Japanese nursing students visit the Capstone
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – March 6
The University of Alabama’s Capstone College of Nursing has some special visitors for the next two weeks. Fourteen nursing students from Chiba University in Japan will be working in UA labs and shadowing UA nursing students. It’s the 15th year for the Transcultural Nursing Program, but this year there are some major differences. There is a worldwide push to include Transcultural Nursing in nursing school curriculums. Transcultural nursing refers to a nurse’s ability to care for any person, despite cultural differences or barriers. While students say it’s something they learn in the classroom, putting it into practice is completely different. That’s why this year, the university’s nursing students are calling more of the shots. In the past, the Transcultural Nursing Program has been run by faculty members and there was very little integration of the students from Japan and Alabama. This time, it’s Alabama students who are showing the Chiba University class around campus and the simulator lab.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 6
Tuscaloosa News – March 7 (Print edition only)
UA students to intern at Cannes Film Festival
Tuscaloosa News – March 6
Four University of Alabama students will serve as interns in the American Pavilion Student Program at the Cannes Film Festival in France. Brandon Sparks and Kat Delay, both of Tuscaloosa, Branna Burns of Anniston and Amy Tippit of Spanish Fort will attend workshops and seminars and participate in small-group discussions with creative and business professionals in the film industry. “This is a very competitive national internship, and we are very excited that four of our students were chosen,” said Glenda Cantrell Williams, chairwoman of UA’s telecommunication and film department. “This really speaks to the strength of our production and production management programs and to the talent of our students.” The Cannes Film Festival will be May 12-27.
Al.com – March 6
UA engineering students build concrete canoe
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – March 6
It may seem like an easy going activity, until you throw concrete into the mix. That’s what a group of University of Alabama engineering students has done. It’s all part of a national competition … Sanding, painting, and smoothing out this concrete canoe, University of Alabama civil engineering students are floating the idea of being the best ever in a 20-team Southeastern Conference competition. “I feel pretty confident about this year’s team. We got a lot of good guys that come out. A lot of new members and there are pretty smart kids this year.” Smart new members like Kristi Bardosi, who has tested last year’s canoe on the Black Warrior River. “We practice in the metal boats to get used to rowing in a canoe. And once you get in a concrete boat, the concrete boat is harder to control.” Which perhaps begs the question, “how do you keep a concrete canoe afloat in the first place?
UA teams advance to next round of start-up competition
Crimson White – March 7
Two budding companies from The University of Alabama will advance in a statewide business competition vying for awards totaling up to $100,000. After pitching their company’s product to a panel of judges this past Monday in Birmingham, Ala., seven of 12 teams were chosen to advance to the next round of the competition, communications director Val Walton said. Walton said the competition called Alabama Launchpad, as a program within the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, is a group that represents the private sector of economic development in the state with 80 corporate partners. Greg Sheek, director of Alabama Launchpad programs, said the competition started in 2006 and grew when Robert Witt and Jay Gogue, the then presidents of The University of Alabama and Auburn University respectively, saw an opportunity. “They are a part of Governor Bentley’s economic development plan, Accelerate Alabama,” Sheek said. “They identified and are helping lead Alabama Launchpad as the state tool for commercializing and helping startups.” Both Martin Bakker, associate professor of chemistry, and Franchessa Sayler, who recently completed her doctoral degree requirements on campus, led one of the UA teams, Thrupore Technologies LLC, a company that introduced a new catalyst for chemical manufacturers. “In a nutshell, this is the work of Franchessa that she started as a graduate student,” Bakker said. “She is really focusing on sales at the moment, so that’s left me behind here to take care of things like production and pitch competitions.”…The other UA team, MagnnPro, offers an innovative MRI contrast agent with safer and more effective results. Yuping Bao, Reichhold-Shumaker assistant professor, is a part of the team. “The existing MRI contrast agents are toxic to the body, and people with liver and kidney problems cannot use them,” Bao said. “The product we developed is going to have the safety and efficiency so all types of patients can use them.”
UMCH helps send foster children to Alabama
Crimson White – March 7
The United Methodist Children’s Home, an organization that provides housing and support for foster youth in Alabama, has partnered with The University of Alabama to provide scholarships for teenage foster youth who want to attend college. UMCH will provide tuition scholarships for eight young men to enroll at the University in the fall, as well as a group home to live at during their time in school. UMCH also partners with The University of North Alabama, where eight young women will enroll in the fall. Rebecca Morris, director of marketing and external affairs for the UMCH Birmingham office, said both universities were excited to make this opportunity a reality in the community. “The need has been there for a while. A lot of foster kids are taken care of until they’re 18, and then there is not a next stop,” Morris said. UMCH will also provide transportation and an in-home advisor for the students…Jameka Hartley is coordinator of Alabama REACH, a new program that provides students who are foster youth with support and resources they need on campus. She said the program conducts monthly workshops and offers academic coaching, as well as doing service projects and cultural activities. “We just make sure any needs they have, such as buying textbooks or paying fees, are met for them, either through community partners or our resources here at UA,” Hartley said.
