MONDAY, SEPT. 11 – SUNDAY, SEPT. 17
RESEARCH
THE FATE OF BUSINESSES –– Twenty years after the largest number of initial public offerings in one year took place, a new study from UA’s business school explores what happened to these IPO companies in order to identify lessons from their successes and failures. Structural cohesion, which promotes internal strength, is the key to keeping a business with an IPO going over the long haul, said Dr. Theresa M. Welbourne, a researcher in UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration. The study examined 802 firms, and only 100 of those were “alive” as of Dec. 31, 2016. Watch for a news release with more details or contact Richard LeComte, UA communications, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
RESEARCHER LOOKS AT WHY NATIONS FIGHT — International conflicts are similar to a game of poker, full of bargaining, aggression and bluffs. Unlike poker where players vie for the pile of chips, scholars are not always sure why countries in a conflict are even at the table. Dr. Douglas Gibler, professor and political science researcher at UA’s Institute for Social Science Research, is leading a study of international conflicts and their causes, which could help policymakers and political scientists better predict the outcomes of high-stakes, international bargaining. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA communications, 205-348-4328 or adam.jones@ua.edu.
BEST BETS
DEBRIS CANNON LAB TO HOLD LIVE DEMONSTRATION — Graduate students in the civil, construction and environmental engineering department will fire the debris cannon Wednesday, Sept. 13, at 2 p.m. in Hardaway Hall. These students are studying the stability of storm shelter walls made to withstand debris impact. Two-by-fours will be shot at high speed to see the impact of wind-borne debris on the wall panels. Media are invited to watch the process, take photos or video and interview students and professors. For more information, contact Alana Norris, College of Engineering communications specialist, 205-348-6444 or anorris@eng.ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
UNDERSTANDING INSURANCE AFTER HURRICANES — Property and flood insurance are not the most popular subjects, but they are essential in the event of a crisis. UA’s Alabama Center for Insurance Information and Research specializes in understanding and educating others about insurance markets and the value of adequate coverage. Dr. Lars Powell is its executive director. His primary research interests include disaster loss mitigation, insurer capitalization and the effects of regulation on insurance markets. Powell may be reached at 205-348-4513 or aciir@culverhouse.ua.edu. For assistance, contact Zach Thomas, Culverhouse College of Commerce’s director of marketing and communications, 205-348-8318 or zthomas@cba.ua.edu.
EVENTS
QUAD IN MOTION – UA employees continue seeking work-life balance with the third annual Quad in Motion, which will take place from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday, Sept. 13, on the Quad. Created to foster a culture of health on campus, Quad in Motion encourages faculty and staff to represent their department or College by walking or running for at least 30 minutes on the Quad. The event also serves as the kick-off for Strive For Five, a five-week program for UA faculty and staff. The program uses five simple steps to improve overall health: eat, sleep, think, move and drink. Individuals or teams of two to five can participate in this wellness program and log their achievements with online tracking. For more details, contact Richard LeComte, UA communications, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205-348-3782.
THIRTY-FIRST COMMANDANT OF MARINES TO SPEAK AT UA – General Charles Krulak, former commandant of the United States Marine Corps, will deliver a speech in the Moot Court room of the UA School of law at noon, Wednesday, Sept. 13. Krulak will discuss his military experience, which includes time as a platoon commander in Vietnam and the Gulf War, and his four years as the 31st commandant of the Marines. Krulak also served as CEO of MBNA Europe and as non-executive director of Aston Villa, an English-league soccer club. The event, sponsored by the UA Military Law Society, is free and open to the public. For more information, contact Monique Fields, manager of communications, UA School of Law, 205-348-5195 or mfields@law.ua.edu, or 2LT Steven Arango, president of the UA Military Law Society, at 727-460-1799 or steven.arango@law.ua.edu.
GRIPPANDO TO RECEIVE HARPER LEE PRIZE FOR LEGAL FICTION — The 2017 Harper Lee Prize for Legal Fiction will be awarded to author James Grippando at UA’s School of Law at 6 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 14. Grippando, a trial lawyer and a New York Times bestselling author of suspense, will be honored with a signed special edition of “To Kill a Mockingbird.” His book, “Gone Again,” is the seventh winner of the Prize for a book-length work of fiction that best illuminates the role of lawyers in society and their power to effect change. After the award presentation, the Selection Committee will convene a panel discussion of Grippando’s “Gone Again” in relationship to Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird.” For more information, contact Monique Fields, UA Law communications, at 205-348-5195 or mfields@law.ua.edu.
ALLELE LECTURE – The program kicks off with the talk “Human Skin Color is an Evolutionary Adaptation, Not a Racial Characteristic” at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Sept. 15, in UA’s Biology Building auditorium, room 127. The presenter is Dr. Nina G. Jablonski, Evan Pugh University Professor of Anthropology at The Pennsylvania State University. A biological anthropologist by training, Jablonski pursues basic research on the evolution of adaptations of primates, including humans, to their environment. For the last 25 years, she has been most intrigued by questions in human evolution not directly answered by the fossil record, foremost among these being the evolution of human skin and skin pigmentation. For more details, contact Richard LeComte, UA communications, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.