MONDAY, OCT.12 – SUNDAY, OCT.18, 2015
BEST BETS
NEW BUSINESS ANALYTICS LAB OPENS — The Culverhouse College of Commerce is holding a Grand Opening event for its Business Analytics Lab at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 14, in 250 Bidgood Hall. A ribbon cutting takes place at 3:30 p.m. with analytics demonstrations from 3:30 – 5:15 p.m. Corporate partners Lockheed Martin, SAS and Healthcare Business Solutions will be on hand for the event. For more information, contact Edith Parten, eparten@culverhouse.ua.edu, 205/348-8318
TEAM ADVANCES IN BUSINESS START-UP CONTEST — LiteWater, a start-up company based off technology developed in the UA College of Engineering, was selected for the final phase of Alabama Launchpad, a state-wide business competition. The technology filters and eliminates harmful bacteria and viruses from tap water through a breakthrough ultraviolet water treatment technology. For more information, contact Adam Jones, engineering media relations at acjones12@eng.ua.edu, 205/348-6444
THREE WITH TUSCALOOSA TIES NAMED TO EDUCATION HALL OF FAME – Former kinesiology professor at UA and Tuscaloosa native Archie Wade and the late Dr. Edward Henry Cleino, who chaired UA’s department of music education for 30 years, are among the 2015 inductees in the College of Education’s Hall of Fame. Retired Tuscaloosa educator and UA alumna, Shelley Jones, who taught and served as a principal in Tuscaloosa City Schools for more than 20 years, and later served on the city school board for eight years, will also be honored at 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 17 at the North River Yacht Club. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
EVENTS
BILINGUAL TV: “Breaking Barriers with Bilingual TV: The Alabama TV Story” will take place at 4 p.m. Monday, Oct. 12, in Gorgas Library room 205 on UA’s campus. Alabama TV is the state’s first bilingual television program. It debuted on UA’s WVUA-23 in June of 2014. It airs at 1:30 p.m. each Sunday. Raul Trujillo and staff from the Alabama TV headquarters in Hoover. will visit Tuscaloosa to tell their story. The event is free and open to the public. For more details, contact Hailey Grace Steele at hailey.g.steele@ua.edu.
RECEPTION IN HOOVER: Chip Cooper, UA Honors College artist-in-residence, and Julio Larramendi, the Honors College visiting artist-in-residence are offering a photography exhibit at the Friends Gallery at the Hoover Public Library 200 Municipal Drive in Hoover. The exhibit, titled “Campesinos, The Heart and Soul of Cuba,” features their photography of the people of the Cuban countryside and seeks to capture the spirit of the life in Cuba. A reception and presentation of the photographs will be at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 13, at the library’s theatre level. This reception is free and open to the public. For more details, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, at rllecomte@ur.ua.edu or 205/348-3782.
ENGINEERING EVENT ON CAMPUS FOR MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS — The UA section of the Society of Women Engineers, or SWE, will host about 200 middle-school girls at the 2015 “Wow! That’s Engineering” event Oct. 17. This year’s event is Halloween-themed and will include activities that represent various disciplines of engineering. Activities will begin at 9 a.m. in H.M. Comer Hall and include glow-in-the dark flubber, fake blood, bridge design, snap circuits, fog machine and water filters. For more information, contact Adam Jones, engineering media relations at acjones12@eng.ua.edu, 205/348-6444.
COLLEGE OF COMMUNICATION HOSTS DIVERSITY CONFERENCE – The event, titled “Empowering the Southern Narrative” will focus on media literacy, social media, entrepreneurial journalism and discussions on poverty. Journalists from around the country will participate. It will be held from 8:30 a.m. to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 16, in the Ferguson Center. UA’s department of journalism, part of the College of Communication and Information Sciences, is hosting the UNITY event. Speakers include Jennifer Crandall, artist-in-residence at Alabama Media Group; Jennifer Chang, deputy growth editor at Quartz; Willoughby Mariano, investigative reporter at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution; and Matt Leavall, project director at Alabama Innovation Engine. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
HILLARY CLINTON FACING PRESSURE TO PERFORM AT TUESDAY DEBATE — “The pressure is on [Hillary] Clinton. She must convince Democratic voters that she is as committed to progressive values as Sanders and that she will fight for the change that voters seem to be craving,” said Dr. Richard C. Fording, professor of political science at UA. “The wild cards in the debate are the other candidates. It will be interesting to see how they try to distinguish themselves from the two frontrunners and if they devote more effort to attacking Clinton or Sanders.” Contact Fording directly at rcfording@ua.edu or contact Bobby Mathews, UA Media Relations, bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu further assistance.
