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MONDAY, APRIL 28 – SUNDAY, MAY 4, 2014

BEST BETS

UA COMMENCEMENT SET FOR MAY 2-3 – The University of Alabama will celebrate spring commencement with ceremonies on Friday, May 2 and Saturday, May 3 at Coleman Coliseum.  Commencement exercises will be split into three ceremonies. Graduates from the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Social Work will participate in a ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, May 2. At 9 a.m. Saturday, graduates from the Culverhouse College of Commerce and the College of Engineering participate in the first of two ceremonies, while graduates from the Capstone College of Nursing, College of Communication and Information Sciences, College of Education and the College of Human Environmental Sciences will participate in a ceremony at 1:30 p.m. More than 4,411 undergraduate and graduate students are degree candidates. Dorothy J. Martin, associate provost at UA, will serve as commencement marshal. For more information, visit http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/04/ua-to-hold-spring-commencement-exercises-may-2-3/ or contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.

UA STUDENTS RECEIVE PRESTIGIOUS GOLDWATER, HOLLINGS, TRUMAN SCHOLARSHIPS – The Harry S. Truman Scholarship Foundation has named University of Alabama student Jason Arterburn, a junior from Madison, as a Truman Scholar for 2014. He is one of 59 U.S. students to receive a Truman Scholarship this year. In addition, the Barry Goldwater Scholarship and Excellence in Education Program has selected two UA students as Goldwater Scholars for 2014-2015. Over the past eight years, UA ranks second among U.S. universities in the number of students receiving scholarships from the Goldwater program. Furthermore, five UA students have received the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Ernest F. Hollings Undergraduate Scholarship for 2014-2016. NOAA awarded 106 scholarships total this year. For more information, visit http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/04/ua-student-named-truman-scholar/ and http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/04/two-ua-students-named-goldwater-scholars-for-2014-15/ or contact Richard LeComte, UA Media Relations, at rllecomte@ur.ua.edu or 205/348-3782.

UA PROF DETAILS HOW CHEMICAL DUMPING AFFECTS ANNISTON – The Monsanto Co. held its cards close to the vest, refusing to publicly acknowledge the damage its PCB pollution was doing in Anniston, even though internal memos revealed the company knew about the dangers of its chemical dumping since the 1960s. Now a University of Alabama researcher has written a book that sheds new light on a pollution scandal that resulted in a $700 million legal settlement and—according to the EPA—still affects the bucolic southern city today. Dr. Ellen Griffith Spears’ new book, “Baptized in PCBs: Race, Pollution and Justice in an All-American Town,” looks at a more than 140-year period in Anniston, and it traces how a combination of chemicals, money and people transformed the city into “one of the most toxic towns in the United States,” according to a 2002 60 Minutes report. For more information, contact Bobby Mathews, UA Media Relations, 205/348-4956 or bwmathews1@ur.ua.edu.

UA STUDENTS TO COMPETE IN NATIONAL VEHICLE DESIGN CONTEST – Students from several disciplines across The University of Alabama will compete nationally over the next four years to design an advanced, energy-efficient vehicle. The contest, called EcoCAR 3, is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy and General Motors Co. For more information, contact Adam Jones, engineering media relations, 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.

CURRENT COMMENT

NBA OWNER’S ALLEGED COMMENTS MAY MEAN NEW OWNERSHIP FOR CLIPPERS — Recent racially insensitive comments allegedly made by L.A. Clippers owner Donald Sterling have set the NBA abuzz with discussions for what should happen to the team owner. “If the remarks are, indeed, proven to be those of Donald Sterling, this very likely is the end of days for him as Clippers owner,” said Dr. Andrew Billings, sports communication expert and Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting in the College of Communication and Information Sciences. “The means of his exit could vary widely, but the end result seemingly will be new ownership in the not-too-distant future.” Contact: Misty Mathews, UA Media Relations, 205/348-6416 or mmathews@ua.edu or Dr. Andrew Billings, 205/239-2337 or acbillings@ua.edu.

UA EXPERT TIPS

UA MATTERS: CREATIVE WAYS TO GET CHILDREN TO EAT VEGETABLES — Experts across both nutrition and child development fields recommend ensuring good nutrition for young children through a variety of foods. More often than not, vegetables present the biggest challenge. To make this process more successful, The University of Alabama’s Dr. Laura Bloom, assistant professor in the College of Human Environmental Sciences’ department of human development and family studies, offers a few tips on how parents can get their children to eat their vegetables, http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/04/ua-matters-creative-ways-to-get-children-to-eat-vegetables/. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320

UA MATTERS: GRADUATION GIFT IDEAS FOR YOUR HIGH SCHOOL SENIOR – Gift planning can be nerve-wracking at any time. But trying to find the perfect gift for a high school senior can be especially troublesome, knowing that you want it to have the cool factor, as well as a heavy dose of purpose – if it’s going to make the cut for what gets packed for college. The University of Alabama’s Janine Gascoigne, marketing coordinator for UA’s Housing and Residential Communities, offers some gift ideas that might be perfect for any graduate, http://uanews.ua.edu/2014/04/ua-matters-graduation-gift-ideas-for-your-high-school-senior/. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320

UA’S HEALTH CORNER PROVIDES PRACTICAL HEALTH TIPS – Dr. Marissa Giggie gives some advice to parents on how to spot depression in teenagers in the latest video in UA’s Health Corner, https://vimeo.com/92519924. The video series addresses health topics and provides practical advice and guidance from UA’s expert sources and physicians in the College of Community Health Sciences. A new video topic posts every Wednesday morning. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320

EVENTS

RURAL HEALTH CONFERENCE TO FOCUS ON EARLY CHILDHOOD HEALTH — Early childhood health is the topic of the 15^th Annual Rural Health Conference hosted by UA’s College of Community Health Sciences and its Institute for Rural Health Research. The conference, “Healthy Beginnings, Healthy Communities: The Early Childhood Experience,” will be held Tuesday, April 29, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Bryant Conference Center on the UA campus. The conference will feature two keynote speakers: Dr. Bernard Guyer, the Zanvyl Kreiger Professor of Children’s Health, emeritus, in the department of population, family and reproductive health at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health; and Allison de la Torre, executive director of the Alabama School Readiness Alliance. For more information and the conference schedule, visit the conference website at http://rhc.ua.edu, contact the Institute for Rural Health Research at 205/348-0025 or contact Leslie Zganjar, College of Community Health Sciences’ director of communications, at 205/348-3079 or lzganjar@cchs.ua.edu.