Kathryn Stockett Speaks at UA
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 28
New York Times best-selling author and University of Alabama alum Kathryn Stockett spoke with students at her alma mater today. Hundreds of people gathered at Moody Music Building on the UA campus for her speech. Stockett is the author of the 2009 novel, “The Help”. It has spent more than 100 weeks on the best-seller list and has even inspired a movie adaptation starring Emma Watson. In addition to speaking, the author also signed autographs for fans of her book. Stockett stressed the importance of not giving up on your aspirations. “After I wrote The Help, I got so many rejections … 60 rejections, and my message is always the same, ‘you cannot give up.’”
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Feb. 28
Students Design and Have Dad Build Bioprinting Extruder for 3D Printers
Softpedia – March 1
A pair of student researchers at the University of Alabama have created a 3D printing extruder that can be used in bioprinting. Their names are Tanner Carden and Devon Bane. They are calling their invention the CarmAl extruder, which is really just an abbreviation, of sorts, for Carbohydrate Anhydrous Rapid Manufacturing Aluminum extruder. Here, aluminum is the material that the extruder was made of, not the material that the extruder, or rather the 3D printer that ends up using it, makes items out of. Well, technically it was Tanner’s father, Rodney Carden, who made the extruder, although the two students came up with the idea. He just took a $12 / €8.68 chunk of aluminum and made the thing at the General Dynamics plant where he is employed. Tanner Carden and Devon Bane have since used the extruder to build a sugar grid that imitates the workings of blood vessels. So how does the extruder do it? It has a modular tip that operates at a higher temperature than standard extruders, due to a specialized heating process.
Alabama tourism officials rank Bryant-Denny Stadium among top destinations
Tuscaloosa News – March 3
Bryant-Denny Stadium was the No. 1 sports destination in Alabama, with 710,538 fans attending University of Alabama home football games in 2013, according to the Alabama Tourism Department. While football venues topped the list, baseball made a strong showing and motorsports filled out the top 10. Bryant-Denny Stadium’s capacity is 101,821 seats, and the UA football team played seven home games in 2013. The stadium’s total number of fans decreased slightly, by 1,514 fans, from 2012, according to the tourism department. Auburn University’s Jordan-Hare Stadium was in second place, luring 25,286 fewer fans than Bryant-Denny Stadium.
Economist shares findings on Alabama A&M’s economic impact
WAFF 48 (Huntsville) – Feb. 28
Alabama A&M’s economic impact was much bigger on North Alabama than some experts first thought. Samuel Addy, an economist from the University of Alabama, shared his findings with A&M leaders Friday. He analyzed the 2011-2012 school year for his study. Addy said Alabama A&M produced $228-million for the Huntsville metro area during that time, and another $120-million across the state. “A little surprising given, I guess, my expectations of what it should be,” said Addy. “I had personally always thought Alabama A&M is a small university beside other universities in the north of Alabama. But it was a pleasant surprise.” The Economist said Alabama A&M produced 16-hundred jobs statewide, with 14-hundred of those in the Huntsville metro area.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Feb. 28
Seat belt use is required in other vehicles, but why not school buses?
Monroe News Star (La.) – March 2
The effectiveness of seat belts — both lap belts and shoulder straps — in reducing injuries and deaths in automobile accidents is widely documented in studies and backed up by anecdotes from first responders. But when it comes to requiring seat belts on school buses, safety experts are divided … A 2010 study by the University of Alabama study drew a similar conclusion, reporting that “enforcement by the driver is almost impossible” and quoting drivers’ concerns that they could be held legally liable if a child was injured while not using his or her seat belt properly.
Changes in leadership planned at Daily Home, St. Clair Times
Anniston Star – March 2
Executives overseeing The Daily Home of Talladega and The St. Clair Times plan changes in leadership for the two newspapers, changes they say will lead to better-quality news for their readers throughout northeastern Alabama. Ed Fowler, The Home’s publisher and editor, who has worked at the paper and its parent company, Consolidated Publishing, for more than 20 years, resigned effective Saturday, according to company officials. H. Brandt Ayers, publisher for The Star and chairman of the board for Consolidated, said the company’s entire staff will miss Fowler … Chris Roberts, an assistant professor of journalism at the University of Alabama and a Jacksonville native, agreed that such moves are common for newspaper companies. (UA’s journalism department is a partner with The Star in providing a master’s degree program in community journalism.) Roberts said having senior executives at another site isn’t ideal, but Talladega and St. Clair counties are close enough that Jackson and Davis can maintain a strong understanding of the communities. Roberts, who worked as a sports correspondent for The Star in the 1980s, added that “having Bob, who is a terrific editor, in charge of both is going to be a fine thing.” Roberts said The Star has a reputation for aggressively pursuing local content — something that’s evident by front pages filled with local stories almost every day. “There are not many daily newspapers across this state or across the nation who can boast of that,” he said.
