BEST BETS
SUPPORT FOR SPONSORED PROJECTS AT UA DOUBLES IN FOUR YEARS — Outside support of research, other sponsored activity and instructional efforts that spark innovation and discovery at The University of Alabama more than doubled over the past four years thanks to another record-breaking year. For the ninth straight fiscal year, sponsored awards in 2022 were at an all-time high, increasing 23.6% to $211.4 million from 840 sponsored awards to UA. Sponsored awards include all competitive external funding for research, instruction, other sponsored activity, fellowships and construction. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at adam.jones@ua.edu.
UA-LED STUDY RESULTS IN FIRST DIETARY GUIDELINE OF PLANT COMPOUND — An apple a day can keep the doctor away according to an international study spearheaded by a UA faculty member. Dr. Kristi Crowe-White, associate professor and chair of the department of human nutrition and hospitality management at UA and registered dietician, led an international workgroup to develop the dietary guideline for a bioactive food compound known as flavan-3-ols. The dietary recommendation is the first for a compound not related to correcting deficiencies but to the promotion of health and wellness. Flavan-3-ols can be found in apples, tea, peas, berries, and chocolate or cocoa products. For more information, contact Tabby Brown, UA College of Human Environmental Sciences, at tbrown@ches.ua.edu.
UA TO LEAD REGIONAL DATA CENTER COMBATTING OPIOID CRISIS — With expertise and experience in multidisciplinary data analytics, UA was tapped to spearhead a regional center to help communities across the Southeast combat the opioid crisis. The Southeast Regional Drug Data Research Center is supported with $3.5 million in funding from the United States Department of Justice’s Bureau of Justice Assistance. The center builds upon efforts at the Institute of Data and Analytics, or IDA, within the UA Culverhouse College of Business in developing Alabama’s opioid central data repository, expanding to seven other states across the Southeast. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at adam.jones@ua.edu.
UA CCHS EXPANDS HEALTH CARE IN ALABAMA FOR 50 YEARS — The UA College of Community Health Sciences is celebrating 50 years of responding to the acute need in the state for more physicians for the small towns and rural communities that have suffered from a serious lack of health care. The college has educated thousands of medical students and resident physicians, created programs to recruit and mentor rural Alabama high school and college students interested in medicine and who want to practice in their hometowns or similar communities, and added graduate degree programs in population health and community and rural health. For more information, contact Leslie Zganjar, UA College of Community Health Sciences, at lzganjar@ua.edu.
UMC RELOCATES NORTHPORT CLINIC — University Medical Center is relocating its Northport clinic to a new, larger building and will expand the health care services offered. The new location opens Nov. 14 at 6205 Jemison Lane. The new UMC-Northport is significantly larger than its current location which opened in 2015. UMC-Northport will continue to provide family medicine, obstetrics and pediatric care and will add neurology care at the new location. For more information, contact Leslie Zganjar, UA College of Community Health Sciences, at lzganjar@ua.edu.
RIVER PITCH COMPETITION RETURNS FOR 2022 — As part of Global Entrepreneurship Week, the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute, a part of the UA Culverhouse College of Business, is hosting the sixth annual River Pitch Competition Tuesday, Nov. 15, from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. at the Tuscaloosa River Market. There is no entry fee for the competition, which is open to UA students, employees and members of the West Alabama community. To learn more about the River Pitch Competition, visit the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute website. For more information, contact Dr. Theresa Welbourne, executive director of AEI, at twelbourne@culverhouse.ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENTS
TRANSITION TO SHORTER DAYS CAN BE A STRUGGLE FOR SOME — “The effects of daylight savings time, or DST, are more than just seeing less sunlight,” says Dr. John Burkhardt, associate professor with UA’s department of psychiatry and behavioral medicine. “It can disrupt an individual’s circadian rhythms altering their sleep/wake cycle, which can cause sleep debt, and hormone levels. For individuals living with major depression, seasonal affective disorder or other mood disorders, this can be an unwelcome long, dark period. These disorders are known to have effects like increasing depression and anxiety, fatigue, isolation, decreased drive, and in some cases suicidal ideations. A few recommendations to combat DST’s effects include using a light box or being outside in the morning throughout the time change to offset reduced sunlight exposure, maintaining your current sleep schedule and daily routines, practicing good sleep hygiene, staying physically active, and tracking your personal experiences during this time to make other necessary adjustments.” To schedule an interview, contact Burkhardt at jeburkhardt@ua.edu.
EVENTS
SYMPHONIC BAND TO PERFORM — The University of Alabama Symphonic band will present Modest Mussorgsky’s masterwork “Pictures at an Exhibition” with guest piano soloist Dr. Eun-hee Park Monday, Nov. 7, at 7:30 p.m. in the Concert Hall of the Frank M. Moody Music Building on the UA campus. The concert, which is free and open to the public, will feature a preconcert art display and UA student Ella Smyth will be painting on stage during the performance. For more information, visit music.ua.edu.
STUDENT VETERANS TO CLEAN VETERANS’ GRAVES — Just before Veterans Day, students in Crimson Legion, formerly known as the Campus Veterans Association, and other UA organizations will spend Nov. 10 cleaning the headstones of veterans’ graves at Chambers Cemetery in Holt. The students plan to begin their work at 9 a.m. and will clean the almost two dozen headstones belonging to veterans in the cemetery. For more information, contact Brad Campbell, assistant director of Veteran and Military Affairs, at bcampbell@ua.edu.
UA THEATRE PRESENTS ‘SMALL MOUTH SOUNDS’ — The UA Department of Theatre and Dance continues its season with Bess Wohl’s “Small Mouth Sounds” — a play that finds six characters on a silent retreat together where, without speaking, they must learn to communicate with one another while simultaneously coming face-to-face with their own trauma. “Small Mouth Sounds” runs Nov. 7-12 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 13 at 2 p.m. in the Allen Bales Theatre on the UA campus. Tickets are $15 for adults, UA faculty/staff and senior citizens, and $10 for UA students. Tickets can be purchased online at ua.universitytickets.com. For more information, contact Emilia Stuart, marketing manager for UA Theatre and Dance, at epstuart@crimson.ua.edu.
DANCE ALABAMA! — The fall edition of Dance Alabama! will feature conceptually original and visually stimulating performances that encompass a variety of dance genres, with each piece choreographed, designed and performed by both graduate and undergraduate students. The concert runs Nov. 9-10 at 7:30 p.m. and Nov. 11 at 5:30 p.m. in the dance theatre located in the English Building on the UA campus. Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for UA faculty/staff, and senior citizens, and $15 for UA students. Tickets can be purchased online at ua.universitytickets.com. For more information, contact Emilia Stuart, marketing manager for UA Theatre and Dance, at epstuart@crimson.ua.edu.
FASHION FOR LIFE — UA apparel design seniors will present their final collections at Fashion for Life Nov. 20 at the Bama Theatre in downtown Tuscaloosa. Fashion for Life is the culmination of a capstone course that students start preparing for before their senior year. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased online and at the door. All proceeds from the event’s ticket sales will be donated to the United Way of West Alabama. Money raised from sales will be matched by Estee Lauder Companies. Doors will open at 4:30 p.m. and the show will start at 5 p.m. For more information, contact Tabby Brown, UA College of Human Environmental Sciences, at tbrown@ches.ua.edu.
MUSEUM MONDAY — UA Museums is kicking off Thanksgiving week with Museum Monday Nov. 21 from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. at the Alabama Museum of Natural History. Children in kindergarten through second grade and their caregivers are invited to spend time together and experience the museum in a whole new way. The cost of the program is $5 per child and includes up to two caregivers. Registration is required. For more information, contact Rebecca Johnson, UA Museums, at rljohnson8@ua.edu.
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The University of Alabama strives to remain neutral on public policy issues. Strategic Communications may facilitate interviews or share opinions expressed by faculty, staff, students, or other individuals regarding policy matters. However, those opinions do not necessarily reflect the views of the University or its leadership, and do not constitute a statement on behalf of the University unless explicitly designated.