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MONDAY, MARCH 30 – SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2015

BEST BETS

UA HONORS WEEK – UA will recognize the achievements of outstanding students and faculty during Honors Week activities on campus from Monday, March 30, to Sunday, April 5. The Tapping on the Mound ceremony, a tradition since the early 1900s, will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 3, on the Mound at the west side of the UA Quad (rain location will be Moody Music Building Concert Hall). University honoraries Omicron Delta Kappa, Mortar Board, Blue Key National Honor Society and Anderson Society will induct members at this time. See the schedule at http://uanews.ua.edu/2015/03/uas-honors-week-2015-to-include-tapping-on-the-mound/ or contact Richard LeComte, UA Media Relations, at rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.

UA DEPARTMENT OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE LAUNCHES CYBERCRIME MINOR – The University of Alabama’s department of criminal justice will help staff future cybersecurity workforces in the burgeoning field following the announcement of a new cyber crime minor. The 18-credit hour minor will begin in Fall 2015 and will include classes within the department as well as computer science, psychology and accounting. The Pentagon and Congress announced March 5 the approval to hire 3,000 civilian cyber experts, in part because of growing cyber security threats and the struggle by Cyber Command to keep up. “Currently there’s a disconnect between criminal justice and the broader social sciences, and computer science and information technology. Our degree program is aimed at bridging that gap,” said Dr. Diana Dolliver, assistant professor of criminal justice at UA. “We’re providing one of the first such programs in the country that’s housed in a social sciences department. Federal investigators are currently recruiting candidates with both social science and tech backgrounds.” The launch of the minor comes on the heels of the department’s launch of a cybercrime lab and partnership with UAPD and other law enforcement agencies. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.

WHAT PLACE DOES EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE HAVE IN NURSING EDUCATION? It takes more than a high IQ to make a good nurse, said Michelle Cheshire, an assistant professor in UA’s Capstone College of Nursing. Cheshire suggests “soft skills” should also be used in considering which applicants are good fits for nursing programs. Combining traditional admission criteria — such as test scores and grade point averages — with applicants’ emotional intelligence – things like compassion and ability to manage emotions – could provide nurse educators with more insight into whether an applicant is apt to be successful. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.  

CURRENT COMMENT

JACKSON’S LEGACY ENGRAINED, REGARDLESS HIS FATE ON $20 BILL, SAYS PORTRAIT EXPERT – Andrew Jackson’s identity, for better or worse, is engrained in the public’s mind, and removing his image from the $20 bill is unlikely to impact his reputation, says a UA art history professor who authored a book manuscript on the identity created by portraits of the nation’s seventh president. Dr. Rachel Stephens, a UA assistant professor of art history, says she believes the movement to replace Jackson by the Women on 20s Campaign is apt to gain momentum once a specific woman is put forward as a potential replacement. More than 150,000 people have voted on 15 potential replacement candidates put forth on the group’s website. “Jackson’s image certainly speaks to the complicated history of our country, but selecting a female would align more with the direction many people in our country hope the issue of gender equality continues to trudge toward.” Stephens’ completed book manuscript is titled “Selling Andrew Jackson: Ralph E. W. Earl and the Politics of Portraiture.” It investigates the created identity of portraits of Jackson by his confidante and personal artist, Earl. Stephens is one of 13 UA faculty members who will be presented with the President’s Faculty Research Award Wednesday, April 8, as part of UA’s first Faculty Research Day. http://uanews.ua.edu/2015/03/uas-first-faculty-research-day-set-for-april-8/ Stephens may be reached at  rachel@ua.edu or 615/525-1649. For assistance, contact Chris Bryant, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu.

MARCH MADNESS AND THE MEDIA – Dr. John Vincent, a professor of kinesiology in UA’s College of Education, says viewers who closely watch media coverage of this year’s NCAA basketball tournament are likely to see some familiar themes. Vincent, who has interest in how the media’s coverage of sporting events can shape issues of national identity, gender and race, says media outlets often deem parents of athletes as  newsworthy, especially athletic dads. Look, Vincent says, for dads to be credited with honing their athletes’ physical skills while moms are most often portrayed as the provider of emotional support. In a study published in 2008, Vincent and his research colleagues analyzed 508 sports stories from the NCAA tourney and found more than twice the number of references to an athlete’s dad versus an athlete’s mom. Vincent, who  will be one of 13 UA faculty members recognized for research efforts during an upcoming campus event (see http://uanews.ua.edu/2015/03/uas-first-faculty-research-day-set-for-april-8/), says viewers can also expect to see frequent references to football, despite this being the height of basketball season, and descriptions that seem to fit with the stereotypical approach that African-American athletes are superior natural athletes while European American athletes are  hard-working and smart overachievers lacking natural athleticism. Vincent, whose primary interest is in international sporting events, including soccer and the Olympics, may be reached at jvincent@bamaed.ua.edu or 205/348-8369. For assistance, contact Chris Bryant, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu.

