Conservation and business researchers partner to disrupt wildlife trafficking
Satoshi Nakamoto – Sept. 26
Faculty from Michigan State University will join forces and combine wildlife trafficking and supply chain expertise to reduce a global crime with far-reaching impacts. The team will merge supply chain and conservation datasets, comb through logistical networks, leverage local partnerships and use advanced analytics to predict and respond to weaknesses in illegally trafficked wildlife supply chains. The three-year research endeavor is led by MSU faculty members Meredith Gore, associate professor in the department of fisheries and wildlife, and Stanley Griffis, professor of supply chain management, along with operations engineering and computer science experts from University of Southern California, University of Alabama, Colorado State University and Harvard University.
Science Magazine – Sept. 25
EurekAlert – Sept. 25
Bioengineer – Sept. 25
News Wise – Sept. 25
Campus ‘poverty simulations’ aim to teach students how it is to live poor
The College Fix – Sept. 26
Students around the country are taking part in “poverty simulations,” extended scenarios put on by numerous university administrations that purportedly depict the real-life experiences of impoverished people. Numerous other institutions of higher learning also host these simulations. Drake University, the University of Michigan, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of Alabama are just a few notable examples. The College Fix reached out to all of the named schools to learn more about their experiences with the simulation.
Changes in Store: 5 Predictions for the e-Volution in Retail
iCrowdNewswire – Sept. 26
CCIM Institute Chief Economist K.C. Conway, in partnership with the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama, released a special report entitled “Retail e-Volution: Predictions for 2025” that details five predictions for the future of retail real estate that debunk several primary myths behind the glut of bankruptcies and store closings in the past decade. “This report is not another examination of retail’s demise, because quite the opposite is occurring,” says Conway. “With total retail sales increasing at an average annual rate in excess of 4.35 percent, this is a story of how retail will continue to grow and evolve, fueled by e-commerce, technology, logistics, and innovation.”
MyMotherLode – Sept. 25
EIN Presswire – Sept. 25
Markets Insider – Sept. 25
Fox (Delmarva) – Sept. 25
Fox (Birmingham) – Sept. 25
WBOC (Delmarva) – Sept. 25
…and many more
PR leaders earn a “C+” on 2019 report card—is improvement even on the radar?
Agility PR Solutions – Sept. 26
Over the last few years, PR leaders have gotten fair to middling grades for their performance from The Plank Center for Leadership in Public Relations. Unfortunately, not much has improved since the industry’s last grading period. Results of The Plank Center’s Report Card 2019 reflect little change in public relations leadership from studies in 2015 and 2017. PR leaders received an overall grade of “C+” in 2019, similar to previous studies, though down a bit overall in the last five years. “The purpose of this biennial report is to assess leadership in PR and identify enrichment opportunities,” said Bruce K. Berger, Ph.D., co-investigator and professor emeritus at the University of Alabama, in the release. “If we identify the gaps and work to close them, we strengthen our profession’s leadership — a crucial strategic asset. This Report Card underscores the continuing gaps and the urgency to act.”
Community provides relief to victims of Hurricane Dorian
Crimson White – Sept. 26
From Aug. 4 to Sept. 10, Hurricane Dorian transformed from a tropical storm into a Category 5 hurricane. Dorian swept through Florida, North and South Carolina and the Bahamas, with wind speeds reaching up to 183 mph. For some, the storm only caused minor damage. “Hurricane Dorian completely missed me,” said Madie Weir, a UA student from Naples, Florida. “ I live on the Gulf Coast, so it was sunny while it went through.”
Expert focus on food insecurity among vulnerable populations
The Medical News – Sept. 25
While hunger is a personal, physical sensation of discomfort, food insecurity refers to a lack of availability of nutritionally adequate and safe foods or the inability to acquire acceptable foods in socially acceptable ways. Older adults are another vulnerable population. Seung Eun Jung, PhD, RD, Department of Human Nutrition and Hospitality Management, The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL, USA, and colleagues investigated the complex relationships between self-care capacity, depression, food security, and nutritional status among low-income older adults. They found that inability to afford food combined with limited ability to take care of oneself contribute to an increased self-report of depressive symptoms.
Science Codex
EurekAlert!
Moundville Native American Festival to be held
NBC 13 – Sept. 25
The Moundville Native American Festival returning for its 31st year. The event, hosted by The University of Alabama’s Moundville Archaeological Park, will feature educators, artists, and craftsmen from around the nation. All will share their knowledge of southeastern native American cultures with those in attendance. This year’s festival starts Oct. 9, and will run through the 12th.
UA and AU student veterans to march from Tuscaloosa to Auburn to bring awareness to veteran suicides
Fox 6 – Sept. 25
Salmon is president of the campus association of veterans at The University of Alabama. He’ll join other UA-enrolled veterans later this year and march to Jordan Hare Stadium to bring attention to the problem of suicide among veterans.
Fox (Columbus, Ga.)
UA political science professor reacts to Impeachment Inquiry
CBS 42 – Sept. 25
Allen Linken at The University of Alabama’s political science department tells me that the impeachment inquiry allows the Congress to investigate, and it’s likely to be a lengthy process.
UA to take more measures to help fans stay cool at hot football games
WVUA – Sept. 25
This was the scene on the day of Alabama Crimson Tide’s home opener, the game against New Mexico State. The sweltering temperatures topped the high 90s…Saturday’s game against Ole Miss, a 2:30 kickoff, same as the home opener, with temperatures expected to be in the high 90s…Tuscaloosa Fire Chief Randy Smith says the city and The University of Alabama are better prepared.
Here’s How to Deal With Being Ghosted
MSN (Philippines) – Sept. 25
Ghosting—cutting off contact with no explanation, even after someone repeatedly attempts to connect—is fast becoming the new “No, thank you.” The term seems to have originated in the online dating world: One in four people have been ghosted by a partner, and almost as many confess to ghosting other people, according to a 2018 study in the Journal of Social and Personal Relationships. “But it’s now becoming a more normalized part of the landscape,” says Leah LeFebvre, PhD, professor of communication studies at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, who studies the phenomenon. Why the recent invasion of crickets?
Bike-sharing program now available at University of Alabama
The Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 25
University of Alabama students, visitors, faculty and staff can now navigate campus through a new bike-share program. As of Monday, 150 e-bikes, bicycles with electronic motors that assist pedaling, are available to rent from the national ride-share company Gotcha throughout the UA campus.
Starr Foundation Awards Rockefeller U. $50 Million (Grants Roundup)
The Chronicle of Philanthropy – Sept. 25
$10 million to the University of Alabama to establish the Holle Center for Communication Arts within the College of Communication and Information Sciences. Everett Hughes Holle, a brigadier general in the U.S. Army Reserves who later became assistant general manager at WVTM-TV in Birmingham, graduated from the university in 1950. He died in 2017.