UA, UAB sponsor art history symposium
Crimson White – March 7
On Friday, The University of Alabama will host the 18th annual Graduate Student Symposium in Art History, an annual event shared by the University and the University of Alabama at Birmingham. The event is sponsored by the departments of art and art history at both schools. The joint program with UAB enables the programs to offer the only MA in art history in the state of Alabama. It also allows both schools to share faculty, students and resources from each campus and each community so that all who are involved are able to benefit. The goal of the event is to bring students from both campuses together so they can hear and be heard by eminent scholars who are working in the field of art history. “We are very proud of this long-running scholarly event that benefits our students and the community,” Rachel Dobson, communications specialist and visual resources curator for the art and art history department, said.
Art Night to feature 3-D printing, metal casting projects
Crimson White – March 7
The Kentuck Art Center will be presenting its Art Night in Northport Ala., Thursday. This week’s Art Night will be dedicated to different types of art including metal casting, pen and ink, music and 3-D printing… University of Alabama students will also have a part in Art Night. The College of Engineering and College of Arts and Sciences have collaborated and will be showcasing an exhibit with 3-D printing. There will also be art exhibits by different artists that people can observe.
Moundville to showcase Native American ways
Tuscaloosa News – March 7
Craftsmen will demonstrate the ancient Native American technique for chipping stone into tools from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday at the Moundville Knap In at the University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park. There will also be an area where children can have their faces painted, grind corn, make crafts and play Native American games. Admission is $8 for adults, $7 for those 55 and older and $6 for students. Children 5 and younger are admitted free.
Pell Grant changes limit access for some
Monroe News Star (La.) – March 7
Recent changes to the eligibility requirements for the Pell Grant that have hurt enrollments in other Southern states have not yet had a significant impact on access to higher education in northeastern Louisiana. Changes implemented this fall to the federal Pell Grant include decreasing the number of semesters a student can receive the grant, no longer allowing students without a high school diploma or equivalent to receive the grant and lowering the maximum Estimated Family Contribution income level for a student to be eligible for the grant. A recent study indicates the restrictions are having a substantial impact in other parts of the South, particularly at rural community colleges. The study, released by the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center, found that 5,000 students in those three states lost their Pell Grant eligibility for the 2012 fall semester, and more than 17,000 students are expected to lose their eligibility this year.
Plans to expand Gorgas Library underway
Crimson White – March 7
More than a year after the Board of Trustees approved a measure to expand and renovate Gorgas Library, The University of Alabama is finally beginning the project. Dan Wolfe, UA planner and designer, expressed excitement over the project to have both the opportunity to expand the main library and to redesign the north face of the building. “A number of years ago there was an addition which doesn’t fit with the rest of campus and the new addition is going to meld better with the surrounding architecture. It will also help cover up the old addition, which is decidedly a different style than the rest of campus,” Wolfe said. “There is definitely a need for additional space in the library and there was programming done with the library that assisted with figuring out how much extra room Gorgas would need.” Wolfe said the project was still in an early stage but is currently planned to add an additional 50,000 square feet to the library and will be built on the northern Capstone Drive entrance.
“Hermitage Cats Save the Day” holds dress rehearsal for Rise Program
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 7
A play is bringing a book to life for students in Tuscaloosa today. “Hermitage Cats Save the Day” is a musical inspired by a book. The musical adaption has been in the works for two years and is a collaboration between the University of Alabama Rise Program and Russian educators. The musical’s composer Chris Brubeck says projects like this promote unity between countries.
Concert to feature unconventional musicians
Crimson White – March 7
From Wagner with the tuba to Beethoven with the piano to Jimi Hendrix with the electric guitar, musicians have been using technology to push boundaries and redefine music for as long as it has existed. Composer, improviser and electronic artist Holland Hopson said these individuals are part of what inspires him to push boundaries himself. “I want to embrace new technologies and find a way to make my own work with them and have my own voice be heard through them,” Hopson said. “I look back to people who did that before me, and I like what they did.” Hopson and fellow composer and performer Justin Peake will be performing tonight in The University of Alabama’s Sonic Frontiers concert series, created by Andrew Raffo Dewar. The Sonic Frontiers concert series, which premiered in fall 2011, features performances by experimental and unconventional musicians. “I hope to get people excited about expanding their ideas about music and to support artists who think outside the box and try something innovative,” Dewar, an assistant New College professor and the assistant director of Creative Campus, said…Hopson, originally from Huntsville, Ala., is in the middle of his second semester as an assistant professor in New College. He teaches a creativity seminar as well as a seminar on producing digital media.
