Which Alabama college received highest rating in U.S.News & World Report rankings?
Al.com – Sept. 9
The University of Alabama received the highest ranking among Alabama colleges in one of the nation’s premiere comparisons released Tuesday morning. U.S. News & World Report unveiled its 2015 Best Colleges rankings and ranked Alabama in a tie as the nation’s 88th best college in national universities – the top listing of institutions of higher learning. Auburn University was close behind, tied for 103rd nationally. The University of Alabama at Birmingham (tied for 149th) and the University of Alabama in Huntsville (tied for 181st) were the only other state colleges listed among national universities.
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 9
New UA data analytics lab product of Culverhouse College of Commerce, Lockheed Martin partnership
Al.com – Sept. 8
The University of Alabama‘s Culverhouse College of Commerce announced Monday a formal partnership with Lockheed Martin to create a data analytics laboratory intended to optimize industry efficiency and profitability through academic collaboration. The roughly 385-square-foot lab will be housed in Bidgood Hall and is slated to open in spring 2015. A concrete investment figure for the project was not immediately available. “We are in the planning stages and continue to raise money for the lab…We are finalizing the technology components now, and should have a clearer understanding of a dollar figure, (but) Lockheed Martin’s investment is proprietary,” Edith Parten, spokeswoman for UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce, told AL.com. The laboratory is intended to serve as a premier research center for data analytics providing collaboration and research across government, industry and academia to help companies anticipate and solve critical problems. “The University of Alabama and the Culverhouse College of Commerce have become recognized leaders in business analytics and innovation. We are excited that this lab will provide research to businesses that will help them become more effective not only locally, but globally as well,” UA President Judy Bonner said during Monday’s ceremony.
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 8
Tuscaloosa News (Gallery) – Sept. 8
Crimson White – Sept. 8
Former Department of Defense official to head University of Alabama Cyber Institute
Al.com – Sept. 8
A former deputy undersecretary of defense for intelligence and security in the U.S. Department of Defense will lead the University of Alabama’s Cyber Institute, the school announced last week. Reginald Hyde, who retired from the DoD last year, also worked as a CIA operations officer for three decades. According to a UA release, the institute encompasses research and educational programs related to cyber-security and cyber-related technologies. “I’m excited about the potential we have to integrate our cyber-related capabilities on campus toward new curriculum and research that will position the University well for the future,” Hyde said. “Cyber security problems, as well as the promise that many cyber-related technologies have to create solutions in a variety of fields, will be with us as long as we use digital technologies.”
New “Fetch My Contacts” App is a Must-Have for Every Phone
SF Gate (Calif.) – Sept. 8
For everyone whose memory is less than that of Dustin Hoffman’s character in the movie “Rainman,” remembering more than a handful of phone numbers is next to impossible. To solve this problem, a new app has been developed that is sure to be a lifesaver in more ways than one. The app, Fetch My Contacts, permanently stores all of a user’s contacts so that they can be easily downloaded to a new phone with the click of a button. … And unlike all of the “clouds” that nobody can understand how to use, this information is not shared with anyone else … This means that users with Fetch My Contacts can switch from a Droid to an iPhone, or vice versa, and instantly have all of their old contacts on their new phone. But none of these valuable features are why Fetch My Contacts was developed in the first place, according to the two University of Alabama students who created http://www.FetchMyContacts.com.
Diabetic students balance their insulin, classes
Crimson White – Sept. 9
Alicia Traylor, a freshman at The University of Alabama, can identify the number of carbohydrates in every bite of food she consumes, and it is not because she decided to try out a new diet plan. Traylor has Type 1 diabetes, and knowing her carbohydrate intake can be a matter of life or death. Like other University students, Traylor is no stranger to the dining halls or the green straw sprouting from a Starbucks Frappucino. She just completed her first few weeks of college, and didn’t fail to take advantage of the Dining Dollars and meal swipes on her new Act Card. “The thing is, you can have anything [to eat], as long as you have good control over your diabetes and you cover it with insulin,” she said. … Being a diabetic sparked Traylor’s interest in nutrition, and she is currently majoring in food and nutrition. Her goal is to work in a diabetic clinic and later as a diabetic educator, she said…. In addition to making friends on campus aware, students may also contact the Office of Disability Services to meet their particular needs, said Judy Thorpe, Director of ODS. Accommodations are made once the student submits medical documentation and has a meeting with the ODS. Though students are treated on a case-by-case basis per federal law, typical accommodations for diabetics include priority registration to make a class schedule around the medical needs of the student, permission to eat and drink during class and breaks or extended time during tests to attend to medical needs, such as checking blood sugar. Accommodation letters for students with diabetes also say that emergency personnel should be contacted via 911 should the student become unresponsive, Thorpe said.
Sassafras grows local arts scene
Crimson White – Sept. 9
Outside the window of Tuscaloosa resident Laurie Johns’ home, past a New England Red birdhouse replica hanging in a nearby tree, lies an opening in the woods, where a small path has been carved by the occasional automobile and frequent foot traffic of nearby residents. Johns travels this path outside her window often. It leads to an open area of land with a tin sign that reads “The Sassafras Community Gardens.” The gardens are a part of Sassafras Center for Arts and Environment, a community organization that Johns and others
recently created. … Jay Cervino, director of systems and networks services at The University of Alabama, is the chair of the arts committee at Sassafras. Cervino comes from an artistic background and family and has remained involved through community work. “I love to volunteer my time, especially with community outreach. I have my own creative endeavors, but I really like organizing creative endeavors,” Cervino said.