MONDAY, APRIL 11 – SUNDAY, APRIL 17, 2016
BEST BETS
UA ASSISTING NASA WITH TEST OF SPIN-OFF TECHNOLOGY – Engineers with NASA are using a UA lab to help develop a spin-off technology aimed at girding structures against earthquakes. A demonstration test will take place in the South Engineering Research Center at 1 p.m. April 14. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA media relations, at 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.
ENTREPRENEURS, INVENTORS TO SHOWCASE TECHNOLOGIES AT AIME DAY – From dissolvable soap cloths that don’t require water to portable, affordable EMG devices, UA’s annual AIME Day will celebrate the successes of UA-based startups and feature pitch competitions and prototype demonstrations for the public. Friday’s event will be held from 8 a.m. to 3:45 p.m. at the AIME Building on the UA campus. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
PRESENTATION CEREMONY SET FOR CLASS RINGS – UA student class rings will spend 24 hours inside Denny Chimes before a presentation ceremony Friday, April 15. Army ROTC students will place the rings in the chimes at 6:31 p.m. Thursday, April 14, and remove them at 6:31 p.m. Friday, April 15. The time – 18:31 in military time – symbolizes 1831, the founding year of UA. The enhanced ring ceremony will take place starting at 6:15 p.m. on the Quad near Denny Chimes. For more information, contact David Cowdery, associate director of general merchandise for the Supply Store, at 205/348-0668 or dcowdery@fa.ua.edu. For assistance, contact Richard LeComte in media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu or 205/348-3782.
FINALISTS COMPETE IN BUSINESS PLAN COMPETITION — Five UA teams compete in the finale round of the Edward K. Aldag, Jr. Business Plan Competition at 8:45 a.m. April 15 in room 110 in the AIME building on UA’s campus. Contact: Edith Parten, UA media relations, 205/348-8318, eparten@culverhouse.ua.edu or Tommie Syx, Alabama Entrepreneur Institute, 205/722-5179, tsyx@culverhouse.ua.edu.
STUDY REVEALS DECREASE IN BRAZILIANS’ DESIRE FOR MARRIAGE, CHILDREN – Fewer men and women in Brazil value marriage and having offspring when selecting a mate, according to Dr. Andre Souza, UA psychologist. Instead, financial prospects, appearance and social status rank higher. Souza’s study, “Mate preference in Brazil: Evolved desires and cultural evolution over three decades,” was recently published in Personality and Individual Differences. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
MUSEUM EXPEDITION TO INVESTIGATE GULF STATE PARK — UA’s annual Museum Expedition is ready to hit the beach this summer. Led by the Alabama Museum of Natural History, the 38th annual expedition will hold its first trip to a state park in an effort to assist UA’s Office of Archaeological Research with its investigation into the prehistoric occupation of the Gulf State Park area. For more information, contact Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: WAYS TO HELP FATHERS BOND WITH BABY — A father is protector, teacher, moral leader, problem-solver and encourager for his child. There are many commonalities between a mother’s influence and a father’s influence on a child. But how can a father bond with his baby? Infants develop stronger bonds to fathers who are responsive and sensitive to the baby’s needs, and who engage them in joyful interactions. UA’s Dr. Mary Elizabeth Curtner-Smith offers some suggested activities that promote bonding in this week’s UA Matters. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
UA MATTERS: STAGES OF PARENT-INFANT ATTACHMENT BONDS — The development of parent-infant attachment bonds occurs through repeated interactions over time, and it takes place in context of caregiving (changing diapers, bathing, dressing, feeding, soothing, and comforting) and playing with the baby. UA’s Dr. Mary Elizabeth Curtner-Smith explains the different stages of that. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
EVENTS
FUN IN THE GARDEN FOCUS OF MOUNDVILLE PARK PROGRAM – Park visitors will learn that Native Americans interplanted corn, beans and squash, the “Three Sisters,” developing one of the earliest methods of sustainable agriculture. “Black drink,” a traditional tea made from yaupon holly, as well as a trail mix featuring nuts and berries indigenous to North America, will be available for visitors to sample. Children get to decorate a miniature gourd flower pot and then plant a sunflower in it. The program will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, April 16, at Moundville Archaeological Park. For more information, contact Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
UA MUSEUM’S SCIENCE SUNDAY FEATURES ALABAMA’S WATERWAYS – The West Alabama community is invited to delve into Alabama’s waterways and learn what makes them unique during “Science Sunday: Aquatic Alabama” at the Alabama Museum of Natural History on UA’s campus this weekend. The free event is slated for 1 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday, April 17. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu, or Allie Sorlie, Alabama Museum of Natural History Education Outreach Coordinator, 205/348-6383, acsorlie@bama.ua.edu.
LOOKING AHEAD
LEE BERGER LECTURE: Paleoanthropologist Dr. Lee Berger will present “Almost Human: The Discovery of Homo naledi” at 7:30 p.m. Monday, April 18, in the UA Biology Building auditorium. Berger is best known for his discovery of Homo naledi, as well as the excavation of Rising Star Cave. Admission is free, and seating will be first-come, first-serve. He will be available for media interviews at 11 a.m. in Smith Hall. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
NURSING LECTURE: UA’s Capstone College of Nursing will host the Joe Burrage Memorial Lectureship featuring New York nursing leader Timothy Shi at 4 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, in the Capstone College of Nursing auditorium. The lecture is free and open to the public. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
T-TIME FASHION SHOW: The College of Human Environmental Sciences’ annual T-Time Fashion Show is slated for 6 p.m. Tuesday, April 19, on the front lawn of Doster Hall. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
DO YOU HAVE THE NEXT BIG BUSINESS IDEA? — Local residents and UA students will have an opportunity to bring their ideas to life as Startup Weekend returns to UA’s campus April 22-24. The 54-hour fast-paced event begins with pitching ideas and moves on to business model creation, design and development. The Culverhouse College of Commerce’s STEM Path to the MBA program is hosting the third annual Startup Weekend Tuscaloosa at the South Engineering Research Center on campus. Contact: Edith Parten, UA media relations, 205/348-8318, eparten@culverhouse.ua.edu or Pam Hill, UA marketing instructor, 205/348-2634, pjhill@culverhouse.ua.edu.