Students’ religiosity more influential than education in views on evolution
Science Daily – Oct. 7
College students’ views on evolution are shaped significantly more by religiosity than education, according to a survey of Southern students. The study, said to be the first in-depth analysis on the acceptance of evolution in this region, has been accepted for publication in the journal Evolution: Education and Outreach. Co-authored by Dr. Leslie Rissler, a University of Alabama professor of biological sciences, and two of her graduate students, Sarah Duncan and Nicholas Caruso, it used data gathered from questionnaires answered by approximately 3,000 UA students. “Religion is much more important than all the other measured educational variables, combined, in influencing their views on evolution,” said Rissler. Most previous studies on evolution views were done in the Midwest and Northeast, Rissler said, and hearing many of her students say the topic was avoided in their high-school science classes helped prompt the study, she said. “I’ve had many, many students who have said, ‘We didn’t talk about it at all. My teacher literally said, I’m taking this section, and we’re moving on because I’m not dealing with it.'” The study also looked at whether students’ acceptance of evolution increased following exposure to the topic in college classrooms.
Sleep problems might boost depressive symptoms in people with osteoarthritis
EnevPortal.biz – Oct. 7
A new examine investigate has valid that nap disturbances are essentially compared with depressive symptoms and pain though not disability. Over time, however, bad nap was found to boost depressive symptoms and incapacity though not pain. Patricia Parmelee from a University of Alabama in a US said, ’Sleep reeling is a common censure among those with pain, quite among those with osteo-arthritis (OA).’ The examine examined a dynamics between sleep, pain, incapacity and depressive symptoms in patients with OA, anticipating formidable associations between them as partial of a cycle of distress … For a study, 288 patients with knee OA supposing information on nap disturbances, pain, organic stipulations and depressive symptoms for baseline analyses. Longitudinal analyses took a baseline nap reeling readings and used them to prdict changes in pain, basin and incapacity over a one year period. Participants who reported high levels of pain had symptoms of basin exacerbated by a multiple of bad nap and pain.
Four-day Native American festival begins Wednesday at Moundville Archaeological Park
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 7
The goal of the Moundville Native American Festival is to educate and entertain. Through storytelling, a variety of arts and crafts demonstrations, living history enactments and musical performances, the festival aims to bring to life Southeastern Indian culture. Thousands of spectators are expected to attend the four-day festival, which begins today at the University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park. The 320-acre park has more than 20 mounds built by a community of Native Americans of the Mississippian culture. The site is believed to have been America’s largest city north of Mexico 800 years ago.
PCS kids learn to code
Pelham Reporter – Oct. 7
Fourth and fifth graders at Pelham City Schools will soon learn computer coding. As part of the school system’s computer science initiative, students will supplement science and math lessons with coding, PCS Curriculum Coordinator Dr. Elisabeth Davis said. “We’re going to start with professional development for all of our fourth and fifth grade teachers,” Davis said. On Dec. 11 and 12, fourth and fifth grade teachers will receive coding training from Dr. Jeff Gray, a computer science professor at the University of Alabama School of Engineering. Coding will be integrated into lesson plans during the spring semester. “It’s making it real for (the students),” Davis said. “Instead of doing (problems) in a textbook or workbook, they’re seeing what it does in the real world.” Davis referenced a lesson plan for a unit covering algorithms and graphing. Students plot patterns on graph paper and come up with clear steps to lead classmates to reproduce their patterns. The lesson is then reinforced with creating code for a computer to reproduce the pattern … The coding will not only reinforce science, mathematics and technology, it supplements english and language arts as well, Davis said.
University of Alabama to hold Out of Darkness Community Walk
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 8
The University of Alabama will have its annual Out of Darkness Community Walk on Sunday to increase awareness of mental illness and suicide prevention. The event, which will benefit the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention, will start at the Ferguson Center plaza on the UA campus at 2 p.m. The UA Counseling Center hopes to raise $10,000 toward suicide prevention with the help of sponsors and walkers, who will seek support of the effort from others. Participants can sign up on site at 1 p.m. Sunday. For more information, call the counseling center at 205-348-3863.
Buddy walks encourages Down syndrome awareness
Crimson White – Oct. 8
October is Breast Cancer Awareness month, but many people may not know that October is also an awareness month for domestic violence and
Down syndrome. Alpha Chi Omega kicked off Domestic Violence Awareness month with their annual Walk A Mile in Her Shoes, an event in which fraternity men raise money and run around the Quad in high heels. “This year we also had teams tweet #UA1is2many in order to partner with the White House’s new initiative,” said Amber Ausley, Alpha Chi Omega’s vice president of philanthropy and a junior majoring in international studies. Another campaign raising awareness, the White House’s #1is2many initiative against domestic violence began in September 2011, but was revitalized in January 2014 by a White House task force focused specifically on students … The National Down Syndrome Society created Buddy Walks to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness month and to promote the acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.
UA Students and Professors celebrate National News Engagement Days
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 7
Students and professors at the University of Alabama celebrated National News Engagement Day today. The state-wide event hopes to promote greater interaction between communities and their news organizations. The Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication hosted the event on campus. More than 100 communications college affiliates gathered to enjoy food and a news-themed trivia game. University of Alabama professor Dr. Chandra Clark says they hope to use this day to get more students involved and excited about what the news world has to offer.
