anti-gambling mania foreshadowed the Panic of 1837
Bloomberg – Nov. 25
The financial meltdown of 2008 has been attributed to a pre-crash economy whose incentives and rewards resembled a freewheeling casino rather than a rational marketplace. Sometimes knowingly, sometimes unwittingly, and almost always shortsightedly, banks, government entities and consumers joined forces to create an environment in which untrammeled speculation, unwarranted credit, and pyramids of foolishly assumed debt yielded the appearance of boundless prosperity while masking the inevitability of epic disaster. The U.S. has been here before. The middle of the 1830s was one of those times, when land speculation and easy credit blurred the lines between legitimate and illegitimate pursuits of wealth. No part of the U.S. was more steeped in this culture of speculation than the Deep South, because the forced removal of Native Americans had opened vast swaths of valuable cotton land there for development. Cotton cultivated by slaves was the raw material driving the early Industrial Revolution. The crop’s market prices kept rising seemingly regardless of supply, and it became America’s most significant export and arguably the most important commodity in the world. (Joshua Rothman is a professor of history, director of the Summersell Center for the Study of the South at the University of Alabama, and author of “Flush Times and Fever Dreams: A Story of Capitalism and Slavery in the Age of Jackson.)
GUEST COLUMNIST: To segregate or not to segregate: that is the question
Gadsden Times – Nov. 23
A lawsuit challenging Alabama’s policy of segregating HIV-positive inmates will proceed to trial this month, thanks to an order issued Wednesday by a federal judge. In rejecting the state prison system’s request that the suit be dismissed, U.S. District Judge Myron Thompson cleared it for a non-jury trial set to start on Sept. 17 in Montgomery. At the heart of the suit is whether Alabama’s prisons should continue residential segregation of HIV-positive prisoners. “To segregate or not to segregate: that is the question!” I suspect when Shakespeare wrote the famous quote, “To be or not to be, that is the question!” it was meant to be dramatic and provocative. It gets right to the point and to the heart of a good argument or debate: What is the real issue and what is the real answer? I moved to Alabama in 2004 from the New York City area and was struck by the differences in HIV/AIDS advocacy between the two areas of the country. (Pamela Payne Foster, MD, MPH is an associate professor in the Community and Rural Medicine Department at the University of Alabama School of Medicine).
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 23
UA experts sound off on secession petitions
Crimson White – Nov. 26
Former topless car wash owner Derrick Belcher petitioned for the state of Alabama to secede from the United States of America two weeks ago, but several Uniersity of Alabama history and political science professors say the strains that complete budgetary independence from the federal government could pull the bottom out from under his plan…Richard Fording, professor and chair of the political science department, said such convention approval would lead to adverse conditions for the state and its residents. “The state of Alabama depends heavily on federal revenue that is generated from other (richer) states,” Fording said in an emailed statement. “If Alabama were to secede and lose that revenue, then the state would have to either eliminate most social programs or levy taxes that are considerably higher than what Alabama citizens currently pay. Assuming the state would choose the former, the outcome would be disastrous. It would not be long before Alabama would resemble a developing country in terms of indicators of well-being and public health. People would flee the state in droves, exacerbating the problem.” Another part-time history instructor, David Schroeder, said the viability of secession seems unlikely due in a large part to the federal dollars most “red states” depend upon so heavily. “All of the states south of the Mason-Dixon line, with the exception of Texas and Arkansas, receive more in federal aid than they pay in taxes, so would a state’s citizenry pass up the ‘free’ money?” Schroeder said…“Overall, it is difficult to imagine how an independent nation of Alabama would function,” said political science professor Anne Williamson. “We would be a country with high poverty and unemployment and no national government to help ameliorate these conditions; we would have to provide for our own national defense (rather than sharing in the defense provided for the entire U.S.). Our elected officials would be inundated with the need to govern a sovereign country and all that entails rather than being able to focus on Alabama as a state within a larger federal system.”
UA provides Thanksgiving meal for students
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 23
The University of Alabama prepared a Thanksgiving lunch for students who weren’t able to get home for the holiday and any others who wanted a Thanksgiving lunch. The meal was sponsored by Bama Dining. The Student Government Association paid for the first 50 meals. Sharon Mack, location manager for Burke Hall, organized the event along with Ed Robertson and Earnest Butler. Malcolm Jordan, a sophomore from Mobile majoring in electrical engineering, also prepared a plate of food for himself. Jordan said he was happy UA offered the Thanksgiving meal because he had to work during the holiday and was unable to get home.
