From Madison to Peru: Bob Jones grad, UA senior set to attend United Nations climate change conference
Al.com – Nov. 18
A Bob Jones High School graduate will be traveling to South America to learn more about climate change and help you learn, too. Catherine King, now a senior at the University of Alabama, is one of eight students nationally selected to attend a United Nations climate change conference in Lima, Peru. King was chosen by the American Chemical Society after applying for a spot. A native of Madison, King is majoring in chemical engineering and chemistry at Alabama. She credited Robin Rogers, chemistry professor at Alabama, with pushing her to pursue the opportunity. “I work with Dr. Robin Rogers’ group and they do a lot of work with green chemistry so they kind of encouraged me to apply because they’ve had students go before with (the ACS),” she said. “So I applied and they accepted me. I’m really excited about going. It’s something that’s interesting to me.” At the conference, King and other students will attend discussions and debates and take notes on what they learn. Then they’ll transfer that experience to a blog they will be writing from the conference expected to have representatives from almost 200 countries. King will be attending the first week of the conference, which runs from Dec. 1-12.
Wearable medical device to track diet
Today’s Medical Developments – Nov. 18
Sensors and software used to track physical activity are increasingly popular, as smart phones and their apps become more powerful and sophisticated, but, when it comes to food, they all rely on the user to report meals. Dr. Edward Sazonov, an associate professor of electrical and computer engineering at The University of Alabama, hopes to change that through development of a sensor worn around the ear that would automatically track diet, giving medical professionals and consumers accurate information that can be missed with self-reporting. “Weight gain comes from an unbalance of the energy we take in versus the energy we expend,” Sazonov said. “We can estimate diet and nutrient intake, but the primary method is self-reporting. The sensor could provide objective data, helping us better understand patterns of food intake associated with obesity and eating disorders.” Sazonov is the lead on a $1.8 million, 5-year grant from the National Institute of Health to test the practical accuracy of the wearable sensor in tracking diet. Already proven viable, the device will be updated, further miniaturized and validated in a more formal, robust experiment in the community. Called an Automatic Ingestion Monitor, or AIM, it has potential to monitor eating by automatically detecting and capturing imagery of food intake and to estimate the mass and the energy content of ingested food.
Discovery Canada – Nov. 18 (Available to Canadian viewers)
Study finds that work gets in the way of CEO’s golf games
Golf Digest – Nov. 19
Technically speaking, the study, which was published by Lee Biggerstaff at Miami University, David Cicero at the University of Alabama, and Andy Puckett at the University of Tennessee, analyzes USGA records from more than 360 CEOs and finds that the ones who play the most golf tend to preside over less successful businesses. The study also finds some other interesting snippets, like how CEOs who play more golf tend to lose their jobs faster than non-golfing CEOs, and that CEOs tend to play more golf the longer they are CEO. But no mention of the adverse effects all that work has on the CEOs’ golf game? I mean, they obviously love golf so much that they’re willing to sacrifice their own company’s performance for their games. That sounds pretty honorable to us. They’re heroes, really. Here’s the full study …
Cozying Up By The Fire Really IS Relaxing, Study Claims
CBS Philly (Pa.) – Nov. 18
On days like this, many people just want to curl up in front of a warm fire and relax. That feeling of relaxation might be more than mental, scientists now say. According to a new study from the University of Alabama, sitting next to a roaring fire actually lowers blood pressure. Furthermore, the researchers say the calming effects of a fire weren’t significant without the accompanying sounds. Thus, hearth and campfires induce relaxation as part of a “multisensory, absorptive and social experience.”
Huffington Post – Nov. 18
Alabama launching economic development program
Decatur Daily – Nov. 18
The University of Alabama is launching a new program for economic development. Former state development director Neal Wade will head the university’s new Economic Development Academy.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Nov. 18
UA Honors College hosts panel discussion on changing the state’s image
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Nov. 17
Have you ever wanted to voice your opinion about the state’s image? Now you have a chance. The University of Alabama Honors College is hosting a panel discussion tonight. The topic: “Changing the state’s image.” It will take place in Room 205 of the Gorgas Library and it begins at 7. It is free and open to the public.
Traveling Smithsonian exhibit to appear at Bradshaw Library
LaGrange News (Ga.) – Nov. 18
The Smithsonian Institution’s traveling exhibit “The Way We Worked” is open to the public 3–5:30 p.m. Sunday at H. Grady Bradshaw Chambers County Library and Cobb Memorial Archives. Valley is one of six cities in Alabama selected to host the exhibition on its state tour from July 2014 to June 2015. The exhibit draws from the Smithsonian’s collections to tell the story of how work impacts individual lives and the historical and cultural fabric of communities. It will explore the professions and the people that sustain American society … A special screening of the University of Alabama Center for Public Television production “The Way We Worked” will be showing in the Lanier and Jordan Rooms during the reception. The video features several local residents who were interviewed in “The Box,” a film booth converted from an old photo booth.
Beer, Shakespeare and a film festival: Three fun things you can do in Tuscaloosa Nov. 18, 2014
Al.com – Nov. 18
Looking for something to do in Tuscaloosa on Tuesday, Nov. 18, 2014? See three fun options below … William Shakespeare’s “Twelfth Night” at UA … The University of Alabama Theatre and Dance Department will perform William Shakespeare’s comedy “Twelfth Night.” The play centers on the twins Viola and Sebastian, who are separated in a shipwreck. With director and UA professor Seth Panitch’s adaptation taking place in 1920s New Orleans, the storm washes the pair ashore in the Jazz-filled streets of the Big Easy, where they set out separately in a land confounded by love and the lack of it in their lives. And of course, the characters and audience find plenty of mistaken identity and live music in one of Shakespeare’s most beloved comedies. The play will perform Nov. 18-23 at 7:30 p.m. in the Marian Gallaway Theatre at Rowand-Johnson Hall on campus, with one performance at 2 p.m. on Nov. 23. Tickets cost $20 for adults, $17 for faculty/staff/seniors and $14 for students. For tickets or more information, call the UA box office at (205) 348-3400.
