Univ. of Alabama to launch program to fight cyber crimes
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – June 6
The University of Alabama is joining the fight against cyber crime. The school’s Criminal Justice Department hopes to open a cyber crime lab to assist law enforcement prosecute cyber crimes later this year. Governor Robert Bentley awarded the university a $60,000 grant to get the program up and running. Trained examiners and will test everything from cell phones, computer hard drives and even video game systems for digital evidence of cyber crimes. “Cyber crime poses an increasing danger as more of our daily transactions are digital and online. This new lab will have the expertise to uncover digital evidence and give criminals one less place to hide,” Bentley said in a press release. Students from the university will gain experience and training in how to fight cyber crime through an internship program. “Everybody is carrying something. And so no matter what kind of crime is being committed, you’re going to see this kind of evidence. And right now it make sense for the department of criminal justice to be moving towards that area so we can better equip our students when they graduate from here,” Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar, an assistant professor in the Criminal Justice Department, said. The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, also called ADECA, is managing the grant from funds made available to the state by the U.S. Department of Justice. Seigfried-Spellar says they hope to open the cyber crime lab in September.
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – June 8
University of Alabama names new museum system director
Tuscaloosa News – June 9
The interim leader of the University of Alabama Museums has been selected as the system’s new executive director. After a nationwide search, UA on Thursday announced William Bomar, director of UA’s Moundville Archaeological Park since 1998 and interim director of the museum system since May 2013, as executive director. He will be responsible for overseeing the activities of UA’s museum system, which includes the Alabama Museum of Natural History, Moundville, Gorgas House, Museum Research and Collections, the Office of Archaeological Research and the Emmy award-winning television program “Discovering Alabama.” As the new director, Bomar said he wants to increase the museum system’s national reputation and increase its educational impact in the next decade.
Eight University of Alabama graduates win prestigious Fulbright scholarships
Al.com – June 6
Eight University of Alabama graduates have been awarded the prestigious Fulbright Scholarship to study and teach abroad during the 2014-15 year. The highly competitive Fulbright U.S. Student Program awards grants for study and research projects overseas in hopes of facilitating cultural exchange. This year, 1,800 students from around the nation were chosen out of an applicant pool of nearly 11,000. UA’s representation doubled this year, as four graduates were awarded the scholarships in 2013. According to UA release, recipients for 2014-15 are: Haglaeeh Contreras, a 2013 graduate with a major in biology from Elrod, will serve as a Fulbright English Teaching Assistant, known as an ETA, in Malaysia. Cori Eden Fain, a 2014 graduate majoring in international studies and Spanish language from Gardendale, will also serve as a Fulbright ETA in Malaysia. Sam Guggenheimer, a 2014 graduate in international studies and economics from Dayton, Ohio, will be a Fulbright ETA in Turkey. Rachel Hunkler, a 2013-2014 Fulbright ETA to Spain from Nashville, has received a second year grant to remain in Spain and mentor new grantees. Abigail Jones, a 2013 graduate in theatre and acting from Austin, Texas, will be a Fulbright ETA in Macedonia. Lauren Marsh, a 2014 graduate in anthropology from Prattville, has won a Fulbright Award to research the Nutrition Literacy of Infant Caregivers in Sichuan Province, China. Jilisa Milton, a 2012 graduate in social work from Birmingham who has been an Americorps volunteer in Apopka, Florida, for two years, will serve as a Fulbright ETA in Indonesia. Gabrielle Taylor, a 2014 graduate in telecommunications and film from Pelham, will be a Fulbright ETA in Germany for the year.
University of Alabama water research facility receives $4M
Tuscaloosa News – June 6
The nation’s headquarters for water research at the University of Alabama is getting a $4 million boost. The funding was announced Tuesday by U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby, R-Tuscaloosa, vice-chairman of the Senate Appropriations Committee and its Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science and Related Agencies. The $4 million is part of the subcommittee’s fiscal 2015 appropriations bill and is meant to fund operations for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Integrated Water Resources Science and Services facility, which performs hydrologic forecasting and research for the country. “The research conducted at the National Water Center at the University of Alabama is critical to gaining an increased understanding of our vital water resources,” Shelby said in a news release. Announced in 2011, the 50,000-square-foot building is expected to be completed this year and cost between $16 million and $18 million to build.
A look at armed conflict and ‘Edge of Tomorrow’
Boston Globe – June 7
What is war like in the future? Is a laser-guided missile more ethical than the devastating trench warfare of the Somme offensive? Ever since the 1909 British silent film “The Airship Destroyer” depicted a future “when aeroplanes have been perfected to the point of being practicable engines of war,” science-fiction moviemakers have wondered, and worried, about warfare to come. Films as diverse as “The War of the Worlds” (1953) and “Ender’s Game” (2013) have envisioned how technology might change armed conflict. Similarly, military-themed science fiction has inspired inventors to dream up more efficient ways to crush, kill, and destroy, whether the target is Godzilla, interstellar creatures, or ourselves. “There’s been a bi-directional flow of influence between Hollywood and the military for many decades,” said Matthew Thomas Payne, a University of Alabama telecommunication and film professor, in an e-mail. “And sci-fi, in particular, has been an idea incubator for the robotics and defense industries, just as entertainment producers have profited from their relationship with military experts.”
Arguments against international finance centres are ‘flawed’, new study finds
Jersey Finance (Channel Islands) – June 9
A report on international financial flows has found that allegations that international finance centres allow significant illicit capital flows enabling individuals and multinational enterprise to avoid paying a “fair” amount of tax ‘rest on poor data and analysis, and on mistakes about how financial transactions, international taxation, and anti-money laundering rules actually work.’ The report, Moving Money, published by two world-renowned academics Professors Andrew Morriss and Richard Gordon, has shown that international financial centres like Jersey play an essential role in helping funds move around the global economy and increasing international investment … Professor Andrew Morriss is Chair in Law at the University of Alabama School of Law and Dean-designate at the Texas A&M University School of Law and is affiliated with a number of think tanks doing public policy work.
University of Alabama graduate, daughter of NFL star, Caitlin Brunell crowned Miss Alabama
Al.com – June 9
Caitlin Brunell, a 22-year-old recent graduate of the University of Alabama, was crowned Miss Alabama at Samford Univeristy’s Wright Center Saturday night. “I’m in complete shock,” she said shortly after her crowning. “I don’t know if I even have words to describe, but I have worked so hard for this moment. I could not be more proud to represent this state. This is an absolute honor and blessing. I’m just so thankful.” Brunell, the daughter of retired NFL star Mark Brunell, is a dancer whose platform is Caitlin’s Closet. She is from Tuscaloosa. She competed as Miss Leeds Area and had won two preliminary competitions leading up to Saturday’s final night. She said her favorite portion of the competition was talent. Brunell has been dancing since she was 3. She chose to perform to “Let It Go” from the Disney hit “Frozen.”
Montgomery Advertiser – June 8
Daily Mail (U.K.) – June 8
WJXX-ABC (Jacksonville, Fla.) – June 8
WTEV-CBS (Jacksonville, Fla.) – June 8
WTLV-NBC (Jacksonville, Fla.) – June 8
WAWS-Fox (Jacksonville, Fla.) – June 8
$50K grant used to buy laptops
Daily Mountain Eagle – June 8
The Walker County Sheriff’s Office recently acquired laptops for every patrolman and investigator through a $50,000 Homeland Security grant. … The department has also implemented the Mobile Officer Virtual Environment, a software framework developed at the University of Alabama that puts electronic citation forms and a variety of tools at the officer’s fingertips. Reports are now submitted to the Alabama Department of Public Safety electronically.