Student analyzes painting’s place in art through exhibit
Crimson White – March 3
Artists use their medium as a platform to communicate a message. Paintings can often trigger thoughts and feelings through elements such as color, form and line quality. Artwork may even bring back a memory for a viewer. In his MFA thesis, Mark Robert Barry played on this theme. His show, “mnemonic,” opens Monday at the Arts Council Gallery at the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center. The opening reception is Friday from 5 to 8 p.m. The show will run until March 28. Barry’s last exhibition, a master’s requirement, focused on disease and the way some bodies fall apart faster than others. While the work in his current show built on his previous series, it is much lighter. “I kinda wanted to make something more accessible, to viewers as well as myself,” Barry said. Bill Dooley, a professor in the art department and director of the graduate program, said he has watched Barry’s work progress and referred to Barry’s body of work as “a window of cultural forensics.” “I feel like there’s something about Mark’s painting that speaks to spirituality,” Dooley said. “Paintings hold a certain mystery for people who look at them. Mystery that turns into intrigue.”
Alabama’s Million Dollar Band heading to Mardi Gras
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Feb. 28
An award-winning band is marching to the beat of Mardi Gras! The University of Alabama’s Million Dollar Band will perform in Mobile on Fat Tuesday, March 4th. They’ll be in the “Knights of Revelry” parade. More than 200 of the band’s 330 members are expected to be there.
Students, football players raise funds at UADM
Crimson White – March 3
Trace Boyett was born with severe jaundice. With donations to the Children’s Miracle Network, Trace was able to have a special bassinet that ultimately saved his life. Today, he is eight. He has undergone 12 surgeries since birth and has cataracts and glaucoma in both eyes. Despite this, his family said Trace is a happy and outgoing kid. He is the Children’s Miracle Network spokeskid for Columbus, Ga., and an original Alabama Dance Marathon family member. It is with the help of donations made to Children’s Miracle Network that Trace is who he is today, said his mother, Wendy Boyett. On Saturday, hundreds of students and families from across Alabama joined together to stand for the kids at the third annual University of Alabama Dance Marathon. Trace and his family have attended all three dance marathons hosted by the University. UADM is an organization that fundraises all year to support the Children’s Miracle Network and Children’s of Alabama. The dance marathon is the end-of-year celebration where students and families gather to dance, play games and have fun for 10 hours, from 10 a.m until 8 p.m.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 1
UA event brings back storytelling
Crimson White – March 3
Creative Campus continued its “Tin Can Tales” storytelling initiative Thursday with a second installment that featured five speakers recounting a memorable night in their life. The initiative brings UA students and Tuscaloosa community members together for a shared experience in culture and the arts. “The event, in the end, is kind of like this nice story of what Tuscaloosa has to offer,” Connor Fox, an intern with Creative Campus, said. He said the goal of the project is to give students the opportunity to hear different perspectives and get them in touch with fellow community members through the arts. “We try to highlight all different parts of the city and really kind of encourage that community unification,” Fox said. The event took place at the Cyprus Inn Loft in downtown Tuscaloosa. “I was really pleased with the diverse crowd, and the stories reflected that,” Katharine Buckley, Creative Campus intern and project leader for Tin Can Tales, said.
Shaw takes first place at Bama Idol on Thursday
Crimson White – March 3
Shelby Lynne Shaw, a sophomore majoring in communication studies, won first place at Bama Idol on Thursday night after performing “She Will Be Loved” by Maroon 5. “It feels great,” Shaw said. “It’s exciting. I’m super proud of my guitar guy, too.” Shaw sang as Read Mills, a freshman majoring in political science and philosophy, played guitar. After Shaw, a resident assistant, answered a noise complaint concerning Mills and his band practicing in a parking deck, Mills and Shaw started talking. Shaw then called Mills and asked him to accompany her, proving their first duet a success. … Phillips Thomas, the student engagement coordinator for Bama Idol, orchestrated four auditions for the event. A panel of volunteer judges assessed the singers. The finale had three judges present to give feedback and a poll for students to text or tweet their votes. “I would say it was fairly successful,” Thomas said. “People were smiling and entertained. People voted and participated well. I wanted this program to be about the finalists performing and choirs getting exposure.” The University of Alabama AcaBellas were invited to sing, entertaining the audience between the last performer and the judging.
AIME provides space for businesse to incubate, grow
Crimson White – March 3
The Alabama Innovation and Mentoring of Entrepreneurs building is a place where businesses grow and students’ minds are challenged at The University of Alabama. Located just across from Lakeside Dining, the AIME building is a two-story, 50,000 square foot multipurpose center housing two multimedia classrooms, two 2,000 square foot office suites and more than 21,000 square feet of research labs. The building was commissioned in 1996 and completed in December 2000. It was originally called the Alabama Institute for Manufacturing Excellence, Dan Daly, director of AIME, said. The building was built with the intent of bringing more manufacturing to the University. “We have decided that it would be better to focus our efforts on starting up companies rather than bringing manufacturing businesses to the University,” Daly said. Today, the building mainly focuses on growing small businesses. Businesses housed within AIME are said to be “incubating.” The companies pay rent to use the building, while receiving assistance throughout their business ventures.
