Nelson named dean of communications
Crimson White – June 18
The appointment of a new dean often involves bringing in someone new to the college, someone that Jennifer Greer, interim dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences, says can
“shake it up.” Mark Nelson, who has been vice president of student affairs since 2008, begins his appointment as dean of the College of Communication and Information Sciences next month, and Greer said his absence from the college makes him an external candidate in some ways. “He kind of gives us the best of both,” she said. “He knows the campus really well, but he’s going to look at it with fresh eyes.” Greer said Nelson brings his understanding of the University’s inner workings, and his experience in student services. … Nelson said the college is positioned as a national leader in its field. “President Bonner and Provost Benson have been generous in their support of the new Digital Media Center, which I believe will be a magnet for our college and our university in terms of generating exciting and new collaborative projects, research opportunities and grants and
recruiting the nation’s top students to the field,” he said. He said his new role as dean aligns well with his strengths, and his
academic training. “The outstanding faculty, professionals, staff, students and alumni, combined with state of the art resources and a prominent national reputation, make the Dean’s position very appealing,” he said.
Teachers go back to school
Crimson White – June 18
Teachers ask students to say a lot of things, but the ASM Materials Camp teaches teachers how to get their students to express wonder. “The philosophy of the camps is to give students a ‘Wow!’ or ‘What the heck’ moment to get their attention,” said Martin Bakker, associate professor of chemistry. The five-day camp concluded last week and covered about 50 different affordable, hands-on activities. “The purpose of the camp is to give middle and high school science and math teachers hands on experiments/demonstrations that their students can do,” he said. “These experiments are interesting for the students, and so they are motivated to learn the science that underpins the experiment,” he said. The 23 middle and high school teachers who participated received continuing education credit for the camp.
Randall Research Scholars named
Crimson White – June 18
Faculty and graduate students have traditionally conducted research on university campuses, but within the past few decades, there has been a shift to focus attention on undergraduate research as well. The University of Alabama Computer-Based Honors Program is one of the programs that began to encourage undergraduate research. The Randall Award recognizes undergraduates involved in research activity and was awarded this year to 15 students. After nominations by faculty and staff research directors, winners are selected by a panel composed of research faculty and past Burnum Distinguished Faculty Award winners.
CMAP initiative to attract diversity to Culverhouse
Crimson White – June 18
Lisa McKinney, head of the Culverhouse Majors Awareness Program, worked with admissions counselors and visited 30 high schools earlier this year to seek out talented minority students. Those students came to campus Sunday and will remain until Friday for CMAP, a college diversity initiative that will introduce them to the Culverhouse College of Commerce. Senior Associate Dean Diane Johnson said that while Culverhouse has had a summer camp for prospective students in the past, CMAP was born of a desire to open the program up to a more diverse group. The 30 seniors will hear presentations from faculty and professionals, as well as participate in scavenger hunts and
pool parties. … Johnson said Culverhouse wants to attract the broadest, most diverse
group possible. “Just as diversity is great for businesses, so is it great for Culverhouse,” she said. “We want the next generation of successful business people to come from the Culverhouse College of Commerce. CMAP is an opportunity for us to showcase our academic programs, our amazing faculty and staff and the opportunities students have to get a great business degree.”
Bomar looks ahead as new UA museums director
Crimson White – June 18
William Bomar spent 16 years as the director of Moundville Archaeological Park, which he calls one of the nation’s most significant
archaeological sites. But Bomar, recently named as The University of Alabama Museums Executive Director after serving as Interim Director since 2013, is now thinking 10 years into the future. “Broadly speaking, I want UA Museums to gain national notoriety among university museums and triple our educational impact in 10 years,” he said. … “The University of Alabama should be a national leader in teaching, research and public service through its museum system,” he said. Bomar leaves behind a Moundville Archaeological Park that has seen visitation increases after a $5 million renovation and is currently undergoing a $3 million riverbank project. He said he hopes the new director will continue projects like adding smart phone web content to their cell phone audio tour. … In his new position, Bomar will work with not only Moundville, but also other University museums sites like the Gorgas House and
the Arboretum.
