University of Alabama’s new Cuba program to build on its past
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 10
The University of Alabama’s new Center for Cuba Collaboration and Scholarship will build on the foundation of its predecessor the Alabama-Cuba Initiative. “It institutionalizes what we have been doing over the last 13 years. It also will, I hope, get more recognition for the university for what we have been doing,” said Robert Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. The University of Alabama board of trustees approved a resolution creating the center Friday during its meeting in Birmingham. The research center would be a focal point for expanding collaborations between UA and Cuban institutions, which began in 2002. The Alabama-Cuba Initiative, led by UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, offered students and faculty the chance to visit the island nation for research, study-abroad programs, scholarly exchanges, and performing arts trips. “Here is a place 100 miles from the shores of the U.S. where you can put a student, and they are in a completely different culture. If we could fly a plane … You could get from Tuscaloosa to Havana in an hour and a half,” Olin said.
Williams named February Female Physicist of Month
Crimson White – Feb. 11
Dawn Williams, an associate professor in the department of physics and astronomy, was named the February 2015 Female Physicist of the Month by the American Physical Society’s Committee on the Status of Women in Physics. Williams has been at The University of Alabama since 2008 and also helps runs the Women in Physics group on campus. Naoko Kurahashi-Neilson, her colleague and an assistant physics professor at Drexel University, and Donglian Xu, a graduate student studying physics who works under Williams, said they nominated her for the award because of her excellent mentoring. Williams specializes in particle astrophysics, the study of high-energy particles coming from objects in space. “I’ve been interested in astronomy as long as I can remember, literally since I was in elementary school,” Williams said. Williams received her undergraduate degree at the University of Southern California, earned her doctoral degree at UCLA and completed four years of postdoctoral work at Penn State. While at Penn State, Williams began working with a project called IceCube, a neutrino detector.
Debate Rages Over Keystone and Offshore Drilling, Yet Data Lacking
U.S. News and World Report – Feb. 10
The warnings are stark, the images dire. “If drilling is allowed off the East Coast of the United States, it puts our beaches, our fishermen, and our environment in the crosshairs for an oil spill that could devastate our shores,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., said in a press conference last month. The Atlantic Ocean off Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia – plus the frigid Arctic waters off Alaska – could be open to to oil and gas drilling under a plan proposed by the Interior Department on Jan. 27 … As a result, lawmakers, advocates and trade groups – even the academic experts who spend their lives studying spills – disagree on the two most fundamental questions of the country’s energy renaissance: how many spills occur each year and whether that number is on the rise, which makes it all but impossible to determine how safe the oil, gas and chemical industries really are. “It’s a fairly grotesque oversight on behalf of our government,” says petroleum engineer Philip Johnson, a professor at the University of Alabama College of Engineering. “The regulators have fallen down on this.”
Alabama activists seek court leverage amid standoff over same-sex marriage
Washington Post – Feb. 10
A federal judge on Tuesday said she will consider whether to require a local official to issue marriage licenses to gay couples, a day after dozens of counties refused to comply with a ruling that legalized same-sex marriage in Alabama. U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. Granade, who last month struck down the state’s same-sex marriage ban, set a hearing on the new matter for Thursday in Mobile. Lawyers for about a dozen couples have asked Granade to clarify that her previous ruling applies to the probate judge in Mobile County, where couples were turned away when they sought marriage licenses Monday … Ronald Krotoszynski, a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law, said there could be “a lot of political upsides” for some of the probate judges who have balked at giving marriage licenses to gay couples. These judges are elected locally and may worry about backlash from voters opposing same-sex marriages. “It’s a function of them being political actors,” he said. “And again, most of them are not lawyers as well.”
