UA AdTeam wins 5 awards, Best in Show at ADDYs
Crimson White – March 20
The Tuscaloosa chapter of the American Advertising Federation awarded several University of Alabama students for their creative advertising efforts at the 2012 ADDY awards ceremony in February. Entrants of the ADDY awards included professionals from Tuscaloosa and East Mississippi, and students from The University of Alabama and Mississippi State University. Entries include all forms of advertising from all media outlets and are judged in many areas including concept, quality, copy and design. The UA AdTeam won three gold ADDYs, two silver ADDYs and Best in Show in the student category for its “The Push,” an integrated marketing campaign for Nissan, which also won second place in the nation at the 2012 National Student Advertising Competition. Myreete Wolford, AdTeam president, said its winning entries will automatically be submitted to the district level, and she hopes they will eventually make it to the national ADDY competition June 6.
Art exhibit commemorates desegregation anniversary
Crimson White – March 20
Through the Doors, a campuswide commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the desegregation of The University of Alabama, is being represented visually at the Paul R. Jones Gallery in Tuscaloosa. The art exhibit, entitled “Migration/s,” was the brainchild of the University’s College of Arts and Sciences and the Black Faculty Association of the College of Arts and Sciences. “The mission of the Jones Collection is to promote education through art and the theme of ‘migration,’ because it is so historically rich and broad in scope,” Lucy Curzon, the director of education and outreach for the Jones Collection of African American Art, said. “[This art exhibit] seemed an optimal way to span the many different interests of departments and communities across the college.” The interests “Migration/s” hopes to pique are essential to grasping the past, living in the present and shaping the future, Jessica Dallow, the guest curator for the show and an art professor at UAB, said … The exhibit is home to 35 pieces of art ranging in medium from painting, print, photography and mixed media. The works were chosen specifically to both fit and emulate the migration theme.
Program aims to get kids playing soccer
Tuscaloosa News – March 20
The world’s most popular sport has touched down at Matthews Elementary School, and its fifth-graders will soon experience what makes soccer such a favorite. Through a joint effort by Matthews Elementary, the Northport Police Athletic League and University of Alabama students and staff, these elementary school students are learning all about the sport. After an initial introduction and demonstration by players on the University of Alabama women’s soccer team, the students — around 60 total — will be using their last period on Tuesdays and, for those who so choose, after school on Thursdays, to play soccer…Tim Pryor, a master’s student in sports management at the University of Alabama, is the project manager…“We’re going to teach the kids the game of soccer and do it in a fun way to keep them interested in it,” said Pryor, who grew up playing the sport. “And then once they get interested in what’s going on, we’ll start teaching them fundamentals and get them into the game. Every kid gets their own ball so they be able to practice at home, play games together.”
Burns among Bama students selected for Cannes internships
Jacksonville News – March 19
Four students from The University of Alabama’s telecommunication and film department have been selected for internships in the American Pavilion Student Program at the Cannes Film Festival. The American Program is the only student program officially recognized and sanctioned by Cannes. Students gain hands-on experience in the creative process of film making at one of the most esteemed festivals in the world. “This is a very competitive national internship, and we are very excited that four of our students were chosen,” said Dr. Glenda Cantrell Williams, department chair of telecommunication and film. “This really speaks to the strength of our production and production management programs and to the talent of our students.” Students selected were Brandon Sparks, of Tuscaloosa, Kat Delay, of Tuscaloosa, Branna Burns, of Anniston, and Amy Tippit, of Spanish Fort.
Grad student researches Haitian health
Crimson White – March 20
Haley Beech, a social work graduate student, went to Haiti to give back through relief work and community building, and presented preliminary research she gathered during the third International Conference on Heath, Wellness and Society last week in Sao Paulo, Brazil. She presented a paper, “Access to Health Care in Rural Haiti: A Descriptive Study on Preventable and Manageable Disease States,” in poster form. “I wanted to go so I could have the opportunity to meet with other health care professionals in different disciplines and to meet other people who were doing similar research,” Beech said. “I gained a lot of affirmation that what I’m doing is important, and it was encouraging to meet with others that valued my research and are doing similar things.” Beech’s paper focused on her experience during her second trip to Haiti working at a medical clinic in July 2011. She was given permission to gather data used that wasn’t being used for other research and focused on female diseases. “I quantified it, ran analysis and received basic descriptive stats in order to better understand what illnesses were present, and primarily focused on females,” Beech said. “There were six prominent categories that were ‘most prevalent.’ These were gastro-intestinal problems, vitamin deficiencies, vaginal infections, lung infections, cardiovascular problems and parasitic diseases.”
