University of Alabama’s Educator Hall of Fame to honor three
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 17
One of the University of Alabama’s first black faculty members, an influential chair of the music education program, and a retired Tuscaloosa public school teacher will be inducted into UA’s Educator Hall of Fame on Saturday. Retired UA kinesiology professor Archie Wade, retired Tuscaloosa educator Shelley Jones and, posthumously, former Music Education program chair Edward Cleino will be honored at 6 p.m. at the North River Yacht Club. The hall of fame was founded in 2012 by the UA College of Education Board of Advisors to recognize inductees’ contributions to the education profession. As many as four inductees are chosen by the board from nominees each year. The nominees must have been a college of education faculty member or a teacher, administrator or education supporter who graduated from the college.
‘WOW! That’s Engineering’ encourages middle-school students to look into tech fields
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 17
On Saturday, University of Alabama mechanical engineering professor Beth Todd began a daylong engineering seminar aimed at middle-school students with a slideshow for their parents. Todd showed slides of famous engineers. Of those engineers, parents could name Bill Nye “The Science Guy” and the fictional Tony Stark of “Ironman,” but none had ever heard of Marissa Mayer, Ellen Ochoa or Ursula Burns. Mayer is a computer programmer and CEO of Yahoo, Ochoa is a veteran astronaut and Burns is CEO of Xerox. The slideshow that began Saturday’s “WOW! That’s Engineering!” told parents that women can excel in high-tech fields. A goal of the event was to educate middle-school girls in the principles of engineering and science and get them interested careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Todd, who earned a Ph.D. at the University of Virginia, has been a collaborator with the event’s sponsor, the Society of Women Engineers, since her freshman year of college in 1977. UA’s SWE chapter has managed to fund its “Wow!” event annually since 2012.
Not so foreign films: Movies from around the world to be shown at the Bama Theatre
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 17
Rapturous movies about the love of movie-going, about longing, absurdism, war, love, horror and more play from Monday through Dec. 17 as part of a new series at the Bama Theatre, “$5 Foreign Films from Five.” Admission will be just $5 for each of the movies, or free to college students with valid ID. . . . Charles Morgan, owner of Five Restaurant downtown, as well as Chuck’s Fish, created the series as an addition to the downtown movie palace’s own Bama Art House series, to encourage local students to see more foreign films. Morgan was joined by movie aficionados and University of Alabama professors Steve Burch, Jeremy Butler and Andrew Grace in the selection process. The films picked for the first incarnation of this series represent a diverse group of directors, eras and countries of origin. They are: “Cinema Paradiso” (1988), “Nosferatu the Vampyre” (1979), “Day for Night” (1973), “A Pigeon Sat On a Branch Reflecting on Existence” (2015), and “Joyeux Noel” (2005). The genres range from drama, horror, comedy, romance and history to music, to reach a wide range of interests.
Crimson White – Oct. 16
Jordan earns UA achievement award
Enterprise Ledger – Oct. 17
Enterprise physician Dr. Beverly Jordan recently received one of the University of Alabama’s prestigious alumni awards for her professional accomplishments. Jordan, a partner and primary care physician at Professional Medical Associates, was one of 11 UA alumni to receive the 2015 Jack Davis Professional Achievement Award. The award honors outstanding alumni from the university’s College of Human Environmental Sciences for work in their career fields. The first awards were given out in 1986, and the college has so far awarded them to more than 200 alumni, according to an article in the University of Alabama News.
Two free events offered at University of Alabama Museum of Natural History
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 16
The University of Alabama Museum of Natural History is offering two free events in the coming weeks. On Wednesday, the museum will celebrate National Fossil Day in the grand gallery of Smith Hall from 4 to 6 p.m. Guests can learn about the geologic and fossil history of Alabama from table presenters with fossil collections, experts who will identify fossils. There also will be 3-D printing demonstrations and a talk about Alabama paleontology by a museum paleontologist.
Alabama has seen a decline in its Spanish speaking population
AL.com – Oct. 18
The Center for Immigration Studies, a group sometimes criticized for its tough views on American immigration policy, released a report earlier this month showing Alabama as ranking 47th in the nation for percentage of residents who speak a language other than English in the home. Alabama was one of only 10 states in the U.S. that saw a decline from 2010-2014. “Obviously, it’s impossible to stay with absolute certainty what has caused the decline in non-English speakers in Alabama,” William Stewart, professor emeritus in political science at the University of Alabama, said. “However, HB56 would seem to be the most important intervening variable.”
Students donate to campus blood drives that aid surrounding communities
Crimson White – Oct. 16
Many people think of homecoming week as a week filled with pomping, float decorations and parade planning. There is one thing most students don’t associate with it: blood. Blood donations are not foreign to this campus. Every semester, signs and banners can be seen telling students where and when to donate. Homecoming week is no different. LifeSouth was on campus from Wednesday to Friday, collecting donations from eligible students. Students rolled up their sleeves, braved the needles and then got some juice and went on with their daily routine, most without ever thinking: what
happens to my donated blood? LifeSouth is a community blood organization, meaning that blood donated goes to the nearby communities and isn’t sent to hospitals that are far away. “Blood donated on The University of Alabama campus goes as far east as Birmingham and as far west as the state line,” said Brian Garrett, LifeSouth community development coordinator for the Birmingham region. “Huntsville and Montgomery all have their own banks and the majority of the blood is distributed to Druid City Hospital and the various hospitals in Birmingham.”
Rowers Atkinson and Palmer plan to hike the Appalachian Trail
Crimson White – Oct. 16
For many of the rowers on the University of Alabama’s women’s rowing team, the sport is an intense physical and mental challenge. For others, it is a stepping stone to even tougher tasks. Courtney Atkinson and Abi Palmer are both seniors on the rowing team, and they have an ambitious plan for the summer: to hike the Appalachian Trail. While you may think that this is a plan years in the making, Atkinson says the pair came up with it a few weeks into this semester. “We were just sitting there talking about what we want to do post-grad, and it’s something we both want to do, so we just decided right then and there to do it,” Atkinson said.
Beyond Bama sparks world perspective
Crimson White – Oct. 19 (Print only)
Traveling is a goal for many college students, but for Beyond Bama, the goal is to make a difference in communities – while traveling. Beyond Bama has been a volunteer program under the Center for Service and Leadership at The University of Alabama for the past 19 years. It provides alternative fall, winter and spring break options to a group of about eight to 25 students interested in participating in community service. While volunteering with the program, students are exposed to a variety of important topics, including illiteracy, poverty, culture, homelessness and the environment.
From gamedays to weddings, UA style
Crimson White – Oct. 19 (Print only)
When people think about the University of Alabama, or the state of Alabama in general, their first thought rarely pertains to the world of fashion. Despite this fact, Caryn Lee, a Los Angeles native and junior majoring in apparel design and merchandise, chose Tuscaloosa over the fashion capitals of the world, such as New York City and Milan. “I wanted to go school someplace without snow,” she said. “Our fashion design program here is amazing.” Ranked as one of the top 50 fashion