MONDAY, AUG. 10 – SUNDAY, AUG. 16, 2015
BEST BETS
ALABAMA ACTION – More than 250 University of Alabama Honors College freshmen and upper-class leaders will begin the fall semester with community service projects through Alabama Action, Outdoor Action and Black Belt Action. The programs will run mornings from Monday, Aug. 10, to Friday, Aug. 15, in the West Alabama community. Students in the Honors College’s Alabama Action will be working at local schools, while the Honor College’s Outdoor Action students will be working on rivers and creeks as well as Lake Lurleen State Park. Black Belt Action students will be working in Marion. A Media Day is scheduled from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, Aug. 12, for Alabama Action, Outdoor Actio and Black Belt Action. For details, contact Richard LeComte, UA Media Relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782 or visit http://uanews.ua.edu/2015/08/honors-college-freshmen-arrive-early-for-week-of-service/.
CURRENT COMMENT
GOP RISKING A LOT IF IT DISASSOCIATES WITH DONALD TRUMP – “Trump can remain in the race as long as he wants. And because he does represent an important constituency in the GOP (albeit not a majority), the eventual nominee will need his endorsement to have a chance to win the general election. If Trump decides to run as an independent, this could all but seal the election for the Democrats, much like Ross Perot¹s candidacy did in 1992. This is the Republicans¹ worst nightmare right now.” —Dr. Richard C. Fording, chair of the department of political science. For an interview, contact Fording directly at rfording@ua.edu. For assistance, contact Bobby Mathews, UA Media Relations, 205/348-4956 or bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu.
DIVERSIFICATION OF ENERGY SOURCES TO BE EXPEDITED BY CLEAN POWER PLAN – The Obama administration announced last 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.
EVENTS
BOOK COVER DESIGNS ON DISPLAY – Cover designs of books by 34 faculty authors in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences are on display through Aug. 28 at The University of Alabama Gallery in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in downtown Tuscaloosa. The exhibit, “Cover to Cover: Authors from the College of Arts and Sciences,” features authors who are internationally recognized scientists, writers, artists and scholars. They represent 18 academic disciplines in three divisions: social sciences, natural sciences and mathematics, and humanities and fine arts. Contact: Stephanie Kirkland, communications specialist, College of Arts and Sciences, 205/348-8539, stephanie.kirkland@ua.edu, or Lucy Curzon, director of education and outreach, UA’s Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art, lcurzon@as.ua.edu.