Sports communication program to host Mike Hill
Crimson White – March 20
The University of Alabama Program in Sports Communication will host its inaugural Academic Symposium Wednesday with ESPN SportsCenter anchor Mike Hill serving as the keynote speaker. Sports communication researchers from the University’s College of Communication and Information Sciences, College of Arts and Sciences, Culverhouse College of Commerce and College of Education and Stillman College will present their findings throughout the day. “We have had so many people, not just in our college but across the University, that are working on different aspects of sports,” said Lance Kinney, the symposium coordinator and associate professor of advertising and public relations. “We wanted to have a symposium to make sure everyone meets and has an opportunity to present their research, meet colleagues and form research contacts.” He said it also gives students a chance to see the kind of work in sports that goes on at the University. The researchers will cover a wide variety of sports-related topics, including new media, LGBTQ issues in sports, racial representation in sports, mobile apps and the history of different types of sports.
UA to celebrate Earth Day with events through April 10
Al.com – March 19
The University of Alabama will host a series of lectures that all lead up Earth Day on April 22. “An Earth Day Series — Building a Sustainable Future” will bring guest lecturers out to discuss sustainability in their various professions and why this is important to our future. Students will also have the opportunity to network with these lecturers who are all from different walks of life and hold various careers. After each lecture, a round-table discussion will allow students to talk individually with these guests. Food and drinks will be provided at each lecture. Here is the complete list of lectures from this Thursday through April 10 at the University of Alabama. All events will be in 205 Gorgas Library.
Forensic Council to hold showcase before competition
Crimson White – March 20
The University of Alabama Forensic Council is inviting students and the public to see The University of Alabama Speech Team showcase their skills Wednesday from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Ferguson Center Theater as they prepare for their national competition. The speech team will be performing everything from poetry to after-dinner speeches to oral interpretations of literature. Students will have the opportunity to see the 19-time national championship-winning team perform while the speech team practices their presentations in front of a large audience before the actual competition, which will take place a week later on March 29. Katerina Pena, a junior at the University and second-year member of the Forensics Team, said each student has 10 minutes individually to make an impact on the audience, and students who attend can gain more awareness about the Alabama Forensic Council.
Riverside Bollywood Festival Grand Finale begins tonight at UA
Al.com – March 19
For Honors Week at the University of Alabama, there are lots of events that revolve around Asian culture. Tonight, the very last Bollywood Film Series will begin on campus. The three-week film series features postmodern Indian films that all begin at 7 p.m. on Tuesdays in the Media Room of the Riverside Community Center. Free refreshments will also be served. Tonight, director Yash Chopra’s 2012 romance film “Jab Tak Hai Jaan” will be shown for the beginning of the festival. The film is said to be able to really pull on your heartstrings with the story of Samar Anand, who falls in love in London and then gets amnesia while working with the army.
AEA members seek answers, assurance
Anniston Star – March 20
Local educators have questions about the future of their profession in Alabama, and they showed up in force Tuesday to find answers. More than 135 school personnel from Calhoun County and beyond met with representatives from the Alabama Education Association to better understand how the Alabama Accountability Act and other measures could affect their schools, classrooms and possibly their jobs…Former AEA Executive Secretary Paul Hubbert helped build “tremendous influence” in the state legislature during his more than four-decade-long tenure, according to Bill Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama. “Before Hubbert came on the scene, AEA was impotent politically,” Stewart said, noting that the association swelled its ranks by incorporating school employees such as bus drivers and lunchroom workers as members and became a Democratic-leaning quasi-union. “With the Republican ascent in 2010, their power has been greatly diminished,” Stewart said.
UA, Tuscaloosa schools team up to form All-City Orchestra (Live interview)
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 18/span>
Tuscaloosa City Schools and the University of Alabama are teaming up to make some beautiful music … “We began this program about eight years ago. We started with leaders in the community had come to me asking if we could start a program like we had in Texas … So many people gave money to get the program started. The School of Music gives us space to have our rehearsals and concerts in.”
Alabama campus catches spring fever (photos)
Al.com – March 20
Today officially marks the first day of spring and the University of Alabama campus is starting to get spring fever. With spring break right around the corner, students are longing to lounge on a beach or on the Quad and enjoy warmer weather. And even though it may not quite feel like spring weather yet, students have taken to social media sites like Instagram and Twitter to upload campus photos and spring tweets. Even the Bryant-Denny Chimes look like they’re ready for spring.