UA Preview — Aug. 26-Sept. 1, 2024

📰 BEST BETS 

Tuscaloosa 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb  

Alabama Athletics, in coordination with the University of Alabama Police Department, will host the Tuscaloosa 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb in Coleman Coliseum on Wednesday, Sept. 11, and for the first time, the event will be made available for the public to register and participate. 

Why This Matters: The Memorial Stair Climb honors the FDNY, NYPD, Port Authority Police and EMS who selflessly gave their lives in the aid of others on Sept. 11, 2001. The climb consists of 2,200 steps up and 2,200 steps down, equivalent to the 110 floors of the World Trade Center. 

Students Win International Horn Competition 

The UA Horn Studio, a group of talented horn players majoring in various programs in the School of Music, recently returned from the International Horn Competition of America and International Horn Society Summer Symposium in Fort Collins, Colorado, with multiple awards and acclaim from some of the most influential horn players in the world. 

Why This Matters: The symposium performance took place in front of more than 800 of the most respected horn players from around the nation and the world. 

Students Compete in Paralympics  

Five student-athletes in UA’s Adapted Athletics programs and 10 alumni will be representing Teams USA and Great Britain in the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris. 

Why This Matters: UA Adapted Athletics works to provide its athletes the same elite competitive collegiate experience as every other collegiate athlete on campus. 

World-Class Hydrologic Facility 

The U.S. Geological Survey officially opened the USGS Hydrologic Instrumentation Facility on The University of Alabama campus near the NOAA National Water Center on Aug. 14, providing a trifecta of opportunity for advancing water science and technology. 

Why This Matters: A team of about 50 USGS employees will work alongside University students and staff, strengthening existing partnerships and creating new ones as the HIF continues its tradition as the national hub for water monitoring technologies. 

Medicine Design Breakthroughs 

Dr. M.N.V. Ravi Kumar is a world-renowned voice in the field of translational science for medicine design. His groundbreaking drug delivery systems have been shown to make more efficacious pharmaceuticals and nutraceuticals. 

Why This Matters: The application of Kumar’s work to human health and diseases opens up a medicines toolbox to combat difficult-to-treat diseases such as lupus and intraocular inflammation.  

Monitoring Coastal Flooding  

UA graduate student Sadaf Mahmoudi, working under Dr. Hamed Moftakhari, trained machine learning algorithms to learn the underlying features that contribute to sea level rise and high tide flooding. 

Why This Matters: The study produced a spatially distributed information through an interactive map showing estimated local sea level rise rates and high tide flooding thresholds along the entire United States coastline. 

💬 CURRENT COMMENT 

Dr. Adam Knowlden, associate professor of health science, can discuss how poor time management can lead to poor sleep for college students.  

📅 EVENTS 

VitAL Alabama Conference 

Aug. 26-27; Bryant Conference Center 

Saturday in the Park: Storytelling 

Sept. 7; Moundville Archaeological Park 

NEED A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT ON TOPICS MAKING NEWS? — See our frequently updated experts directory here.  

VISIT THE UA NEWS CENTER FOR STORY IDEAS. 

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.