Will Teaching New Computer Science Principles Level the Playing Field?
Education Surge – July 21
It’s no secret that computer science (CS) courses are not a priority in many high schools. Across the nation, many schools get away with packaging courses that teach kids to make Powerpoints, spreadsheets and other rudimentary work as ‘computer science.’ But when authentic CS is offered, it’s often in the form of the notoriously difficult and intimidating Advanced Placement courses, whose culminating test only a tiny fraction of students around the nation take and pass. Realizing the dearth of access to computer science offerings in high school, the National Science Foundation, together with the College Board, convened a group of teachers and academics to craft a new course called “AP Computer Science Principles.” The primary goal of this new course, to be offered in fall 2016, is to increase student access to computer science, computing and STEM through a more multidisciplinary approach than the current AP course, which is focused primarily on programming with Java … Yarborough is also helping to shape a course offered by the University of Alabama, CSP4HS. The course, available to all as a free MOOC, hopes to prepare thousands of teachers nationwide to teach the new Computer Science Principles course. Professor Jeff Gray, who is spearheading the course, estimates there are over 1,000 participants for the 2015 summer MOOC which started June 1st. The course will last six weeks, but participants can sign up at later times, in true MOOC fashion.
Project aims to organize artifacts discovered in 1930s, ’40s
The Daily Reflector (Greenville, N.C.) – July 21
Researchers with the University of Alabama’s Office of Archaeological Research are in the middle of a project to rehabilitate a collection of tens of thousands of artifacts collected in Alabama during the 1930s and 1940s. The work, which began in February, is a collaborative effort between the Tennessee Valley Authority, which owns the collection, and the university, which is curating it for the government-owned power company. The work is likely to last several years. “TVA would like to see more academic research conducted with these collections, and improving the inventory of these artifacts and their condition will allow more students to easily access the data for this purpose,” said Erin Pritchard, archaeological specialist with TVA’s Natural Resource Planning & Programs, Reservoir Property & Resource Management. The Office of Archaeological Research is putting the artifacts — many of which remain in the collection bags they arrived in from the field — in archival-quality bags and boxes and adding information tags per federal guidelines on curation, said Matt Gage, director of OAR. The information about the collection will be part of a searchable database that will be accessible to researchers, Gage said.
WBHM-FM (Radio) (Birmingham, Ala.) – July 21
UA, TVA Joint Archaeological Project, Watchman Sells One Million Copies
Alabama Public Radio – July 21
Members of the University of Alabama’s Office of Archaeological Research are in the middle of a project to rehabilitate a collection of tens of thousands of artifacts first gathered in Alabama during the 1930s and 1940s. The work began in February. It’s a collaborative effort between the Tennessee Valley Authority, which owns the collection, and the university, which is curating it and creating a comprehensive database for the government-owned power company. The collection includes tens of thousands of pieces spanning a 13,000-year time period. The artifacts range from Native American life items to European trade goods. They were collected by archaeologists and researchers in the Guntersville, Wheeler and Pickwick reservoir basins in the 1930s and 1940s before those sites were inundated with water.
Moundville hosts Native American Lifestyle Camp
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 21
The culture of Native Americans who lived in West Alabama hundreds of years ago is alive and well in 2015. Kids are experiencing it through day camps happening at Moundville Archeological Park. Children between 9 and 12 years old are creating art projects based off the natives’ lifestyle. They’re also sampling food the natives ate and learning what life was like for them by exploring the park’s museum and nature trails. “All kids are naturally curious. We do advertise it as an arts camp. So we tend to get these kids who are artistically minded signing up at our camp. Which is great because we do a bunch of art projects,” Amanda Morrow said. The week-long camp ends Saturday.
Free legal clinic in Tuscaloosa Thursday
ABC 9 (Columbus, Ga.) – July 21
Low-income residents in Tuscaloosa County will be able to take advantage of free legal help on Thursday. The lawyers will be able to answer questions about different areas of the law including: divorce/custody/visitation, landlord/tenant issues, wills and estates, debts/bankruptcy/foreclosure and domestic violence. The ‘Volunteer Lawyers Program Legal Clinic’ is Thursday, July 23 from 3-5 p.m. at the Tuscaloosa Public Library’s main branch at 1801 Jack Warner Parkway. The Alabama State Bar Volunteer Lawyers Program, working in cooperation with the Tuscaloosa County Bar Association, The University of Alabama School of Law and Legal Services Alabama are hosting the clinic, according to a press release from the Alabama State Bar. For more information, call the Alabama State Bar at 1-800-354-6154, or visit their website at www.alabar.org.
Trailer Released for Hurricane Katrina Documentary
Maritime-Executive – July 21
Paratus 14:50 is an upcoming, feature-length documentary on the United States Coast Guard’s response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005. The story will specifically focus on Coast Guard air rescues carried out by Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans and Coast Guard Aviation Training Center, Mobile across southern Alabama, Louisiana, and Mississippi in the first two weeks of the response. These men and women helped contribute to pulling more than 33.500 people from the impacted areas; the greatest single rescue in the United States’ history. The documentary is being produced by a team of students and recent graduates from the University of Alabama. The team is being led by Kaitlin Smith, a New Orleans native and the daughter of an active-duty Coast Guardsman. The trailer was released recently by Alabama Public Television, which will air the documentary on August 26 and 30. The film also will be shown in Mississippi, Louisiana and other Gulf Coast states around August 29, which will be the 10th anniversary of Katrina’s landfall.