Tuscaloosa News – March 7
‘Rock the Cure’ to raise money for St. Jude Research Hospital
Crimson White – March 7
The University of Alabama’s Up ‘til Dawn organization is hosting a “Rock the Cure” event to raise money for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Thursday from 7-10 p.m. at The Zone in Bryant-Denny Stadium. The Doctors and Lawyers will be playing live, and food from Chick-fil-A, McAlister’s Deli, TCBY, Dominos Pizza and Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe will be provided. Attendees can receive a complimentary makeover from the Bobbi Brown makeup line and win Guy Harvey merchandise, as well as the chance to win a $200 Visa gift card. Brittain McCoy, a senior at the University and the public relations chair for the Up ‘til Dawn Executive Board, was a patient at St. Jude for four years. “I know firsthand how important it is to raise money for this amazing hospital because they saved my life,” McCoy said. “This event will be a lot of fun, and by coming, you are raising money for St. Jude and consequently saving a child’s life.” Up ‘til Dawn is a campuswide organization that raises money and awareness for St. Jude by writing letters and hosting events like Rock the Cure. To go to the event, students must bring 10 addresses that Up ‘til Dawn can use to send prewritten letters asking for donations. Letter-writing stations will be at the event.
Sorority to hold Shamrock Run on Saturday
Tuscaloosa News – March 7
The Kappa Delta sorority at the University of Alabama will hold the 5K Shamrock Run on Saturday. Proceeds from the fourth annual event will benefit Child Abuse Prevention Services in Tuscaloosa and Prevent Child Abuse of America. Registration fee is $20 and prizes, including a Yeti cooler and a purse from Effie’s Inc. of Tuscaloosa, will be awarded to the winners.
Many UA alums call Istanbul, Turkey, home
Al.com – March 7
Roll Tide, worldwide. While University of Alabama EMBA students were studying Turkish companies in Istanbul last week, we got the chance to meet nearly a dozen UA alums who currently call Turkey home. Mustafa Bayraktar, who graduated from UA with a degree in finance, and his wife threw a large dinner party for the dean of UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce Michael Hardin; alums; faculty; staff; and the current EMBA students. Other alumni included businessman Michael S. Baldwin. Baldwin is a native of Demopolis, and has called Turkey home for decades. Also in attendance was former UA men’s basketball starter, current EuroLeague professional basketball player and Uniontown native Erwin Dudley. Dudley, who plays for the Galatasaray Istanbul team, attended the dinner with his wife. Tamara Croom Dudley is a Tuscaloosa native and also a UA alum.
Grads teaching for TFA in Black Belt face challenges
Crimson White – March 7
Last year, The University of Alabama became one of Teach for America’s top contributing schools, joining schools like the University of Michigan, Cornell University and the University of North Carolina, Danielle Montoya, managing director of regional communications at Teach for America, said. The Capstone ranked 19th among large school contributors, with 35 graduates admitted into program. The program has also recently expanded into Alabama, placing teachers in urban areas like Birmingham, Huntsville and Tuscaloosa and in the rural Black Belt region. J.W. Carpenter, executive director of Teach for America in Alabama, said the partnership between the University and the program has benefited schools served by TFA. “We are getting some of the best and brightest locally,” Carpenter said. “I think if we can harness talent we have at home to help our students here in Alabama, I think that’s the way we’re going to win.” There are roughly 115 teachers with Teach for America in Alabama teaching in 11 districts … Students at the Capstone continue to be interested in Teach for America. This year, there were 146 applicants from the University, which is about 3.5 percent of all graduating seniors, Montoya said, slightly up from 139 applicants last year.
Some Alabama students suffer from seasonal affective disorder due to lack of sunlight during winter months
Crimson White – March 7
The winter blues is a real thing, and it is affecting University of Alabama students, said Lee N. Keyes, Ph.D, executive director of the UA Counseling Center. Keyes said the unusual lack of sunlight in recent months has led to a noticeable increase in patients at the counseling center. In fact, he said he’s treated three patients for seasonal affective disorder (SAD), a form of depression that arises when a person lacks the natural vitamin D emitted from the sun. “This year since about Christmas time and now we’ve had an unusual lack of sunlight,” Keyes said. “[SAD] is usually much more common in the northern latitudes.” Keyes said 5 percent of people in northern states suffer from SAD but the number in the south is usually much lower.