UA Researchers Discuss ‘Dark Matter’ Project
Alabama Public Radio – Sept. 3
Three researchers at the University of Alabama are taking part in an ambitious project that hopes to, for the first time, detect the existence of dark matter. The three are just one group of more than a hundred researchers from multiple states and countries embarking on the effort. The Department of Energy-funded Lux-Zepelin project aims to build a large detection device a mile underground in South Dakota. The device will look to observe and measure collisions between dark matter particles and the nuclei of a material called xenon. Those collisions have yet to be detected by scientists. One challenge of the project is to reduce interference from radioactivity. That way, if a detection occurs, the researchers can say with more confidence that what they record is in fact the discovery of dark matter. That is one of of the challenges the UA researches are undertaking as they test for materials with the lowest amounts of radioactivity possible, something they have a background in. Another task they’re involved with is simply analyzing the staggering amount of data that will be coming in. The three will be involved with the project throughout. You can hear a full conference call with the researchers by clicking the audio above. They are Dr. Jerry Busenitz, Dr. Andreas Piepke, and Dr. Ion Stancu.
Crimson White – Sept. 4
Alabama student builds boat to study river bottom
Decatur Daily – Sept. 3
At a public boat launch on the Black Warrior River packed with boaters taking advantage of the long Labor Day weekend, University of Alabama graduate student Eugene Randle, plastic champagne coupe in hand, celebrated his months-long labor moored at the busy dock. Randle gathered with family, neighbors and fellow graduate students and professors from the department of geography to celebrate the launch of his research vessel Minerva, a renovated pontoon boat outfitted to help him study the river bottom of the Black Warrior River. “She’s not a luxury craft, she’s kind of spartan,” Randle said. The group gathered late Monday morning to celebrate the christening of the Minerva as a parade of fishing boats, ski boats and pontoon boats were hauled up and down the steep concrete ramp nearby at Rock Quarry Branch Boat Launch. “Minerva is a fitting name for a vessel which shall carry Eugene in his scientific journey,” fellow graduate student Shawn Carter said, reading from prepared comments. Randle’s wife came up with the name for the boat, inspired by the Roman goddess of wisdom and her connection to UA. The likeness of the goddess is included in the university seal.
Former defense official leading Cyber Institute
CBS 12 (Chattanooga, Tenn.) – Sept. 3
A former Defense Department official has been named executive director of the Cyber Institute at the University of Alabama. Reginald Hyde retired last year as deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security. The University of Alabama announced that Hyde will head the new institute and its work on cyber security and cyber-related technologies. Hyde’s tenure at the Defense Department concluded a three-decade career as an operations officer with the Central Intelligence Agency. He has a bachelor’s degree and law degree from Alabama and a master’s degree from Princeton University.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 3
Grisham wins Harper Lee prize
Crimson White – Sept. 4
In Harper Lee’s famous work “To Kill a Mockingbird,” the main character, Atticus Finch, showed millions of readers how lawyers can make a difference and effect positive change. Today, the Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction recognizes stories that illuminate these ideals. John Grisham received the Harper Lee Prize for 2014, marking the second time he has been awarded this honor. His first book to receive this award was “The Confession,” and the novel that won this year is “Sycamore Row.” … The Harper Lee Prize, which is authorized by Lee and sponsored by the American Bar Association and The University of Alabama School of Law, is awarded to an author who wrote the most compelling legal fiction, Szegedy-Maszak said.
Study says college students don’t get enough sleep
WMBF-NBC (Florence, SC) – Sept. 3
Parents, it turns out your college student is sleeping far less than most of us … They may be ignoring how dangerous that can be for their health. “I know a lot of college students have side jobs while going to school full-time to help with the expense. But those jobs take up a lot of time and pack on extra stress reasons college students are saying they’re not sleeping.” Researchers from the University of Alabama studied students. They say while 33 percent of the adult population doesn’t get enough z’s, with college students that figure is 60 percent. Parents should talk with their kids about handling the independence going away to college gives them.
Sharks, butterflies used to further aviation research
Crimson White – Sept. 4 (Print edition only)
Biologists have long watched and studied sharks and butterflies, but the secrets locked within their scales and wings have begun to attract researchers like Amy Lang, associate professor of Aerospace Engineering and Mechanics. As an undergraduate, Lang was told by a professor to look up sharkskin, which Lang and her team recently discovered uses flow separation to reduce frictional drag.
