Ebola expert to speak at University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 21
A member of the National Academy of Sciences will discuss “Ebola: The Current Plague and Crisis” at 4 p.m. Wednesday in room 205 at Smith Hall. The lecture is free and open to the public. The speaker will be Michael B.A. Oldstone, a UA alumnus and head of the viral-immunobiology laboratory in the department of immunology and microbial science at the Scripps Research Institute in La Jolla, Calif. Oldstone is an expert on viruses that cause infections, including hemorrhagic fever. He is the author of the book “Viruses, Plagues, and History,” which addresses a number of global events precipitated by viruses and mortal illnesses. In his lecture, he will discuss the hemorrhagic fever outbreak in West Africa, including Ebola, and what the outbreak means in terms of plague and the fear of plague during crises.
Decatur Daily – Oct. 21
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Oct. 21
UA visiting professor says fear of Ebola is irrational
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 21
The deadly Ebola disease has sparked concerns across the world. So far, thousands of cases have been reported in West Africa and hundreds of people have died. In the U.S., there have been three confirmed cases and one death. WVUA sat down with Dr. Michael Oldstone, a National Academy of Sciences member and a visiting professor at the University of Alabama. Oldstone says while he understands why many people are worried, the fear of Ebola spreading in the U.S. like in West Africa is unlikely. “I think the fear in this country is a little irrational. We have very good public health service. We have very good medical care. So it should not be any fear, there should be concern but not any fear.”
WVUA (Live interview) – Oct. 21
Ebola: A failure to communicate (opinion by Dr. Alan Blum)
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 21
Last week when yet another patient at the clinic declined to have a flu shot, I asked her, “If there were a vaccine for Ebola, would you want me to give it to you?” “Oh yes,” she said, “I’d take that one for sure.” I tried to explain to her that the flu presents a far greater risk of serious sickness and even death to her, to the community, and to the nation than does Ebola. She finally relented, but she is in the minority. That Ebola has become the number one concern on the minds of voters shows not only ignorance but the shameless way in which those running for office have sought to fan the flames of hysteria. (Dr. Alan Blum is the Gerald Leon Wallace Endowed Chair in Family Medicine at the University of Alabama, and the director of the Center for the Study of Tobacco and Society. He is a frequent contributor to the AL.com Opinion blog.)
Alabama students to perform service projects at Tuscaloosa area schools
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 22
About 50 University of Alabama students will help spruce up Central and Maxwell elementary schools on Saturday morning. The effort is part of the UA Center for Sustainable Service and Volunteerism’s SERVE Better Together program. At Central Elementary School, 1510 Dinah Washington Ave., UA students will help build an outdoor library with benches, bookcases, a stage and a “throne of knowledge.” At Maxwell Elementary School, 11370 Monticello Drive in Duncanville, UA students will paint some of the walls. After the service projects, participating students will go to Manderson Landing near the Black Warrior River for a picnic. The center is cosponsoring the event with UA Crossroads’ Better Together interfaith initiative. Money for the program come from Target Foundation grants awarded for the 2014-15 academic year.
University Herald – Oct. 22
Public invited to view star clusters, nebulae at University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 21
People will have the opportunity to view star clusters and nebulae through telescopes from 7:30 until 10 p.m. Friday at the University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park. The free viewing is being organized by UA’s department of physics and astronomy. UA’s telescopes will be set up across the road from the park’s museum. The park is 13 miles south of campus, off Alabama Highway 69. The physics and astronomy department has two other sky viewings scheduled: 7 p.m. Nov. 3: UA’s telescopes atop Gallalee Hall will focus on the moon; 7 p.m. Dec. 5: UA’s telescopes will focus on Jupiter and the full moon from Gallalee Hall. All sky viewings are contingent on the weather. Cloudy skies are not conducive to viewing.
ESPN producer to speak about Hispanic journalists
Crimson White – Oct. 22 (Print edition only)
The University of Alabama will host ESPN’s coordinating producer Hugo Balta to speak about the role or Hispanic journalists in the media. The lecture, titled “the Latino Image in the Media: Separating Fact from Fiction,” will review the ways Latinos have been portrayed in film and on television in the past and present. Balta will speak 7 p.m. Thursday in Room 324 of Lloyd Hall.
