Archaeological dig ‘something you don’t forget,’ student says
Trussville Tribune – July 30
Travis Hyde loves history. The 2013 Hewitt-Trussville High School graduate…said most history he’s studied has occurred in the North, so it was a surprise to him when he found out that Indian artifacts from the Late Archaic period and West Jefferson phase were present behind the Trussville Civic Center, where the future Hewitt-Trussville Stadium will be constructed. Mary Major, Hyde’s AP environmental science teacher, saw his interest in the class and asked if he’d be interested in helping University of Alabama archaeologists with the dig…The dig should finish this week. Since excavation began in June, archaeologists have found evidence of occupations that date back 10,000 years ago, said University of Alabama Office of Archaeological Research Director Matt Gage. “We’re finding fragments of early pottery and lithic tools that are from approximately 2,000 to 2,500 years ago that will help to answer some of the questions surrounding this shift in lifeways,” Gage said of the Late Archaic period. The West Jefferson phase has to do with populations moving across landscapes. It is known that the West Jefferson phase occupants of the Black Warrior Valley began moving eastward into the Cahaba and Coosa Valleys about 1,200 years ago. They brought new pottery vessel technology, subsistence strategies and lithic tools, some of which were made of raw materials from the Black Warrior Valley that they likely brought with them or traded for, Gage said. “The impetus for this migration and its effect on the people who were already living in that area are unclear,” he said. “By looking through the remains of their daily life (their trash), we can gain a better understanding of what they were eating, who they were interacting with and how their technology influenced surrounding populations.” Once the dig is complete, the artifacts will be analyzed in Moundville. Specialized samples will be sent off for dating, botanical analysis and geoarchaeological studies, and that information will be included in the final report.
Adapted golf program breaks ground at UA
Crimson White – July 31
The University of Alabama has once again proved to be the trailblazer in adapted athletics, becoming the first institution in the country to have a collegiate adapted golf program. Beginning in the fall, adapted golf will begin practicing and training to compete in several Amputee Golf Association events for the 2013-14 academic year. Adapted golf, along with wheelchair tennis and para-rowing, began in the spring on a trial basis as a way to expand on Alabama’s successful Adapted Athletics Program. The program, which was founded in 2003 by Brent Hardin and Margaret Stran, also has teams in women’s and men’s wheelchair basketball. Hardin, who serves as athletic director of Adapted Athletics, said he hopes the adapted golf team will experience the same level of success the basketball teams and the new tennis team have had. “It is a beginning, but we are hoping to build something that will be here a long time after I’m gone, that students will always have to enjoy,” Hardin said.
Alabama’s economic growth on pace with 2012
Birmingham Business Journal – July 30
Alabama’s economy should expand 2.2 percent in 2013, according to an updated economic forecast from the Center for Business and Economic Research in the Culverhouse College of Commerce at the University of Alabama. That’s a little higher than CBER’s initial 2013 projections and the updated forecast would put Alabama’s growth rate in line with its 2012 pace. The state’s anticipated growth is above the 1.6 percent gain predicted for the U.S. economy this year and experts say that economic activity should accelerate in 2014, when Alabama’s real GDP is expected to increase by 3.2 percent.
5 must-do’s as age wave bears down on the USA
ABC 10 (Sacramento, Calif.) – July 30
The number of Americans 65 and older is likely to more than double in the next 50 years, and experts say that in some ways, we need to begin remaking America to meet the challenges of future generations … “Too much leisure time leads to lack of purpose,” says Graham McDougall, 63, a professor of nursing at the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa.
Museum of Natural History to host field trip for fossils
Crimson White – July 31
Although Alabama weather is often hot and humid even through November, much of the state was once completely covered by water. Amanda Espy-Brown, education and outreach coordinator for the Alabama Museum of Natural History in Smith Hall, said that was what Alabama looked like millions of years ago. For the past 35 years, the Alabama Museum of Natural Science has ventured to parts of Greene County as part of an annual field trip, said Dalton Bryant, the receptionist for the museum. While dinosaur bones are not a regular find at the site, Espy-Brown said remnants of prehistoric marine life are available in remarkable abundance. “Technically, to be a dinosaur, you had to be a land animal,” Espy-Brown said. “For instance, we find a creature named the mosasaur, we have several here, and at that time there were lots of sharks.”
UA Natural History Museum plans 2 canoe trips
Crimson White – July 31
Students and the Tuscaloosa community are invited to participate in the Alabama Museum of Natural History’s North River Canoeing event on Lake Tuscaloosa. This daylong event will be held on Aug. 1 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. And participants must stay with the group for the duration of the day. Registration is $25 for museum members and $30 for non-members. The day includes transportation to the lake and a canoe rental. Participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch, bug spray and a change of clothes. On-site registration is available for those who arrive prior to 8 a.m. Participants will meet at Smith Hall before departure. The North River Canoeing event has been hosted for several years. Only 20 participants are allowed to be in each group. Each member needs to be 10 years or older and able to swim. Participants will enjoy lunch at Treasure Island county park after a full day on Lake Tuscaloosa.
