Scientists demonstrate improved catalyst control, energy savings could result
Phys.org – May 21
Inspired by how enzymes work in nature’s biological processes, researchers have demonstrated a way to improve control of synthetic catalysts, according to a paper co-authored by a University of Alabama computational chemist that was published in a recent online issue of the journal Nature Nanotechnology. “This work is an exciting example of how we are learning to improve control of chemical reactions at the level of a single atom,” said Dr. David Dixon, the Robert Ramsay Chair of Chemistry at The University of Alabama. Catalysts accelerate chemical reactions so that they go faster and use less energy. Estimates indicate that the economic impact of catalytic processing, including pollution abatement, is $10 trillion annually, Dixon said. The UA researcher cited improving the conversion of biomass – typically plant-based materials – into transportation fuels as an example of how designing more efficient catalysts could benefit society. The paper, titled “Selective molecular recognition by nanoscale environments in a supported iridium cluster catalyst,” was published in the journal’s online edition April 20. In the research, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, the scientists showed how to switch molecular bonding – the interaction that holds assemblies of atoms together – off and on at will at specific locations within the catalyst. The discovery, researchers said, has potentially profound implications for chemical conversions involving metal catalysts.
UA honor students do community service in Perry Co.
WNCF-TV (Montgomery) – May 21
Students from the University of Alabama help to beautify a historic landmark in Perry County. UA Honors College students were in Marion landscaping the grounds around the Perry County Courthouse. The project was part of a community service project with the Marion Garden Club. “We’re hoping to green the space out to make it look nice and provide a really great image and a great Marion that people can be proud of,” said UA student Terrence Lonam. The historic courthouse was built in 1855 — and completely renovated last year.
UA students plan a ‘wedding’ in hands-on course
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – May 21
Right now, students at The University of Alabama are wrapping up the May interim semester. Traditional classes are offered during interim, but it is also a time when students can take some unusual, hands-on classes such as wedding planning. A wedding planning class is offered through the Hotel and Restaurant Management curriculum during interim. Students plan a wedding and reception from start to finish, including managing a budget and coordinating different vendors. Graduating senior Maggie Norton has accepted a job as a wedding planner, starting next week. She says her experience in this course was valuable in landing the job. “This has been such a hands-on class, and that’s what this industry is about, it’s about getting out there and being hands-on and learning from experience,” Norton said. “So, the job that I interviewed, they were very impressed that I was taking this class, and they were saying how helpful it would be to the actual real world.” Norton also said creating a successful, enjoyable event for the guests is a big job for the people in charge. “It is a lot harder than what people think it is. From the outside, it looks like a lot of fun, but there is a lot of work that goes into it.”
Blowing smoke: The lost legacy of the 1964 surgeon general’s report on smoking and health
Al.com – May 21
Fifty years after the surgeon general’s landmark report on smoking and health was published by Alabamian Dr. Luther Terry, the toll taken by tobacco remains devastating. Cigarette smoking is still the nation’s number one avoidable health problem, accounting for 480,000 deaths a year. Although adult cigarette smoking prevalence has been cut in half since 1964 to 20%, approximately the same number of Americans smoke, and the average age of smokers is younger. Those with the lowest income and least education are most likely to light up. 40% of individuals who lack a high school diploma smoke, compared to 10% of those with a college degree. Dr. Terry’s indictment of cigarettes as the leading cause of lung cancer should have marked the beginning of the end of the Marlboro Man. But far from riding off into the sunset, the tobacco industry has more than met the challenge of maintaining the nicotine addiction of nearly 50 million Americans. (Dr. Alan Blum is the Gerald Leon Wallace Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama, and the director of the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society. Parts of this essay originally appeared in Oncology magazine. Blum can be reached at ablum@cchs.ua.edu)
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – May 21
Nominations sought for newly launched Alabama Writers Hall of Fame
Al.com – May 21
Alabama’s first comprehensive Alabama Writers Hall of Fame will soon be launched, thanks to a joint initiative of two statewide literary arts entities. According to Lou Pitschmann, Dean of Libraries at the University of Alabama and director of the Alabama Center for the Book, and Jeanie Thompson, executive director of the Alabama Writers’ Forum, the time has come for significant recognition of Alabama’s literary talent in creative writing. “Our state honors athletes, engineers, and musicians, among others, with Halls of Fame. We believe it’s time for Alabama’s rich literary heritage to be recognized in a statewide effort that showcases the best, from the beginning to the present,” Thompson said. “After all, we are the home state of the most beloved novelist on the planet – Harper Lee – and we have many others who also deserve recognition in a formal setting such as the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame.”
Free legal clinic for low-income residents to held Thursday
Tuscaloosa News – May 21
A free legal clinic for low-income residents of Tuscaloosa County will be held from 3 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at the library’s main branch, 1801 Jack Warner Parkway. Clinic lawyers will be available to answer questions about civil legal issues, such as divorce, custody/visitation, landlord-tenant matters, debts, bankruptcy, foreclosures and domestic violence. The clinic will be hosted by the Alabama State Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program, the Tuscaloosa County Bar Association, the University of Alabama School of Law and Legal Services Alabama.