Soundings Online – July 22
With Black Hawk Deal, Lockheed CEO Hewson Charts New Flight Plan
Bloomberg Business – July 21
Marillyn Hewson is not one for snap decisions. But when she’s ready to move, she can be bold. Two and a half years into the job as CEO of Lockheed Martin Corp., her $9 billion purchase of helicopter maker Sikorsky has put the defense giant on a decidedly new course: expanding Lockheed into lucrative new military and civilian markets, including building Black Hawks and the presidential helicopter. It’s the pay-off of gaining investor confidence after Hewson unexpectedly landed the top job in 2013 following then-incoming CEO Christopher Kubasik’s abrupt withdrawal two months before he was slated to start. Hewson has made a name for herself by improving execution on the F-35 fighter, the largest weapons program in history, and smoothing frayed relations with the Pentagon. The first of several versions of the F-35 is expected to be ready for combat by the end of the month … After earning business and economics degrees from the University of Alabama, Hewson worked her way up through Lockheed’s ranks since 1983, giving her intimate knowledge of the business units and workforce. That helped her set strict financial metrics that increased profits and allowed for higher dividends and share buybacks, Thompson said.
Alabama gun control debate
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – July 21
In the wake of last week’s shooting in Chattanooga, Tennessee that claimed the lives of five servicemen, Governor Robert Bentley is taking action to protect military personnel in this state. WVUA 23’s Jack Royer joins us now with more on the governor’s response to the tragedy. Phillip, in response to recent national tragedies this week, Alabama leaders are taking a pro-active step towards keeping the state’s military members safe. In the wake of a shooting that left five service members dead, Governor Robert Bentley announced this week that he’s taking steps to arm Alabama’s National Guardsmen for the first time in 23 years. It’s a 1992 directive from the Department of Defense that only authorizes DOD personnel to carry firearms while engaged in “law enforcement or security duties.” It strictly limits their ability to carry a firearm. Bama Carry, a statewide pro-second amendment group, supports the governor’s attempt to arm service men and women. Purchasing a hand-gun requires undergoing a background check by a FBI national database. If approved, a gun can be purchased instantly. There are, however, still loopholes that can allow a firearm to end up in the wrong hands. One second amendment legal expert says the Constitution is clear about what it means. Fredrick Vars, UA Law Professor, says, “The second amendment is just not an absolute prohibition on gun regulation. If you’re going to regulate guns you better show us a pretty strong rationale.”
Deborah Johnson Wins the 2015 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction
Ad Week – July 22
Deborah Johnson has won the 2015 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction for her book, The Secret of Magic. Johnson has made history as the first woman and African-American author to win this award. Here’s more from the press release: “The prize, authorized by Ms. Lee and co-sponsored by The University of Alabama School of Law and the ABA Journal, is given annually to a book-length work of fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change…The Secret of Magic was chosen by a distinguished panel of judges: Wayne Flynt, author and Alabama historian; Mary McDonagh Murphy, independent film and television writer and producer; and Michele Norris, NPR host and special correspondent.”
UA professors study Alabama solar farm
Crimson White – July 22
A northern Alabama county is on its way to cheaper energy. In May of 2015, UA professors Samuel Addy and Ahmad Ijaz wrote the study about the new $150 million solar energy farm that will be created within Lauderdale County, Alabama. The study, titled “Economic and Fiscal Impacts of Solar Energy Project in Lauderdale County, Alabama,” was prepared for Bradley Arant Bould Cummings LLP, a firm out of Birmingham who is a major player in the construction of the plant. Both Addy and Ijaz work in the Culverhouse College of Commerce. They were the business and economic minds of the project, which proved to be a time-consuming one. “Depending on the project, it takes about 15 to 30 days [in order to create the study] because you have to build the models and everything, plus you can devote all your day to
one project,” Ijaz said. Within the study, Addy and Ijaz laid out economic impacts that would be at hand with the construction and production of this project, including the output, earnings and employment. Summarizing the logistics of the project, the solar energy farm is planned on being in operation for 30 years, in which the project will produce $145.8 million in output. The project is also predicted to bring in nearly $24.5 million in earnings and will bring 437 new jobs
to Lauderdale County.
Exhibit honors writers
Crimson White – July 22
Created in the spring of 2014, the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame serves to honor Alabamian authors who have made exceptional contributions to the literary world. Currently, the J. Wray and Joan Billingsley Pearce Foyer on the second floor of Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library is paying homage to the inductees with an exhibit of their work. Twelve authors were recognized in the Alabama Writers Hall of Fame, including Rick Bragg, Helen Keller and Harper Lee. On June 8, the inductees were celebrated at an Inaugural Alabama Writers Hall of Fame event held at the Bryant Conference Center. The event included a reception and a gala dinner with a presentation of awards to the inductees. The event was sponsored by both the Alabama Writer’s Forum and the Alabama Center for the Book, which helped create the hall of fame by receiving nominations from the
general public. “The twelve inductees were selected by professional, credentialed group of scholars, arts advocates, and literary and cultural historians, who considered the historical range of Alabama literature,” said Donna B. Adcock, the director of University of Alabama Libraries.
Project Empowerment
Crimson White – July 21
With the next presidential election in November of 2016, politics and the array of associated topics and issues have continued to increase in prominence across the nation. Some students and faculty at UA would like to do the same at the University. Pamela Foster, a faculty member in the College of Community Health Sciences, will introduce the University to Project Empowerment, an organization that focuses on collegiate African American females with an interest in politics, once it becomes officiated by The SOURCE in the fall. “We are targeting women because we also think it is very important for more women to be elected officials,” said Foster, who is also on the Women’s Chair of the Alabama Democratic Conference. Project Empowerment was formed to educate the female population on various political aspects, discussing both national and local issues, program affiliates Kristyn Hardy and Chyna Jones said. The organization will aim to be a safe place for African American women to discuss complex issues and will help prepare women in politics.