Study: Mass Shootings ‘Exceptionally American Problem’
Newsweek – Aug. 22
The incidents seem to accumulate at a staggering pace: Mass shootings in schools, movie theaters and other public places have left scores of victims in their wake. And an overwhelming number of them have occurred in the United States. Adam Lankford, a criminal justice professor at the University of Alabama, looks at the “dark side of American exceptionalism” in a new study to be presented Sunday at the Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association in Chicago. In “Mass Shooters, Firearms, and Social Strains: A Global Analysis of an Exceptionally American Problem,” Lankford uses a quantitative analysis of mass shootings around the world between 1966 and 2012 to attempt to understand their prevalence in the U.S., and he consults previous research to try to understand the factors behind this unmatched frequency. “It’s a bigger problem today than it was a decade ago and it may be a bigger problem in the future,” Lankford tells Newsweek. “There are a lot of questions that people have posed in the past that we didn’t have statistics on or quantitative answers for,” such as just how prevalent mass shootings are in American society compared with other countries, and whether there’s a statistically significant relationship between this and other numbers, like rates of firearm ownership, homicide and suicide.
Time – Aug. 23
CBS Radio News (nationally syndicated on many radio stations) – Aug. 23
International Business Times – Aug. 23
Health Medicine Network – Aug. 23
Think Progress – Aug. 23
DW.com – Aug. 23
Breitbart.com – Aug. 23
RT.com – Aug. 24
Mother Jones – Aug. 23
Drugs.com – Aug. 23
Phys.org – Aug. 23
Healing Well – Aug. 23
Science Codex – Aug. 23
Floodings impact on wetlands measurable with a low cost approach
Crimson White – Aug. 24
A University of Alabama researcher helped lead a study on the potential effects rising sea levels can have on wetlands using a new, low-cost, on-site method designed by scientists. Julia Cherry, an associate professor with the University’s New College and its biological sciences department, used grant money to conduct the study in 2013 and 2014 with a team of researchers. The research is ongoing. The research was conducted at the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve on the eastern shore of Mobile Bay in Baldwin County. National Estuarine Research Reserve Systems Science Collaborative, which funds people to partner with their reserve system on projects of interest, funded the program. The main concern of the project focused on how to protect coastal ecosystems from rising sea levels. Using the weirs, the team was able to mimic rising sea levels that previously proved difficult to replicate. “For this particular aspect of the project, knowing that these marshes are facing the threat of sea level rise, it’s really important to try and understand processes involved in the marshes themselves and how those processes might change as they are flooded more and more frequently by rising seas,” Cherry said. “And to do that experimentally, you need to be able to manipulate water levels, and it’s hard to do that in the marsh, so typically what scientists have done is use what we like to call mesocosms.”
COLLEGE NEWS: Aug. 23
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 22
University of Alabama – The Federal Highway Administration recently awarded an Eisenhower Grant for Research Fellowship to Nathan Klenke, a University of Alabama graduate student in civil engineering, as part of the Dwight David Eisenhower Transportation Fellowship Program. Klenke, a native of Lebanon, Ohio, is interested in the study of concrete. In the past he has worked closely with Eric Giannini, assistant professor of civil, construction and environmental engineering, to test the alkali-silica reaction in concrete. Since then, he has worked on several additional projects under Giannini’s supervision. Most recently, he worked on a project sponsored by the southeastern region of the Portland Cement Association in which he researched the use of carbonate coarse aggregates in concrete pavements.
Why a billionaire Yankee like Trump is beloved in Alabama
Christian Science Monitor – Aug. 21
Mitt Romney, a rich Yankee, failed to connect with Southern voters as he sought the presidency in 2012. But Donald Trump, another very rich Yankee, is getting the jubilant reception of a long-lost cousin as up to 35,000 people are expected to pack a Mobile, Ala., college football stadium Friday evening to hear the hotelier and Republican frontrunner “tell it like it is.” In a matter of days, what had been planned as a get-together at a 1,000-seat facility has gone through three venue changes, finally landing at Mobile’s largest public arena, Ladd-Peeples Stadium, which can hold up to 50,000 people. … “Trump is similar to Romney in some ways in terms of him being a rich guy from the north, but my sense is that he’s very popular down here because his message is very different from Romney’s,” says Richard Fording, chair of the political science department at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. “He’s more than a candidate, it’s almost like a movement that he seems to be tapping into.”
