BEST BETS
RENOWNED ARTISTS, CRAFTSMEN FEATURED AT MOUNDVILLE FESTIVAL — Nationally acclaimed artists, craftsmen and educators will highlight the 2022 Moundville Native American Festival Oct. 12-15 at the UA Moundville Archaeological Park. The festival returns in person for the first time since 2019 and includes several prominent Native American performers including Lyndon Alec performing hoop dancing, and the group Chikasha Hithla demonstrating Chickasaw stomp dancing. Festival hours are 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday, and 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Admission is $10 per person. Children 5 years old and under are free. Pre-registered groups of 10 or more are $8 per person. For more information, contact Rebecca Johnson, UA Museums, at rljohnson8@ua.edu.
BEAT AUBURN BEAT HUNGER ANNUAL FOOD DRIVE KICKS OFF — The 29th annual Beat Auburn Beat Hunger campaign, which kicked off Friday, Sept. 30, with an event on the steps of the state capitol in Montgomery, runs through Nov. 17. Participants can make donations of canned and nonperishable foods in red barrels spread throughout the UA campus and Tuscaloosa area. Monetary donations can be made to the West Alabama Food Bank. The winner of the friendly competition between UA and Auburn students will be announced Nov. 18.
CROSSINGPOINTS ANNUAL GOLF TOURNAMENT SET FOR OCT. 6 — CrossingPoints will host its annual Betty Shirley Golf Tournament Oct. 6 at Ol’ Colony Golf Course. It is the program’s biggest fundraiser of the year and benefits CP’s employment initiatives. Lunch and registration begin at 11 a.m. with a shotgun start at 12:30 p.m. The format is a four-person scramble. Team Prizes will be awarded in addition to the closest to the hole and closest to the pin. Hole sponsorships are available. Contact Jeremy Reid at jeremy.reid@ua.edu for more information.
11 ALABAMIANS CHOSEN FOR NATIONALLY RECOGNIZED RURAL MEDICAL PROGRAM — The University of Alabama’s Rural Medical Scholars Program recently accepted 11 students from around the state studying to become physicians with plans to practice in rural Alabama communities. The Rural Medical Scholars Program, part of the UA College of Community Health Sciences, is a five-year medical education program that leads to obtaining a medical degree. The program is exclusively for rural Alabama students who want to become physicians and practice in rural communities. It has been cited nationally as a model initiative. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
A HURRICANE IS MORE THAN ITS WIND — Dr. Hamed Moftakhari, engineering professor and researcher at The University of Alabama Center for Complex Hydrosystems, and other UA researchers have shown a wind-based scaling system fails to appropriately characterize the risk of hurricanes. “Besides hurricane category, which is solely wind-based, people need to consider the risk of flash floods and coastal flooding as well,” he said. “On a longer run, those responsible for issuing hazard advisories need to be more comprehensive in characterizing hurricane hazards and avoid an approach that results in miscommunication and leaves people exposed to a hurricane’s risk.” Moftakhari is currently working with the American Society of Civil Engineers to design a manual of practice on how coastal communities can be more resilient to the risks of compound flooding from tropical storms, and he is involved in research supported by the National Science Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer Research and Development Center on compound coastal flooding. To schedule an interview, contact Dr. Moftakhari at hmoftakhari@eng.ua.edu.
PAST STORMS, COMMUNICATION UNCERTAINTY IN FORECAST CONTRIBUTE TO SHOCK OF HURRICANE IAN’S DEVASTATION — Four days out, the National Hurricane Center was predicting Hurricane Ian, still a tropical storm, to cross into Florida within range of where it made landfall Sept. 28. Although there was some wavering two days out because of questions of when the storm would turn east, the so-called cone of uncertainty was accurate. “The forecast was good, but translating that into a message people can use can be hard, but sometimes, even if you do that, people don’t believe you,” said Dr. Jason Senkbeil, a professor of geography at The University of Alabama who studies severe weather communications and response. The storm surge from Hurricane Ian was much higher and wider than recent hurricanes Charlie and Irma to hit the western coast of Florida, he said. “People didn’t understand the potential storm surge they could get,” Senkbeil said. “A lot of people look to past storms for a benchmark for what they should do with their property and themselves, but if you look at those two storms, neither one of those were a good comparison. Not even close.” To schedule an interview, contact Dr. Senkbeil at jcsenkbeil@ua.edu.
BUSINESS SUITS, LEATHER HEADLINE FALL FASHION TRENDS — “While temperatures haven’t cooled much here in Alabama, you can still find plenty of new fall fashion trends,” said Babs Davis, an instructor in UA’s department of clothing, textiles and interior design. “Many people returning to the office after working remotely want to dress up with a little more flair and we’re seeing bright colored and patterned suits, eschewing the traditional colors of black or navy. While we see leather in some form every fall, this year we’re seeing it in abundance in the form of long leather coats and leather blazers paired with leather pants for a head-to-toe leather look. In footwear, we’re still seeing plenty of the platform shoes we saw in spring, just more closed up, and several clogs. Cowboy and western style boots are also huge.” To schedule an interview, contact Davis at bdavis@ches.ua.edu.
EVENTS
ALABAMA MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY CELEBRATES NATIONAL FOSSIL DAY — The Alabama Museum of Natural History will celebrate National Fossil Day and the scientific and educational value of paleontology and the importance of preserving fossils for future generations Oct. 15 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. The free event will highlight Alabama’s rich fossil heritage through presentations and fossil displays. For more information, contact Rebecca Johnson, UA Museums, at rljohnson8@ua.edu.
UA THEATRE PRESENTS ‘THE IMAGINARY INVALID‘ — The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance presents “The Imaginary Invalid” by Molière Oct. 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m., and Oct. 23 at 2 p.m. in the Marian Gallaway Theatre. “The Imaginary Invalid” is a French comedy that follows the story of a hypochondriac and the consequences of his selfish decision to make his daughter marry a doctor so he can get free medical checkups. Tickets are $22 for adults, $20 for UA faculty, staff and senior citizens, and $15 for students and can be purchased at ua.universitytickets.com. For more information, contact Emilia Stuart, marketing manager for UA Theatre and Dance, at epstuart@crimson.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.