MONDAY, AUG. 12 – SUNDAY, AUG. 18
BEST BETS
INCOMING FRESHMEN GIVING BACK TO SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY – Entering freshmen in UA’s Honors College will strive to contribute to the Tuscaloosa community through service Monday, Aug. 12, to Friday, Aug. 16, as part of three UA initiatives. About 160 freshmen students and 36 older students will tackle projects at Matthews and Crestmont elementary schools in Northport. Students will landscape, paint murals and update outdoor classrooms. In other projects, more than 75 freshmen and 20 student leaders will partner in efforts at Lake Lurleen State Park, Van de Graaf Park, Payne Lake, Alabama Museum of Natural History and Hurricane Creek. Media are invited to visit Matthews or Crestmont schools from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 15, to observe the work. For more information about additional initiatives, contact Richard LeComte at 205-394-3040.
WILD EATS – FORAGING FOR YOUR GRUB – Believe it or not, food isn’t only found on grocery store shelves and farms. It’s all around, even in the average backyard. Dr. Michael R. McKain, assistant professor of biological sciences and curator of the UA Herbarium, said Alabama is one of the most biodiverse states in the nation, and with that comes a plethora of wild eats. Wild foraging is growing in popularity. But with that come words of precaution. McKain is available this week to discuss some do’s and don’ts. Contact him directly at mrmckain@uga.edu or 205-348-1826. For assistance, contact Jamon Smith, UA communications, jamon.smith@ua.edu or 205-348-4956.
UA ALIGNS INVENTOR RESOURCES, COLLABORATION WITH BUSINESS INCUBATOR —The robust push by UA to promote entrepreneurship both on campus and throughout the region is increasing with an alignment of resources to better support innovators. The Bama Technology Incubator, which includes on-campus laboratories and additional support for start-up companies, will change its name to EDGE Labs and serve as the strategic counterpart to The EDGE, a 26,000 square-foot off-campus business incubator that opened in February as a collaboration between UA, the City of Tuscaloosa and the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama. For more information, contact Zach Thomas, Culverhouse director of marketing and communications, rzthomas@cba.ua.edu, 205-348- 8318, or UA communications, 205-348-5320.
UA CREATES PEDIATRIC FELLOWSHIP FOR FAMILY MEDICINE PHYSICIANS – UA’s College of Community Health Sciences has created an innovative fellowship program to provide comprehensive instruction for family medicine physicians seeking additional skills in pediatric care. The year-long pediatric fellowship will offer a variety of transformative experiences in both primary and tertiary care settings. Fellows will also receive research time and financial support for continuing education activities. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA communications, at 205-348-8325 or bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
HEAT WAVES GETTING BIGGER, MORE SEVERE – It’s hot in Alabama this week with a heat wave bearing down. Dr. David Keellings, UA assistant professor of geography, was recently awarded a grant to study heat waves such as this one. His previous work showed heat waves are getting larger in area, affecting more people, and have become more severe over the past 60 years. The culprit? Climate change. “Temperature and extremes, i.e. heat waves, are the things we’re most certain about with climate change, and they have definitely become more frequent, higher in magnitude, and longer in duration across many parts of the globe,” he said. Contact Keellings at djkeellings@ua.edu. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA communications, at 205/348-4328 or adam.jones@ua.edu.
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