Panel Suggests Signs of Trouble Before Rig Explosion
The New York Times – May 25
In the hours before the Deepwater Horizon oil rig exploded last month in the Gulf of Mexico, there were strong warning signs that something was terribly wrong with the well, according to a Congressional committee that was briefed on the accident by executives from BP. . . . Philip W. Johnson, an engineering professor at the University of Alabama and a specialist in petroleum engineering, said in an e-mail message that with normal pressure test readings indicating a good seal on the casing and the temporary cement plug, it is not unusual to displace the mud with seawater before the cement job is finished to get a cleaner surface for the cement to adhere to. “But without a good pressure test, it would be reckless to displace,” he said.
BP’s ‘Top Kill’ Procedure Won’t Be Easy
The Takeaway (national radio news program) – May 26
Today, BP will try to pour cement down the leaking well to plug it up and pave it over, but pouring cement 5,000 feet beneath the ocean is a bit more complicated than laying a sidewalk. For more on the top kill procedure, we’re joined by WWL reporter Dave Cohen. And Dr. Peter Clark, a petroleum engineer with the University of Alabama.
Alabama grad shares mission trip moments with Kiwanis Club
Daily Mountain Eagle (Jasper) – May 26
Laura Dover spoke Monday at the Kiwanis Club of Jasper’s meeting about her recent mission trip to Honduras last year. Dover, a University of Alabama graduate with double majors in philosophy and Spanish, said the trip had a major effect on her career aspirations as well as helping her grow spiritually. “The experience as a whole solidified my decision to become a doctor and enter medical school.” Dover said. “Seeing the plight of the Honduran people and how much a doctor can help a person’s life in so many ways made the career choice a lock for me.”
Betsy Plank, 1924-2010: Public relations leader: In 1973, she became the first female president of the Public Relations Society of America
Chicago Tribune – May 25
Betsy Plank, the first female president of the Public Relations Society of America, led efforts to improve educational standards in the business communications field and provided solid counsel to generations of students and young professionals. A former PR executive with AT&T and the first woman to run a division at Illinois Bell, Mrs. Plank, 86, died Sunday, May 23, at her home in Chicago‘s Lakeview neighborhood, said Arthur Yann, vice president of public relations with the Public Relations Society of America. Mrs. Plank worked briefly in radio after her 1944 graduation from the University of Alabama. After moving to Chicago, she took a job with the public relations agency Daniel Edelman, opened in 1952.
U.S. News & World Report MBA Rankings Survey to Include GRE(R) Scores
Reuters (PR Wire) – May 26
In an unprecedented move, U.S. News & World Report, publisher of the highly regarded “America’s Best Graduate Schools,” will for the first time this October begin collecting GRE(R) General Test data as part of its annual rankings of top MBA programs. The announcement follows a U.S. News & World Report study that showed dramatic increases of top business schools that use or will soon use the GRE test for MBA admission. . . . “About 50 percent of our students come from non-business undergraduate programs, such as science, law and engineering,” says Blake Bedsole, Director of Admissions and Student Services at Manderson Graduate School of Business, University of Alabama. “We’ve found that these students prefer to take the GRE test so that they can apply to other graduate and professional programs. In fact, 25 percent of last year’s class opted to take the GRE instead of the GMAT. Accepting GRE scores allows us to be much more flexible in our recruitment efforts, and that’s a good thing for our program and the students.”