UA law professor says it’s not uncommon for jurors to feel remorse
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 3
Judge John England sentences Tracey Grissom to 25 years in prison, even after a juror in her trial drops a bombshell. There’s two sides to every story. “I didn’t think it was a fair trial. I didn’t think it was right.” During Grissom’s sentencing hearing Tuesday, juror Janice Kelley took the stand, stating that she doesn’t think Grissom received a fair trial because information regarding the 2010 rape case against Hunter Grissom was withheld. John Gross with the University of Alabama School of Law says it’s not uncommon for a juror to feel remorse. Gross says certain information is withheld for a reason. “Oftentimes, a fear that that particular piece of evidence might impact them in a way where they cannot render a justice and fair verdict … so I’s normal for pieces of evidence to be excluded.” Gross says juror’s remorse is not grounds for a mistrial. Grissom’s attorney says they will be appealing the guilty verdict.
iCloud Privacy – How safe is your device?
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 4
How secure are your online devices? Chelsea Barton joins us with some tips on how you can stay protected. Tamika, celebrities have the same security tools as we do, so everyday people are equally as vulnerable. We want to be able to ask Siri to find the nearest gas station or to help us out with directions or send a text message, but we have to remember all of that information is being housed somewhere. That somewhere is a backup software program called iCloud … Criminal justice professor Dianna Dolliver says forensic software capabilities allow deleted files to be recovered but you can change the iCloud settings on your device. “If you go under settings there should be an option under iCloud that will turn on or off what things you want to back up to the iCloud.” There’s one piece of advice everyone we spoke with today can agree on. “If you don’t want the whole world to see it, don’t put it out there.” Dolliver says a second option is to go under settings, hit the privacy tab, and that will let you toggle your photos to determine what apps on your phone have access to your photos.
Alabama National Juried Art Exhibition receptions at University of Alabama Thursday
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 3
The public is invited two receptions beginning at 6 p.m. Thursday at art galleries on the University of Alabama’s Woods Quad. The Sella-Granata Art Gallery is hosting the inaugural Alabama National Juried Art Exhibition in Woods Hall, and the Sarah Moody Gallery of Art is hosting its first exhibition of the season, “Redefining the Multiple: 13 Japanese Printmakers,” in Garland Hall. To see images of works in the juried art exhibition, go to www.art.ua.edu/news/alabama-national-featured-art-work. To see images of the Japanese printmakers, go to www.art.ua.edu/exhibition/redefining-multiple. Both receptions are presented by presented by the UA Department of Art and Art History.
Alabama home opener pre-game activities schedule
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 3
The University of Alabama has released the schedule of pre-game activities for Saturday’s home football opener at Bryant-Denny Stadium. 6 a.m.: Public parking lots open; 7 a.m.: Paul W. Bryant Museum opens; 6:30 a.m.: Crimson Ride buses start running; 8:30 a.m.: Autograph session with the men’s tennis team begins at the Coca-Cola Kickoff Zone outside the stadium; 9 a.m.: Gates to the stadium open; UA football players and coaches will enter the stadium during the Walk of Champions.
University of Alabama Opens New Rec Center
Club Industry – Sept. 3
The University of Alabama opened its new student activity center last month in Tuscaloosa, AL, just in time for the fall semester. The $32 million, 85,000-square-foot center at the campus’s Presidential Village has more than 10,000 square feet of fitness space in addition to hardwood courts, personal training studios and group class areas, AL.com reported. A permanent floor with a rink can be used for indoor hockey, and the center’s 40-foot rock climbing wall can accommodate up to 20 climbers. During severe weather, the center’s 25,000-square-foot storm shelter can hold more than 3,000 people, according to AL.com, which includes photos and a virtual tour of the center.
UA strives to reduce waste
Crimson White – Sept. 4
What happens to your waste when it is thrown into a recycling bin? At The University of Alabama, it is sent to a recycling plant in Birmingham along with around 1,650 tons of other plastic, paper and aluminum products. This year, according to an annual sustainability report, the University has seen a significant increase in the amount of products being recycled. Tony Johnson, executive director of Logistics and Support Services, said he makes it his goal to pay close attention to the University’s environmental impact. When any delivery is sent to the Ancillary Services Building, where the office is located, the goal is to limit the amount of waste produced. “As soon as we open up the doors, our first thought is, ‘What can we recycle?’” Johnson said. When recyclable goods come to Johnson’s office, they are sorted, separated into bales and then loaded onto tractor-trailers that can carry 44,000 pounds at a time. Johnson said Logistics and Support Services sends about 75 of these tractor-trailers each year. This means that this fiscal year, the University delivered about 3.3 million pounds – 1,650 tons – of recycled waste.
