UA In the News — March 9

UA To Study Parents of Children With Cancer
Alabama Public Radio – March 7
A new study at the University of Alabama is looking to study parents of children who have cancer. The research is being conducted by the College of Human Environmental Sciences to see how parents of a child with cancer react while the child is going through treatment. Dr. Sherwood Burns-Nader is heading up the study. She feels this survey can help future parents cope better with the process. “And I just wanted to look at the day-to-day experiences to see if there was something that was telling in their story that we as the health care team could change to maybe help them and make the experience a little bit better.” Dr. Burns-Nader says they are looking for parents whose child has been diagnosed with cancer within the last six months. Participants can be compensated for doing the study for up to seven days.
 
Want to avoid a cold? Try a tattoo or twenty, says researcher
Science Daily – March 8
There’s no known cure for the common cold, but receiving multiple tattoos can strengthen your immunological responses, potentially making you heartier in fighting off common infections, according to research by a trio of University of Alabama scholars. However, receiving a single tattoo can, at least temporarily, lower your resistance, says Dr. Christopher Lynn, UA associate professor of anthropology. The research was published online March 4 in the American Journal of Human Biology. Lynn said he had earlier noted first-hand that receiving tattoos can be physically draining. “They don’t just hurt while you get the tattoo, but they can exhaust you,” Lynn said. “It’s easier to get sick. You can catch a cold because your defenses are lowered from the stress of getting a tattoo.”
WAAY-TV – March 8
E-Science News – March 8
Healthcare Asia – March 8
Medical Xpress – March 8
 
Speak Your Piece: As Economy Recovers, College Finances Worsen
The Daily Yonder – March 9
Brittany Sendejo gets emotional when she talks about her Pell grant … Student aid is vital to rural community college students like Brittany. The Federal Pell Grant Program supports 3,253 students at Brittany’s community college alone and accounts for $10.5 million (or 30 percent) of the college’s $35.6 million budget. That’s down from 45 percent of students at SWTJC who received Pell grants in 2013-14 … So why are finances worsening at our nation’s 600 rural community colleges, even as the economy recovers? A new report from the University of Alabama’s Education Policy Center, On Opportunity’s Fault Line: The Precarious Nature of Rural Community College Finance, is based on an annual survey of members of the National Council of State Directors of Community Colleges.  Responses of the state directors indicate that the deepest cuts in state appropriations came in fiscal year 2011 — after federal stimulus funds ran out — not in fiscal year 2008 or 2009.
 
Fraternities And Sororities Make Positive Impacts In And Around Campus
The Odyssey – March 6
Obviously, there is a negative stigma towards sororities and especially, fraternities. Year after year, there is a fraternity that is being shut down on some campus due to hazing allegations or excessive alcohol and drug use. Unfortunately, we all tend to generalize, leading many people to believe that young men and women that join fraternities and sororities have come to college to simply major in drinking … Being in a large fraternity at the University of Alabama, I see Greek life through a different lens than Hollywood and social media does. Honestly, I’ve never really seen Jimmy Tatro’s version of a “frat boy.” Yes, there are and always will be that handful of guys that take it too far and gets entirely way too caught up in all of the partying.
 
UA students to take alternative Spring Break trips
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – March 8
The University of Alabama is helping its students think beyond the beach for this Spring Break. Five teams of students will head out into the United States and some as far away as South America. The idea is to learn about social issues in the world, and to learn critical thinking. International teams will head to Nicaragua and Peru. Domestic teams are going to Orlando, New Orleans and Guin, Alabama. The alternative break program begins Saturday.
 
UA professor commissioned to make map of Florida Bay in Florida Everglades
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – March 7
A faculty member at The University of Alabama is now tasked with creating a map of the Florida Everglades. The National Park Service commissioned professor Michael Sternberg and his graduate assistant Brad Bates with developing a map of the area. The park service wants the map for conservation efforts. Sternberg says it will help the environment.
 
Music Technology students’ works selected to national and international conferences and events
Montana.edu – March 8
Jaimie Lynn Hensley, Michael Andrews, Antonio Wellman and Luke Scheeler, music technology students at Montana State University, have had their original musical compositions selected by jury for performance at national and international conferences, festivals, and events. “It’s a big achievement any time a student can get their work on a national conference or festival,” said Keith Kothman, director of the MSU School of Music … Wellman’s composition “Brothers” will be performed as part of the Cicada Consort Marathon: Music of the Living, By the Living, and For the Living, at the University of Alabama on March 26. Cicada Consort is a charitable concert curation group primarily seeking to promote new music while simultaneously raising money for charitable causes. This year’s event will benefit the Michael J. Fox Foundation for research on Parkinson’s disease.
 
6 Ways Proximity to Home Affects Your College Experience
Her Campus – March 8
There are many things you should take into consideration when you’re narrowing down your college list­––academics, housing, extracurricular activities and more! However, one of the most important factors to some collegiettes is your college’s proximity to home. While you may not think distance makes that much of a difference, it definitely affects your college experience! Read below to hear from some collegiettes as to why the distance between home and school is so important … Lifestyles often change in correlation with geographical location, so consider how the culture will change wherever you decide to go to school. “When I was looking at colleges I knew I wanted to travel out of state so I would be able to experience a different part of the country and open my mind to new outlooks and viewpoints on life by surrounding myself with people from diverse backgrounds, because I believe everyone has something to teach us,” says Helmi Henkin, a sophomore at the University of Alabama, originally from California. “Going to a large state school definitely helps me attain this goal, [and for future collegiettes,] it can be a great opportunity to enrich your life and step out of your comfort zone.”