UA Preview

MONDAY, NOV. 5 – SUNDAY, NOV.11, 2012

ELECTION EXPERTS

DOWN TO THE WIRE – With the Nov. 6 presidential election a day away, UA professors are ready to add their insights and expertise to stories about politics. Follow this link to a list of potential sources on the political campaign and election results. Contact: Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.

BEST BETS

BAMA & AGGIES FOR VETS – No matter which colors you’ll be cheering for in Saturday’s Aggies versus Crimson Tide football game, we’re all red, white and blue on Veteran’s Day. In that spirit, UA’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs is hosting a free pre-game tailgate Saturday, Nov. 10 on the Quad for all veterans, service members and their dependents – no matter whether they’re cheering on Texas A&M University or UA. The event is part of the office’s Veterans Week observances. The free tailgate, beginning at 11:30 a.m. and lasting until 1:30 p.m., will set up on the northwest corner of the Quad, across Colonial Drive from Bidgood Hall. Look for a “Bama & Aggies for Vets” sign, and come join in the fun. Contact Alexandria Karagas, coordinator of UA’s veteran and military affairs, 348-5800 or karag001@sa.ua.edu. For assistance, contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323, cbryant@ur.ua.edu.

BOLSTERING PHYSICS EDUCATION –UA recently received a $1.6 million grant from the National Science Foundation to boost physics education in high schools throughout the state. As part of Alliance for Physics Excellence, a partnership with Alabama A&M University, UA will provide training to current physics teachers and get more physics teachers into schools through stipends and grants at UA. According to Dr. Dennis Sunal, science education professor at UA, Alabama is sorely lacking for physics teachers. “The research shows that innovative programs like this actually do produce a greater number of students going into STEM careers in college,” Sunal said. “Physics education in this state is at a very low level. There’s a shortage of teachers, so not all high schools teach it anymore. The ones that do will need an upgrade. It’s the first state-wide, secondary school project that the state has received (for physics education). It’s a discipline that’s really in trouble now. Colleges and universities are even finding it difficult to find students for STEM disciplines.” Contact: David Miller, media relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.

EXPANDING COMPUTER SCIENCE EDUCATION – Continuing efforts to introduce computer science to high school students, a $1 million grant was awarded to UA to train teachers in a new computer science course and future College Board AP exam. The grant from the National Science Foundation to Dr. Jeff Gray, associate professor of computer science in the UA College of Engineering, builds upon his work with the College Board to craft a new Advanced Placement computer science course designed to increase secondary and post-secondary educational interest in computer science and improve collegiate preparation for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, majors. For more information contact Adam Jones at 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.

CALL FOR NOMINEES – UA’s Institute for Rural Health Research is seeking nominations for its 2013 Rural Health Heroes Awards. The awards will honor rural health care providers and others who assist in reducing or preventing obesity and promoting wellness. Winners will be honored Feb. 20 at the 14^th Annual Rural Health Conference at UA’s Ferguson Center. Nominations are being accepted in the following three categories: rural community members or organizations, health care providers or government officials and agencies; students enrolled in Alabama colleges and universities, including undergraduate, graduate, medical students and residents; and faculty and staff of Alabama colleges and universities. To nominate an individual or organization, contact Barbara Wright at bwright@cchs.ua.edu or 205/348-0025. The deadline for nominations is Jan. 11. For more information about the conference visit the Rural Health Conference website at http://rhc.ua.edu or call 205/348-0025.

EVENTS

SCREENING AND LECTURE – A screening of the documentary “Follow Me Down,” a feature-length film about music in prison, will be at 7:30 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 8, in 216 Reese Phifer Hall. A question and answer session will follow with the documentary’s creator, Dr. Ben Harbert, a Georgetown University ethnomusicologist. The event is free and open to the public. Shot over the course of two years in three Louisiana prisons, “Follow Me Down” weaves together interviews and performances of extraordinary inmate musicians — some serving life sentences, some new commits and one soon to be released. These musicians rap in the fields while picking okra, soothe themselves with R&B in lockdown and create a cappella gospel harmonies. Contact: Dr. Andrew Raffo Dewar, 205/ 348-9928, adewar@ua.edu.

LEARNING FROM FAILURE – Dr. Henry Petroski, professor, author and a leading expert on engineering failures throughout history, will visit the UA campus Nov. 7, capping his visit with a public lecture at 7:30 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Theater. His visit and lecture are presented by the directors of the College of Engineering’s research centers. Contact: Adam Jones, 205/348/6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.

VETERANS WEEK – The UA Office of Veteran and Military Affairs is hosting a series of events across campus Nov. 7-16 in recognition of Veterans Week; events range from a book launch to a video game tournament to lunch and learn sessions. For a complete list of events, go to http://uanews.ua.edu/2012/11/ua-hosting-campus-events-for-veterans-week/ and contact Alex Karagas, UA Office of Veteran and Military Affairs, 205/348-5800, karag001@sa.ua.edu, http://vets.ua.edu/.

LOOKING AHEAD

MISALLIANCE – UA’s theatre and dance department presents George Bernard Shaw’s play about the mating instincts of a varied group of people gathered at a wealthy man’s country home one summer weekend afternoon. A successful merchant is enjoying his life, along with his dotty wife, daughter and son. But the simple estate is turned upside down and unsuitable alliances are formed by the visit of the daughter’s fiancé, his aristocrat father, a gun-wielding youth trying to kill the merchant and a sputtering airplane containing an old school chum of the fiancé and a female acrobat. Performances are at 7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 12, through Friday, Nov. 16, and 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 18, in the Marian Gallaway Theatre on the UA campus. Tickets are $18 adults, $15 staff, faculty and seniors and $12 students and children. For more information, go to http://theatre.ua.edu/ or call  205/348-3400.