Alabama and same sex marriage
Louisville Courier Journal (Ken.) – Feb. 10
Ronald J. Krotoszynski Jr., Special to The Washington Post
William Faulkner famously observed that, in the South, “the past is never dead. It’s not even past.” Faulkner’s observation aptly describes contemporary events in Alabama, where Chief Justice Roy Moore has been urging officials, including state court judges, to flout a federal court order holding unconstitutional a provision of the Alabama constitution that bans the recognition of same-sex marriages. Moore has denounced the ruling of U.S. District Judge Callie V.S. “Ginny” Granade as an example of “judicial tyranny” and promises that he “will continue to recognize the Alabama Constitution and the will of the people overwhelmingly expressed in the Sanctity of Marriage Amendment.” In his view, “lower federal courts are without authority to impose their own interpretation of federal constitutional law upon the state courts,” and “there’s nothing in the Constitution that allows the United States Supreme Court or federal district courts to redefine marriage.” Moore’s constitutional logic is deeply flawed. Simply put, under the Constitution, federal law is supreme. Krotoszynski is a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law. He served as a clerk to Judge Frank M. Johnson Jr. from 1991 to 1992.
Confusion in Alabama after judges defy gay marriage ruling
Daily Mail (U.K.) – Feb. 10
Gay couples faced legal wrangling Tuesday in Alabama, where a number of judges are refusing to follow a US Supreme Court order to lift a ban on the unions. The southern state on Monday became the 37th US state where, along with the capital’s District of Columbia, same-sex marriages are legal. But in Alabama, most probate judges are refusing to comply with the US high court’s ruling, deciding instead to follow a last-minute order by Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice Roy Moore not to issue marriage licenses and officiate weddings … Ronald Krotoszynski of the University of Alabama School of Law noted that “times have changed” in the state considered part of the historically conservative Deep South. “Despite the immediate tumult and the chief justice’s efforts to block respect for the federal court’s ruling, the end result, today, is that same-sex couples in Alabama are free to marry,” he added. Seven of the nine US Supreme Court justices backed the ruling to lift the ban on Alabama gay marriages, despite the objections of state authorities who had sought a delay until the high court issues its nationwide order.
Gay rights advocates in Alabama sue for right to marriage licenses
Jamestown Sun (N.D.) – Feb. 10
A U.S. judge in Alabama said on Tuesday she will hear arguments later this week on whether to force a local judge to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a day after officials in most of the state refused to do so in defiance of the U.S. Supreme Court. Lawyers for same-sex couples unable to obtain marriage licenses in Mobile County filed separate legal challenges against the county’s probate court judge late on Monday, part of a series of events echoing the civil rights struggle of the 1950s and 1960s. Mobile County was the most populous of the 42 of Alabama’s 67 counties that continued to refuse to provide marriage licenses to gay couples on Tuesday, advocates said, down from 52 counties a day earlier. … “It’s not just that the words are similar,” said Ronald Krotoszynski, a constitutional law expert at the University of Alabama School of Law. “In some respects, the words are identical.”
Denver Post – Feb. 10
Did US Supreme Court Clear Way for Gay Marriage?
CBS 5 (Mobile) – Feb. 10
Some same sex couples on Feb. 9 in Alabama were allowed to get married, while others were denied. While all that was playing out, the Supreme Court rejected 7 to 2 the State of Alabama’s request to stop a lower federal district judge from lifting the state’s same sex ban. Justice Clarence Thomas was one of the two who dissented. He released a statement, saying “This acquiescence may well be seen as a signal of the Court’s intended resolution of that question.” But Thomas also explained that he would have kept “the status quo” pending the Court’s resolution. In the past the Supreme Court has extended stays in cases that it planned to hear. This is why some question if this is a sign. “Most constitutional scholars who have been asked this question think as I do that the denial of the stay is a pretty clear indication of how the Supreme Court will decide the merits of the case from the 6th Circuit what’s up for review,” said Ronald Krotoszynski, University of Alabama, Professor of Law.
2015′s Best and Worst Cities for Valentine’s Day
WalletHub.com – Feb. 10
Ask the Experts – Melissa J. Wilmarth, Assistant Professor of Consumer Sciences, The University of Alabama … What can Valentine’s spending trends tell us about consumer confidence and the health of the overall economy? Like any holiday, consumer spending does give us some idea of how confident consumers are in the economy. Spending on Valentine’s Day took a hit during the recession, when consumer had fewer resources to spend and were managing their finances more tightly due to more economic uncertainty. Valentine’s Day sales followed the recovery of the economy, while they remained lower and stagnant for a few years, sales have rebounded and some retail predictions are expecting growth in sales again this year. As consumers have more economic confidence in their own financial situation as well as in the economy as a whole, they are more willing to spend related to all holidays, including Valentine’s Day.
