Renowned artist to begin work on courthouse murals this week
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 28
Caleb O’Connor, an internationally acclaimed artist, is ready to immerse himself in the history of Tuscaloosa, beginning today. The 29-year-old artist will move into his new studio space inside Toumey Hall on the University of Alabama campus to paint murals for Tuscaloosa’s new federal courthouse…For the civil rights mural, O’Connor’s preliminary sketch shows Vivian Malone, one of the first African-Americans to enroll at UA, walking past Gov. George Wallace into Foster Auditorium, which O’Connor has portrayed as a burning house.…Through the GSA’s partnership with UA, O’Connor has been presented with a newly renovated studio space at Toumey Hall located on UA’s Quad. Toumey Hall, which serves as an academic house for the Blount Undergraduate Initiative, was selected for its interior space with ceilings high enough to house the murals. O’Connor’s studio space will remain open to the community for observation throughout his time on campus…O’Connor also plans to work with Alabama professors and students on the project. Kari Frederickson, an associate history professor and director of the Summersell Center for the Study of the South, hopes to teach a history research seminar in conjunction with some of the themes in O’Connor’s paintings, as well as host a public history event where people would be invited to come out and paint…
Professor discusses music, history
Crimson White – Sept. 28
From scribbling notes on the back of vinyl records to gracing the pages of notable music publications such as Spin Magazine and The Village Voice, Eric Weisbard made his name as a music critic with a strong passion for both history and music…Now, he is teaching as an assistant professor in the American studies department at the University…Weisbard’s specialization is in popular music, the topic of the two courses he is teaching this year, “Rock, Soul and Country” and “Pop Music Survey Class.”…
Francko creates ‘FreezePruf’ spray
Crimson White – Sept. 28
The live oak tree outside of the David Francko’s office window holds the secret to the research that Francko, dean of the UA graduate school, has been conducting. The tree is extremely resistant to cold temperatures, much like Francko’s creation — the horticultural product FreezePruf, a topical spray that helps a plant survive below-freezing temperatures. FreezePruf will be on the shelves of retailers such as Lowe’s, Home Depot and other garden specialty stores in as soon as a few weeks, though Francko said some logistical issues in California were still being worked out…FreezePruf was one of the first patents that the University had issued that could be sold in stores, said William Gathings, director of the Office for Technology Transfer…
Mabila battle site location remains elusive
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 27
…But why is it important to find the Mabila site, anyway? Wouldn’t the time, money and effort be better spent in trying to improve lives in communities like Miller’s Ferry, Bogue Chitto and Gee’s Bend? It’s a fair question. But University of Alabama professor Larry Clayton makes an eloquent case in a chapter of “The Search for Mabila,” a new publication of The University of Alabama Press. The book collects the papers of 17 scholars at a symposium convened here as a step toward finally discovering the site of Mabila…The next step in the efforts to locate Mabila, spearheaded by UA anthropology professor Jim Knight, may be to invite the public to submit artifacts…
Time running out on first-time home buyer tax credit
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 27
…While home buying remains down, there has been “a substantial increase in purchases in recent months from numbers that had been abysmally low just a few months before,” said Leonard Zumpano, a finance and real estate professor at the University of Alabama.
He noted, however, that home sales normally tend to rise in late spring and early summer so the credit’s impact might best be assessed when home sales figures come out for September, October and November. “I think $8,000 is substantial enough to get people’s attention, and I think it would motivate a lot of people,” he said…
Census workers ‘shocked’ by death
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 28
…“Everybody is shocked — shocked and appalled,” said Annette Watters, a demographer at the University of Alabama, reported Thursday, a day after the story broke. “Census people like me have just been e-mailing furiously — we don’t know anything about it, but it is certainly a frightening development if it turns out this man was lynched simply because he worked for the census bureau and the United States government.”…Accurate census numbers are important in part “because of money,” Watters said. “Allocation of federal dollars is made across the country in large part based on how many people live in different places around the country,” she said. “So it is really in everyone’s best interest to get counted so that you will get your fair share of those dollars.”…
Education briefs
Birmingham News – Sept. 26
The University of Alabama College of Engineering will host Engineering Day, E-Day, an open house for high school students and their families, 8 a.m.- 2 p.m. Thursday… — Two University of Alabama students have received National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarships for 2009-10… — The University of Alabama College of Engineering recently named two new department heads. Dr. Bob Taylor will lead the department of mechanical engineering, and Dr. Viola L. Acoff will direct the department of metallurgical and materials engineering.
College Honors
Mobile Press-Register – Sept. 27
James P. Robinson of Atmore; Kaitlyn L. Griffin and Terri L. Peacock, both of Brewton; Patrick T. Broderick, Alexander Y. Chiang, John H. Hagood and William A. Tucker, all of Mobile; John A. Bennett of Semmes; Daniel C. Free and Stacey A. Stewart, both of Spanish Fort, made the President’s List at the University of Alabama. — Dane Eric Hinton of Mobile was inducted into Sigma Alpha Lambda, National Leadership and Honors Organization at the University of Alabama.
College News
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 28
In August, Governor Bob Riley, appointed Shirley Foster to the Alabama Historical Commission. Foster is assistant professor and interim chair of the Department of Clothing, Textiles and Interior Design at the University of Alabama…
Education briefs
Birmingham News – Sept. 26
…Dr. Philip Westbrook, assistant professor of educational leadership, policy and technology studies at the University of Alabama, has been named director of the UA Blackburn Institute, a preeminent student leadership agency on campus.
University of Alabama Dean’s list
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 28
A total of 352 students enrolled during the 2009 summer term at The University of Alabama made the Dean’s List with an academic record of 3.5 or above (on a 4.0 scale) or the President’s List with an academic record of 4.0 (all As)…