Aki Matsuri at UA (gallery)
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 21
Shiho Ono, a junior majoring in English education at the University of Alabama, left, participates in a tea ceremony with Jessa Hudson, a senior majoring in Japanese and Japanese Culture, as Grace Cook, a sophomore majoring in Economics and International Business and Lin Kabachia, a junior majoring in history, look on during the third annual Aki Matsuri, meaning Fall Festival, at the Ferguson Center Plaza Tuesday, Oct. 21, 2014. The event was hosted by the University of Alabama Modern Languages and Classics Department and the Japan-America Cultural Exchange Club.
Fall, Halloween events to keep you busy
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 20
Halloween is less than two weeks away, and there’s plenty to do if you enjoy the fall holiday. Here’s a look the Halloween and fall festivities in the area: … The University of Alabama’s School of Music will present a “Haunting Halloween Performance” at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 25 in the concert hall of the Moody Music Building, 810 Second Ave. The performance will feature chilling organ music, special audio/visual effects and comedy. Tickets are $3 for students and children, $5 for seniors and $10 for adults and can be purchased at the door. Proceeds will help fund the organ department’s Bach Plus Tour to Germany in April. … The University of Alabama Community Music School will host its annual Halloween in Oz event from 2-4 p.m. Sunday Oct. 26 at the Moody Music Building, 810 Second Ave. The event will feature games and prizes, a bouncy slide, face-painting and costume parade. Admission is $5, with children 2 and younger admitted free.
Philanthropy Fundamentals: Greek members contribute to charities
Crimson White – Oct. 22
University of Alabama sororities have raised over $460,000 for various national and local charities in the past year, said Hannah McBrayer, president of UA Panhellenic Association. “This is due in part to their unwavering commitment to philanthropic endeavors, charity events and fundraisers,” McBrayer said. “Philanthropy is one of the pillars of our Greek system and is an important part of what makes our chapters the best in the nation.” McBrayer said, Delta Delta Delta, more commonly known as Tri-Delta, raises the most money out of all Greek organizations on campus for their charity, St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. St. Jude’s, located in Memphis, Tennessee, works to create and provide treatment for children with cancer and other life-threatening diseases. … Taylor Lawhon, Tri-Delta philanthropy chair and a junior majoring in anthropology, said the University’s chapter of Tri-Delta raises more money each year than any other chapter nationwide. … “I think it’s cool to see how big of an impact all of the chapters make nationally,” she said. Last year, the University’s chapter of Tri-Delta was able to raise over $204,000 for St. Jude’s, well surpassing their goal of $120,000.
“Grammar-Land” exhibit shows writing rules
Crimson White – Oct. 22
With advising and registration right around the corner, many students are spending a lot of time on DegreeWorks. Although the listings differ from one major to the next, one course must be completed by every undergraduate student: English Composition 101. The tradition of the college students taking the class began when Harvard University introduced the course in 1872. “This caught on immediately, including here at Alabama,” said Russ McConnell, an instructor in the English department. “That has remained a common touchstone for American undergraduates ever since.” McConnell has curated an exhibit with a digital component chronicling the history of writing instruction in the United States. Beginning Thursday, anyone with Internet access can view a digital version of “Grammar-Land: Learning to Write in America.” In his research for the project, McConnell found the University had a strong collection of materials documenting the instruction of grammar and composition in Alabama specifically. He found a syllabus from a composition course taught at the University during the 1893-1894 school year.
Class teaches mental benefits of art therapy
Crimson White – Oct. 22
Daniel Potts said he first noticed something was off with his father in 1998. When Potts’ parents moved to Tuscaloosa in 2000, his father took a job parking cars and started to forget where he had parked the cars and often locked the keys in them. Sometimes he would get lost on the parking deck and not know where he was. It was then Potts thought his father might have Alzheimer’s disease. “I think I was in denial, or perhaps I just didn’t want to see it,” Potts said. “So that’s been a source of guilt for me as his child and as a neurologist to not be aggressive enough to intervene early on.” Once Potts’ father had progressed into the disease and could not stay at home all day, the family said they decided it would be best to take him to the Caring Days adult day care center in Tuscaloosa. It was there that Potts’ father was introduced to art therapy. Potts said he was amazed by the watercolor paintings his father had made. Through painting, his father’s memory, mood and cognition appeared to improve … The Art to Life program gives students a chance to interact with participants who have Alzheimer’s. Jacquelynn Myrick, a junior majoring in psychology, is the current student facilitator of the program.