UA startup places second overall
Crimson White – Jan. 8
The University of Alabama is home to more than a dozen startup companies that span across multiple fields of study. Some of these include 2b Electronic, whose main focus is on providing more affordable and portable EMG devices to the consumer and 525 Solutions, whose mission is to reduce the side effects of diseases by providing natural ingredients instead of synthetic. However, among all of these companies founded at the University, one has been receiving particular interest and acclaim. Last month, Surface Integrity, LLC., a company that is developing degradable medical implants, finished second at an international innovation conference, The International Innovation in Materials Science Competition in Boston, Massachusetts. After two phases of elimination, 26 finalists competed and Surface Integrity placed second overall. Finalists in the competition are provided with a platform for technology providers across the whole spectrum of the science, engineering, mathematics and technology departments at universities across the country, which allows small startup companies to have a voice in their respective fields.
New scholarship founded
Crimson White – Jan. 8
Four University of Alabama alumni created a foundation to provide scholarships to graduate students. Recipients must be in good standing, in their second year of the public policy program and plan to change the world through public service. Ray Harris, David Harris, Jason Wible and Brian Carver founded the 308 Grace Street Foundation. They selected Richard Fording, professor and chair of the department of political science, to award the first scholarship to Bryan Hooker, a graduate student at the University. “I am very grateful and humbled to have been chosen as a 308 Grace Street Scholar,” Hooker said. “The scholarship will allow me to worry less about crippling student loan debt and focus more on learning about important policy issues that affect our country.”Hooker said public service is a powerful way to bring about positive change. “The political science faculty here at The University of Alabama does a great job of emphasizing the importance of public service to students,” he said. “The chance to make an impact and help reconcile our country’s actions with its values is what draws me to public service.”
UA professors make predictions for coming year
Crimson White – Jan. 8
Each year, The University of Alabama’s Office of Media Relations coordinates the Educated Guesses project. This will be the project’s 34th consecutive year. The Educated Guesses project is a program through which the Office of Media Relations offers predictions from faculty experts for the upcoming year. “Media Relations staff members brainstorm ideas for the guesses and then ask faculty members if they would like to participate,” said Cathy Andreen, director of media relations. … The number of predictions made vary from year to year; this year the top 15 predictions were chosen. Predictors make their predictions about topics people find interesting and base them on current data trends. Andrew Billings, director of the Alabama program of sports communications and M.A. director of telecommunications and film, is making predictions for his third consecutive year. This year his predictions are: Beijing will be the first to host both winter and summer Olympics and NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s authority to punish NFL players will be curbed. Billings has predicted that this year annoucement will be made that the 2022 Winter Games will be held in Bejing. If Billings is correct, this will be the first city to host both the Summer and Winter Games.
‘Living history’: A look at papers of James Hood, first black man to enroll at Alabama
AL.com – Jan. 8
The personal papers and books of James Hood, the first black man to enroll at the University of Alabama, will soon be on display at the Gadsden Public Library, providing a never-before-seen look into the life of one of the school’s most famous graduates. “It’s exciting,” said Craig Scott, one of the library employees overseeing the project. “It’s living history.” A native of Gadsden, Hood gained fame when he, along with Vivian Malone Jones, became the first two black students to attend the university in 1963, less than a decade after Autherine Lucy enrolled but could not attend classes due to riots. A federal court order made Hood and Malone Jones’ enrollment possible after two years of deliberations and proceedings. Their registration was the catalyst for Gov. George Wallace’s “Stand in the Schoolhouse Door” on June 11, 1963.
Five states with the worst drivers: report
Insurance Business America – Jan. 8
It’s a question for the ages: which state holds the dubious distinction of housing America’s worst drivers? Just in time for the increase in Easter holiday traffic and related accident claims, CarInsuranceComparison.com has the answer. By trawling through National Highway Traffic Safety Administration statistics on fatalities, failure to obey traffic signals, drunk driving, ticketing and careless driving, researchers were able to definitely label Louisiana drivers as the worst in the nation. . . . The report comes as holiday traffic heats up and almost a third of drivers report becoming more aggressive on the road when yuletide stressors come into play, according to a recent report from State Farm. “The pressure of the holiday, the pressure of having to find something and running all over to find it and all of those things would tend to distract them,” David Brown, a University of Alabama professor who studies holiday traffic told the Washington Post. “Their mind is on other things, and the next thing you know they’re pulling out in front of somebody.”
UA offers continuing education for West Alabama seniors
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Jan. 7
Osher Lifelong Learning wants to help you get the most out of your golden years. The OLLI program is getting ready to kick-off its Spring semester. That program offers courses that mature adults can enroll in to further their education on some special topics. A spokeswoman says it’s a great way for seniors to continue an active life-style, as well as meet others from around the community.
Godoreccis foster growth in UA Italian department: Barbara bridges Italy, United States
Crimson White – Jan. 8
The department of modern languages and classics at The University of Alabama has grown over the years. Its growth includes the Italian program, which was established 25 years ago. Barbara Godorecci and her husband Maurizio were hired in the 1990s to create and implement the Italian progrm. The program went from a few courses to now offering a minor for students in addition to graduate classes. “Their collaboration is quite productive and works perfectly, as they perfectly complement each other in their philosophy and style of teaching,” said Gabriella Merriman, an instructor in the Italian department who has worked alongside the couple for over 15 years.
Maurizio brings Italian culture, flair to classes – Crimson White (Jan. 8)
SLU professor releases new book on Civil War
The Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.) – Jan. 8
Southeastern Louisiana University history professor Samuel C. Hyde Jr. has released his new book, “The Enigmatic South: Toward Civil War and Its Legacies.” Published by Louisiana State University Press, the book includes 10 essays by Hyde, who holds the Leon Ford Chair of History. Chapters were included from Civil War authority and Pulitzer Prize-winner James M. McPherson, the George Henry Davis professor of American history at Princeton University; LSU history professor Gaines M. Foster; and George C. Rable, the Charles G. Summersell chair in Southern history at the University of Alabama, a news release from the university said.
Academic quartet crosses lines to make music
Lagniappe – Jan. 8
Musical masters from four institutions — University of South Alabama piano professor Robert Holm; University of Alabama violin professor Jenny Gregoire; University of Illinois viola professor Rudolf Haken and University of Southern Mississippi cello professor Alexander Russakovsky — combine efforts to bring a breathtaking exhibition of emotive skill to life for Mobilians. Dubbing themselves the Tri-State Piano Quartet, the ensemble will bring to life Czech composer Bohuslav Martinu’s First Piano Quartet, a work in three movements showing the burgeoning influence of American sounds on his art not long after his arrival in 1941. … After intermission, the quartet will play Brahms’ Second Piano Quartet in A major, op. 26