Veteran chosen for Tillman
Crimson White – June 18
From a young age, Michael LaRocca has sought the extraordinary. As a graduate of West Point, the United States Military Academy and Pepperdine University, LaRocca also served as an officer in the U.S. Army for five years and was recently named a Tillman Military Scholar. … After LaRocca finished his undergraduate degree at West Point in 2002, he began his five years of service for the army. His first assignment was a year later as a lieutenant in South Korea, where he went through basic field training and learned how to lead a platoon. After a year there, he was stationed in Fort Irwin, California, before deploying to Iraq. … LaRocca is currently pursuing a doctoral degree in clinical psychology with a concentration in geropsychology, a branch of psychology which addresses mental health and age-related issues in older adults. … Forrest Scogin, a professor of psychology at The University of Alabama, has known LaRocca since his acceptance to the psychology graduate program in 2011. He will be chairing LaRocca’s dissertation, and said he had impeccable academic credentials when applying to the university.
Galbraith awarded third Fulbright scholarshiptp
Crimson White – June 18
Do Jews in Poland identify as Polish? That’s the question Marysia Galbraith, professor of anthropology, wants to answer. And to do that, she will travel to Poland in the fall for research and study as a
Fulbright scholar. “One big question I have is where there might have been spaces or opportunities for Jews in Poland to be recognized and see themselves also as Poles,” she said. “I tend to wonder this because the common stereotype is that Poles are Catholic and for hundreds of years there were vibrant Jewish populations who have identified themselves as Polish.” This is the third time Galbraith has been awarded a Fulbright scholarship, as well as the third time she will
focus on Poland.
Part of Trussville-Clay Road to undergo historical study
Trussville Tribune – June 17
Three sections of Trussville-Clay Road in Trussville will soon be undergoing a historical study. The right-of-way areas where Trussville-Clay Road intersects with Service Road, the Longmeadow subdivision entrance and Husky Parkway will be studied by University of Alabama researchers to determine any historical significance. Culverts will also be studied as part of the $1,500 study that the Alabama Department of Transportation is requiring, Trussville Mayor Gene Melton said. “They want to make sure there’s nothing out there that’s over 50 years old that’s being impacted,” Melton said. Adding turn lanes on Trussville-Clay Road and signalization at Husky Parkway was on Gov. Robert Bentley’s Alabama Transportation Rehabilitation and Improvement Program. The local match is $184,575 and ATRIP covers $738,300 for a total of $922,875. Melton said the project could be let for bid in December, with construction possibly beginning in February 2015 or March 2015.
UA psychologist says abusing animals can be a sign of conduct disorder
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – June 17
We talked to a child psychologist to get a better idea about cases like these. Dr. Randy Salekin: “Although it’s very uncommon, abusing animals during childhood can be a sign of conduct disorder. Average children could also experiment with harming animals. The big difference is a sense of guilt. You know that kind of experimentation can happen, but if it’s kind of more planned out, it’s kind of more regular, and it’s increasing in the magnitude at which the abusiveness to animals is happening, then it becomes, obviously a very big concern.” The University of Alabama has a treatment program called the Disruptive Behavior Clinic. Children are referred through the court system.
UA’s Computer-Based Honors Program names participants for 2014-2015
Columbia Daily Herald (Tenn.) – June 18
The University of Alabama’s Computer-Based Honors Program has begun announcing its selections for the 2014 freshman class. Nicholas Lafferty of Columbia is among the 33 students chosen for this program to date. The program, which the National Institute of Education named one the six most intriguing honors programs in the United States, pairs academically elite students directly with leading research professors and cutting-edge computing technology to complete scholarly research projects in any field of study. The highly selective program admits only 40 outstanding incoming freshmen each year. The mean ACT for the 2013 freshman class was 33.9 with a mean GPA of 4.2. Once admitted, students spend their first year in the program completing an intensive series of courses on complex problem solving, the use of computers, project management and research fundamentals. Those skills prepare students for the faculty-directed research project they will conduct throughout their sophomore to senior years. Students typically will work on projects in areas related to their academic discipline; however, they may elect to work in an unrelated field to challenge themselves and broaden their exposure to academic research. The Computer-Based Honors Program has named 33 of 40 students for the 2014 freshman class. The remaining seven will be announced at a later date.
The ‘Best Value’ Law Schools Of 2014
Above The Law – June 17
We know how much our readers love rankings, so this is probably a good time to let you know that the National Jurist has released its eighth annual list of the law schools thought to offer the “Best Value” to law students — usually a list dominated by public schools with a smattering of private schools. The magazine also released its second annual list of the “best value” private law schools at the same time. The Best Value ranking system typically takes into account a law school’s tuition (weighted 25 percent), students’ cost of living expenses (10 percent), students’ average indebtedness upon graduation (15 percent), the percentage of graduates who got a job after graduation (35 percent), and bar passage rates (15 percent). … Without further ado, here’s the alphabetical list of the National Jurist’s 2014 Best Value Law Schools: … University of Akron, University of Alabama, University of Arizona.