BEST BETS
UMC OFFERING SATURDAY COVID-19 VACCINE CLINICS IN AUGUST – University Medical Center is offering Saturday COVID-19 vaccine clinics Aug. 14 and 21, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. for UA students, faculty, staff and UMC patients. UMC will be offering the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine during the clinics. Appointments are required. To schedule an appointment, call 205-348-1471, and leave your name, date of birth and a way for UMC to contact you. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
UA PROFESSOR WINS FULBRIGHT AWARDS – Dr. Andrew Raffo Dewar, professor of interdisciplinary arts with The University of Alabama New College and School of Music, was recently selected for two grants from the prestigious Fulbright program to teach and research abroad. Dewar received a Fulbright Specialist Award and was named the Fulbright Canada Research Chair at York University in Toronto. “I’m very thankful to have been awarded these two Fulbrights and for the support they signify for my current research,” said Dewar. “Receiving both awards within a one-week period was incredibly surprising and overwhelming, in the best way.” For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
GOAL FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES MAY BE TOO AMBITIOUS — A former head of research for Mercedes-Benz and an engineering professor at The University of Alabama is available to talk about President Joe Biden’s newly announced executive order that aims to make half of all new vehicles sold in 2030 zero-emissions vehicles, including battery electric, plug-in hybrid electric or fuel-cell electric vehicles. “The goal for miles per gallon is achievable, but the goal for 50 percent of vehicles sold in 2030 is way too ambitious because it’s trying to influence customer practices,” said Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian. “The unspoken challenge is the electric grid network to our homes is often too low powered for electric vehicles and cannot do fast charging while roadside fast-charging stations are too expensive at peak times.” For more information, contact Balasubramanian at bharat@eng.ua.edu or Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at adam.jones@ua.edu.
WITH RENEWED MASK GUIDELINES, DIFFERENT INFORMATION NEEDED TO CUT THROUGH POLITICIZED PANDEMIC — Renewed mask guidelines and mandates alone will likely only have discernible effects on those who are concerned about COVID-19 in the first place and have probably already been vaccinated, according to Dr. Wanyun Shao, UA assistant professor of geography, part of four studies on risk perception and risk mitigation during the pandemic. In a highly polarized environment, various facets of COVID-19 are framed differently among people with different political orientation. “Providing timely information about rising number of cases and death rates, however, is likely to motivate Americans to adopt risk mitigation behaviors such as wearing masks and getting vaccines, as indicated by our research,” she said. For more information, contact Shao at wshao1@ua.edu or Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at adam.jones@ua.edu.
NEED A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT ON TOPICS MAKING NEWS? – See our frequently updated experts directory here.
VISIT THE UA NEWS CENTER FOR STORY IDEAS.