UA-sponsored 5K draws about 1,000 participants
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 12
About 1,000 people — including college students, adults and families — got active Sunday afternoon as part of the third annual Crimson Couch to 5K Walk/Run event. The event, which was organized by the University of Alabama’s Office of Health Promotion and Wellness, is the culmination of an optional nine-week training program for UA employees. The run also was open to UA employees’ families and Tuscaloosa community members. “About one in every four UA employees aren’t getting enough physical activity,” said Rebecca Kelly, director of the Office of Health Promotion and Wellness, who said the event is meant to spur activity among the UA community. “You have individuals here who have increased energy, are eating better and losing weight, because of something like this that sparked an interest,” Kelly said.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 11
Student Government Association brings B.o.B. to Tuscaloosa to raise money for scholarships
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 11
Too many people out there know that paying for tuition can be difficult for many students. But the University of Alabama’s Student Government Association is coming up with unique ways to raise scholarship money…The University of Alabama’s Student Government Association is bringing big names in the music industry to Tuscaloosa. Peyton Falkenburg, Student Government Association: “He’s that mainstream act that we were looking for that could unify all of campus.” That mainstream act was, B.o.B, a rapper with several top ten hits. Every dollar of the concert’s ticket sales is going to scholarships for need-based students. SGA members say this was a great way to come up with the funds.
Rocket powered prosthetic feet may outrun nature’s best
Med Gadget – Nov. 9
Artificial leg prostheses are either light but passive, working essentially as springs, or powered but heavy to lug around. There are recent efforts to make electric powered prostheses more energy efficient, and lighter in the process. Yet batteries and the motors they power are still large and heavy when used in power hungry applications. Researchers from University of Alabama, Vanderbilt University and the Georgia Institute of Technology have teamed up to develop a practical ankle prosthesis that is powered by rocket-like propellant … More from University of Alabama: To better guarantee the safety and reliability of the prosthesis, Shen [Dr. Xiangrong Shen, assistant professor of mechanical engineering] plans to explore new approaches in fuel storage, exhaust management, thermal insulation and heat management. “This is a relatively new system,” Shen said. “There are some problems in putting the prosthesis into clinical use because the components of the prosthesis are still being developed. In our research, the long-term goal is to develop powered prostheses with comparable appearance and functionality as human limbs.”
University of Alabama graduate to lead Lockheed Martin
Associated Press – Nov. 10
Lockheed Martin Corp. has ousted its president and future CEO over a relationship with a subordinate, and hired two-time University of Alabama graduate to take his place…Marillyn A. Hewson, 58, will serve as president, chief operating officer and director immediately and take over as CEO in January. She joined the company in 1983. Hewson earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration and a master’s in economics from the University of Alabama and has been with Lockheed Martin since 1983. She has since had 18 management jobs at the company. She has a husband and two sons and said she moved her family eight times along the way. Hewson will also retain her current role in the electronics systems business area until the end of this year.
Birmingham Business Journal– Nov. 9
Al.com– Nov. 9
New York Times – Nov. 9
Wall Street Journal – Nov. 9
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram (Texas) – Nov. 9
Orlando Sentinel – Nov. 9
UA graduate Michael Vickers on short list to replace David Petraeus at CIA
Al.com – Nov. 10
Michael Vickers, a top Pentagon official and a University of Alabama graduate, is on the short list of candidates to replace David Petraeus as director of the CIA…Vickers, currently the Under Secretary of Defense for Intelligence, earned a bachelor’s degree, cum laude, from the University of Alabama in 1983.
Deployed veteran earns doctorate from Capstone
Crimson White – Nov. 12
Dara Warren always managed to complete her school assignments, even while being deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq as a military nurse. “When I worked in Iraq, my hospital was a tent. We worked six days of the week, and you stayed busy; and if you’re not working, you’re sleeping. A lot of people are in school while they’re deployed,” Warren said. “The Internet is amazing.” After Warren graduated with her bachelor’s degree in nursing from The University of Alabama, she joined the U.S. Air Force to work as a military nurse…After Warren’s first deployment to Iraq, she wanted to pursue a master’s program in nursing at the University, even though she was concerned about being able to complete the rigorous coursework. “They had the online master’s in nursing program, and I started looking into that when I got back from Iraq,” Warren said. “I asked my professor Dr. Stanton, who also served as a military nurse, about it and she was very understanding and knew what the military life was like. She said that she didn’t think it would be a problem and that I would meet all of the requirements regardless of where I was,” Warren said…After completing her master’s online, Warren decided she wanted to pursue a doctoral degree, as well…Marietta Stanton, the director of the graduate nursing programs, said during her time as Warren’s instructor, she was able to relate and follow Warren through her deployment, because she also served as a military nurse. “Dara was my student in her master’s program and in her doctoral program. She is my hero. I am retired military, but I basically have followed her through Iraq and two deployments to Afghanistan,” Stanton said…Warren said the ease with which she earned her degrees, even from so far away, demonstrated the Capstone’s commitment to being military-friendly.
