University of Alabama professor studies role of social media in responding to disasters
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 11
What if Twitter and Facebook had existed in 2001?…Had today’s social media been available then, would it have made a difference 10 years ago today? Could it have been used, if not to help stop the attacks, to at least lessen their severity? These are questions University of Alabama assistant psychology professor Rosanna Guadagno will be pondering today. Guadagno is the director of UA’s Online Social Influence Laboratory, which studies how people interact online. Thanks to a grant from the National Science Foundation, she is researching the effect social media had in the aftermath of the April 27 tornado… “We all remember where we were and who we were with when 9/11 happened, and most of us got our information from a television or a radio,” Guadagno said. “But now a lot of people get their breaking news from Twitter and Facebook…Guadagno added that if the passengers on the other planes could have learned through Facebook and Twitter of the passenger revolt on United Airlines Flight 93 which crashed in Shanksville, Pa., they might have revolted as well, cutting the suicide missions short of their targets…
University’s religious studies department one of few in the southeast
Crimson White – Sept. 12
The University’s department of religious studies is the only full department of its kind at a public school in the state…Even more unique is the offering of a minor in Judaic studies. This program is headed by Steven L. Jacobs, the Aaron Aronov chair of Judaic studies…
A changed community: Alabama residents reflect on the toll, lessons of 9/11
Birmingham News – Sept. 11
… The insecurity caused by Sept. 11 that lingers to this day was the ultimate goal of the terrorists who masterminded the attacks, said Jerome Rosenberg, a professor of psychology at the University of Alabama who specializes in “human destructiveness” and survival. “The United States, even with its post-9/11 security efforts, still has a fundamental feeling of vulnerability, a feeling that we’ll never be as secure as we thought we were,” Rosenberg said. “No other form of attack is necessary, because America is a different place now. They’ve proven our vulnerability; our constitutional freedoms have been modified for self-protection. 9/11 did anything and everything al-Qaida or anyone else could have hoped to accomplish.”…
Alabama Community of Excellence helps North Jefferson Area
North Jefferson News – Sept. 10
… Presenter Nisa Miranda, director of the University of Alabama Center for Economic Development, helped the group of over 100 attendees understand that to make an ACE community thrive it must have clean partnership with the mayors office, any economic development entities, the chamber of commerce, and of course schools. According to Ms. Miranda, and speaking to a diverse audience of business leaders, chamber leaders, city leaders and institutional leaders, “Who drives this in an area?” She continued, “It is not the mayor, or city council, but you.”…
Opinion: Better building in Alabama
Huntsville Times – Sept. 12
… But a recent engineering study, conducted in part by experts at the University of Alabama ,suggests that much of the damage done to more than 23,000 Alabama homes by 62 tornadoes on April 27 could have been reduced or prevented if builders had spent only $500 to $600 more on each house to make it more wind resistant…
UA’s Margaret Garner receives American Dietetic Association’s highest honor
Al.com – Sept. 12
University of Alabama assistant dean for health education and outreach in the College of Community Health Sciences Margaret Garner has been named the 2011 recipient of the American Dietetic Association’s highest honor, the Marjorie Hulsizer Copher Award…Representing UA is humbling, she says, as her colleagues have been incredibly supportive of her being active at the state and national levels. “I am a better dietitian and educator because of the experiences in leadership, advocacy, policy, education standards as well as accreditation of dietetic education programs that these years of service have provided,” Garner said…In her time at UA, Garner was able to help establish a benefit through her human resources department and insurance to cover four visits per year for a usual office co-pay. She said UA was the first to support nutrition counseling for wellness, weight management or medical nutrition therapy for diseases as a covered benefit…
CIMG provides learning experience
Crimson White – Sept. 12
…the Culverhouse Investment Management Group. CIMG is a select group of undergraduate students that manages an investment portfolio that is currently worth around $350,000. Students make real market decisions for this fund…At the end of the second quarter of 2011, CIMG’s portfolio stood at $391,498.97; up 24.29 percent since the group’s inception in 2009… “Currently all money stays in the fund,” said Rob Norwood, CIMG president. “In the future, the hope is that it will eventually fund scholarships for students throughout the University.”… “It is a unique program,” Bailey said. “We have people who aren’t finance people. For example, we look for biology majors for healthcare investments.”…
UA offers alternatives to driving on campus
Crimson White – Sept. 12
…Along with the bus systems, UA students can now use options like Zipcar and Zimride. “I think even fewer students could bring their cars to campus because Alabama provides many options,” said UA English professor Marsha McSpadden. “It is also a good freshman year experience to not have a car.”…CrimsonRide has updated their routes this year to include a Sunday shopping route that goes to Target, Midtown and the University Mall. 348-RIDE operates during the hours that the CrimsonRide does not run…
Alabama freshman featured in Seventeen
Crimson White – Sept. 12
…One UA student has lived out the dream by recently modeling for a photo shoot appearing in Seventeen Magazine. Paige Conklin, a freshman majoring in journalism…Working with her agency Covergirl Agency of New York, Conklin was able to set up an interview with Seventeen in March. She then headed back to The Big Apple in May for the fall “Back-to-School” photo shoot…
Local young women pledge sororities at Alabama, Auburn
Decatur Daily – Sept. 10
The University of Alabama’s sororities recently conducted a record-breaking recruitment. More than 1,700 signed up for the week’s activities, making it the biggest sorority recruitment in the nation.