University of Alabama freshmen honors students wrap up West Alabama service projects
Al.com – Aug. 15
More than 250 University of Alabama students are wrapping up service projects this week in Brookwood and Cottondale elementary schools in addition to local rivers and creeks. Alabama and Outdoor Action, two programs run out of UA’s Honors College, pair incoming freshmen honors students with upperclassmen student-leaders to take part in week-long service projects. The students, who moved on to campus last week alongside sorority recruitment rushees and Million Dollar Band campers, are currently taking part in the 13th annual Alabama Action project. Around 150 students and 31 student-leaders are currently working in Brookwood and Cottondale elementary schools, doing everything from building a baseball field to repainting libraries and basketball courts.
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Aug. 15
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 15
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Aug. 15
University of Alabama history professor studies Cold War impact on South
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 15
A new book by a University of Alabama history professor explores how the Cold War changed the economic, political and social life in the American South. “Cold War Dixie,” by associate professor Kari Frederickson, examines the impact of the Cold War military-industrial complex through the effects of the Savannah River Plant and the DuPont Corp. on the nearby small town of Aiken, S.C., which transformed from primarily poor, rural and staunchly Democratic to increasingly middle class, suburban and Republican, according to a release from UA. Frederickson spent 13 years researching and writing about the Savannah River Plant, a partnership between the Atomic Energy Commission and the DuPont Corp. that produced components for the hydrogen bomb, according to the release.
Ala. student awarded grant for HIV/AIDS research
Moulton Advertiser – Aug. 15
A University of Alabama doctoral student has been awarded a grant from the National Science Foundation to research social factors surrounding the spread of HIV/AIDS. Anthropology student Martina Thomas has been given a $16,000 grant for her research. AL.com reported Wednesday ( http://bit.ly/16l2RsG) that Thomas formed her project after interviewing black women and their daughters for a project she needed to complete to earn her master’s degree. Thomas says she found that many people held misconceptions about HIV/AIDS and some women told her they could tell who had the virus by how they look. Thomas says she plans to study how those types of perceptions impact the risk of young women contracting HIV/AIDS.
CBS 4 (Dothan) – Aug. 15
Rainfall making dent in multi-year drought conditions
Southeast Sun (Enterprise) – Aug. 15
During an Aug. 12 Coffee County Commission meeting, Emergency Management Agency Director Larry Walker discussed the above average rainfall amounts the Wiregrass has seen over the last several months. Walker said in 2010 and 2011 the county and most of the Southeast experienced a serious drought, with only 30-50 inches of rain in some areas. According to the Department of Geography at the University of Alabama, Coffee County’s 30-year average is 54 inches of rain based on approximately 92 days of rainfall.
University of Alabama 2013 sorority recruitment: Aug. 15, 2013 (photos)
Al.com – Aug. 15
University of Alabama women braved the scorching sun and high humidity today to make the second recruitment round of invitation-only Philanthropy Day visits. More than 2,000 women are taking part in official Panhellenic recruitment this week, finishing up Skit Days today. Active members could be seen dressed in everything from Alabama football jerseys to costume ball gowns as they welcomed rushees into sessions. Skit Days are designed to show rushees the personality and spirit of each individual house. Sororities will again cut down on invitations after today’s sessions before tomorrow’s Pref Day, the most exclusive and longest sessions.