Meetings management professor wins award
Crimson White – Nov. 12/span>
Tyra Hilliard, an associate professor in the restaurant, hotel and meetings management program, received the 2012 Educator of the Year Award from the Professional Convention Management Association last week for her dedication to her industry. The Professional Convention Management Association is a professional organization where educators in meeting management across the world can network and learn from their colleagues. The association’s Educator of the Year Award has been given for 23 years and is awarded to educators within colleges that have a strong record of personal involvement within the meetings management industry. “Hilliard exhibited exceptional educational content in presentations and teachings and research and has a strong record of professional involvement in the industry. A committee of 20 scored her the highest,” Carolyn Clark, a representative of PCMA, said. Hilliard said she was surprised by the award but honored by the recognition of her hard work. “I was incredulous, surprised, flattered, humbled. It is such an honor to be recognized by peers,” Hilliard said.
AEA still powerful in different way as new issues arise
Gadsden Times – Nov. 10
If anyone thought the pro-Democrat Alabama Education Association would become irrelevant in a Republican-dominated state, the defeat of Amendment 4 on Tuesday showed how wrong those predictions were. The AEA campaigned against the amendment that would have removed Jim Crow-era language from the state Constitution. Never mind that’s what legal scholars said it would do. The AEA took the position that passage of the amendment would harm education, and that’s what counted in the final analysis … Retired University of Alabama political science professor William Stewart said “the new AEA team has had considerable success so far,” but a big test will happen during the 2013 legislative session. “Mabry’s fight for pay increases will really put him to the test,” Stewart said. “Issues like Amendment 4 have a potential effect. Getting teachers a raise and retirees a COLA is something much more substantive and immediate.” Stewart said since Republicans have supermajorities in the House and Senate, if the legislative leadership wants something badly enough, it probably can get it despite AEA’s opposition.
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 10
What does Moore’s win say?
Florence Times Daily – Nov. 11
Republican Roy Moore’s election last week as chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court likely shows that many Alabamians thought he was on the correct side of the religious argument that led to his removal from the same seat nearly a decade ago. “In my judgment, the people of Alabama, by electing Moore to the chief justice chair, said he had been unfairly removed for doing something they support,” said William Stewart, retired professor emeritus in political science at the University of Alabama. “He was convicted of doing something they would have done.” Moore was removed from office for disobeying a federal judge’s order to move a monument of the Ten Commandments from the lobby of the Alabama Judicial Building.
Alabama GOP looks ahead to elected leadership in counties
Prattville Progress – Nov. 11
Although Republicans now hold every statewide office in Alabama, Democrats still control a majority of seats at the county level…“The Democratic Party is pretty healthy at the local level. It is at the state level where it is in such pitiful shape,” said William Stewart, a longtime political observer in the state and professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama. Stewart pointed to Democratic success in Fayette, Lamar, and Pickens counties and to Tuscaloosa County, where he said the longtime Democratic probate judge was re-elected.
Students, staff look at global warming on political stage
Crimson White – Nov. 12
For the first time in several election cycles, climate change wasn’t mentioned in any of the three major presidential debates or the vice presidential debate. It wasn’t until a national weather event – superstorm Sandy – that politicians began to open up about the issue. “It is disappointing, but not surprising,” Fred Andrus, University of Alabama associate professor of geology, said. “The science behind the issue is complex, and the solutions it will require will also be complex and disrupt the present economic status quo.” Andrus studies the chemistry of “shells or skeletons of different organisms” to measure past climate change and human adaptation. “The consequences of inaction will be suffered in the future; thus, the threats superficially appear more abstract and less pressing than other matters,” he said. “The issue has become so polarized, and the views held are so passionate, that there is political risk to anyone who brings the topic up.” Professor Paul Aharon in the department of geological sciences said the lack of focus on climate change reflected political preoccupation with other issues. “Well, it seems that one needs to worry about putting bread on the table before becoming concerned what will happen in a decade or two,” Aharon said. “Meaning that other burning issues such as the sluggish economy, unemployment, Afganistan, etc. took precedence.”
