EPA awards University of Alabama students grant in sustainability contest
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 17
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency awarded a team of University of Alabama students a $15,000 grant as part of the first phase of a competition to design solutions to help protect the planet and promote sustainability. UA’s group was among 42 collegiate teams nationwide to receive grants in the first phase of the People, Prosperity, and Planet competition. The teams will use the money to research and develop their designs, which will be presented in April to be judged by a panel of experts convened by the American Association for the Advancement of Science in Washington, D.C. The Phase 1 participants are trying to win a P3 Award of as much as $90,000 in grant funding to further project design, implementation and commercialization. The UA team is testing a combination of ultraviolet LED wavelengths as a more energy-efficient method for sterilizing water that creates less toxic waste than conventional lamps used for the process. Since 2004, the P3 Program has provided more than $10 million to sustainable projects designed by students, according to the EPA announcement.
Al.com – Oct. 18
Beta Wired – Oct. 18
Uncover Michigan – Oct. 18
COLLEGE NEWS: Oct. 19
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 18
University of Alabama: Phillip Grammer, a graduate student at the University of Alabama working on a Ph.D. in environmental engineering, has been awarded a $2,000 AL/MS Section AWWA scholarship. He received the scholarship at the opening session of the Alabama-Mississippi Section of the American Water Works annual conference in Point Clear.
Sculptors raise money for hospital
Crimson White – Oct. 20
Sitting in his bay surrounded by scraps of plaster, wax and wood, Craig Wedderspoon works with students on their next big project. The large molds for bronze busts waiting to be cast are works in progress, but have the opportunity to extend well past mere pieces of art. On Oct. 5, Wedderspoon and three of his students, Kelly Shannon, Meredith Randall and Eric Nubbe, raised $46,000 for the Children’s Hospital of Alabama at a Nucor Steel charity auction. “Nucor contacted me to see if me or any of my students would be interested in working with them to design a big auction item with the only parameters being that it incorporated Nucor and the Children’s Hospital,” Wedderspoon said. Shannon, a graduate student studying studio arts, created an illuminated globe made of Nucor steel and glass which sold for $9,000. “For my design I tried to integrate the symbols of the event, playing logos from Nucor and Children’s Hospital off a large geodesic golfball shape in steel,” Shannon said. … Randall’s topographical map of a golf course and Nubbe’s model of Children’s Hospital went for $6,000 and $11,000, respectively. Wedderspoon said he based his bronze lion, which sold for $20,000, off a stuffed animal the hospital gives to children.
Who’s the future face of UNA?
Florence Times Daily – Oct. 18
When the University of North Alabama searched a decade ago for a president, at the top of the list of wants was a strong academic background. The university had come out of an era in which leadership faced a no-confidence vote from the faculty. The school wanted a president with the classroom experience to reassure faculty members their concerns would be understood … Arleene Breaux, a clinical assistant professor in the higher education department at the University of Alabama, said a university president in 2015 and beyond will need to be able to coax money from the Alabama Legislature that’s given little boost to UNA’s state appropriation in the past five years and close deals with university donors to help fill the funding gap between state monies and student tuition and fees. UNA’s next president also must be in tune with the campus culture and the needs of students, faculty and staff, she said. “In the past, the presidential trajectory has largely been through the academic ranks,” said Breaux. Breaux said as the job description of a university president changed in the past 20 years, the makeup of university presidents has also changed. Accomplished business leaders and attorneys are now filling presidents’ offices across the nation. “Due to the increased pressure that institutions are feeling with the reduced outside funding, our leaders are having to be different kinds of leaders,” Breaux said. “They are having to be individuals that understand and hold various skills that have not been necessary in the past.
Open door or last-ditch effort? Dueling experts hash out pros and cons of unionization efforts in Alabama
Al.com – Oct. 19
The formation of a local union earlier this month to represent workers at the Mercedes-Benz plant in Tuscaloosa County could indicate anti-union sentiment among the state’s working class is softening, or it could be nothing more than a desperate ploy for self-preservation by the union, itself. In examining the potential impact the creation of Local 112, a charter of the United Auto Workers union, holds for the state, AL.com spoke with Michael Innis-Jimenez, an assistant professor of American studies at the University of Alabama whose specialties include U.S. labor history, and Auburn University Montgomery economist Keivan Deravi. Innis-Jimenez contends the new local could represent a shift in Alabama’s long-standing anti-union stance and ultimately force the German automaker to uphold its job creation promises that have arguably been sidestepped by filling more than one-quarter of the current positions with long-term, temporary workers.
Local jobless picture mixed
Florence Times Daily – Oct. 19
September unemployment rates for the state, Lauderdale County and Colbert County improved from August but were higher than a year earlier. In Franklin County, the news was more positive with the September unemployment rate at 7.2 percent. That was lower than 8.3 percent the previous month and 8.0 a year earlier, according to data released Friday by the state Department of Labor. The drop in Lauderdale and Colbert unemployment rates from August to September partly reflected a reduction in the labor force, said Ahmad Ijaz, an economic researcher at the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research. Both counties had a drop in civilian labor force and the number of people employed to go along with the decline in unemployment.
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 18
Cuban poet Omar Perez to share his work Tuesday in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 19
Though he speaks only “passable” Spanish, Hank Lazer found, on one of his four trips to Cuba, a spiritual-artistic brother in Omar Perez. Lazer, recently retired from the University of Alabama, sought out the renowned poet, musician, artist and translator in part because of their shared study of Zen Buddhism, but also because both experiment with forms in their writing. “Like mine, his poetry changes all the time, from book to book. A restless poet, always kind of interrogating medium, not one to stick with a form,” Lazer said. “He’s now much more interested in what he refers to as improvisation, the intersection of theater, dance, music and poetry.” Those crossroads center in Tuscaloosa this week, as Perez comes to UA for a weeklong residency, highlighted by a poetry reading and musical performance at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Jemison-Van de Graaff Mansion, 1305 Greensboro Ave., in downtown Tuscaloosa. It’s free and open to the public.
