University of Alabama, Regions Bank earn spots on Forbes’ top employer rankings
Al.com – April 7
The University of Alabama and Regions Financial earned spots on Forbes’ 2015 national list of top employers. The University of Alabama earned the 58th spot, while Regions took no. 308. The two are the only Alabama employers who made the list. The 500 employers were selected by asking more than 20,000 workers at private companies, non-profits and government agencies questions how likely they would be to recommend their job to someone else. Google, Costco and Marathon Petroleum were the top employers nationwide.
Yellowhammer News – April 7
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 7
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – April 7
Students display research
Crimson White – April 8
The University of Alabama hosted its annual Undergraduate Research and Creative Activity Conference on Tuesday. Over 700 faculty members and students presented their research findings to judges and guests. “I’m impressed with the breadth of topics, it’s amazing,” said Joan Barth, a judge from the Institute for Social Science. “It really looks like people spent a lot of time collecting their data and preparing for their presentations.” Poster and oral presentations began at 8 a.m. and continued until 6 p.m. Judges walked around the room, stopping at each poster to listen to what presenters had to say about their research. Haley Bevis, a freshman majoring in communicative disorders, presented her research on people’s perceptions of stutters. “I chose to participate in research because I didn’t know much about social research,” Bevis said. “When most people think of research, they think of the hard sciences. Now I know how research other than science
is done.”
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 7
Massachusetts Cops Pay Hacker Ransom to Get Their Own Computers Back
Gawker – April 7
Like middle school children stuffed into their own lockers, the Tewksbury, Mass., police department resorted to paying off hackers who locked them out of their own computer files. According to a Boston Globe report, Tewksbury’s finest were the latest targets in a string of “ransomware” attacks, wherein hackers trick victims into downloading software that encrypts their entire computer. File encryption is a terrific way to keep intruders out of your computer, but in these cases, the hackers are the only ones with the decryption key … The moral of this story is to backup your files because it’s 2015 and hacking can be a profitable scheme, which means more of it can be expected along with higher demands. As Diana Dolliver, a criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama, explains: “It’s the old idea that if a million people give a dollar, you have a million dollars.”
Next Shark – April 7
Andreas Lubitz: Inside the mind of a suicidal pilot
Rand Daily Mail (South Africa) – April 7
He was described, in the immediate aftermath of the Germanwings crash, as a cheerful and careful pilot, a young man who had dreamt of flying since boyhood. But in the days since, it has seemed increasingly clear that Andreas Lubitz, 27, the plane’s co-pilot, was something far more sinister: the perpetrator of one of the worst mass murder-suicides in history. If what researchers have learnt about such crimes is any indication, this notoriety may have been just what Lubitz wanted. The actions now attributed to Lubitz — taking 149 unsuspecting people with him to a horrifying death — seem in some ways unfathomable, and his full motives may never be fully understood. But studies over the last decades have begun to piece together characteristics that many who carry out such violence seem to share, among them a towering narcissism, a strong sense of grievance and a desire for infamy. Adam Lankford, an associate professor of criminal justice at the University of Alabama, said that in his research on mass killers who also took their own lives, he has found “a significant number of cases where they mention a desire for fame, glory or attention as a motive”.
’42nd Street’ on stage April 9 in Mobile
Mobile Bay Magazine – April 7
Who hasn’t dreamt of becoming a star, singing and dancing one’s way to the top? For the main character in the classic Broadway musical “42nd Street,” on stage in Mobile on April 9, this dream becomes reality … Produced by the University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance, “42nd Street” follows a long line of university productions geared toward “offering excellent teaching and resultant dynamic learning” for the participating students. Director and choreographer Stacy Allen, who admits to being “both thrilled and terrified about tackling a musical of this magnitude,” has worked recently with a number of magnificent groups including the Edinburgh Fringe Festival (Scotland), the Oklahoma Shakespearean Festival and the Festival Internacional de Teatro y Danza (Chile). The musical, written in 1980, has garnered critical acclaim over the decades, including a number of Tony Awards and Drama Desk Awards.
Large shortage of Alabama state troopers
WRBL (Columbus, Ga.) – April 7
As of January, the state of Alabama had 431 troopers assigned to highway patrol, but according to a University of Alabama study, that’s less than half the number they need to keep the roads safe. “Currently we are not even operating at 50 percent of what we need to be sufficient to be covering the Alabama roadways,” said Corporal Jess Thornton, Alabama State Trooper. The shortage means some rural counties may have to go without.
