New University of Alabama president spends first day meeting students
Tuscaloosa News – July 16
New University of Alabama President Stuart Bell has spent his first days on the job meeting with students, faculty and local officials, beginning his presidency with assurances he would be accessible. “Certainly, first and foremost, I want to be out there and accessible to our faculty and staff,” Bell said Wednesday. Bell used part of his first official day as president to visit the Fresh Food Co., which was crowded with a lunchtime rush of incoming freshman on campus for orientation. Bell, shadowed by photographers from the university and local media, shook hands with students in the dining hall, as well as posing for photos. Bell said he was using the beginning of this time on campus to connect with students and their aspirations while at Alabama. “The reason I want to be part of the university is I love young people, and I love the ability to help them aspire and achieve their dreams,” Bell said. On Wednesday, Bell reiterated commitments that UA would remain a student-centered institution as well as a resource, both locally and statewide, for research and economic development. A student-centered world view and emphasis on research were among the priorities sought by the search committee that nominated Bell and among his initial talking points during his appointment by the UA board of trustees last month.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 15 (broadcast report)
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – July 15
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – July 15
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – July 15
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 15
Professor receives grant to study bumblebees
Crimson White – July 15
University of Alabama biologist has recently received a $1 million grant to do research on bumblebees. Jeff Lozier, an assistant professor of biological sciences, along with two collaborators from the University of Wyoming and Utah State, received the grant from the National Science Foundation to study two specific species of bumblebees and their adaptation to a changing environment. “We’re trying to study the effect of environmental variation on adaptation and if bumblebees exhibit adaptations to environments in which they live,” Lozier said. The focal region of the research is along the Sierra Nevada and Cascade Mountain Ranges. The two species of bees they’re going to study are in abundance in this region and can be found at low and high elevations across a broad latitudinal transect. “We get to see what happens when you subject a single species to a large range of all of these different kinds of factors to see how and if it is going to adapt or if it’s going to need to move,” said Jason Jackson, a doctoral candidate studying biology.
Rights groups push Obama to act swiftly on criminal justice reforms
Washington Times – July 16
In demanding the nation overhaul its criminal justice system, President Obama has zeroed in on an issue ripe for true bipartisan action, but he’s also given himself an immense political challenge as activists now expect him to deliver tangible results quickly. . . . “There’s a mountain of things that need to be done because the crisis in the criminal justice system — these are things that have been building for years, decades, really,” said Montre Carodine, a professor at the University of Alabama School of Law who has written extensively on race relations. “There are a number of potential avenues he can go down in terms of mapping out a reform strategy. If he can accomplish even a few of those things, that would be a huge accomplishment and he would get a tremendous amount of credit for even tackling it.”
Up close look at Pluto
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 15
What does this mean for the scientific community? Video journalist Neal Posey met with an astronomer at The University of Alabama to find out. “Pluto has gone from a dot with black and white spots on it into a complicated world that we don’t understand yet, and we’re just watching puzzle pieces rain down every time a communications antennae points up,” says Dr. William Keel, UA astronomy professor.
What Ever Happened To The Boozy Cake In ‘To Kill A Mockingbird’?
Alabama Public Radio – July 15
To mark this week’s release of Harper Lee’s long-awaited second novel, Go Set a Watchman, why not try an old-fashioned cake from Alabama, featured prominently in Lee’s classic first novel, To Kill a Mockingbird. In it, Scout Finch’s neighbor, Maudie Atkinson, is known for her Lane cakes and guards her recipe closely. … I was determined to try a slice of Lane cake after learning it was invented in Clayton, Ala., around the same time my ancestors lived there during the late 19th century. . . . . Even the cake’s creator, Emma Rylander Lane, thought the cake tasted best when made a day or two ahead of time. She included the advice in the original recipe that appeared in her cookbook Some Good Things to Eat, published in 1898. Lane was likely a native of nearby Americus, Ga. According to legend, she moved to Clayton when her husband was transferred there as an employee of Georgia Railroad Company. … Dana Alsen, a Ph.D. candidate in history at the University of Alabama and author of The Alabama Food Frontier hasn’t been able to find solid evidence that Lane ever actually lived in Clayton. She thinks it’s possible Lane lived in Georgia her entire life. Nevertheless, she says Lane Cake recipes were appearing in various ladies journals as “Alabama Cake” by the 1920’s.
UA marketing professor talks about how companies influence consumers
Alabama Public Television (Birmingham) – July 15
UA marketing professor Joe Calamuso gives his top five ways that companies influence consumers to buy products.
TCPS lecture offers insight into Amelia Gorgas’ life
Crimson White – July 15
Many students walk in and out of Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library each day, but some of them may not be aware of its namesake’s role on campus. Sarah Wiggins, a former history professor at The University of Alabama and Gorgas historian, presented a lecture on Gorgas on June 9 as part of the Tuscaloosa County Preservation Society’s Sundown Lecture Series. … Wiggins began the lecture by sharing information on Gorgas’ personality. “She was barely five feet tall, but she was an absolute dynamo,” Wiggins said. “Of anything that I’ve read about all the Gayle girls, she has personality, and I mean it was a dynamite kind of personality.”
UA offers benefits, employment to veterans
Crimson White – July 15
The state of Alabama is not shy in its support of the U.S. armed forces. Standing testament to this are its many military memorials and historic sites. Birmingham hosts the largest Veterans’ Day parade in the nation, and the Alabama legislature has introduced and pushed through a number of bills in recent years expanding on veterans’ benefits. Alabama’s nearly 400,000 veterans account for over 8 percent of the state’s population, according to the 2013 U.S. Census Bureau. The University of Alabama strives to provide active duty and retired service members with easy access to all of the benefits endowed by both the state and federal governments, as well as a host of other tailored accommodations. … The UA Veteran and Military Affairs office, a division of the Division of Student Affairs, provides current and ex-military students with career services, transition assistance and housing options in addition to its prolific outreach and certification programs.
Student travels to Paris, Tours
Crimson White – July 15
A few weeks ago, I was very fortunate to be able to visit one of my favorite places in the world for the third time: the Musée d’Orsay in Paris. As I stood on the highest platform overlooking the vast gallery, I savored the moment. In that spot I was perfectly content. That moment was one of the highlights of my study abroad in France through the faculty-led summer program: Alabama in France. We spent our first week sightseeing in Paris. I climbed an outrageous number of steps to enjoy the view from the Eiffel Tower, then did the same thing the following day for the Arc de Triomphe. … As much as I loved Paris, I am very happy to now be living with a host family in the city of Tours. I’m taking immersion courses at the Institut de Touraine and spending my weekends visiting local castles. Over dinner, my host family and I discuss cultural and political differences between France and the United States. As an international studies and French double major, I thrive on those conversations where we share our opinions and learn from one another. In my free time, I most enjoy sitting by the Loire River having a drink with friends. Molly Deaver is a senior majoring in French and international studies.
UA alumna on ONE Student Advisory Board
Crimson White – July 15
Morgan Moran, who graduated from The University of Alabama this spring with a degree in political science, was one of 16 students selected to serve on the ONE Student Advisory Board in Washington D.C. ONE is a non-profit organization that works to help the needs of Africans who are fighting disease while constricted to poverty. The campaign also focuses on improving maternal and child care, transparency, energy and development assistance. It does not focus on fundraising or implement programs on the ground, but more on global advocacy and awareness. There are also 150 ONE college chapters across the country. Moran started the one at The University of Alabama in 2013.
LOCAL Q&A: Abby Ratliff, UA junior and Bama Bound ambassador
Tuscaloosa News – July 16
This week we’re meeting Abby Ratliff, a junior at the University of Alabama who is serving as a parent ambassador for Bama Bound, and will also begin working for the city of Tuscaloosa in the fall. Among Abby’s passions are new restaurants, snow cones (with cream), and the “summer vibes” Tuscaloosa has to offer. Q: Who are you and what do you do? A: I’m Abby Ratliff and I’m a junior majoring in marketing. I’m currently working with Bama Bound orientation as a parent ambassador, and in the fall I’ll be joining the team at the SOURCE and starting an internship with Tuscaloosa Tourism and Sports Commission. Q: Where are you originally from? A: I’m from a small town in Washington state, just outside of Portland, Ore. Q: You mentioned working with Bama Bound this summer, can you tell us one funny story about something that has happened? A: You would be shocked how often parents ask us whether we’re single and try to introduce us to their students … “introduce.”
Local dancer selected for summer program
Marietta Journal – July 16 (Subscription only)
Margaux Nicolas of Marietta has been dancing the summer away at the summer intensive ballet program for the American Ballet Theatre. The program is held at the University of Alabama in conjunction with their Department of Theater and Dance. Five different locations are offered for the summer intensives. Thousands of kids from across the nation and from overseas ages 11 to 17 auditioned in January and February in 27 audition sessions to participate in this program. Of the thousands who auditioned, only 169 kids were enrolled in the three-week intensive program in Alabama. Margaux is the only dancer from Marietta participating in the program at Alabama, and one of only eight dancers participating from Georgia.
Tamaya Davenport chosen for Alabama Girls State
Troy Messenger – July 16
Tamaya Davenport represented New Life Christian Academy at the 2015 session of American Legion Auxiliary Alabama Girls State, held on the campus of the University of Alabama. For one week, she became a citizen of an imaginary state, taking part in the political life of her community, primarily through campaigning for and electing city, county and state offices. She learned the operation of government by participating in party caucuses and through the election process. She is the daughter of Toney and Cynthia Davenport.