Student earns NASA scholarship
Crimson White – Sept. 24
Lauren Howell is aiming for the stars – a bit more literally than most of her classmates. Howell, a sophomore majoring in aerospace engineering at The University of Alabama, was recently named a recipient of NASA’s 2014-2015 Aeronautics Scholarship. Howell is one of just 20 students from across the nation to receive
the honor. Jaiwon Shin, associate administrator for NASA’s Research Mission Director, emphasized the importance of these students and others selected during the scholarship’s seven-year run. “These students represent the future in aeronautics research,” Shin said in a press release. In addition to $15,000 per year for two years of tuition, Howell will receive a $10,000 stipend as she works in a summer internship, where she will study side-by-side with NASA scientists and engineers to solve tomorrow’s aeronautics problems. Howell, a native of Huntington, West Virginia, said her love of aeronautics started early. “My grandfather was a tail gunner on a B-17 Bomber during WWII, so I grew up hearing all of his stories about the war,” Howell said. “I became really interested in the development of flight technology and how it’s changed our world. I knew it was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Baker discusses zombies during lecture
Crimson White – Sept. 24
Friends, family, staff and students gathered Tuesday, at the second annual Zachary Day lecture in memory of UA graduate Zachary Daniel Day. Day, a graduate of The University of Alabama in 2008, died unexpectedly July 21, 2011, at the age of 26. In 2012 his father, Charles Day, and stepmother, Nancy Campbell, established an annual lecture in the department of religious studies to honor his memory. “He was very much interested in popular culture and religion, science fiction and religion and comic books,” said Russell McCutcheon, department chair of religious studies. “So each year we choose a speaker and topic that would be something that Zachary would have been interested in.” McCutcheon said last year at the inaugural lecture a scholar came to talk about hip-hop and its influences on religion and pop culture. This year, Kelly J. Baker, a freelance writer and author, spoke about zombies, the apocalypse and her new book, “The Zombies Are Coming! The Realities of the Zombie Apocalypse in American Culture.”
Judge, attorneys discuss legal rights
Crimson White – Sept. 23
The Town Hall forum, “Knowing Your Rights,” was the first event in the Honors College Town Hall series. “I think it’s very important that students do come and hear speakers like this because its easy for law officials to prey on our ignorance because we don’t know what our rights are and how to go about a situation if you were to be accused,” Kathryn DeGeller, a junior majoring in public relations, said. “It’s very important to know exactly what your rights are.” Panel participants were John England, Tuscaloosa Circuit judge and former Alabama Supreme Court justice; Hayes Webb, attorney in Tuscaloosa and Bill Clark, attorney and past president of the Alabama Bar. The panel answered questions from their own professional viewpoints.