MONDAY, AUG. 3 – SUNDAY, AUG. 9, 2015
BEST BETS
UA TO UNVEIL MOBILE HEARING CENTER – The University of Alabama’s department of communicative disorders will reveal its new “Hear Here Alabama” vehicle — a mobile hearing center— at 1 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 4 in the parking lot near 700 University Blvd. East (behind the old Capstone Medical Center, off Johnny Stallings Drive). The large motorcoach will be used by qualified personnel to test the hearing of residents in west Alabama, and it enables UA representatives to help others who may be unable to travel to UA for audiology care. Dr. Marcia Hay-McCutcheon, an associate professor in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, will demonstrate the equipment for interested reporters and talk about the mission to help Alabamians improve their hearing and overall health. For more information, contact Bobby Mathews, UA Media Relations, at bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu or 205/348-4956.
RESEARCHERS EXPLORE IMAGINATIVE PLAY’S LINKS TO CHILDREN’S MEMORY, ATTENTION – A UA psychology professor hopes to determine the best ways to measure impacts children’s imaginative play has on things like memory and attention. The research has important implications for children’s school readiness. The Imagination Institute recently awarded Dr. Ansley Gilpin, UA assistant professor of psychology, a research grant for a 2-year study involving 750 children between 3 and 5. Gilpin and others recently completed a preliminary study of imaginative plan with more than 100 children in the Tuscaloosa area. For more information, contact David Miller in UA Media Relations at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu. Contact Gilpin directly at 205/348-9903 or agilpin@ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
DIVERSIFICATION OF ENERGY SOURCES TO BE EXPEDITED BY CLEAN POWER PLAN – The Obama administration will announce this week tougher emission standards for the country’s power plants through new rules from the Environmental Protection Agency. “These rules almost guarantee the continued movement away from coal to natural gas at major electric power generating stations, though it may also accelerate the deployment of post-combustion carbon capture, utilization and sequestration technologies at some coal plants where it is most logistically feasible. The plan will also certainly incentivize investment in renewables, solar and wind, and our national energy picture will certainly become diversified in the next decades. The underlying emphasis on overall efficiency from all energy sources will be a key contributor to reducing overall emissions while simultaneously reducing costs to consumers.” – Dr. Jason E. Bara, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering. For an interview, contact Bara directly at jbara@eng.ua.edu. For assistance, contact Adam Jones in engineering media relations, 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: KEEPING A HANDLE ON GIFT GIVING TO CHILDREN – It is certainly not difficult getting caught up in the excitement of gift giving to your children. Just seeing the glee on their faces as they open that new toy seems to make the credit card bill more than worth it. But, when does it become too much? UA’s Tammy Morrow and Amy Walker share a philosophy making the rounds the past few years that is a practical way to help pare down the excess in gift giving. Morrow and Walker are parent resource specialists with Alabama’s Parenting Assistance Line at UA’s Child Development Resources. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu