BEST BETS
A COMMERCIAL REAL ESTATE AGENT’S GENDER DOES MATTER — TO THE SELLER — Does gender matter in commercial real estate transactions? Not in the outcome of the sale, but gender plays a role because of a common affinity bias among property owners, according to a study by researchers at The University of Alabama. Properties listed by women agents sold at a significant discount compared to those marketed by men, and individual female agents were involved in far fewer property transactions, researchers from the Culverhouse College of Business found. However, when sales were adjusted for property attributes, there was no significant difference between male and female real estate agents in price or a property’s time on the market, according to the study recently published in the Journal of Real Estate Research. The study is the first empirical investigation of gender inequities within commercial real estate transactions. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at adam.jones@ua.edu.
UA STUDENT RECEIVES BOREN SCHOLARSHIP TO STUDY IN BRAZIL — University of Alabama student Sean Atchison has received a Boren Scholarship for the study of languages in world regions critical to U.S. interests and underrepresented in study abroad. Atchison, of Chatom, will study Portuguese in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with an emphasis on Brazilian culture, history and politics. Atchison is a junior majoring in interdisciplinary studies with a depth study in Latin American studies and a minor in Spanish. He’s part of the UA Honors College, Blackburn Institute and Alabama International Relations Club. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
NEW MICROSCOPES TO POSITION UA AS LEADER IN MATERIALS CHARACTERIZATION — A suite of new instruments focused on understanding materials will give The University of Alabama an elite platform to offer solutions to perplexing challenges while expanding opportunities for students to participate in cutting-edge research and enhanced classroom instruction. The Board of Trustees of The University of Alabama recently approved upgrading equipment in the Alabama Analytical Research Center with a state-of-the-art atom probe, advanced imaging electron microscopes and focused ion beam based sample-preparation machines that build on UA’s established reputation at the forefront of materials characterization and analytical metrology. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at adam.jones@ua.edu.
UA, ADMH TO HOST STATEWIDE EVENTS ON SUBSTANCE MISUSE STIGMA — UA and the Alabama Department of Mental Health will host a series of professional development conferences across the state in January for those interested in understanding the stigma of individuals with substance and opioid use disorders. The “Stop Judging; Start Healing Stigma Summit 2023” will be held in eight locations across Alabama from Jan. 17-26 and features speakers Ryan Leaf and Damon West, two former college football quarterbacks whose substance misuse led to jail time and, ultimately, a career inspiring others to seek treatment. Summit topics include the disease of addiction, general stigma, stigma in the primary care setting, combating stigma for law enforcement and first responders, understanding trauma’s relation to substance use, and addiction stigma and the criminal justice system. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at adam.jones@ua.edu.
EVENTS
UA MUSEUMS PRESENTS ALL-DAY HOLIDAY — Celebrate the holiday season at the Alabama Museum of Natural History, Gorgas House Museum, Paul W. Bryant Museum and Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum Tuesday, Dec. 20. Each museum will offer special holiday activities and light refreshments during regular operating hours. Parking will be available on campus. Admission to the Alabama Museum of Natural History, Gorgas House Museum and Mildred Westervelt Warner Transportation Museum is free. Admission to the Paul W. Bryant Museum is $5 for adults; $3 for children in grades kindergarten through 12; and free for museum members, children under 5, and UA faculty/staff and students.
OLLI TO HOLD OPEN HOUSES — The Osher Lifelong Learning Institue at The University of Alabama is hosting three open houses across central Alabama in January. The open houses will allow older adults to learn about the more than 100 in person and online courses, field trips, social events and programs OLLI provides its members each semester. The OLLI Gadsden Chapter will host its open house on Thursday, Jan. 5, at the Gadsden Center from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. The Greater Birmingham Chapter will host its open house on Monday, Jan. 9, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Riverchase United Methodist Church in Hoover, and the Tuscaloosa Chapter will host its open house on Thursday, Jan. 12, from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. at the Bryant Conference Center. Registration for OLLI Spring 2023 courses opens Monday, Dec. 12. For more information, visit olli.ua.edu or call 205-348-6482.
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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.