UA Rhodes Scholar finalists, though not chosen, learn from experience
Crimson White – Nov. 26
Two University of Alabama students were chosen as finalists for the American Rhodes Scholarships this semester, and though neither was awarded the scholsarhip, both felt the process prepared them for their future and taught them about themselves in the process. Emma Fick, a senior majoring in English, and Hannah Hicks, a senior majoring in philosophy and religious studies, were both selected as finalists for the Rhodes Scholar program, an international fellowship that fully finances 32 recipients from more than 300 American universities to pursue a degree at the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom. Both Fick and Hicks said they started their application process in the spring, working directly with Brad Tuggle, the campus representative for the scholarship, and the University’s Committee of Prestige Scholarships and Awards. After survivng two rounds of University-level cuts and interviewing with the committee, they submitted a 1,000-word personal statement, a two-page resume, eight letters of recommendation and an academic transcript to their district committees. “I was breathless when I found out I was named a finalist. That had been my goal from the start,” Fick said. “That immediate thrill was tempered, however, by the quick realization that I had a lot of work to do in preparation for the district interview stage.”
UA students collect coats for Hurricane Sandy victims
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 26
One group of students saw the damage from the northeast area caused by Hurricane Sandy and they decided to help; And you can help too. It may look like they were just eating, but with a ticket, 15 percent of the check went to help the organization. Student Nicole Schimme says university students know the importance of stepping up when help is at it is like to be in devastation from the tornado that happened back in April.
‘Winter village’ opens Monday
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 23
Tuscaloosa will have snow and ice this winter, after the Tuscaloosa City Council’s decision to open a “winter village” near the Black Warrior Riverwalk on Monday. Known as Holidays on the River, the temporary winter village will be along the south side of Jack Warner Parkway adjacent to the Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum. The village will remain open through Jan. 6…“The Winter Wonderland is going to help with quality of life for Tuscaloosa,” said Laura Ying, an intern at the Amphitheater. Ying, a University of Alabama senior from Houston, Texas, has been working alongside others involved with the Arts and Entertainment Department for several months to carry out Holidays on the River. “The idea with this whole project is to bring winter to the South. With the ice skating rink and the snow machine, we are trying to create an authentic winter experience for the Tuscaloosa community.”
LEND A HAND: Tuscaloosa Toys for Tots aims to give gifts to 1,500 children
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 25
With the Christmas holidays fast approaching, Toys for Tots has begun collecting new, unwrapped toys for underprivileged children across Tuscaloosa. Beginning last week, the Mike Spann Detachment of the Marine Corps has established toy dropoff locations at several city of Tuscaloosa departments, the University of Alabama, Toys R Us, Wal-Mart and Shelton State Community College to name a few. “By campaign’s end, we will have provided toys for 1,500 children,” local Toys for Tots coordinator Janice Looney said…While the majority of toys donated are for ages 3 to 6, cash donations enable the organization to purchase age-appropriate toys for everyone from infants to 12-year-olds. One of these major donors is UA Libraries. Since 2003, they’ve partnered with Toys for Tots to encourage faculty, staff and students at UA to get into the giving spirit.
Serving those in need
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 23
Local organizations opened their doors Thursday as volunteers and others gave up their traditional Thanksgiving lunch to serve others, including those who didn’t have a home to go to for Thanksgiving dinner. For its 2012 Thanksgiving, Alberta Baptist Church once again set up a 40- by 60-foot red-striped tent large enough to hold hundreds, in the parking lot behind its still-uninhabitable building. The building was decimated by the April 27, 2011, tornado that destroyed so much of surrounding neighborhood … Another growing tradition seems to be doubling in numbers, downtown at Chuck’s Fish. For Thanksgiving, the fine-dining restaurant opens its tables to everyone, regardless of need. Those who can pay for their meal contribute to Project Blessings, a nonprofit organization that helps low-income or underprivileged homeowners make much-needed repairs through volunteers, donations and reduced-pricing for skilled laborers. Patrons came for different reasons: For some, it was just a chance to enjoy a good meal of turkey breasts, smoked ham, green beans, potatoes, stuffing and pecan pie. For others, it was the meal and a chance to contribute to a good cause. For University of Alabama professor Sue Parker, it was a chance to bring folks who were far from home, including a couple of friends from Israel … Although 60 volunteers signed up to work, about 100 actually showed, said Kellee Reinhart, who with her husband Steve has been in on the charity lunch since its beginnings. “People just fell from the sky. And we needed them.”
