BEST BETS
UA ASCENDS IN BEST DELEGATE MODEL UN WORLD DIVISION RANKINGS – UA’s Model UN team moved up 10 spots in the 2020-2021 North American College Model U.N. World Division rankings. UA ascended to No. 15 after earning the Outstanding Large Delegation at the HallMUN virtual Model UN conference in November and other awards throughout the year. “In a year when virtual global communication was more important than ever, the Model UN team quickly adapted to the challenges before them,” said Megan Wagner, assistant director of international partnerships and scholarships with UA’s Capstone International Center. “The team leadership was able to expand the team by 11 more students than last year, giving more UA students than ever the ability to learn, practice and compete at the highest level.” For more information, contact Megan Wagner at megan.wagner@ua.edu.
MOUNDVILLE’S SATURDAY IN THE PARK RETURNS – UA’s Moundville Archaeological Park’s Saturday in the Park returns this summer to provide a series of demonstrations and presentations related to Native American culture, archaeology, natural history, sustainable gardening and more. The June 19 event will feature Choctaw crafts with Juanita Gardinski. Saturday in the Park takes place each Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, visit the Moundville Archaeological Park website.
UA RESEARCH TO ENHANCE FLOOD RESILIENCE OF COASTAL COMMUNITIES – Researchers at The University of Alabama are working to develop advanced computational earth science and coastal models that help coastal communities prepare for flooding from tropical storms and hurricanes. Funded by a $2.84 million grant from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Research and Development Center, the work by researchers in the UA Center for Complex Hydrosystems Research will identify flooding hotspots along the Southeastern U.S. coastline and provide a way for emergency responders and local decision-makers to better prepare for flooding from tropical cyclones. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA communications, adam.jones@ua.edu or 205-348-4328.
NIH GRANT SUPPORTS UA STUDY OF ACUTE KIDNEY INJURY TREATMENT – Researchers at The University of Alabama will study a novel nanomedicine treatment for acute kidney injury, a common disease with no federally approved medication. The five-year, $1.6 million grant from the National Institutes of Health is the fourth active top-tier NIH grant, formally called R01, for Dr. Ravi Kumar, professor in the College of Community Health Sciences with an adjunct appointment in the College of Engineering’s Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA communications, adam.jones@ua.edu or 205-348-4328.
PAUL W. BRYANT MUSEUM JOINS UA MUSEUMS – The Paul W. Bryant Museum recently became a member of UA Museums, joining a group of several institutions overseen by UA’s College of Arts and Sciences. “The administrative move of the Paul W. Bryant Museum to UA Museums makes so much sense,” said Dr. Bill Bomar, executive director of UA Museums. “Museums of all types play important roles in connecting people to the past through inspirational and engaging encounters with real objects and specimens. Whether the story being told is centered on ancient Native Americans, Alabama’s biodiversity or the rich history of athletics at The University of Alabama, the methods and principles behind the museum informal learning medium and the preservation and management of collections are the same.” For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
JUNETEENTH GROWS IN RECOGNITION ACROSS THE U.S. – The U.S. will celebrate Juneteenth on Saturday, June 19. “Juneteenth commemorates June 19, 1865, when a United States Army general proclaimed the end of slavery in Texas. It was basically the last part of the United States to hear a formal announcement of emancipation, even though the Civil War had been over for a couple of months,” said Dr. Joshua Rothman, professor and chair of UA’s Department of History. “It’s a day that was long celebrated in Texas as a holiday by Black Americans, and it sort of spread across the country with the Great Migration. But it’s only in recent years that it’s really blown up and started becoming a national thing, or even something that most Americans have heard of.” To schedule an interview on the history of Juneteenth, contact Rothman at jrothman@ua.edu.
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