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MONDAY, DEC. 9 – SUNDAY, DEC. 15      

RESEARCH

UA STUDY INVESTIGATES STUDENTS’ VIEWS OF EATING LOCAL – Four researchers from UA were recently awarded a grant from the Alabama Department of Agriculture and Industries to examine students’ perceptions of Alabama-grown produce and create a plan to increase awareness and consumption. The researchers, part of UA’s department of human nutrition and hospitality management, recently conducted pilot research that found students generally lacked awareness about Alabama-raised food, were unfamiliar with locally grown crops or didn’t know where to purchase them. The researchers will be available to media to discuss the research Thursday, Dec. 12, at 10 a.m. in 428 Russell Hall. If you plan on attending, please confirm by contacting contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at 205-348-8325 or bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.  

BEST BETS

TUSCALOOSA BICENTENNIAL LANDMARKS UNVEILED DEC. 13 The yearlong celebration of Tuscaloosa’s bicentennial will culminate with the unveiling of three landmarks celebrating the city’s past, present and future on Tuscaloosa’s 200th birthday. A sculpture depicting Minerva, the Roman goddess of wisdom and strategy; a timeline of monumental dates in the city’s history; and a time capsule will be dedicated during a 10 a.m. Dec. 13 ceremony at Manderson Landing. The event is open to the public. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne in UA communications at 205-348-8325 or Bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.

UA TO HOLD COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES DEC. 14 – UA has more than 2,200 degree candidates who will participate in two commencement ceremonies, Saturday, Dec. 14, at Coleman Coliseum. For more information, contact Deidre Stalnaker, UA Strategic Communications, at 205-348-8718 or deidre.stalnaker@ua.edu.

COMBATTING OPIOID OVERDOSES: TEAM TO BEGIN TRAINING RURAL EMS PERSONNEL – The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration has awarded UA’s School of Social Work a $3.2 million grant to study the occupational stress of first responders and train them to better deal with opioid overdoses. The hope is that, through specific training relative to the dynamics and resources of 14 rural counties in Alabama, the state can lower its number of opioid overdose deaths, a number that more than doubled from 2012 to 2017, according to the National Institute on Drug Abuse. In 2017, the state recoded 422 opioid overdose deaths. Watch for a news release with more details. For more information, contact David Miller, communications specialist, UA School of Social Work, at 205-348-3942 or David.c.miller@ua.edu

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