University of Alabama’s Samantha Hansen finds Antarctic journey more difficult than the trek
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 18
Samantha Hansen’s greatest hurdle in reaching Antarctica isn’t the distance or the cold or the paperwork. It’s the government shutdown, which ended late Wednesday night. Hansen, a University of Alabama assistant professor of geological sciences, still plans to leave Nov. 4 for her second research season in Antarctica, where she will check earthquake-monitoring equipment in hopes of understanding the origins of Antarctica’s longest mountain range. But her departure date is still somewhat in limbo because of the effects of the government shutdown. Hansen cannot travel to Antarctica until the research station she uses, which was closed during the shutdown, is rebuilt from its bare-bones inactive state. The research station will need time to return to working order, Hansen said. “We’re all just kind of biting our fingernails and sitting in a holding pattern trying to figure out what’ll happen,” she said.
UA fraternities and sororities to host benefit
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 18
Thomas Plott plays flag football and other sports and does all the things 5-year-old boys love to do…Plott’s son was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis when he was 10 weeks old, prompting the family to found the The Thomas Plott Foundation in 2009 to further advances in research to cure the genetic disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. The nonprofit raises money on behalf of the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The disease, which affects about 30,000 adults and children in the U.S., causes the body to produce unusually thick, sticky mucus that clogs the lungs and obstructs the pancreas, according to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation…The Plotts’ story inspired a group of 13 University of Alabama fraternities and sororities to sponsor a band party, Rock Out to Knock Out CF, as a fundraiser to benefit the family’s foundation. The co-hosts are Phi Gam, Sigma Nu, KA, Deke, SAE, Sigma Chi, Kappa, KD, Chi O, Phi Mu, Pi Phi, Alpha Chi and Tri Delt, according to a flier.
First responders to receive free estate planning from Tuscaloosa attorneys
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 18
Tuscaloosa attorneys will provide free estate planning services to all first responders Tuesday. The Wills for Heroes project was created as a way for the legal community to show its appreciation for the services of firefighters, police and emergency medical personnel. The project is managed by the Alabama State Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program and is being held in celebration of Pro Bono Week. The event is sponsored by the Tuscaloosa County Bar Association and The University of Alabama Public Interest Institute. Attorneys will draft free basic wills, powers of attorneys and health care directives at the University of Alabama School of Law Career Services Center on Oct. 22.
Federal Workers Head Back To Jobs As Government Reopens
National Public Radio – Oct. 17
Hundreds of thousands of federal workers on furlough for two weeks are going back to work after Congress approved a late-night deal Wednesday to fund the government and stave off default…University of Alabama geologist Samantha Hansen has been conducting a research project in Antarctica that in one way is like almost everything else funded by the federal government: After 16 days down, it’s going to take some time to restart. “It’s not just like flipping a switch. [In] getting the system running, there’s a lot of cogs in the machine,” she says.
NPR (audio link) – Oct. 17
UA places billboard in Houston
KIAH-CW (Houston, Texas) – Oct. 17
University billboards sprouted up in Houston this month, and no, they aren’t University of Houston billboards, not even UT or A&M. These billboards are for the University of Oklahoma and the University of Alabama. Are they trying to recruit Houstonians?…Oklahoma’s billboard is actually their way of pointing out standout alumni that reside in Houston. Alabama seems to be recruiting in Texas. Billboards have been seen in Dallas as well.