DON NOBLE: ‘Turning the Tide’ a must-read about UA history
Tuscaloosa News – March 1
Earl Tilford offers what seems a very useful way to think of the history of the University of Alabama. He suggests there have been three UAs, or rather the university has been born, then faded and reborn twice. The first university dates from the founding in 1831 and ends when the Union troops burned all but four buildings in 1865. UA was closed from 1865 until 1870 and the second era began. Tilford is not unduly negative about this “second” university but does point out that as of 1912 there were only 400 students and by 1936 less thna 5,000. Mainly under President George Denny, Alabama had been transformed from “a sleepy backwater academic institution … into a relatively sophisticated university, competitive with similar institutions across the Deep South.” … The university was not to undergo its third birth and present incarnation, however, until the years under Frank Rose from New Year’s Day, 1958, until his resignation in 1968 and the accession of 33-year-old David Mathews, Rose’s hand-picked and groomed candidate. This study is mainly the story of the Rose years, and Frank Rose is its hero.
Wings of Grace charity faces needs of its own
Tuscaloosa News – March 1
Wings of Grace Relief Center started immediately after the April 27, 2011, tornadoes as a response to the disaster. Because of its location at Forest Lake Baptist Church, the center quickly became a main hub for relief efforts in Tuscaloosa … Brandon Delavar, a junior at the University of Alabama, volunteers as a personal shopper. When clients walk into the modular Wings of Grace building, they are greeted by personal shoppers who assist them in finding what they need. “When I’m shopping around with the different clients, I’m also hearing about their lives and what they’re going through,” Delavar said. “So it’s been cool to see people with different backgrounds and different stories.”
Student pilots touch down at UA
Crimson White – March 3
Flying is in Jonathan Henley’s blood – both his grandfather and father were pilots. His father is a part of the Aeroshell Aerobatic Team, a team that does airshows all over North America. But when he was just a kid, Henley associated flying with fear. It terrified him, and when Henley’s father first told him to get in a plane, Henley ran away crying. “As a kid, you’d take one look at me and say, ‘He’d never fly,’” Henley said. “I remember my dad caught me though and strapped me into that cargo plane, and now I am the one who has taken it on.” When he was 12-years-old, Henley’s father gave him a log book. With nine years of practice and more than 500 hours of flight time, Henley has more experience than most pilots his age, but he said he still has a lot to learn. … Henley, now a junior majoring in mechanical engineering, is one of the few pilots on campus. A member of ROTC, he plans to join the Air Force after graduation.
Club Note for March 2
Gadsden Times – March 1
On Jan. 24, the Antiquarian Society met at the Gadsden Country Club. Susan Copeland presided and welcomed two new members, Gail Acker and Jane Hughes. Fran Hawkins introduced the speaker, Chip Cooper, artist in residence at the University of Alabama Honors College and instructor in the College of Arts and Sciences. Cooper received his BA from the university in 1972, followed by post-graduate work in photography. He has photographed people and places all over the world, and his work is included in multiple publications and exhibited in numerous galleries and private collections. Through his shows and photography books, Cooper has tried to define the South. He uses landscapes, details, and abstracts, as well as people to help tell the story.
Chinese radio show dicusses two different cultures
Crimson White – March 3
It’s Thursday night, and the halls of Reese Phifer Hall have long been empty. However, up three sets of winding stairs, down a hallway that smells of pizza, two of the building’s remaining occupants can be found in the WVUA studio. The time, after all, is 10 p.m., and Sirui Shao and Jin Wang are hosting “A Channel,” a Chinese culture radio show. Sirui Shao, a junior majoring in finance, and her co-host Jin Wang, a second-year graduate student in mechanical engineering, started “A Channel” to explore the culture difference between China and the U.S. “A lot of Chinese students come to America, and they have a communication gap,” Shao said. “And a lot of American students want to study abroad in China, but don’t know anything about Chinese culture.” Last semester, Shao decided to bridge the culture gap, and created a proposal for the on campus radio station, WVUA-FM. She then posted on Facebook to look for a co-host, and Wang joined her in the project.
Education News: Sunday, March 2, 2014
Sumter Item – March 2
Senior Claire Estep received the University of Alabama Presidential Scholarship, valued at $95,800, which covers the full cost of tuition. The scholarship is awarded to incoming freshmen who have a minimum SAT score of 1400 and minimum grade point average of 3.5 in a challenging curriculum.