UA Preview

MONDAY, JAN. 13 – MONDAY, JAN. 20, 2014

BEST BETS

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. For the complete agenda, visit http://cber.cba.ua.edu. Contact: Edith Parten, UA media relations, 205/348-8318, eparten@culverhouse.ua.edu

REALIZING THE DREAM – The multi-talented John Legend, who has been honored with a string of artistic and humanitarian awards, is a featured guest at the annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Realizing the Dream event at UA’s Moody Music Concert Hall at 7:30 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 19. Tickets for the event are sold out. In addition, former national and foreign correspondent John Cochran, a UA graduate, will speak at an awards banquet in Foster Auditorium at 6:30 p.m., Friday, Jan. 17. The honorees, recognized for a variety of achievements in the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., are Melanie Gotz, a UA senior, who will receive the Horizon Award; Cleophus Thomas Jr., an Anniston attorney, who will accept the Call to Conscience Award; and Dr. Roger Sayers, former UA president, who will be presented the Mountaintop Award. Contact Bobby Mathews, media relations, 205/348-4956 or bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu.

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.

UA EXPERT TIPS

UA MATTERS: FASHION TRENDS FOR THE NEW YEAR — The fashion world is constantly evolving, and sometimes it can be hard to keep up. Whether you like to replenish your wardrobe once a year or once a week, UA’s Brian Taylor offers some helpful fashion hints to stay in style this year, http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/01/ua-matters-fashion-trends-for-the-new-year/. Contact: UA media relations, 205/348-5320

UA’S HEALTH CORNER PROVIDES PRACTICAL HEALTH TIPS – Sheena Gregg Quizon highlights some healthy ways to lose weight in the latest video in UA’s Health Corner, http://vimeo.com/album/2551337/video/75790844. 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.

LOOKING AHEAD

UA’S MOUNDVILLE PARK OFFERS DOCENT TRAINING — The University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park invites the community to its next docent training course Saturday, Jan. 25. This open-ended volunteer opportunity offers those interested in the fields of history, archaeology and Native American studies a chance to learn how to conduct an interpretive tour in a modern museum atmosphere. The training begins at 10 a.m. at the park and ends at 4 p.m. Breakfast fare, snacks and lunch will be served accordingly. Contact: Jordan Bannister, AmeriCorps VISTA, Moundville Archaeological Park, 205/371-8732 or jmbannister@crimson.ua.edu.

UA TO HOST BUSINESS ANALYTICS SYMPOSIUM JAN. 30-31 – The University of Alabama’s Institute of Business Analytics will hold its annual Business Analytics Symposium Jan. 30-31 at the Hotel Capstone. The two-day event, hosted by the Culverhouse College of Commerce, will explore the diverse landscape of analytics in business with presentations by world-renowned experts in the fields of statistics, and data-mining. Experts from Culverhouse, ESPN, SAS, Nielsen, Millennial Media, Atlanta Braves, Alfa Insurance and Priorize will provide analysis of real world projects. Attendees should plan to interact with other participants including practitioners, faculty and UA students pursuing graduate degrees in statistics, business analytics and economics. A resume book of all students in attendance will be distributed to attendees from business and industry firms. Attendees will also have the opportunity to network with seasoned colleagues from a variety of different firms. The INFORMS Certified Analytics Professional (CAP®) exam will be administered on January 29 as a pre-symposium event and requires separate payment. The last day to register is Jan. 28. For more information and registration visit http://mycba.ua.edu/basymposium. Contact: Edith Parten, UA media relations, 205/348-8318, eparten@culverhouse.ua.edu

ELECT HER – UA’s Women’s Resource Center will host the Elect Her-UA Women Win program at 9 a.m. Saturday, Feb 1, in 301 Ferguson Center. Sponsored by the American Association of University Women, the national Elect Her initiative is designed to encourage and train young women to run for student government and future political office. In 2013, some 88 percent of Elect Her participants in colleges and universities across the country won their bids for student government president. Students may register for the conference by going to http://wrc.ua.edu/ehForm.cfm. Registration is open until Friday, Jan. 24, but space is limited. Contact: Richard LeComte, UA media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782