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MONDAY, AUGUST 19 – SUNDAY, AUGUST 25, 2013

BEST BETS

UA FRESHMEN TO SERVE COMMUNITY AT RIPPLE EFFECT 2013 – UA’s Community Service Center’s Ripple Effect 2013, a service opportunity for freshmen, will run from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Tuesday, Aug. 20. Students will perform service projects at Tuscaloosa agencies. The activities include painting, cleaning and landscaping. Volunteer sites include Habitat For Humanity Tuscaloosa, 109 Juanita Drive and 1723 16^th Ave. East; Youth For Christ/Campus Life, 1401 McFarland Blvd.; Tuscaloosa Metro Animal Shelter, 3140 35^th St.; YMCA – Downtown, 2405 Paul Bryant Drive; and Tuscaloosa Head Start Center, 2200 Second St. Contact: Kimberly Montgomery, Community Service Center, kmont@sa.ua.edu, 205/348-5586 or Richard LeComte, UA media relations, 205/348-3782, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu.

UA PRESENTS WEEK OF WELCOME 2013 – The University of Alabama’s Week of Welcome 2013 continues through Thursday, Aug. 29. The two-week series, featuring more than 50 events, is designed to help first-year and transfer students transition to academic and student life at the Capstone by learning about campus life and the Tuscaloosa community. Contact LaToya Scott at scott060@sa.ua.edu or 205/348-7525 or Bobby Mathews, UA media relations, at bwmathews1@ua.edu or 205/348-4956.

SOFTWARE TO SIMULATE BEHAVIORS WITHIN CELLS, AID IN HEALTH RESEARCH –A new research grant will aid a UA math professor in developing a software package to simulate biochemical reactions within cells – an effort that could pave the way for new therapies to target disease. The National Science Foundation awarded Dr. Roger Sidje, an associate professor of mathematics and a newly appointed associate dean in UA’s College of Arts and Sciences, an approximate $200,000 grant for the research. The software package would feature a mathematical model that seeks to accurately mimic behaviors associated with key molecules within cells during specific situations. Computer modeling of cellular processes allows researchers to avoid costly trial-and-error laboratory experiments in live cells. For more information, contact Chris Bryant, UA media relations, at 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu. Contact Sidje directly at   205/348-7007, roger.b.sidje@ua.edu.

UA PROFESSOR’S NEW BOOK EXAMINES COLD WAR’S IMPACT ON SOUTH – A new book by University of Alabama history professor Kari Frederickson explores how the Cold War changed the American South in ways that are just now being understood. Cold War Dixie (University of Georgia Press, 2013) examines the impact of the military-industrial complex on the small town of Aiken, S.C. For more information, contact Frederickson at kfrederi@as.ua.edu or Bobby Mathews, UA media relations, at bwmathews1@ua.edu or 205/348-4956.

COLLABORATIVE APPROACH DEVELOPED FOR THOSE WITH CHRONIC HEALTH CONDITIONS – UA students are learning the value behind the “two heads are better than one” concept when addressing the health-care needs of rural communities. The Capstone College of Nursing received a $997,173 grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to implement a collaborative, team-based approach to working with patients who have multiple chronic conditions. The primary component of the three-year grant is the development of interprofessional grand round teams. These teams will be comprised of graduate-level students from the various disciplines, with nurse practitioner students in the Capstone College of Nursing taking lead on this project. For more information, contact Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.

CURRENT COMMENT

IMPACT OF FEDERAL STUDENT LOAN BILL WILL BE MINIMAL – Federal legislators avoided student loan rates increasing to 6.8 percent with a bipartisan bill that will keep rates at 3.8 percent and tie rates to financial markets. Dr. Stephen Katsinas, director of the Education Policy Center at The University of Alabama, says the changes will be small and imperceptible to most parents. Rates increased slightly with the deal, from 3.4 percent to 3.86. “The several hundred dollars cost in this interest rate was not going to be a deciding factor for most parents and students, as the decision as to whether or not a student loan was needed was already made prior to the August agreement,” said Katsinas. Contact Katsinas at 205/348-2470 or skatsina@bamaed.ua.edu or David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.

DOPING NOT JUST A PROBLEM IN BASEBALL – With a decision about New York Yankees superstar Alex Rodriguez’s fate on the diamond pending from the Major League Baseball commissioner’s office, many eyes have turned to the problem of pro baseball players using performance-enhancing drugs. However, Dr. Andrew Billings, Ronald Reagan Endowed Chair for Broadcasting in UA’s department of telecommunication and film, said while much of the attention falls to baseball, it’s a problem in many other sports, too. Yet PEDs are often pegged as a baseball problem. “Biogenesis is currently unpacked as another baseball scandal related to performance-enhancing drugs,” Billings said. “However, Biogenesis is also linked to athletes in the NBA, professional tennis and Mixed-Martial Arts. Why does baseball hold a unique position among all sports when it concerns PEDs?” Contact Billings at 205/348-8658 or acbillings@ua.edu, or Misty Mathews, UA media relations, at 205/348-6416 or mmathews@ua.edu.

CLOSING EMBASSIES MAY NOT DETER TERRORISM – The U.S. Department of State just re-opened 18 of the 19 embassies and consulates that were closed recently because of concern about the potential for terrorist attacks emanating from Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula. But research by Dr. Walters Enders, professor of economics and finance at The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce, and others, indicates that closing embassies in response to terrorist threats may be ineffective and may even increase casualties elsewhere when embassy personnel are not in protected areas. Contact Enders at  205/348-8972 or wenders@cba.ua.edu, or Bill Gerdes, UA media relations, at 205/348-8318 or bgerdes@cba.ua.edu.

EVENTS

UA TO HOST SYMPOSIUM ON FUTURE OF CIVIL ENGINEERING – The University of Alabama department of civil, construction and environmental engineering will host a symposium to discuss the future of the field. Titled “Defining the Future of Civil Engineering through Collaborative Research,” the symposium includes a panel discussion among eight nationally-recognized civil engineering researchers at 1 p.m. Aug. 19 in SERC 1013. Speakers will also give brief presentations on their research on the morning of Aug. 20 in SERC. Contact: Adam Jones, engineering media relations, at 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.

SATURDAY IN THE PARK CONTINUES AT MOUNDVILLE — Park education outreach coordinator Betsy Irwin will display and discuss gourds, the oldest plant known to have been cultivated in North America, during this weekend’s Saturday in the Park program at UA’s Moundville Archaeological Park. As containers from nature, gourds can be made into bowls, jugs, baskets and birdhouses. Native Americans also used them to make masks and dance rattles. A wide array of these natural containers, as well as several varieties of gourds, will be discussed and displayed. Children will have an opportunity to decorate their own small gourd. The event runs from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 24. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.