UA Professor says President’s plan to give free tuition to community colleges is a good idea
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 20
President Obama’s State of the Union Address also included a plan that would allow students to go to community college for free. Dr. Stephen Katsinas at The University of Alabama believes it would be money well spent. He says it would be beneficial in building a workforce for Mercedes and Airbus, both big industries in the state.
Campfires aid blood pressure, study says
Crimson White – Jan. 21
Campfires contribute more than heat and the ideal marshmallow roasting conditions – the flickering orange and gold flames also lower blood pressure, according to a research study conducted by Christopher Lynn. Lynn, an assistant professor of anthropology, published his research in an article appearing in Evolutionary Psychology’s fifth and final issue of 2014. Lynn began teaching at the University in 2009 and started conducting research on the subject in 2010. The idea for the study arose after Lynn read an article in graduate school suggesting campfires were linked to the existence of relaxation and stress-reducing practices in the human health repertoire. Lynn wanted to provide evidence to solidify the assumption that fire is relaxing. The first step in the research process was to identify which element of the fire is most relaxing, he said. “I thought, because we are primarily a visual species and the largest neural network is devoted to our vision, and hypnosis is generally induced by watching things, that it was the flickering light that would be the hypnotic piece of [the fire],” Lynn said. “So we decided to isolate that, and our first iteration of the study was simply a visual fire with no sound.”
Professor doubles as musician
Crimson White – Jan. 21
At open mics all around Tuscaloosa and Birmingham, Alan Lane becomes Doobie “Doghouse” Wilson, playing blues and folk music at clubs in the area. Lane, a chemical engineering professor, started playing music as a child growing up in Portland, Oregon. He did not start putting out recorded material or playing live until 2006. “When I was about 48 years old, I decided if I didn’t start getting out into the clubs and playing before I was 50, I probably never would do it,” he said. “So I started making concerted efforts to get out to open mics and play.” Lane said he has played almost every club between Tuscaloosa and Birmingham and has experienced some difficulties in balancing life as a professor and life as a musician. “Most venues start about 10 [p.m.], and I usually give myself a curfew of around midnight. he said so sometimes I’ll get home later, especially if I’m playing in Birmingham.” “You can lose a little sleep like that.” Lane released a new album in November 2014 called “Ride The Bus.” Lane played all of the instruments on the album except drums and keyboards. The album’s sound spans from early Beatles to blues. The title track, “Ride The Bus,” chronicles the story of the Freedom Riders. Lane said it is one of his favorite songs on the album.
Visits to University Recreation increase in new year
Crimson White – Jan. 21
Each January, there are students who create New Year’s resolutions in hopes of becoming a healthier person in the upcoming year. The year of 2015 has proven to be no different. … George Brown, executive director of University Recreation, said University Recreation saw an 8.35 percent increase for all University of Alabama recreational facilities during the first 10 days of the spring term compared to the same 10-day period in the fall. “Participation at [Student Activity Center at Presidential Village] increased from 9,720 in fall 2014 to 11,757 in spring 2015 which is 2,037 more visits or 20.9 percent,” he said. This marks the highest recorded participation to date.
‘Our city can rise to this challenge’; Tuscaloosa sees huge turnout for Martin Luther King Jr. Unity Day
Al.com – Jan. 20
Tuscaloosa pastors, students, law enforcement officials, residents and Mayor Walt Maddox celebrate the legacy of Martin Luther King Jr. during the city’s annual Unity Day, with a march from MLK Elementary School to Tuscaloosa’s Government Plaza on Monday. The Tuscaloosa County Chapter of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) led the 2-mile march, taking place nearly 50 years after King led the historic march from Selma to Montgomery during the height of the Civil Rights Movement in 1965. Once the group arrived and gathered at Government Plaza, Rev. Ransey O’ Daniel led a prayer before city officials and college students took turns addressing the crowd and honoring the life and message of King. … Also addressing the crowd was Tuscaloosa County Sheriff Ron Abernathy, along Shelton State Community College student Carin Webster, Stillman College student Brenton Brock and University of Alabama student Elliot Spillers.
Ground Floor: Vinton business sheds light on nutrition
Cedar Rapids Gazette (Iowa) – Jan. 20
Alexa Schirm wants to expose the myths around good nutrition. “You don’t have to eat crazy health food to be healthy,” she said. “I want people to understand that eating whole foods is a realistic lifestyle.” Schirm’s desire to help people sift through the ever-changing and often contradictory information about how much and what they should be eating is the foundation of her business, Simple Roots Wellness. Schirm, who has a degree in dietetics from Iowa State University and is pursuing a master’s degree in health sciences from the University of Alabama, previously owned a fitness studio in Vinton. She sold that business last year so she could focus on providing nutrition consulting services on a full-time basis. In February 2014, she launched Simple Roots Wellness as a blog and an eight-week, online nutrition course. The blog provides tips and recipes for eating healthier, while the course provides instruction in nutrition basics along with meal plans and other tools to help clients implement healthy changes in their diet.
Watch UA mascot Big Al dance to ‘Sweet Home Alabama’ at the governor’s inauguration
Al.com – Jan. 20
It caused a stir. At Cramton Bowl after noon, after the state’s constitutional officers were sworn in, Gov. Robert Bentley hosted a party. It had free barbecue from Dreamland BBQ, free chips, free music — and it had Big Al, the mascot from the University of Alabama. Yes, the other mascots were there — from Troy University and Jacksonville State University — but no one caused a bigger stir when the House Band, a group of music-playing legislators, played “Sweet Home Alabama” by Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Big Al showed up to dance in front of the crowd. There were a lot of memorable moments from Monday’s inauguration. This was one of them — uniquely Alabama.