Sports Illustrated writer becomes professor
Crimson White – Sept. 4 (Print edition only)
As a kid growing up in Lincoln, Nebraska, Lars Anderson would regularly travel to University of Nebraska football games with his father to watch the Cornhuskers play … For the next six years, Anderson covered a wide variety of sports and even became an adjunct instructor at the University. Many of the current faculty members think having Anderson at the University full time now will be even more beneficial than when he was an adjunct professor.
Fick uses art to showcase Serbia
Crimson White – Sept. 4
The University of Alabama is renowned for the outreach its students perform after their college years, though few can say they find themselves 5,491 miles away in Novi Pazar, Serbia, shortly after graduation. Novi Pazar, a town with a municipal population of around 100,410 circa 2011, resides in the southwest of Serbia, near Kosovo. From September 2013 to June 2014, the town became the home of 2012 UA alumna and Fulbright Scholar Emma Fick. “International scholarship has always been important to me, and I applied for Fulbright because it would allow me to learn about a different way of life,” Fick said. “I love the English language, so of course teaching was also an important factor, but primarily I wanted to amass new cultural experiences.” Fick, a former student of the English and art history departments, did not only go to the country to teach English. Fick’s grandmother’s aunt married a Serbian man whose family helped her grandmother and her family escape Austria during World War II. While in Serbia, Fick found the grave of her great-great-grandmother, who stayed in Belgrade during the war. A former intern of Creative Campus, Fick worked in Novi Pazar to establish service projects to bring art to the community. Her projects include the painting of murals in a children’s hospital, which engaged Novi Pazar’s university’s artists working alongside elementary and high school students and cultural activities for students to take a break from exams and lectures from visiting faculty on the importance of English.
Forza gains new tax status
Crimson White – Sept. 4
Forza Financial, a student-led program at the University that helps local entrepreneurs get loans and business education, gained official public–nonprofit and tax-exempt status as of Aug. 25. The program has been growing ever since it started in 2009. Public–nonprofit and tax–exempt status means any contributions made to the organization are fully
tax-deductible. “It really opens up the door for us to apply for different federal and private grants,” said Jordan Tucker, chief communications officer for Forza Financial and a senior majoring in marketing. “We’ll have a lot more access to funding, and hopefully write more loans.” As a non-profit micro-finance institution, Forza Financial conducts a multitude of different services to help small businesses around town. Their main initiatives include funding smaller loans, one-on-one business coaching and free academic workshops
for entrepreneurs.
UA students give away Tide tickets
Crimson White – Sept. 4
The long-awaited football season is finally upon The University of Alabama. All across campus, there is a buzz of pride and anticipation for Saturday afternoons spent in Bryant-Denny Stadium. For students who missed the chance to get football tickets, there are a variety of options still available for students to gain access to the stadium. The lottery system is one way to obtain tickets. Students who decide they do not want to or cannot attend a game donate their tickets to a lottery system. “My freshman year I totally forgot to purchase a football package,” said Camille Driver, a senior majoring in public relations and human development. “I went online and opted in every Sunday at 1 p.m. I actually got a ticket to every game!” To request a ticket through the lottery system, students need to log into their myBama account and locate the MyTickets tab on the homepage. This will take students to a page listing their name, CWID and the team the Crimson Tide is playing in the upcoming game. Students need to simply click “Request Ticket”, and an email explaining the wait list is sent within minutes. The lottery opens at exactly 1 p.m. Sundays. Tickets are allotted on a first-come, first-served basis through this process.
Roads shouldn’t hamper Alabama fans this weekend, but construction could affect games later in the year
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 3
Road work shouldn’t hamper football fans traveling to Tuscaloosa this weekend, Alabama Department of Transportation officials said. Future football weekends could have a potential snag here or there, but fans coming into town for the University of Alabama’s home opener against Florida Atlantic University should have clear sailing on ALDOT-controlled roads. “We do not anticipate any road work which would affect traffic in the Tuscaloosa area this weekend,” said David Hand, assistant engineer for construction of ALDOT’s Fifth Division, which includes Tuscaloosa. And the university has updated its event and parking reservation software for when fans arrive. The new software allows fans to create permanent accounts and purchase passes per game or for the season through the UA Gameday website, www.UAGameday.com. No major changes, however, have been added for RV parking.