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MONDAY, DEC. 16, 2013 – SUNDAY, JAN. 5, 2014

The UA Office of University Relations will be closed for the holidays from Dec. 21, 2013-Jan. 1, 2014. For assistance during this time, please call 205/348-5320 and follow instructions for reaching a staff member.

BEST BETS

EDUCATED GUESSES 2014 – For the 33rd consecutive year, The University of Alabama’s Office of Media Relations offers predictions from faculty experts for the coming year. While these “educated guesses” don’t always come true, our track record over the years has been good. So, what’s ahead for 2014? Look for an “augmented reality” social media craze, sports concussions to prompt federal legislation, luxury plug-in hybrids to accelerate, plant-based diets to strengthen, the NSA controversy to increase mobile phone encryption … and more. See the 2014 predictions at http://uanews.ua.edu/2013/12/educated-guesses-2014/. Contact: Chris Bryant, 205/348-8323, cbryant@ur.ua.edu or Cathy Andreen, 205/348-8322, candreen@ur.ua.edu.

CHEMIST LEADS SUPERCOMPUTER EFFORT TO AID NUCLEAR UNDERSTANDING – Two of the nation’s fastest supercomputers will aid a research team, led by a UA computational chemist, in guiding both the development of new nuclear fuels and clean-up efforts from past nuclear fuel and weapon production. The U.S. Department of Energy awarded the team, led by Dr. David Dixon, UA professor and Robert Ramsay Chair of Chemistry, 250 million processor hours on supercomputers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and Argonne National Laboratory. “Supercomputer simulations can provide detailed information, at the molecular level, about new types of materials that are going to potentially be used for nuclear fuels,” said Dixon. Contact Dixon directly at 205/348-8441, dadixon@bama.ua.edu. For assistance, contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323, cbryant@ur.ua.edu.

HOUSE UNITED IN LEE COUNTY – Approximately 10 UA students and faculty are joining with counterparts at Auburn University for the third “House United” project sponsored by the Alabama Association of Habitat for Humanity Affiliates, the Lee County Habitat for Humanity and Geordan Communities. The project, which runs through Wednesday, Dec. 18, is occurring at 304 Second Ave. in Opelika, Ala. This year, the students will be working alongside professional builders from Geordan Communities. The project is intended to provide housing for a family in need before Christmas. Contact: Courtney Thomas, director of UA’s Community Center, at 713/818-8712 or ccthomas2@sa.ua.edu

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, visit http://uanews.ua.edu/2013/11/ua-study-holiday-driving-dangerous-more-so-just-before-christmas or contact Adam Jones at 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.

UA ENGINEERING RESEARCH ON RENEWABLE ENERGY SYSTEMS LEADS TO PATENT – Renewable energy sources such as wind-powered generators can be more reliable and efficient by better controlling the process of getting electricity onto the power grid, according to a United States patent based on research by Dr. Shuhui Li, associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Alabama. For more information, watch UA News or contact Adam Jones at 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.

CURRENT COMMENT

UA PROF: SANTA’S ETHNICITY IS – AND SHOULD BE – CHANGEABLE – “We see borrowing, appropriating, repurposing, adapting—whatever you’d like to call it—of practices, images, narratives, etc., all across that domain that we know as culture and throughout history,” says UA’s Dr. Russell McCutcheon, chair of the department of religions studies. “It’s not an accident that the Romans renamed the Greek gods and then tailored them to suit new situations. If anything, I’d be suspicious of someone who claims to have come up with something original. And that the repurposing is done on the borrower’s terms, reflecting the borrower’s interests, also shouldn’t come as a surprise. So the whole discourse on the color of Santa Claus or the race of Jesus is but one more place where we find that it is all about the interests, goals, purposes – in a word, the identity – of the one doing the talking, the one who has borrowed.”
Contact Bobby Mathews, UA media relations, at 205/348-4956 or bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu.

SHORTER HOLIDAY SHOPPING SEASON LEADS TO DEALS FOR CONSUMERS ─ A shorter holiday shopping season for 2013 has brought out intense competition among retailers and that means discounts for consumers according to a University of Alabama professor. Marketing professor Kristy Reynolds with the Culverhouse College of Commerce said retail sales have been up since stores opened their doors on Thanksgiving Day. Stores are offering huge discounts and promotions because of the intense competition.  The number of deals has increased significantly and the average discount has increased. Contact: Edith Parten, UA media relations, 205/348-8318 or eparten@Culverhouse.ua.edu

UA EXPERT TIPS

UA MATTERS: EASY HOLIDAY TRADITIONS TO START WITH THE FAMILY – Along with giving children a sense of togetherness with family, holiday traditions can be passed down for generations to come. The University of Alabama’s Kelly Avery, a curriculum specialist in the College of Human Environmental Sciences’ Child Development Research Center, shares a few simple traditions families can start this holiday season, http://uanews.ua.edu/2013/12/ua-matters-easy-holiday-traditions-to-start-with-the-family/. Contact: UA media relations, 205/348-5320.

UA MATTERS: HOW TO LOSE WEIGHT IN A HEALTHY WAY – Losing weight tends to be a popular New Year’s resolution or goal. But there is definitely a right way and a wrong way to go about achieving that goal. The University of Alabama’s Sheena Quizon Gregg, a registered dietitian and assistant director of health education and prevention, shares a few tips on how to lose those extra pounds in a healthy way, http://uanews.ua.edu/2013/12/ua-matters-how-to-lose-weight-in-a-healthy-way/. Contact: UA media relations, 205/348-5320

UA’S HEALTH CORNER PROVIDES PRACTICAL HEALTH TIPS – Dr. Grier Stewart addresses some of the causes of snoring and when it might be a medical problem in the latest video in UA’s Health Corner, http://vimeo.com/album/2551337/video/75789364. 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.