MONDAY, JUNE 16 – SUNDAY, JUNE 22, 2014
BEST BETS
HIGH-SCHOOLERS LAND SUMMER JOBS CONDUCTING MATERIALS SCIENCE RESEARCH – Eight rising high-school juniors and seniors are pocketing $1,500 and a wealth of research experience over the next eight-weeks through participation in the UA MINT Center’s Summer Internship Program. The local students selected for these full-time summer jobs are mentored by scientists from the Center for Materials for Information Technology, known as MINT, as they complete individual research projects. UA’s MINT Center conducts fundamental studies on materials for data storage, energy storage, sensors and other applications of new materials and technologies. For more information on the program, which concludes Aug. 1, contact Dr. Timothy Mewes, associate professor of physics and MINT researcher, tmewes@ua.edu or 205/348-9187. For assistance, contact Chris Bryant, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu
SCIENCE, MATH MAJORS CONTINUE NOYCE STEM INTERNSHIPS – Part of improving STEM education in Alabama is attracting science and math majors into middle school and high school classrooms. Fourteen science/math majors from The University of Alabama and community colleges across the state are participating in their first summer internships at UA since being awarded Noyce scholarships in the fall. Students will be spend the next two weeks learning how to pour metals, make composite materials and conduct archaeological digs on and around the UA campus. Noyce Scholars with a degree in education and chemistry, mathematics or physics when they graduate “will have a job,” said professor of science education and the UA program’s director and principal investigator, Dr. Dennis Sunal. “You’ll have a job ahead of time,” Sunal said. “All of our science and mathematics teachers are in demand; more than half are signing contracts the year before they graduate.” For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
UA RECEIVES GRANT TO ESTABLISH CYBERCRIME LAB – Crime researchers and law enforcement agencies are often working toward the same goal of catching criminals and preventing future crimes. Too often, though, there isn’t a centralized location where researchers and practitioners can collaborate. The University of Alabama’s department of criminal justice will help both parties connect after receiving a $60,000 grant from the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs to establish a cybercrime lab on the UA campus. The lab will allow law enforcement officers to process any evidence in which a crime occurred via computer technology, from laptop computers to video game systems. The lab will work for local and national law enforcement agencies to provide evidence for use in cyber-crime prosecutions. UA students will begin internships at the lab beginning January 2015. Dr. Kathryn Seigfried-Spellar, assistant professor of criminal justice and director of the lab, said the lab should begin processing cases by mid-October. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.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’s proposed rules call 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: COLLEGE PREP TIPS FOR HIGH-SCHOOL SOPHOMORES – Whether you’re an incoming high-school freshman or senior, there are a multitude of things you can do to prepare for college. UA’s admissions office offers a few suggestions on how students can better plan for their college futures. This week’s post, the second in a series of four posts, focuses on high-school sophomores, http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/06/ua-matters-college-prep-tips-for-high-school-sophomores/.Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320
EVENTS
UA BUSINESS SCHOOL REACHES OUT WITH NEW DIVERSITY INITIATIVE – A new initiative at The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce aims to recruit and reach out to rising high school seniors with diverse backgrounds who are enrolled in magnet and accelerated programs. CMAP (Culverhouse Majors Awareness Program), headed by lecturer Lisa McKinney, is a residential summer institute for exceptional students who are typically under-represented in the ever-growing Culverhouse College of Commerce. This can include students with disabilities, different ethnic backgrounds and different cultures.The inaugural camp will be held Sunday, June 15 – Friday, June 20 and will include 30 rising high school seniors from Alabama and Georgia. Some 25 faculty and business professionals will present at the weeklong camp. http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/05/ua-business-school-reaches-out-with-new-diversity-initiative/ For more information contact Edith Parten, Culverhouse College of Commerce media relations, 205/348-8318.
SUMMER ENRICHMENT WORKSHOP UNDER WAY AT MATHEWS ELEMENTARY – Gifted and talented students in the Tuscaloosa area enrolled in The University of Alabama College of Education’s Summer Enrichment Program are spending three weeks at Matthews Elementary School in Northport, where they are launching rockets, participating in simulated archaeological digs, and studying the ins and outs of launching a business. The program, in its 35th year, lasts until June 27. The program is offered on a first come, first serve basis to students in grades K through 8 who are enrolled in gifted programs. Registration is closed. More than 200 students are participating this year. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.