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MONDAY, JUNE 2 – SUNDAY, JUNE 8, 2014

BEST BETS

UA ENGINEERING PROFESSOR HOPES TO IMPROVE CARBON-CAPTURE WITH PATENTED TECHNOLOGY – Less than a year after patenting a process that could improve stripping greenhouse gasses from industrial emissions, University of Alabama engineering professor Dr. Jason E. Bara was recently granted another patent that uses a different solvent to accomplish the same goal. For more information visit http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/05/ua-engineering-professor-hopes-to-improve-carbon-capture-with-patented-technology; contact Adam Jones, engineering media relations, 205/348-6444, acjones12@eng.ua.edu; or Dr. Jason E. Bara, UA assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, 205/348-6836, jbara@eng.ua.edu.

TEAM OF UA ENGINEERING STUDENTS WINS NASA ROBOTIC-MINING CONTEST – Alabama Astrobotics, a team of students from the UA College of Engineering, won a national contest sponsored by NASA that challenges students to build a robot that can dig and collect simulated Martian soil. The UA team was the overall point leader, beating out 39 other collegiate team. For more information visit http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/05/team-of-ua-engineering-students-win-2014-nasa-robotic-mining-contest; contact Adam Jones, engineering media relations, 205/348-6444, acjones12@eng.ua.edu; or Dr. Kenneth Ricks, faculty adviser and UA associate professor of electrical and computer engineering, 205/348-9777, kricks@eng.ua.edu.

BOYS STATE, GIRLS STATE MEET AT UA – The  American Legion Alabama Boys State convention on UA campus continues through Saturday, June 7. Boys State delegates will perform an afternoon service project at Sokol Park. The American Legion Auxiliary Girls State will take place from Sunday, June 8, to Friday, June 13,also at UA. Alabama Lt. Gov. Kay Ivey will give the keynote address at 2 p.m. June 8, in the Moody Music Building. At 1 p.m. Wednesday, June 11, Lt. Col. Shannon Juby of the U.S. Air Force will address the delegates. Contact: Richard LeComte, UA Media Relations, at rllecomte@ur.ua.edu or 205/348-3782.

UA START-UP COMPANY READY TO SERVE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY – Bidsters, a company supported by The University of Alabama, will open for business June 6, the culmination of years of hard work by a recent engineering graduate. Bidsters plans to be an online interactive database that businesses in the construction industry can use to manage and advertise both sides of the project bidding process. For more information visit http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/05/ua-start-up-company-ready-to-serve-construction-industry, or contact Adam Jones, engineering media relations, 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.

CURRENT COMMENT

CO2 CAPTURE SCALE UP IS NEEDED SINCE, WITH PROPOSED FEDERAL REGULATIONS, COAL IS STILL PART OF THE FUTURE ENERGY LANDSCAPE – The EPA proposed rules Monday for power plants to cut carbon emissions 30 percent from 2005 levels by 2030. Dr. Jason E. Bara, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering who researches carbon-capture technologies, is available to talk about the implications of the rule on the energy industry. Even if the industry continues the trend of switching coal-fired plants to cleaner natural gas, there’s too much untapped coal for it to be abandoned without further advancements in alternative energy sources, Bara said. “We have a lot of it, and it will get cheaper if there is a broad move to natural gas.” That’s why research into more effective means to capture emissions from coal-fired plants is needed. “Carbon capture needs another five-plus years before projects have been scaled large enough to really grasp of the full economic impact and see which technologies are the potential ‘winners,'” Bara said. “Using captured CO2 for enhanced oil recovery in certain geographic regions is a great benefit that should accelerate scale-up.” For more contact Adam Jones, engineering media relations, 205/348-6444, acjones12@eng.ua.edu; or Dr. Jason E. Bara, UA assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering, 205/348-6836, jbara@eng.ua.edu.

UA EXPERT TIPS

UA MATTERS: HOW TO CAPTURE THAT AMAZING VACATION THROUGH PHOTOS — Your vacation is supposed to be fun, and you want your photos to reflect that, but sometimes getting the perfect picture can be harder than you anticipated. The University of Alabama’s Zachary Riggins, director of photography for University Relations, offers a few tips that may help you get the shots you envisioned,http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/06/ua-matters-how-to-capture-that-amazing-vacation-through-photos/. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320

UA’S HEALTH CORNER PROVIDES PRACTICAL HEALTH TIPS – Registered dietician Sheena Quizon Gregg  explains body mass index and why it is important in the latest video from UA’s Health Corner, https://vimeo.com/96525954. 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