UA Music Professor performs in Pakistan
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Sept. 7
One University of Alabama music professor is on a mission to share the American culture with the world. Dr. Nikkos Pappas spent 10 days in Pakistan on a cultural exchange tour. Pappas plays the fiddle. He and his group have visited several countries in recent years. He tells us it’s always a thrill to travel and share the American cultural with people in other countries.
Research finds drinkers and abstainers react similarly when viewing images of alcohol
Crimson White – Sept. 3
A University of Alabama researcher recently completed a study showing that light drinkers and abstainers react the same as binge drinkers when seeing images of alcohol. Dr. Philip Gable, associate professor of social psychology at UA, found similar patterns of brain activity within light drinkers and abstainers as those who drink regularly or binge drink when shown alcohol cues such as advertisements. “We found that similar brain activity patterns were associated with those that had a lot of drinking experience or not had experience,” Gable said. “One of the interesting things we want to follow up on is why?” The study, which started in the fall of 2013, used University of Alabama students who were in the psychology department. Half of the students claimed to be light drinkers or abstainers, and the other half reported binge drinking in the past month. Gable used Electroencephalography, which measures electrical brain activity, to focus on the left frontal lobe, the part of the brain related to approach motivation.
NDPC and public consultations
Ghana Web – Sept. 7
It is breathtaking to learn that the National Development Planning Commission (NDPC) has embarked on an extensive public consultation exercise to gather inputs for the proposed 40-year development plan for Ghana. So far, the commission’s efforts have been limited to public fora and meetings with powerful persons and organisations in Ghana. We are beginning to sense the NDPC is finding a way to gather inputs from the seemingly less powerful in the Ghanaian society too. I trust the commission is aware that public consultation in planning goes beyond mere public fora and meetings. The approach it has taken so far may yield less fruit by the end of the consultation exercise and its planners may have no option besides retiring into their air-conditioned offices and producing a 40-year plan based on their own vision for Ghana. (The writer is a certified planner with the American Institute of Certified Planners and a planning professor at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, USA. He was recently a visiting professor at the University of Cape Coast, Department of Geography and Regional Planning. Email: sappiah@ua.edu)
Graphic.com – Sept. 7
Million Dollar Band makes stop before heading to Arlington
KTBS-ABC (Shreveport, La.) – Sept. 5
The University of Alabama Million Dollar Band stopped at Byrd High School on the way to Dallas, practicing a new routine for the season opener against Wisconsin. Assistant Band Director, Randall Coleman, says the band’s name dates back to a game played in the 1920’s when the football team was losing badly to Georgia Tech. Band members along the with cheerleaders and flag line practice five days a week to perfect their seven minute halftime show.
Stamford student’s bond with aide keeps on giving
Stamford Advocate (Conn.) – Sept. 7
They came into each other’s lives at a time when, without even knowing it, both were looking for something. Kim Hackman was a 12-year-old middle schooler trying to maintain a normal life while dealing with serious speech and orthopedic issues. Dana Kraus was a recent college graduate who was still unsure about her career goals. And in just one school year, the two developed a bond that would help Hackman do things other kids her age could do and lead Kraus to find her calling. “They just connected,” Meryl Hackman said, of her daughter and Kraus. “It was a turning point for Dana because she decided that’s what she wanted to do – work with special needs children.” … The Hackman’s fund goes to high school students in Stamford who work with special needs children. This year’s recipient of the Hackmans’ scholarship, was Rebecca Rakowitz, a recent Stamford High School graduate who is now studying journalism at the University of Alabama. Rakowitz was chosen because of her experience working with a special needs child through her time at the Friendship Circle, an international organization with a Stamford chapter. The group pairs middle- and high-schoolers with special needs children for social interaction.
Get to know an organization: Dance Marathon raises money for Children’s Hospitals
Crimson White – Sept. 7
Dance Marathon is a movement that partners with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals to raise money in high schools and colleges across America. Students spend all year developing leadership and service skills while planning and raising awareness for their biggest event, called Dance Marathon, which takes place in the spring. The University of Alabama has had a Dance Marathon chapter for the past four years, and they plan to make this year bigger and better than ever. Allison Peters, president of UADM, has been involved since she was a freshman and has loved watching the organization grow over her career at the University. “I started to get really involved once I got to meet one of our miracle families that we sponsor.” Peters said. “Their daughter’s name was Ashley, and we got to talk to her and her mom. After they shared all that Children’s Hospital [of Alabama] had done for her, I realized that this was a great way to spend my time in college with an organization that works with incredible girls like Ashley.”
Donna Meester on costume design and art
Crimson White – Sept. 8
Creativity is not a sudden moment of perfection, it’s a process. Donna Meester, a University of Alabama Costume Design professor, knows the process all to well. Meester’s exhibit, “The Life of a Costume: From Page to Stage,” will be open for public viewing from Sept. 4-Sept. 25. Meester said the exhibit’s concept began Dec. 2014, shortly after the the assistant dean for the College of Arts and Sciences visited the costume department’s portfolio presentation. Most people had no idea the labor that goes into creating a single costume for a show. Meester said she intends for “The Life of Costume” to promote an appreciation for the process of costume design, a process typically kept backstage. Construction alone on a detailed dress can require over 80 hours of labor, on top of the hours of research and sketching that happen before construction even begins. That research aspect, including the difference between costume design and fashion design, is why Meester was drawn to the world of costume. Fashion design focuses on trends: What is the trend? Who is wearing the trend? How can we modify the trend? In costuming, she said the designer focuses on one show, particularly one character at a time, researching them as inspiration.
UA Theatre Department displays costumes in Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 4
On the first Friday of every month the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in downtown Tuscaloosa displays artwork and serves refreshments for free. This month’s first Friday features an exhibit called “The Life of a Costume: From Page to Stage,” by The University of Alabama’s Theatre Department.