Support for a Sister: Tri Delta raises money for member struck by vehicle
Crimson White – Nov. 19
Megan Allen, a sophomore at the University and a member of Delta Delta Delta sorority, was involved in a serious accident in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, after the Alabama football game Saturday, Nov. 8, while walking home with her boyfriend. She was hit by a Cadillac Escalade going about 40 mph. Friends say that if it wasn’t for her boyfriend, RJ McGraw, she would have most likely died. Allen was rushed to the nearest hospital for internal bleeding in the spleen, but doctors soon discovered her
injuries were much more extensive. She accumulated a number of injuries, including ones to her spleen, kidneys, liver and femur. With all the damage to her body, she was in critical condition and even with the surgeries, the chances of Allen’s survival were
not high. Now, after three surgeries, Allen is on the road to recovery. She must finish out her semester at home to allow for care and rest, but she was discharged from physical therapy Monday. Delta Delta Delta, or Tri Delta, earned recognition earlier this year for being the chapter that raised the most money for its philanthropy, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital. Now, they
are continuing to use their talents, but this time the focus is on Allen, one of their own members.
Brandon Chicotsky wins 1st in Three Minute Thesis
Crimson White – Nov. 19
Imagine squeezing years of academia and study into a three-minute time slot. That’s what 15 graduate students did Tuesday evening as they competed in the second annual Three Minute Thesis final competition. In the event, each finalist had 180 seconds to give a
description of their research to a panel of judges. “The Three Minute Thesis was something that was developed at the University of Queensland a few years ago, and about two years ago, it was suggested that there be an Alabama competition,” said Andrew Goodliffe, assistant dean of the University’s graduate school. Goodliffe, along with associate dean David A. Francko and Cori Perdue, director of graduate programs, said he was excited to bring this aspect of competition to the University. “We put together a whole professional development series leading up to this competition.” Goodliffe said. “So the students go to presentations by people who are experts at talking.”
Butler County School System to receive grant
CBS 8 (Montgomery) – Nov. 18
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is leading the way in the project. The University of Alabama, Auburn, Alabama State, and the University of Montevallo are also contributing to the grant.
Winter interim course uses game simulation
Crimson White – Nov. 19
Playing a video game for a grade is probably a dream of many students, and the University’s political science department is offering a winter interim course that could fill that want. Diplomatic Situations is a political science special topic course for this winter’s interim term (PSC 321, section 901). The course uses Statecraft 2.0, a simulation software created by James Madison University political science professor Jonathan Keller 14 years ago in an attempt to bring potentially boring subject matter to life. “I wanted to take abstract concepts and theories that my students often had difficulty grasping, and make these vivid and clearly understandable,” Keller said. “I wanted students to personally experience the challenges and complexities of world politics – to get off the sidelines and become players. The University’s political science course is completely online. The 45 students enrolled in the course are divided into teams, or countries, and each participant gets a role as a leader of their country. Karl DeRouen, a political science professor, teaches Diplomatic Simulations and uses Statecraft to supplement other semester-long courses. He met a co-owner of the company at a conference, where he was introduced to Statecraft. “It seemed like a good way to engage the students, because I teach a lot of theory and use, and the students sometimes aren’t engaged,” DeRouen said. “Some of the subject matter can be dry.”
Show choir to put on performance
Crimson White – Nov. 19
Resonance Show Choir is revamping their show this year with new dresses and power-packed ballads. The group’s latest show will be split into two sets, the first consisting of three songs and the second consisting of thematically-driven material. “The concept is ‘Encaged,’ and it’s about being in bondage and breaking out and finding what sets you free in life,” said Gavin Dover, a senior majoring in choral music education and director of Resonance. It is Dover’s first year directing the show choir, and he said the hardest part of directing is leading a group of peers. The show will feature a variety of music, from Broadway to classic rock and even music from “A Goofy Movie.” Although Dover held in a leadership position the year prior, this year he said he is pushing the group to its limits. “Leading people your own age is always going to be difficult, and there’s no way getting around that,” Dover said. “This group especially has made it really easy for me to lead them because they’ve been very curious. They always want to learn something new, and they always want to be challenged. That’s why this is the hardest show that we have ever put on because the group wanted it, and they asked for it.”
A capella group to have concert
Crimson White – Nov. 19
The University’s co-ed a capella group, No Strings Attached, is set to put on the first performance of the year Wednesday. The group will sample current hits and old favorites in their upcoming performance. Allyson Azar, a senior majoring in music and No Strings Attached president, said the group has been hard at work in rehearsals since September working on new songs to sing. “We are performing all kinds of different music at the show, from ‘Radioactive’ to ‘Chandelier,’” she said. The group formed three years ago and has been growing ever since. Connor Dugan, a junior majoring in biology and the group’s musical director, runs rehearsals twice a week. He said the show is worth seeing and provides a study break during the end-of-the-semester crunch. “It’s a chance for people to get out of their rooms and experience something different during those monotonous last weeks of the semester,” he said. “It will definitely be something to keep everyone excited and having fun.”