UA EXPERT TIPS

UA MATTERS: IMPORTANCE OF VOLUNTEERING FOR PRE-TEENS, TEENS – The University of Alabama’s Courtney Chapman Thomas offers some insight into why pre-teens and teenagers should volunteer, as well as some suggestions for how to volunteer, in this week’s UA Matters. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.

UA MATTERS: TIPS FOR FINDING A GOOD NURSING HOME – Helping a loved one transition to long-term nursing care away from their home can be an emotional and stressful experience. You can find the right nursing home for your loved one with a bit of time and research. The University of Alabama’s Dr. Heather Carter-Templeton offers the following tips to help you determine the right nursing home for a loved one in UA Matters. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.

EVENTS

UA’S GORGAS HOUSE MUSEUM DEVELOPS NEW CIVIL WAR EXHIBIT – The University of Alabama’s Gorgas House Museum will display a new exhibit on the Gorgas family and their experiences during the Civil War beginning on April 3, the day before the 150th anniversary of the burning of UA’s campus by Union forces. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.

ANNUAL CIVIL WAR LECTURE SERIES TO BE HELD AT UA – A series of lectures about the Civil War will be held Saturday, April 4, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Grand Gallery of the Alabama Museum of Natural History on UA campus. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.

UA’S MOUNDVILLE PARK FEATURES BASKET WEAVER — The University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park features fibers and feathers at its Saturday in the Park program this week. Mary Smith will display her work, as well as assist children as they make their own miniature baskets. Smith is a master basket and mat weaver who researched and rediscovered an ancient method used by Muscogees (and other Southeastern Indian peoples) to finish their baskets using “a double false braided rim.” The program will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. April 4. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu

LOOKING AHEAD

HUNDREDS OF STUDENT RESEARCHERS TO DISPLAY, DISCUSS FINDINGS – More than 700 UA students representing a cross section of campus will present research findings April 7, during UA’s annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference at the Bryant Conference Center. This 8th annual event, hosted by UA’s Office of the Vice President for Research and Economic Development, is from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. It begins with poster presentations within the conference center’s Sellers Auditorium. Oral presentations will be made throughout the day in various rooms within the Bryant Conference Center. Students compete for cash prizes and gain experience presenting or defending their research projects before judges in both the poster and oral presentation categories. Throughout the research efforts leading up to the conference, students are paired with faculty mentors. For more information, contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu.

FIRST FACULTY RESEARCH DAY SET FOR APRIL 8 – Thirteen faculty members representing a cross section of campus will be presented with the President’s Faculty Research Award Wednesday, April 8, as part of UA’s first Faculty Research Day. The event will be held in the Bryant Conference Center’s Sellers Auditorium from 4 p.m. until 5:45 p.m., with a reception following. Dr. Denise Barnes, section head for the National Science Foundation’s Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research, known as EPSCoR, is the keynote speaker. Award winners, selected by their individual colleges, will be profiled at the event. For more information, contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu.

YALE PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR TO DELIVER BASOWITZ LECTURE – Dr. John F. Dovidio, professor of psychology and dean of the faculty of Academic Affairs of Arts and Sciences at Yale University, will deliver “Racism among the well-intentioned: Implications for Intergroup Perceptions, Interaction, and Policy” as this year’s Basowitz Lecturer. The Annual Harold Basowitz Memorial Lecture will be held at 6 p.m., April 10 in room 1093 of Shelby Hall. Admission is free to the public. Dovidio has more than 30 years’ worth of research experience, particularly in the areas of contemporary racism, stereotyping, social power and prejudice. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.

NOTED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH EXPERT TO SPEAK AT ESPRMC SYMPOSIUM – Dr. Marvin Berkowitz, Sanford N. McDonnell Endowed Professor in Character Education at the University of Missouri–St. Louis, will be the keynote speaker for the department of educational studies in psychology, research methodology and counseling’s annual Graduate Student Symposium in the College of Education on April 9. Berkowitz, whose speech is titled “Doing it Right: Evidence-Based Character Education,” is the author of You Can’t Teach Through a Rat, Parenting for Good and more than 100 book chapters and articles. A meet-and-greet with Berkowitz will be held from 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. in the rotunda at Carmichael Hall. He will deliver his keynote speech at 4:30 p.m. in the auditorium at Graves Hall following graduate student paper and poster presentations in Graves. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.