Artist-in-residence Cooper looks ahead to next project (print edition only)
Crimson White – Nov. 26
Honor’s College artist-in-residence and University Fellows advisor Chip Cooper participated in the Miami Book Fair on Nov. 11-18 to promote his book, “Old Havana: The Spirit of the Living City.” The Miami Book Fair marks the end of Cooper’s book promotion tour, which included book fairs in New York City and Nashville, Tenn. … Now that the Miami Book Fair is over – and with it, the promotion of “Old Havana” – Cooper is moving on to his next project. He will work with Cuban photographer Julio Larramendi on a new series of religious-themed photographs in Cuba starting in March 2013
Social media effective for PRSSA in relief program
Crimson White – Nov. 26
A text message was all it took for Nicole Schimmel to understand the full extent of the devastation left by Hurricane Sandy in late October. Schimmel, a junior majoring in public relations at The University of Alabama, received a text message immediately following the storm from her friend in Queens, N.Y., explaining the city had lost power, and people were freezing on the streets. Additionally, Schimmel’s friend from New York lost her car and much of her neighborhood and said her childhood had been ripped away from her. “When the hurricane first happened, people didn’t realize how bad it was until they walked outside and saw their communities devastated,” Schimmel said. This text initially lead Schimmel, director of public relations for UA’s Pubic Relations Student Society of America, to start a coat drive for those affected by Hurricane Sandy. “We wanted to raise 200 coats – if not more – to send to the New Yorkers who helped us in a time of devastation after the April 27 storm,” Schimmel said. “Tuscaloosa is a community that knows how to come together when things are rough. This is our way of giving back.” From now until Dec. 16, UA PRSSA’s Tuscaloosa Gives Back program is collecting gently used coats that can be donated to boxes in major buildings across campus, including sorority houses.
Birmingham’s ‘Tin Man’ to host team art build
Crimson White – Nov. 26
Charlie Lucas, an Alabamian artist, will spend two days making presentations and hosting activities on campus this week, showcasing his internationally acclaimed work and the process he uses to create it. Lucas is anything but a typical modern artist, though. The Birmingham native has a case of dyslexia so severe it has left him functionally illiterate and was never formally trained in the craft…When he creates art, Lucas channels his inner child which he calls the Tin Man and makes pieces out of scrap metal and items many would consider junk. In 2011, he received the distinction of being one of Alabama’s “Living Legends” for his contribution to national and Alabama culture. Kelly Konrad, a sophomore majoring in French and New College, was the event’s project communicator for Creative Campus. “I had met Charlie Lucas this summer and toured his Selma studio with the Honors College,” Konrad said. “I was really inspired by him and his unique story, and I wanted to bring that story to UA.” Konrad, who pitched the idea of Lucas’s visit to Creative Campus in August, said Lucas’s art is meant to convey the “ugly and unpredictable moments of life,” while still making the best of it. His whimsical pieces capture the joy life has, even at its darker moments.
Good Art Show to allow class’s artists to give back
Crimson White – Nov. 26
“The Art of Giving Back,” a Univerity of Alabama Honors College course, is giving students more than credit hours this week. The class is culminating an event called the Good Art Show, which will give students the satisfaction of helping the community by selling art they’ve created and through making donations to a local nonprofit organization. The show will sell student-produced works to benefit Tuscaloosa’s One Place, a family resource center that works with students in after-school programs and provides parenting classes in the city. “We’re not claiming that we’re selling good, high art,” said Tonya Nelson, the UA professor instructing the class. “It’s about building this artful life that feeds into your values. The class examines the difference between saying and doing. We’re promising that it’s doing ‘good,’ and it’s important that we do.” A collection of pieces from students and donors will be sold at the catered event in an open-market style, distributing projects across themed tables at previously set prices. Profits from the students’ works will be donated directly to TOP, and 50 percent of the revenue made from any donated works is given to the nonprofit. Amanda Waller, director of development at Tuscaloosa’s One Place, said she is very grateful for the class’s donations. “We are a nonprofit organization,” Waller said. “We operate on grants and private donations. Private donations are essential to funding because grants do not cover everything.”