Business incubation through technology
Business Alabama – April 8 (Print edition only)
Gone is the image of the university as an ivory tower, that metaphoric turret where professors and researchers labor in isolation far removed from the harsh realities of daily life. Academia has been plunged into the world at large. But publishing research – the time-honored way of sharing academic discovery — doesn’t guarantee that the discovery will reach consumers or even get noticed … Richard Swatloski, director of the University of Alabama’s Office for Technology Transfer, says part of UA’s research mission is to develop solutions to improve the quality of life and solve major problems that confront society, while expanding the base of available knowledge. “Basic research is vital, but there is a gap between basic research and the application of that research,” Swatloski observes. “Many of the things we do in the Office of Technology Transfer is try to narrow that gap.
New technologies from the University of Alabama
Business Alabama – April 8 (Print edition only)
Innovative Med Concepts is a Tuscaloosa-based biotech company that has had a licensing agreement with UA since 2012 and is partnering to create a diagnostic test for fibromyalgia, irritable bowel syndrome and other chronic ailments. The company plans a phase-three clinical trial for a drug combination that has shown promising results in treating debilitating illnesses. BASF is licensing UA patents using iconic liquids to dissolve, regenerate and process cellulose found in the cell walls of trees and other plants. The Licensing Executives Society named the agreement between UA and chemical giant BASF one of its 2006 Deals of Distinction.
Company-Customized continuing education
Business Alabama – April 8 (Print edition only)
A well-trained work force is essential in today’s competitive business environment. But it’s always a challenge to find the best training at the right cost and in a convenient location. That’s where the University of Alabama’s College of Continuing Studies steps in to help with Bama at Work. The program designs professional development training programs, customized for individual companies in the private sector. “A lot of what we’re doing right now is creating academic partnerships with larger companies,” says Bill Elrod, CCS director. “About 30 percent of our overall workforce will be going away in the next four to five years with all of baby boomer set to retire. Companies have to figure out how to build up that bench strength.”
Lessons in real world big data
Business Alabama – April 8 (Print edition only)
There is a scene in the movie “Moneyball” – about the Oakland Athletics’ innovative plan in the early 2000s to use advanced analytics to evaluate baseball talent – where the character Peter Brand adamantly proclaims nothing is more important in determining a player’s true worth than cold, hard statistics … The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration was one of the first to see the value in big data, offering a certificate in data management as early as 2002.Spotlight on: Higher Education
Spotlight on: Higher Education
Business Alabama – April 8 (Print edition only)
The UA Gadsden Center has served students since 1946. It is a division of the University of Alabama’s College of Continuing Studies and educates approximately 400 students. Currently, UA Gadsden offers 11 graduate programs in education and the Master’s of Library Information Studies. The newest offering is the Educational Doctorate in Curriculum and Instruction, which is geared towards teachers in elementary or secondary education. Classes for all programs are offered at night and on weekends to accommodate the working professional’s schedule. In moving forward, UA Gadsden is exploring undergraduate opportunities for graduates with associate’s degrees from community colleges.
Creative Campus develops community arts project
Crimson White – April 8
Maxwell Hall is the oldest building on campus and only one of a few buildings to make it through the Civil War. At one point, it was a celestial observatory, explaining the dome that rises above the front room. The pedestal the telescope once sat on is still intact. Today Maxwell Hall is the home of 40 student interns who make up the Creative Campus team. Creative Campus is an art advocacy organization that connects the university with the community through collaborative projects. Interns said they believe art is not just found in paintings or sculptures, it can be found everywhere … The Druid City Arts Festival was a Creative Campus project and this year, the organization is launching the Yellowhammer Festival. While Druid City focuses on selling community art, Yellowhammer will be music-based with an emphasis on sustainability. The Yellowhammer Festival will be held Sunday, April 19 at the UA Arboretum from 1-5 p.m.
Al’s Pals offers mentorship for local, school children
Crimson White – April 8
Al’s Pals, an after-school mentoring program that serves four elementary schools in the Tuscaloosa community, works to develop positive relationships between college volunteers and elementary students. Al’s Pals was developed in 2010 to meet two goals. The first goal was to provide academic assistance and social development for low-income elementary students, and the second was to improve leadership development for college students. When the program started, Al’s Pals had only 65 mentors and 30 elementary students. Four years in, the program involves more than 550 volunteers and 270 elementary students. Now housed within the Center for Sustainable Service and Volunteerism at the University, Al’s Pals has become the largest volunteer outreach project at the University. “Children do not chose their parents or economic circumstances, but every child deserves support and a chance to reach their potential,” said Star Bloom, director of Al’s Pals. “For me, joy is helping others.”