UA College of Education students hold Black History Month celebration
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 10
Earlier this evening, University Place Elementary held a family night celebration for Black History Month. The event included guest speaker Amot Ward from the Civil Rights Institute, along with University of Alabama education students. With the help of some live music and entertainment, UA students and professors were able to teach young children about the beauty of diversity. University of Alabama professor Dr. Janie Hubbard said, “I want them to enjoy the diversity of the different people in African American history, the different events.” University of Alabama education students set up interactive activities for the children in grades pre-K through fifth grade.
Hands on Tuscaloosa to provide citywide service
Crimson White – Feb. 11
Hands on Tuscaloosa will collaborate with the UA L.E.A.D.S. conference Feb. 28 for the first time since the day of service was created. The Center for Sustainable Service and Volunteerism is collaborating with the conference in an effort to combine both leadership and service components. The purpose of the day of service is to provide students an opportunity to give back to the community in a way that benefits both parties. While students are providing painting, landscaping and beautification services to Maxwell and Central Elementary, they are also being provided tools to foster their leadership skills. “We decided to partner with the UA L.E.A.D.S. conference this year because we believe as an office that leadership and service goes hand in hand,” said Bailey Chandler, team leader for the CSSV, who helped plan the event. “This is a big day for our office and the University as a whole because it allows us to send large amounts of students into the community and help with whatever they need.”
The Day of Darwin: Alabama Evolutionary Studies club to celebrate naturalist’s birthday with academic conference
Crimson White – Feb. 10
Charles Darwin is best known for his contributions to evolutionary theory, having developed the idea that all animals develop over time through adaptations and the process of natural selection. He published his theory in “On the Origin of Species,” which has become known as the foundation of evolutionary theory. On Feb. 12, The University of Alabama’s Evolutionary Studies Club will celebrate Charles Darwin’s birthday with an evolutionary research colloquium named in his honor. The third annual Darwin Day Colloquium features eight panels, a keynote speaker, art exhibits and a cake-decorating contest. Anyone can attend the conference, which takes place Thursday from noon to 5 p.m. on the first floor of Smith Hall. The Evolutionary Studies Club, known as the EvoS Club, has partnered with a variety of student organizations including the Philosophy Club, the Secular Student Alliance, The Journal of Science and Health at The University of Alabama and the Anthropology Club to facilitate the event.
Huxford Symphony to begin second half of season
Crimson White – Feb. 11
Music written by well-known composers from across the globe will sound through the Moody Music Concert Hall on Thursday evening as students of the Huxford Symphony Orchestra perform in their first concert of the spring semester. The Huxford Symphony Orchestra performs six shows throughout the course of each of its seasons and each concert is different from the others. Thursday evening’s concert marks the fourth of the 2014-2015 season. Blake Richardson, director of orchestral studies at the School of Music, will serve as the conductor on this performance. This is his second year with the orchestra and he said the lineup for this show is especially exciting. “We’ll be playing a lot of really expressive and exciting music that uses the whole orchestra,” Richardson said. “This is one of the most ambitious concerts we’ve done all year.”
North Okaloosans promote caution when creating environmental policy
Crestview News Bulletin (Fla.) – Feb. 10
With Okaloosa County educators and engineers’ help, students at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa are preparing for careers that marry science with business practices. Laurel Hill resident Dennis Mitchell, a retired Troy University environmental studies faculty member, and local engineer Paul Hsu spoke at the Jan. 26 “Good Science, Good Business, Good Ethics” seminar. Also on the dais was William Soon, an astrophysicist from Harvard-Smithsonian Stellar Studies. … Presenters focused on the necessity for caution when creating environmental policy without considering all the research data, Mitchell said. … The seminar was organized by Fort Walton Beach High School graduate Harrison Freeman and presented by the Alabama Student Chapter of the Air & Waste Management Association and the Capstone Initiative.