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MONDAY, JAN. 6 – SUNDAY, JAN. 12, 2014

BEST BETS

WHITE HOUSE TO HONOR GEOLOGIST – A UA geologist who uses the energy from earthquakes all over the world to image an Antarctic mountain range buried beneath the snow and ice will be among those researchers honored in an upcoming ceremony in Washington, D.C. President Barack Obama named Dr. Samantha Hansen, a UA assistant professor of geological sciences, among the 102 researchers receiving the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. It is the highest honor bestowed by the United States government on science and engineering professionals in the early stages of their research careers. See this news release with more details, or contact Chris Bryant in media relations, cjbryant@ur.ua.edu or 205/348-8323. Contact Hansen directly at 205/348-7089, shansen@geo.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.

UA EXPERT TIPS

UA MATTERS: HOW TO USE ENERGY-EFFICIENT LIGHTING — The average household spends about 10 percent of its energy costs on lighting. The University of Alabama’s Greg McKelvey provides some basic tips on how to keep those costs as low as possible, http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/01/ua-matters-how-to-use-energy-efficient-lighting/. 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/. Some of Gregg’s tips are also highlighted in the latest video from UA’s Health Corner, http://vimeo.com/album/2551337/video/75790844. Contact: UA media relations, 205/348-5320

EVENTS

UA’S NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM’S GEOTECH LAB FEATURES SATURDAY WORKSHOP — High school students will have an opportunity to create their own video game during the first Saturday workshop of the Alabama Museum of Natural History’s GeoTech Lab on Saturday, Jan. 11. The free workshop, which runs from 10 a.m. to noon and is open to eighth- through 12^th-graders, will feature GameMaker. Interested students can register at www.geotechlab.weebly.com; registration is required by Jan. 9. Contact: Allie Sorlie, museum education outreach coordinator, 205/348-6383 or acsorlie@bama.ua.edu, or Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.

LOOKING AHEAD

CBER ECONOMIC OUTLOOK CONFERENCE SET FOR JAN. 15 — What’s in store for Alabama’s economy in 2014? Local and national economic experts from The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and the nation will answer that question at the 26^th annual Economic Outlook Conference in Montgomery on Wednesday, Jan. 15. The conference is presented by the Center for Business and Economic Research at UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce. Presenters include David Altig, executive vice president and director of research at the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, and Dr. Samuel Addy, CBER director and associate dean for research and outreach at UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce. Tom Broughton, chief executive officer and president of ServisFirst Bank, will take an in-depth look at the health and outlook for Alabama’s banking industry. The conference will be held at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. Check-in begins at 9 a.m., and the luncheon ends at 1:30 p.m. Registration is required by Wednesday, Jan. 8. Conference registration links and information are available online at http://cber.cba.ua.edu.