MONDAY, NOV. 18 – SUNDAY, NOV. 24, 2013
BEST BETS
UA STUDY: HOLIDAY DRIVING DANGEROUS, MORE SO JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS – Analyzing Alabama auto crash data during six-day periods surrounding Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s, UA researchers found the days just before Christmas, as people rush to buy presents and travel to holiday destinations, can be more dangerous on roadways than the days surrounding the other two major holidays. For more information, watch www.uanews.ua.edu or contact Adam Jones at 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.
PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR RECEIVES MENTAL HEALTH RESEARCH GRANT – Dr. Kim Giyeon, assistant professor of psychology at UA, will study geographic factors and racial disparities in mental healthcare across the country after securing a five-year, $573,000 grant from the National Institute of Aging. In previous research, Giyeon found that blacks in the South are less likely to use mental health services than whites, citing lack of trust in healthcare systems and differing socioeconomic statuses. The variables at the national level will be greater and more diverse, Giyeon said, making public data sets from the Centers for Disease Control and Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System important to examining the effects of location at local and regional levels. “… the eventual goal is to have cutting-edge research in the intersection of aging, mental health and geography to find certain ways to eliminate or reduce the disparities,” said Giyeon. For more information, contact David Miller, media relations, 205/348-0825, 662/648-8595 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
UA GRADUATE STUDENTS STEP UP FOR 3MT FINALS — It’s a knock-down, drag-out, winner-takes-all battle royal at the finals of UA’s 3-Minute Thesis competition at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, in Room 159 at Russell Hall. OK, that’s an exaggeration. But the battle for thousands in prize money and the chance to represent the University in a national competition is pretty serious. Fifteen finalists will each have three minutes to present their research in a way that’s approachable and relatable to everyday people. The winner heads to San Antonio, as UA’s representative in the Southeastern regional 3MT competition. 3MT is designed to help graduate students share their research in layman’s terms, so that their work can be more accessible. Contact: Bobby Mathews, UA media relations, 205/348-4956 or bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu
TOWN HALL – The next UA Town Hall discussion, hosted by the Honors College, is “Where We Were and Where We Are: The University and Tuscaloosa, Always Moving Forward.” The event will be at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 18, in the Ferguson Center Forum. The event is free and open to the public. Participants are UA President Judy Bonner and Walt Maddox, mayor of Tuscaloosa. Contact: Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: DEALING WITH STRESS DURING THE HOLIDAYS — The holidays can be a busy, and stressful, time of year. Whether it’s coping with house guests, trying to finish holiday shopping or planning a large holiday meal, everyone should take some time to decompress. UA’s Dr. Harriet Myers offers a few suggestions on how to do just that. To see her tips, visit http://uanews.ua.edu/2013/11/ua-matters-dealing-with-stress-during-the-holidays/. Contact: UA media relations, 205/348-5320.
UA’S HEALTH CORNER PROVIDES PRACTICAL HEALTH TIPS – Dr. Robert Ireland explains the correct way to measure blood sugars at home in the latest video in UA’s Health Corner, http://vimeo.com/75788654. The video series addresses health topics and provides practical advice and guidance from UA’s expert sources and physicians in the College of Community Health Sciences. A new video topic posts every Wednesday morning. Contact: UA media relations, 205/348-5320.
CURRENT COMMENT
UA EXPERT COMMENTS ON HOW MID-TERM ELECTIONS MAY BE AFFECTED BY THE BOTCHED AFFORDABLE CARE ACT ROLLOUT – “Recent midterms, even more so than presidential elections, have been determined by which party’s voters are most energized, mobilized, and enthused. The Obamacare fiasco has probably not caused many Democrats to cross over to the GOP, but it will cause disappointed and disillusioned Democrats, both to the left and to the right of the President, to sit this election out. Fundraising might also be affected, as Democratic donors might tighten their belts until they see how this will play out. Republicans, who had been down for the count after the government shutdown, definitely now have the energy and enthusiasm on their side. In close races. differential turnout could make a big difference.” – Dr. Stephen Borelli, University of Alabama political science professor. To reach Borelli, contact Bobby Mathews, UA media relations, 205/348-4956 or bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu.
EVENTS
RECEPTION, FILM ABOUT LANDMARK SMOKING REPORT FEATURED – A reception will be held in conjunction with an exhibition to honor the memory of Dr. Luther Terry, an Alabamian who was the country’s Surgeon General when the 1964 U.S. Surgeon General’s Report on Smoking and Health was released. The reception will feature the premier screening of the short documentary “Blowing Smoke: The Lost Legacy of the Surgeon General’s Report.” The reception will be held from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Nov. 20 in the Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library Pearce Foyer and adjacent room 205. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, kkeaton@ur.ua.edu, or UA media relations, 205/348-5320.
SECONDHAND SMOKING DANGERS HIGHLIGHTED IN ‘FLASH MOB’ EVENT — Eta Sigma Gamma’s Delta Xi chapter is using the American Cancer Society’s Great American Smokeout to raise awareness about the dangers of secondhand smoke in a vivid, and somewhat shocking, way. On Thursday, Nov. 21, about 135 students will converge on the Quad at UA and simultaneously drop to the ground, falling “dead,” representing the number of people who die every day in the United States from exposure to secondhand smoke. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, kkeaton@ur.ua.edu, or UA media relations, 205/348-5320.
YUENGLING SISTERS HONORED – Jennifer Yuengling, plant coordinator for D.G. Yuengling & Son Inc., America’s Oldest Brewery, will give the Shila Bowron Leadership Lecture from 10 to 10:50 a.m. and from 1 to 1:50 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 21, at UA’s Child Development Research Center. UA’s restaurant, hospitality and meetings management program in the College of Human Environmental Sciences is the sponsor of the event. In addition to the talk, faculty will induct Jennifer Yuengling and her sister, Sheryl Yuengling, into UA’s Hospitality Hall of Fame. The event is free and open to the public. Contact: Richard LeComte, UA media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
PANEL ON NATIVE AMERICANS AND SPORTS — With recent controversy over Native American-related sports team names, a panel of four University of Alabama professors will discuss “Being Brave: Sports and Native American Masculinity” at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 19, in Gorgas Library 205. The discussion will be moderated by Dr. Andrew Billings, director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication (APSC), and will feature Dr. George Daniels, assistant dean for administration of the College of Communication and Information Sciences and associate professor of journalism; Dr. Utz McKnight, chair and associate professor of gender and race studies; Dr. Rich Megraw, associate professor of American studies; and Dr. Harold Selesky, associate professor of history. The group will explore a number of topics centered on Native Americans and sport. The event, free to the public, is co-sponsored by the APSC and UA’s Women’s Resource Center. Contact: Misty Mathews, media relations, mmathews@ua.edu, 205/348-6416.
SONIC FRONTIERS – Experimental composer-performer Dr. Judy Dunaway will perform at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 20, in the Moody Music Building Recital Hall. The event, part of UA’s Sonic Frontiers series, is free and open to the public. Dunaway will present a concert of the balloon music she has been developing for more than two decades. Stretching both ears and rubber, the concert will include an audience interactive performance of her Balloon Symphony No. 2. Contact: Dr. Andrew Raffo Dewar, Sonic Frontiers series, 205/348-9928, adewar@ua.edu.