University of Alabama theatre department to explore youth, beauty and love in upcoming production of ‘Picnic’
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 20
The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance will explore themes of identity, youth, beauty and, of course, love in its upcoming production of William Inge’s American classic, “Picnic.” “It’s a lovely slice of life,” said Allison Hetzel, who plays Flo Owens, and is also an associate professor in the department. “Anyone can relate to something, whether it is being a parent or experiencing heartbreak, or even if you’re rushing off with someone who might not be the best choice. It offers aspects of the human condition for everybody.” Since its 1953 debut on Broadway, “Picnic” has been adapted into two major musicals, “Hot September” and “Summer Brave,” both of which foundered and lasted for only a handful of performances. The play was also made into a 1955 film starring William Holden and Kim Novak that won two Academy Awards. For UA’s production, the cast and crew will return to the play’s roots in realism, although they take a few liberties in set design. “Our set designer has talked about how we’re doing a realistic production, but the set design is more selective realism,” said director Jeffry Tangeman.
UA fraternity holding bone marrow donor drive to help alum’s daughter
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Feb. 20
A fraternity at the University of Alabama is coming together in hopes of saving a life. The Pi Kappa Alpha (PIKE) fraternity will host a bone marrow drive Friday, February 21 from 2-6 p.m. at the PIKE house, located at 202 University Boulevard. The drive is for 8–month-old Hadley Mercer. Her father is UA alum and a member of the PIKE fraternity. Hadley was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia, or AML on December 6th, 2013. Because of chromosomal abnormalities and a lack of response to traditional chemotherapy her only cure is a bone marrow transplant. Since Hadley’s family is not a match fraternity members are hoping they can find one through the drive. You must be between the ages of 18 and 44 to be eligible.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 20
New Findings from University of Alabama Update Understanding of Zinc Oxide Nanotechnology
Hispanic Business – Feb. 21
New research on Nanotechnology is the subject of a report. According to news reporting out of Tuscaloosa, Alabama, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “The effect of Al doping concentration and oxygen ambient pressure on the structural and optical properties of chemical vapor deposition-grown, Al-doped ZnO nanowires is studied.” Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from the University of Alabama, “As Al doping increases, the strength of the broad visible emission band decreases and the UV emission increases, but the growth rate depends on the oxygen pressure in a complex manner. Together, these behaviors suggest that Al doping is effective in reducing the number of oxygen vacancies responsible for visible emission, especially at low oxygen ambient pressure.” According to the news editors, the research concluded: “The intensities and quantum efficiencies of these emission mechanisms are discussed in terms of the effect growth and doping conditions have on the underlying excitonic decay mechanisms.”
The search for Mavila: The seekers
Columbia Daily Herald (Tenn.) – Feb. 20
It has been fun over the past weeks writing about Mavila — or Mabila as it is sometimes spelled. The coastal Alabama city of Mobile is named for that battle. It has also been an easy undertaking because, though the event is neglected in American history textbooks, it is well documented by the four principle chroniclers of the De Soto expedition. Given the fact that the event occurred five centuries ago, those who care to do the research have available to them some fairly good resources … Another scholar I met more recently is Professor Vernon Knight of the University of Alabama. He co-chaired a 2006 conference called “The Search for Mabila,” edited a book of the same name published in 2009 and leads of a multidisciplinary team looking for the battle site. The pool of talent excites high expectations. He is working with anthropologists, historians, linguists, geographers, geologists and NASA scientists using satellite technology. The collaboration, he believes, will yield results. Knight told me that one of the team’s projects has been to hold periodic area artifact shows in which farmers in the Alabama floodplain bring in their finds to have them identified and catalogued. The hope is that eventually a farmer will bring in triangular arrowheads and some Spanish artifacts. Problematic, he lamented, is that fewer people are farming and that lands once worked by the plow are now planted in pine.
Talk is dead; long live WhatsApp
Market Watch – Feb. 21
Why would Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg pay $16 billion for WhatsApp? Because, at a time when fewer people actually talk on the phone or send emails, experts say messaging is becoming a dominant mode of human communication. … Last year, meanwhile, Internet messaging exceeded text messages globally for the first time, according to accounting firm Deloitte; in the U.K., messages are expected to surge to 300 billion from 160 billion. “Messaging is becoming the preferred means for communication,” says John Bonini, content marketing manager of Impact Branding & Design … And by buying WhatsApp, Facebook is obviously trying to bring teenagers and young adults back into the fold. “It’s just like Marriott opening up a boutique hotel chain to attract younger travelers, Miller introducing Miller Fortune to attract millennials or Campbell’s Soup launching a new line in pouches with cool packaging to attract younger consumers,” says Kristy Reynolds, a professor of marketing at the University of Alabama.
Warren St. John speaks at UA
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 20
A journalist with a rare glimpse into the life of Alabama football coach Nick Saban shared some insight with dozens of UA journalism students. Writer Warren St. John discussed his GQ profile of Nick Saban in front of a packed lecture hall on the university campus this evening. His September article titled “Sympathy for the Devil”, brought an inside look at Saban’s life not often seen by journalists. St. John says he enjoys speaking with students and continues to gain inspiration from them. “I like their questions … I always learn from the students and I get inspired and it’s always helpful to look at the people who are reading right in the eye and to get feedback from them.
Tuscaloosa’s Rise to the Occasion to hold Flash Art fundraiser
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 21
From charcoal to oil and pastel paintings, six Tuscaloosa artists will have an opportunity to create whatever image that comes to their minds as they race against time and paint for a cause. In just an hour and a half, they will produce original new works, which will be sold to benefit the Rise School, during Tuscaloosa’s Rise to the Occasion — Flash Art fundraiser. … Opened in 1974, the Rise School of Tuscaloosa serves children with cerebral palsy, spina bifida, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities, but since 1986 has also included their typically developing peers, utilizing techniques of early childhood special education, early childhood education and child development. The school provides families with physical, occupational, speech and music therapies. It also offers college students a chance to gain internship experience by working with the students and faculty. The school, which is housed in the Stallings Center at the east end of the University of Alabama campus, has served thousands of children and their families.
UA to Host Wheelchair Basketball Tournament
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 20
Live Interview with Dr. Brent Hardin.
LOCAL Q&A: Andrew Grace
Tuscaloosa News – Feb. 21
This week we talked with Andrew Grace, a film professor and director of the documentary “Eating Alabama.”
Q: Who are you?
A: I’m a documentary filmmaker and I direct the Documenting Justice program at the University of Alabama. I really have two jobs. As an independent filmmaker I’m always working on a few projects: researching and reading, raising money, shooting and editing, and then distributing and traveling with the movies when they’re done. As a film professor I’m working with my students to help them develop their own projects and then hounding them endlessly about getting them finished.