DATING VIOLENCE OCCURRING AT YOUNGER AGES — “Dating violence is extremely prevalent, and it is happening among younger and younger kids,” said Dr. Tricia Witte, associate professor of human development and family studies in UA’s College of Human Environmental Sciences. Statistics show that nationally more than 50 percent of college students claim to have witnessed some form of physical abuse in their friends’ relationships, and statistics among middle and high school students claiming to have been a victim of abuse are steadily increasing. Witte is working on ways to help prevent violent relationships in college. She is available for interviews Monday afternoon, Wednesday morning and afternoon and Friday afternoon. For more information, contact Witte at 205-348-8147 or twitte@ches.ua.edu. For assistance, contact Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
IS DAILY FANTASY SPORT GAMBLING? WHAT WOULD MAKE IT SO? WHAT WOULD MAKE IT SEPARATE? – Following what equated to alleged insider trading between employees of online fantasy sports sites Draft Kings and Fan Duel, questions over the industry’s lack of regulation have grown louder. Does daily fantasy sports play cross the line into the official label of “gambling”? Dr. Andrew Billings, telecommunication and film professor at UA, studies the motivations for play and public perception of what he calls “games within games.” “Daily fantasy sports clearly move the gaming away from skill and toward a higher degree of luck – which is gambling. The question is whether daily sports officially become gambling in the process,” Billings said. For more insight into the future of the billion-dollar industry, contact Billings at 205/345-8658 or acbillings@ua.edu.
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: WARNING SIGNS OF AN ABUSIVE RELATIONSHIP — What used to be thought of as a private issue for some marriages, domestic violence is now a widely discussed and public concern. Society is no longer remaining silent about this issue; rather, it is actively encouraging victims/survivors to speak up and offering services to help end this troubling phenomenon. UA’s Dr. Tricia Witte offers some helpful information on domestic violence, as well as some warning signs if you suspect that you or someone you know is in an abusive relationship in this week’s UA Matters. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
UA MATTERS – FINDING A MUSIC TUTOR FOR YOUR CHILD – Engaging a tutor to guide your musical development is an excellent means of effecting change. Finding a teacher in music can be relatively easy in a college town, but as with any engagement for services, it is important to observe a few basic principles. UA’s Dr. Jane Weigel offers suggestions in this UA Matters post. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
LOOKING AHEAD
NATIONAL FOSSIL DAY: The Alabama Museum of Natural History invites the community to join in for a celebration of all things fossil from 4 to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 21. National Fossil Day was established by the National Park Service as a way to promote fossil appreciation and stewardship. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
TRICK-OR-TREAT: UA’s Panhellenic Association will host its annual Sorority Row Trick-or-Treat from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26. Children from the Tuscaloosa area ages 12 and younger are invited to dress up in Halloween costumes without masks and visit the lawns of the campus sorority houses on Magnolia and Colonial drives for candy and activities. Tutwiler and Harris residence halls will also host trick-or-treaters. UA sorority members from the Alabama Panhellenic Association, National Pan-Hellenic Council, United Greek Council, and College of Social Work will provide candy to area children. Big Al will appear on Sorority Row from 6 until 7 p.m., and children will have an opportunity to receive information about joining Big Al’s Kids Club. For more details, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782; or Leah Seay, UA Office of Fraternity and Sorority Life, 205/348-2693 or greekgrad4@sa.ua.edu.
A HAUNTING AT THE MUSEUM: The Alabama Museum of Natural History and Gorgas House Museum hosts the annual Haunting at the Museum from 6 to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 27. Visitors will enjoy guided, candlelit ghost walks around the Quad and hear ghostly stories in the Museum. There will also be spooky crafts for younger participants. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.