Tuscaloosa County’s jobless rate up slightly; still better than 2014
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 21
Tuscaloosa County’s unemployment rate rose slightly in July to 6.4 percent, the state reported Friday. The county’s rate was 6.3 percent in June. A year ago in July, its rate was 6.9 percent. The state’s unemployment rate also rose 0.1 percent to 6.2 percent, while the national unemployment rate remained unchanged at 5.3 percent. The official unemployment rates for states and the nation are seasonally adjusted, while county rates are not. “Tuscaloosa metro area’s unemployment rate also rose from 6.5 percent to 6.7 percent. The increase was both due to an uptick in the number of unemployed and a rise in the civilian labor force,” said Ahmad Ijaz, director of economic forecasting at the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research. The metro area include Tuscaloosa, Hale and Greene counties.”
Rising up to support the community’s youth
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 23
It’s like a yard sale but with brand-name, new items straight off the rack from local stores instead of someone’s closet or garage. More than 75 local retailers including The Locker Room, Woods and Water, Rhubarbs and more have donated items for the Rise School’s annual Buy for Rise fundraiser on Friday and Saturday. The items will be sold at deep discount prices — 75 percent off lowest marked prices on Friday and 90 percent off lowest marked prices on Saturday — to raise money to fund the school’s programs. Clothing, home decor, gift items, baby items, jewelry and Alabama merchandise and memorabilia will be among the items buyers can expect to see at this year’s event, which is the school’s second-largest fundraiser. … The school, located on the University of Alabama campus, enrolls nearly 100 preschool children, about half of whom have special needs. The program uses a creative curriculum that integrates therapy into the classroom.
Tuscaloosa gallery to display images of G.W. Carver by Alabama photographer
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 22
A collection of Alabama photographer P.H. Polk’s images of botanist George Washington Carver will go on display Thursday at the University of Alabama’s Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art in Tuscaloosa. The collection of candid photographs from the famed botanist’s time at Tuskegee University will be on display through Sept. 25 at the gallery, 2308 Sixth St. downtown. Admission is free. The gallery’s hours are Monday through Friday 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. and from noon to 8 p.m. on the first Friday of every month. There will be a free reception from 5:30-7:30 p.m. on Sept. 4. UA’s Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art includes more than 100 photographs by Polk, one of Tuskegee’s first photography students and the official photographer for the historically black institute for 45 years..
Child Development Resource to host conference
Crimson White – Aug. 24
The University of Alabama’s Child Development Research Center is bringing the latest research on child development to anyone who’s interested at their first Early Learning Child Development Conference this Friday. The conference is set to take place in Sellers Auditorium at the Bryant Conference Center from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. with lunch from Robertson’s BBQ included in the $15 registration fee. According to a press release from the University, “The goal of the conference is to provide info on building a good foundation for children using developmentally appropriate practice,” said Dr. April Kendrick, director of Child Development Resources. The two scheduled speakers are Dr. Lillian Katz, professor emerita of early childhood education at The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, and Erin Ramsey, Mind in the Making senior program director. Mind in the Making is a project from a think tank based in New York that emphasizes seven life lessons for children. “Each of the life skills build on the previous, so the biggest goal is the passion for learning, that that fire keeps burning in children and adults,” Ramsey said.
Brazilian student finds home at the University of Alabama
Crimson White – Aug. 24
Isabelle Moreira, an international student from Brazil, is a junior majoring in chemical engineering. To Isabelle, America is a place where she can further her education through new opportunities and learn the language while enjoying a few football games on the side. CW: Why did you choose the University of Alabama? IM: First of all, I am participating in the Brazilian Scientific Mobility Program (BSMP). I chose the United States because I really love this country. The culture here is just amazing, and I believe that it is a great place to improve my English speaking skills. Above all, I am certain that the education here is excellent; the physical structure is fantastic and the available technology is much better than what we can find in my country. The BSMP gives you three suggestions of the universities you would like to attend. In fact, I didn’t choose UA, but the program assigned me here because there are a lot of interesting courses related to my field of study. Besides, when I found out that I would come here, I started learning about the University, and I really loved everything in here.