Fashion for Life
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 11
Earlier this evening, people watched a fashion show where the fashion not only looked great but benefited a great cause. Fashion for Life is an annual runway show put on by University of Alabama fashion design students. This year, 19 seniors presented their final collections to a packed house. Admission was $5 and the proceeds go to St. Jude’s Children Hospital.
Raiders reminisce at UA
Tuscaloosa News – Nov. 10
Two members of the historic Jimmy Doolittle bombing raid on Japan during World War II shared their experiences with University of Alabama Army and Air Force ROTC students Friday in the Russell Hall Auditorium. Retired Lt. Col. Dick Cole and retired Maj. Thomas E. Griffin, a UA alumnus, were the guests of honor at an event that featured a video and slide presentation from ROTC students and a panel discussion with the decorated veterans. Cole and Griffin stressed the secret nature of the 1942 bombing mission in Japan and the obligations they felt to volunteer for the dangerous task. “I’ll let the cat out of the bag,” Cole said. “Knowing Col. Doolittle and what he wanted from the mission, you knew you were going to go whether you wanted to or not.” “We were in the (Army) Air Force,” Griffin said. “It was our duty to go.”
UATD presents George Bernard Shaw play
Crimson White – Nov. 12
The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance is presenting George Bernard Shaw’s play, “Misalliance,” this week in Marian Gallaway Theatre in Rowand-Johnson Hall. According to the UA Department of Theatre and Dance website, “Misalliance” is “a comic examination of the mating instincts of a varied group of people gathered at a wealthy man’s country home one summer weekend afternoon” and the “unsuitable alliances” formed there. The comedy includes colorful characters such as “a successful merchant … and his dotty wife, daughter and son … the daughter’s fiancé and his aristocrat father, a gun-wielding youth trying to kill the merchant” and others. Edmond “Ed” Williams, founding chairman of the UA Department of Theatre and Dance and professor of stage managing and directing, will direct “Misalliance.”…Williams said the audience will enjoy the play because they will be able to relate to the characters and the situations presented.
UA Veterans Day ceremony moved to Ferguson Center
Al.com – Nov. 12
The University of Alabama’s Veterans Day ceremony scheduled for 11 a.m. today has been moved to the Ferguson Center due to the weather. The ceremony will be held in the Heritage Room on the third floor of the UA student center. The university is hosting a number of events for Veterans Week that will include a weeklong “Battle of the Branches” student military competition and the grand opening of a new Center of Veterans and Military Affairs at 1 B.B. Comer Hall from 2-4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 16.
Profiles on the fashion department: student designs UA’s official tartan
Crimson White – Nov. 12
Linnzi Rich, a senior majoring in interior and graphic design, now has an impressive line on her resume: designing the official tartan of The University of Alabama. In October 2010, the College of Human Environmental Sciences held a contest for its students to design a tartan to best represent The University of Alabama. Rich won, and her design debuted this year as a scarf. It is sold at the University Supply Store, The Locker Room and The Shirt Shop. Rich began her college career majoring in engineering. Always in tune to the technicalities of how things work, she thrived at the Capstone. After an internship at Shaw Industries, a textile producer in Georgia, Rich discovered her aptitude for creativity and design. She then decided to change her major to better fit her knack for both the technical and creative…Rich encourages students to follow their interests regarding their majors. “I would say jump into something if you’re the least bit interested,” Rich said. “If you find out you don’t like your major, change it. Do whatever sparks your imagination. Don’t care what anyone else thinks.”
Ignite UA accepts member applications
Crimson White – Nov. 12
Ignite UA, a community-building program offered by First Year Experience of the Division of Student Affairs at The University of Alabama, is accepting applications next week. Ignite UA was built specifically for freshman and transfer students as they transition into life during their first semesters at The University of Alabama. The program is in its second year now, meeting every other Wednesday in Gorgas Library Room 205. “Our goal is not to show students what they should do while here at the University,” Mary Alice Porter, coordinator for FYE and Parent Programs, said. “It is to help them identify resources and find what they are personally interested in doing, while helping them create a plan to accomplish these goals.”…The program received 118 applications last year, and between 70 and 80 students got on board with the group.
UA students hold dog wash
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Nov. 9
The Alabama SPCA and University of Alabama student volunteers teamed up for a “dog wash” going on right now at Pet Supplies Plus.