UADM promotes charity
Crimson White – Oct. 20
This week, students saw a Mario Kart game come to life on the Quad as the University of Alabama Dance Marathon dressed up and reenacted the classic video game to spread awareness for their cause. This is one of many events UADM puts on throughout the year to get people interested in its philanthropy. Dance Marathon is the largest student-run organization in the country and raises millions of dollars every year for Children’s Medical Network Hospital. This money goes directly to funding life-saving treatments, covering health care bills and providing a better quality of life both for suffering children and their families. This chapter specifically raises money for the Children’s Hospital in Birmingham and facilitates hospital visits throughout the year. Last year, UADM had more than 700 attendees at their “Big Event” and raised $83,061.09, which went directly to the hospital. The number of attendees and staff members has increased since 2011, when 150 participants raised almost $15,000.
Chi Omega holding pancake breakfast Saturday
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 18
Chi Omega sorority’s Nu Beta chapter will host its 10th annual Wake Up for a Wish Pancake Breakfast from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday at 901 Magnolia Drive on the University of Alabama campus. Tickets are $5 for all you can eat. Money raised will benefit Make-A-Wish Alabama.
Alabama basketball players show off skills, dance moves at ‘Hoops on the Quad’; see photos
Al.com – Oct. 18
Along with Alabama’s showdown with Texas A&M on Saturday, Tide sports fans got a little taste of the Tide’s men’s and women’s basketball teams on campus at “Hoops on the Quad,” showcasing the teams on an outdoor court for an hour. Activities included special team introductions, skills competition, a three-point shootout, a brief scrimmage and other entertainment. After a Crimson Cabaret dance team performance, the women’s and men’s teams took turns performing their own choreographed dance routines, with Tony Giles announcing and Chris Stewart interviewing players in between. Coach Anthony Grant also took some time to thank the fans and look ahead to the 2014-15 season. Both teams also stuck around following the exhibition to sign autographs for fans.
Safe Zone to host workshop on LGBTQ relationships
Crimson White – Oct. 20
Meredith Bagley got the idea for an LGBTQ sexual health workshop came from a discussion she had over the summer with Shakina Wheeler-Cox, the HIV Coordinator for Tuscaloosa County as well as five surrounding counties. “She contacted me in June of this past summer to connect about recent HIV/STI data coming from the Tuscaloosa region and her concern that her office needed to better connect with youth and queer youth about these important issues,” Bagley, an assistant professor of communication studies and president of the Capstone Allianc, said. “She invited Safe Zone to present at a professional development event for public health workers, and then it was my vision to bring Shakina and a series of other experts to campus as part of LGBTQ History Month.” Safe Zone is hosting an LGBTQ Sexual Health and Relationships Workshop Monday from 2 to 6 p.m. in room 2408 Ferguson Center.
Zulfacar discovers Life
Crimson white – Oct. 20
Maliha Zulfacar was born in 1961 in poverty-stricken, war-torn Kabul, Afghanistan. She went on to become the first Afghan woman to seek a college education in the United States and the first female ambassador from Afghanistan. Zulfacar spoke at the Bryant Conference Center Thursday about her life. She spoke of her somewhat privileged childhood in urban Kabul, her venture to America at 17 years old and her return in 1973. Zulfacar fled Russian-occupied Afghanistan in 1979 for Germany, where she is currently Afghanistan’s ambassador.
Miss UA to hold contestant interest meeting
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 18
Miss University of Alabama is an official preliminary pageant for the Miss Alabama and Miss America pageant. And it’s that time of year to start recruiting the next Miss UA. The organization will be hosting a contestant interest meeting tomorrow, Sunday, Oct. 19 from 3-5 p.m. at Alumni Hall on the University of Alabama campus.
Constructing Conflicts
Valdosta Daily Times (Ga.) – Oct. 20
Complexity of struggle seems to bind the artistic styles of the two artists sharing a new exhibit opening this week in the Valdosta State University Fine Arts Gallery. Matt Mitros creates three-dimensional works using resin panels. Laura Tanner uses numerous media to create her images. Both use mixed-media “to create dynamic and engaging wall pieces that are very different from each other, yet combined are a powerful study in artistic contrasts,” said Julie Bowland, VSU Fine Arts Gallery curator. Mitros’ works are visceral. His sculptures are tangible but delve into unexplored territories. They often spark the violent combustion of the mechanical meeting the organic. … Mitros is an assistant professor at the University of Alabama.
RISE Pep Rally
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 17
Students with the RISE Program were busy celebrating ahead of ‘Bama’s showdown with Texas A&M. This morning, the students got front-row seats to a special pep rally. The Million Dollar Band, cheerleaders, Crimsonettes, and even Big Al made an appearance, getting the students all charged up for tomorrow’s big game.
Fans flood into Tuscaloosa
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 17
Fans are flooding into Tuscaloosa for tomorrow’s big game. Supporters of both ‘Bama and Texas A&M are pouring into town, and popular areas such as the Quad, the Walk of Champions, and The Strip are already becoming packed with those excited football fans.
Journey to Jobs Career Fair
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 17
Shelton State opened its doors to a younger crowd today as they hosted the journey to jobs career fair. Shelton State, Tuscaloosa County Schools, and the University of Alabama joined forces to put on this event, aimed at helping 8th graders decide what they want to be when they grow up, regarding careers.