MONDAY, JUNE 1 – SUNDAY, JUNE 7, 2015
BEST BETS
PROFESSOR LEADS ONLINE TEACHER TRAINING WITH HELP FROM GOOGLE, NSF – Dr. Jeff Gray, UA professor of computer science, will lead a free, online course, sponsored by Google, this summer to train high-school teachers in a new computer-science course and future College Board Advanced Placement exam. An estimated 1,500 teachers are expected to sign up for the online course, which begins this week, from across the United States. Tuscaloosa will host the training for 50 Alabama teachers June 22-26. For more information, contact Adam Jones in media relations, 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.
BOYS STATE ON CAMPUS – Some 600 Alabama high-school seniors will try their hands at politics and community service through Saturday, June 6, during the 2015 American Legion Alabama Boys State convention on the UA campus. During the week, students conduct mock elections and learn about civic processes as well as participate in community service projects. Each day, two groups of Boys State participants will perform service projects at two separate sites from 2:45 to 4:45 p.m. One group will be at the Benjamin Barnes YMCA on the West End every day. The participants will help with the Y’s Summer Camp activities, as well as the Y Readers Enrichment Program. The other group will work with UA Facilities Monday through Wednesday helping with projects around campus. The groups on Thursday and Friday will go to the Tuscaloosa VA Hospital where they will play Bingo with the veterans, along with other tasks as needed. Contact: Richard LeComte, UA Media Relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
CLASS TO PREPARE HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS FOR NEW DUAL CREDIT OPPORTUNITY – The Alabama State Board of Education has announced a new 1:1 dual credit policy that allows one college class to equal one high-school graduation credit. High-school students can now obtain high school and college credit simultaneously. Under the new statewide policy, the Tuscaloosa City Board of Education has partnered with UA’s Early College to allow rising 10th grade students to earn dual credit by taking online courses. Juniors and seniors may take courses either online or on the UA campus. To help high-school students, including those in the ninth grade, take full advantage of dual credit opportunities this fall, UA Early College has scheduled a special Gateway class beginning June 16. The deadline to register for the class is June 2. For interviews, contact Kevin Lake, UA College of Continuing Studies, 205/348-4968 or klake@ccs.ua.edu. For assistance, contact UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320.
CURRENT COMMENT
NEFARIOUS ACTIVITY LIKELY TO CONTINUE ON ‘DEEP WEB’ – Federal investigators scored a major win after Ross Ulbricht was sentenced to life in prison related to the creation of the online anonymous marketplace Silk Road, where large-scale drug transactions allegedly occurred. There’s already been a Silk Road 2, a copycat site of a smaller scale, where, among other things, personal financial data is sold. “Feds in the US send strong message in Ulbricht sentence, but will it deter copycats? Probably not,” said Dr. Diana Dolliver, UA assistant professor of criminal justice. “I think a big aspect of the case, aside from the sentence, is how aware the Feds are about the goings on, on (the anonymous network) Tor. Lots of info came out during the trial that gave us a peak behind their curtain.“ For more information, contact Dolliver at 205/348-2062 or dldolliver@as.ua.edu. For assistance, contact David Miller in media relations, 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: AVOIDING HOT CAR DEATHS – Each year there is news of parents who are faced with the tragic, accidental deaths of children who have been left alone in hot cars. UA’s Tammy Morrow provides some precautions caregivers can take to avoid hot-car deaths in this week’s UA Matters. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
LOOKING AHEAD
CREATIVE WRITING CAMP – UA invites local high school students – incoming freshmen through graduating seniors – to sign up for the Summer 2015 Creative Writing Camp. The Creative Writing Camp will meet from 1 to 4 p.m. each weekday from Monday, June 8, to Friday, June 19, in 301 Morgan Hall. No previous creative writing experience is required.
The instructors are writers who are graduate students in UA’s Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing Program. They will lead a two week-long exploration of creative writing. To register for the Summer 2015 Creative Writing Camp, send an email with the student’s name, mailing address, email address, parent-guardian contact number, school and grade level to Christopher O. McCarter, coordinating director, at uacreativewritingclub@gmail.com. Contact: Richard LeComte, UA Media Relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
UA’s MUSEUM OFFERS HISTORY EXPLORATION TO COMMUNITY — The West Alabama community will have an opportunity to search for pieces of the past during the UA Museum of Natural History’s 37th annual Museum Expedition. With a focus on paleontology, students will spend a week working side by side with scientists on a field research project in Alabama’s Black Belt. They will collect samples, learn how to care and maintain material and understand the importance of preserving these pieces. They are involved in every step of the process, from digging to identifying and processing. The middle-school camp is June 8 through 13, and it is open to rising seventh-, eighth- and ninth-graders.The high school camp is June 15 through 20. The public camp is June 22 through 27, and it is open to anyone over the age of 12. Each camp costs $350. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu
UA’S MOUNDVILLE PARK TEACHES CHILDREN NATIVE AMERICAN ART VIA CAMPS — UA’s Moundville Archaeological Park offers students an opportunity to delve into the Native American lifestyle through two, week-long summer day camps. Open to children ages 9 through 13, the Indian Summer Day Camp combines hands-on activities with educational learning opportunities that result in an enriching experience for the campers. There are two camp sessions offered — June 1 through 5 and July 20 through 25. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.