Rick Bragg to speak at JSU’s Summer Commencement on August 2
Anniston Star – July 30
Jacksonville State University announces Summer 2013 Graduation, which will be on Friday, August 2 at 7:30 p.m. at JSU Stadium. The commencement speaker will be Pulitzer Prize-winning writer and former JSU student Rick Bragg. A 1992 Harvard University Nieman Fellow and former New York Times correspondent, Bragg has authored five books…In addition to the Pulitzer Prize for feature writing, Bragg has received more than 50 writing awards in 20 years, including the American Society of Newspaper Editors Distinguished Writing Award, the 2009 Harper Lee Award for Alabama’s Distinguished Writer of the Year, the 2011 James Beard Journalism Award for Food, Culture, and Travel and the 2013 Alabama Artist of the Year. He currently teaches advanced magazine writing and narrative non-fiction in the journalism department at the University of Alabama.
UA dual enrollment courses open to Chilton students
Clanton Advertiser – July 30
High school students in Chilton County eligible for dual enrollment courses soon will have more than one option as to where and how they complete the courses. In addition to courses offered at Jefferson State Community College in Clanton, local students will be able to complete dual enrollment courses through The University of Alabama. At its July 16 meeting, the Chilton County Board of Education approved Superintendent Dave Hayden’s recommendation to allow eligible students to take dual enrollment courses online through UA. An information session about UA’s dual enrollment courses and the UA Early College program will be held Aug. 13 for Chilton County school counselors, principals and administrators. Regarding UA Early College, students who meet certain requirements may enroll in the program and complete courses online, on-campus or both in order to earn college credit prior to graduating from high school, according to a UA Early College brochure.
Congrats to … Carter McKinnon
Anniston Star – July 30
Carter McKinnon of Anniston recently completed the University of Alabama’s Rural Health Scholars program. The program introduces students from rural areas to college life and gives them an orientation to the need for health and medical professionals in communities like their own. The Rural Health Scholars, who are rising high school seniors, live on campus, take college courses in English and chemistry, learn about health careers and make field trips to rural health care facilities and a medical school.
Grant brings recycling to Tuscaloosa County
Tuscaloosa News – July 31
A $332,000 grant awarded to the city of Tuscaloosa’s Environmental Services Department will bring recycling trailers to areas of Tuscaloosa County for the first time…The goods collected will be processed at the city’s newly rebuilt Environmental Services Department facility with the aid of a new $125,000 sorter, also funded by the grant. The money — awarded by the Alabama Department of Environmental Management — will add recycling bins to areas of the University of Alabama campus and facilities operated by the Tuscaloosa County Park and Recreation Authority and the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama for students, users and patrons.
Alabama students get branded
Crimson White – July 31
Employers are not just looking for workers who can sell their products or ideologies; they want employees who can sell themselves. Personal branding is becoming increasingly important in the job market, and students can be creating their own self-brand now. “Personal branding is much like product branding, but instead, it helps market you to potential employers,” said Amy Bramlett, career consultant in the Career Center. Bramlett gave three key aspects for personal branding: knowing yourself and your best professional attributes or characteristics, knowing your target audience, and using this information to determine your competitive advantage. “People usually think of the rèsumè as a tool for personal branding, but it’s larger than that,” Bramlett said. “Personal branding includes those written documents such as a rèsumè and cover letter, but it also includes social media, your elevator pitch, your knowledge, skills and abilities, your professional impression and even your personality and reputation.”
Speech focuses on learning differences
Crimson White – July 31
Boys and girls are not the same and should not be treated as such, said Monte Linebarger, an assistant principal at Westlawn Middle School in Tuscaloosa. Linebarger spoke July 18 to about 25 students and guests in the College of Communication and Information Sciences. George Daniels, an associate professor of journalism teaching a Race, Gender, Media class this summer, invited him to speak to the students. “I brought Linebarger to this class so that the students can get a real person to connect to,” Daniels said. “His presentation coincided with this class and brought people from the community in as well.” Linebarger has been researching the importance of treating boys and girls differently for the last 10 years. His book, “Blueprint of a Master Teacher,” is a framework for dealing with ethics, leadership and classroom management. His most recent research focuses on gender differences in the classroom.
Believe UA pairs mentors with struggling students
Crimson White – July 31
This fall, the Division of Student Affairs will once again be offering the mentoring program known as Believe UA for students struggling to adjust to the college atmosphere and having trouble keeping up with their classes.The Believe UA program began fall 2011 with only four mentors and eight mentees. Two years later, the program has grown to more than 40 mentors and close to 100 mentees. The program works to help students boost their confidence inside and outside the classroom. Believe UA helps students who may be struggling to adjust to college life at the University by partnering them with an older mentor who can help. The program allows for both mentors and mentees to help each other succeed. Mentors are typically juniors and seniors in the Honors College. No formal application is needed to apply, and a semester commitment to the program is required. Mentor training focuses on accountability, conflict resolution, effective communication and leadership. Mentors also enroll in an academic course through the College of Human Environmental Sciences.
Former SGA president elected to city council
Crimson White – July 31
The Tuscaloosa City Council voted to adopt a resolution effectively electing the seven candidates running unopposed in the upcoming municipal elections on July 23. Among those elected through the resolution was Mayor Walt Maddox, who was never met with opposition after announcing his plans for re-election earlier in the summer. Another of the seven unopposed candidates was Matt Calderone, the former president of the Student Government Association at The University of Alabama. Calderone, who will graduate in August, served as SGA president from 2012 until late spring 2013, after winning in a highly contested election. Before the spring term ended, Calderone announced his plans to run for the Tuscaloosa City Council seat for District 4, a seat previously held by Lee Garrison who himself had been elected to the seat as an undergraduate student at the University.