UA to hold Health Fair
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 7
The University of Alabama is holding its health fair this week. Current and retired employees plus their spouse can go to the fair, get a free flu shot and learn more about the university’s Well Bama program. The health fair is tomorrow, Oct. 8 at Coleman Coliseum from 7:30 am to 1 p.m. You must have a UA Action card or valid form of ID. You can find out more online at wellness.ua.edu.
UA Theater Department puts on Lend Me a Tenor
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 7
The University of Alabama’s Department of Theatre and Dance is putting the finishing touches on their production of “Lend Me a Tenor”. It’s a very fun play about an Italian opera singer, mistaken identities, love, pills, and doors, lots and lots of doors. Kendall Judy, UA theatre department: “It’s like the Muppets – everyone is going to get something out of it. The older people are going to appreciate more of the humor. The younger people are going to appreciate some of the slap sticking stuff that happens.”
Octubafest returns to campus
Crimson White – Oct. 7
The now-annual Octubafest began in 1974 and was held at Indiana University. Organized originally by Harvey Phillips, the event kicked off a movement now celebrated across the country. “Octubafest events are held at universities across the U.S.,” said Jeremy Crawford, instructor of tuba and euphonium. “Each university puts their own unique spin on the events with the hopes of bringing more attention to all of the great music that is being written for the tuba and the euphonium.” Crawford organized the first UA Octubafest last year, which hosted three events and will expand this year to eight events. The concerts will feature the UA tuba ensemble as well as internationally renowned tuba soloist Øystein Baadsvik. The musical repertoire will include a new mix of works for tuba and euphonium alongside traditional music. Crawford said the great part about all these events is being able to showcase a huge variety of music and share it with students.
Pilot program promotes primary care
Crimson White – Oct. 8
Per medical school curriculum, an MD candidate is exposed to various types of medicine and specialties in order to gauge their interests and acquire hands-on experience. With this norm, it may be hard to gain insight into real, long-term medical care. The University of Alabama School of Medicine seeks to remedy this with a new pilot program called Tuscaloosa Longitudinal Community Curriculum (TLC2). “TLC2 is a unique clinical educational opportunity for medical students to live and train in a community under the supervision of experienced primary care physicians,” Brooke Hubner, program director in the department of medical education, said. “TLC2 students learn to practice medicine in the way that community physicians practice medicine – caring for patients over time through office visits and hospitalizations.” Hubner said third-year medical students participating in the program will have a more in-depth understanding of concepts and have a better view into the world of primary care.
Local startup helps breweries
Crimson White – Oct. 8
For many people, craft beer is a hobby, but for two Tuscaloosa entrepreneurs, it is a business venture. Brewery Buddy, established last month at Tuscaloosa Startup Weekend 2014, is an online service where brewers can organize and track their recipes, schedules, inventory and budgeting. Wes Eldridge, a web developer and co-creator of Brewery Buddy, said the business began from a partnership with his friend from graduate school, Josh Sahib, an instructional designer at the University of Alabama. Eldridge and Sahib began brainstorming ideas when they registered for Startup Weekend, a 54-hour event that facilitated the formation of new businesses from Sept. 24-26. … With 54 hours to develop their idea, Eldridge and Sahib put together a team of developers, designers and business experts. “After a couple of hours of back and forth, we knew we had something,” Eldridge said. “The next week we invited a couple of friends over and pitched the idea to them; they both liked it and agreed to work with us during Startup Weekend. The rest is history.”
Author makes fund for Butler students
Ft. Wayne Journal-Gazette (Ind.) – Oct. 7
Michael Martone, author of “Fort Wayne is Seventh on Hitler’s List” among other published work, is planning to create an endowment for English majors at Butler University to write about Indiana. The gift will be named in honor of his mother, Patricia, a 1953 Butler graduate and longtime teacher and administrator at Fort Wayne Community Schools, and his father, Anthony. “My main interest is not to have another contest or award, but instead encourage writing, especially writing that is about place, since my own career has been about writing about Indianapolis and about Indiana,” said Martone, whose mother wrote about local and state matters during her retirement in Fort Wayne … Martone, a professor of English and writing at the University of Alabama, where he has been teaching since 1996, was born and raised in Fort Wayne. He attended Butler University for five semesters and graduated from Indiana University with an English degree.
Crimson Couch to 5K reaches midpoint mark
Crimson White – Oct. 8
The University of Alabama Office of Health Promotion and Wellness’s midpoint check-in for the annual Crimson Couch to 5K program will be held Wednesday, October 8 at the UA Employee Health Fair in Coleman Coliseum from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Crimson Couch to 5K, or CC25K, works to develop healthy lifestyles, foster new friendships and promote wellness for faculty members. Teams have been organized, and biweekly training routines and schedules have been followed as team members prepare for the run in November. CC25K has teamed up with the Homecoming Roll Tide Run to host the 5K event on November 16, at a time to be announced. Wednesday marks the halfway point in the teams’ training.
Graduate School Fair held in Savannah
WJCL-ABC (Savannah, Ga.) – Oct. 7
Armstrong State University if making it easier to learn. Tonight it held a graduate school fair. It was open to everyone and featured more than 20 schools and professional programs throughout the southeast. … Schools at the fair included the University of Alabama, Mercer Law School, Georgia Southern, and the Morehouse School of Medicine.
WTGS-TV (Savannah, Ga.) – Oct. 7
WTOC-CBS (Savannah, Ga.) – Oct. 7