MONDAY, JUNE 22 – SUNDAY, JUNE 28, 2015
BEST BETS
EXPEDITION TURNS UP MORE FOSSILIZED ANIMAL REMAINS – Aiden Taylor, 12, discovered a baseball-sized neck vertebra from an elasmosaur during UA’s Alabama Museum of Natural History middle school Museum Expedition. The piece is being analyzed and prepped at a campus paleontology lab. UA paleontologist Dana Ehret is, in the near term, only available for interviews this afternoon. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
PROFESSOR LEADS TEACHER TRAINING FOR STATE TEACHERS – This week 50 teachers from around Alabama will be on campus learning how to teach a new AP course. The training is part of an online course led Dr. Jeff Gray, UA professor of computer science, this summer to train high-school teachers in a new computer-science course and future College Board Advanced Placement exam. Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. will have the teachers deeply engaged in hands-on training in 251 Hardaway Hall. The CS4Alabama project is an NSF-sponsored project in collaboration between UA and A+ College Ready, with external project assessment conducted by Haynie Research and Evaluation. For more information, contact Adam Jones in media relations, 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu; Dr. Jeff Gray 205/213-0120; or Carol Crawford with A+ College Ready at 334/324-1408.
THE AMAZING STEM RACE SET FOR JUNE 23 – Students from UA and community colleges across the state will use GPS, the names of Alabama football greats, Denny Chimes, physics, chemistry and math to race across campus in the Noyce Scholars’ first “Amazing Stem Race.” Fashioned after the hit TV show, the competition begins at 1 p.m. and ends around 5 p.m. Tuesday, June 23. They’ll have to solve calculus and algebra exercises and determine the speed of sound across the Quad in teams of two as they try to make it back to the Science and Engineering Complex for the final exercise and, hopefully, the winner’s circle. UA’s Noyce Scholars Program, funded by a $1.45 million grant from the National Science Foundation, awards 21 two-year scholarships ($16,000 per year) over the next three years to undergraduate and master’s level students who plan to major in chemistry, mathematics or physics and complete teacher certification. Seventeen students are participating in paid internships on campus this month. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
CHARLESTON SHOOTER’S REPORTED STATEMENTS BASED ON RACIAL MYTH: “Historically, the myth that black men rape white women was a racial red herring that would be brought up to justify violence or legal tactics to oppress African-Americans,” says Dr. Lisa Lindquist-Dorr, UA associate professor of history. “One that wasn’t based in reality. It’s a trope that’s trotted out to justify oppression. The myth insisted that black men were driven to assault white women and that, as a deterrent, ‘black beast rapists’ should pay with their lives.” Survivor statements indicate the white gunman made comments including, “you rape our women,” before opening fire in the South Carolina church, killing nine. For more information, contact Bobby Mathews, UA Media Relations, 205/348-4956 or bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu
CHARLESTON, OTHER CURRENT EVENTS DEMONSTRATE IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL MEDIA: “Good local journalists, like those reporting in Charleston and Baltimore, are immersed in the local context — the history, the people, the politics and economics,” said Dr. Wilson Lowrey, chairman of UA’s journalism department. “This is their community, and that’s one reason it’s so important to have journalists on staff with a long tenure in the community. But they’re also able to keep some distance and represent different groups within the community. At their best, these local journalists listen and lead. They listen carefully and widely to their community, and they also lead by helping the community know who they are — what’s in bounds and what’s out of bounds, what’s OK and what’s not OK. This is something no national news outlet that parachutes in could hope to do.” Contact: Dr. Wilson Lowrey, 205/348-8608, wlowrey@ua.edu, or Misty Mathews, UA Media Relations, 205/348-6416, mmathews@ua.edu.
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: AVOIDING POISONOUS PLANTS IN SUMMER, FALL — Summer and fall are popular times for outdoor activities such as hiking, gardening and playing outside. Unfortunately, poisonous plants can get in the way of enjoying your time outdoors. UA’s Monica Watkins suggests ways to avoid poisonous plants in this week’s UA Matters. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
UA MATTERS: EXERCISING, WORKING IN THE SUMMER HEAT – Hot, humid weather poses great challenges for those working or exercising out of doors. UA’s Dr. Phil Bishop offers some advice on staying safe in the heat. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
LOOKING AHEAD
VENUS, JUPITER SHARE A STAGE – Only the moon outshines Venus and Jupiter in our night skies, and these two planets will appear paired later this month, says a UA astronomer. “This will be the closest conjunction of Jupiter and Venus we’ve been able to see since 1999,” said Dr. William Keel, UA professor of physics and astronomy. Visitors are invited atop Gallalee Hall from 8 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. June 30 to use UA’s 16-inch, research grade telescope to view the pair. Though the planets will appear to be in close proximity as seen from Earth, they are actually 516 million miles apart, Keel says. The event is free, and it is dependent upon the weather. Contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu for more details. Contact Keel directly at 205/348-1641 or wkeel@ua.edu.