UA professor to study barbecue
NBC 13 – Aug. 30
A University of Alabama professor is set to explore how barbecue became a cultural phenomenon within the borders of the state. Professor Dr. Joshua Rothman received an $18,000 grant from the Southern Foodways Alliance in order to study barbecue in the state of Alabama as well as how the regional cuisine of Alabama developed over time. Rothman said, “As a professor of southern history and director of the Summersell Center for Study of the South, I try to take in as many aspects of the South and southern culture as possible, plus, I like to eat.” “Before it became such a national phenomenon, barbecue was very much a regional experience,” Rothman said. “People take it very seriously. They’ll just about fight to the death over how to make barbecue sauce.” Even though food is obviously important in the state, researching and writing about Alabama foodways is an under-developed venture. That’s why the SFA and the State of Alabama funded the project. “We’re hoping to publish two papers—one on barbecue in Alabama, and one on Alabama foodways,” Rothman said. Rothman will rely on two associates, doctoral candidate Mark Johnson, and graduate student Dana Alsen, for the research and writing.
Developer initiates scholarship
Gulf Coast Business Review – Aug. 30
Prominent local landowner and developer Hugh Culverhouse Jr. and his wife, Eliza Culverhouse, donated $1 million to the Culverhouse College of Commerce at the University of Alabama. The college, named for Culverhouse’s father, Hugh Culverhouse Sr., will use the donation for scholarships to defray student debt, according to a statement. “These new scholarships will make a tremendous difference in the lives of students who are struggling to pay for college,” Culverhouse College of Commerce Dean Michael Hardin says in a statement.
Engineering Professor Granted Patent for Carbon-Capture Process
Lab Manager – Aug. 29
An innovative method for stripping greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide from industrial emissions is potentially cheaper and more efficient than current methods, according to a United States patent based on research by Dr. Jason E. Bara, assistant professor of chemical and biological engineering at the University of Alabama. Nearly all commercially-available efforts at scrubbing greenhouse gasses, GHG’s, from emissions use a liquid solution of water and amine, derived from ammonia, that contacts the stream, removing carbon dioxide, CO2, or other unwanted gases. The system patented by Bara would replace much of the water in the aqueous amine solutions with a promising class of molecules known as imidazoles, organic solvents with a low vapor pressure, or boiling point.
Bloomberg News – Aug. 30
Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center set for grand opening today
Al.com – Aug. 29
The Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center’s grand opening will take place this evening at 6:30 p.m. The Tuscaloosa Arts Council says the center should serve as a dynamic addition to an already expanding downtown arts scene. It will be managed by the Arts Council and will house the Arts Council Gallery, the University of Alabama Gallery, Black Box Theatre, Grand Hall and office spaces. … The University of Alabama Gallery offers a year-round schedule of exhibitions of artistic works, artifacts, textiles and more from permanent collections held by the University of Alabama as well as works by faculty, students, and guest artists and designers. “A Magic Carpet Ride: Rugs from the Collection of Dr. and Mrs. William T. Price” will be exhibited tonight through Oct. 24, 2013.
Sacramento Bee – Aug. 29
Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 30
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Aug. 29
Alabama football faithful face fuel costs, holiday traffic in getting to game in Atlanta
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 29
Crimson Tide football fans driving to Atlanta for Saturday’s Chick-fil-A Kickoff Classic will first have to defeat two opponents: slightly higher gas prices and heavier traffic linked to the Labor Day holiday weekend.
Football fashion: Alabama fans love houndstooth, elephants, anything declaring winning tradition
Al.com – Aug. 29
Retro elephants, chevron, crimson-colored dresses and houndstooth are some of the fashion trends sure to be on display as Alabama fans get ready to show their love for their favorite football team this season…University of Alabama Director of MBA Student Services Lori Barstow White said that her male and female students relish any opportunity to show their crimson allegiance–especially with houndstooth, the pattern initially popularized by former football coach Paul “Bear” Bryant.
How Tablets are Making Classrooms Better than Before
UPublish.info – Aug. 29
Tablets are quickly getting accepted as an extremely popular and powerful mode of imparting education in our schools. Beyond the benefit of keeping the students engaged, they can improve education’s efficiency and standards. However, many institutions are raising questions over the cost involved and discarding them as an unnecessary and expensive experiment. … Few professors at the University of Alabama are using iPads to record student’s attendance and participation in the lecture sessions. The app related to this is believed to be still in the developmental stages at Apple’s lab.