10 teams from across the state selected to compete for Alabama Launchpad Start-Up prize money
Al.com – June 19
Ten teams from across the state have been selected to compete in the latest round of the Alabama Launchpad Start-Up Competition and could win a share of up to $300,000 in prize money. The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama Foundation puts on the competition, which promotes, rewards and increases the pipeline of high-growth, innovative ventures in the state. A five-judge panel reviewed applications and selected the teams that will proceed in the latest round. They will pitch their businesses before the judges on July 18 at 9 a.m. at Evonik Industries in Birmingham. … The teams are: 2B-Electronic: Inexpensive, real-time measurement of muscle activity to aid in reaching health goals. Team leader: Brandt David Hendricks, based in Tuscaloosa and has a University of Alabama affiliation….
Arctic Alaska is a different kind of place
Capital City Weekly (Juneau, Alaska) – June 19
Slicing through the top quarter of the Alaska map, the Arctic Circle marks the boundary of perpetual light. North of the line, the sun won’t set on summer solstice. But somehow the breezy, treeless tundra of Barrow has more of an Arctic feel than Fort Yukon, also poleward of the line but home to dense spruce forests and Alaska’s all-time high temperature of 100 degrees. A more “ecologically sound” definition of the Arctic is any area with an average July temperature of 50 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Alex Huryn and John Hobbie wrote this in their book, Land of Extremes: A Natural History of the Arctic North Slope of Alaska. … Huryn, a professor at the University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa, and Hobbie, with the Marine Biological Laboratory at Woods Hole, Mass., have spent many hours on Alaska’s North Slope, a Nebraska-size region extending from the backbone of the Brooks Range to the pale salt water of the Arctic Ocean.
Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra, new music director, looking for talented musicians from around the state
Al.com – June 20
The Alabama Symphony Youth Orchestra and its new music director Blake Richardson are seeking talented musicians between the ages of 12 and 22 to perform during the 2014-15 season. Founded in 2010, the 60-member ASYO is affiliated with the Alabama Symphony Orchestra and performs side-by-side with the orchestra at an annual concert. Those who pass the audition process with perform a wide variety of challenging repertoire and have opportunities to solo with the orchestra. Musicians in last season’s orchestra represented 22 Alabama cities and 24 schools. Auditions are open for all instrumental positions, including strings, woodwinds, brass, percussion, harp and piano … Richardson, a member of the University of Alabama music faculty, has held positions with the Barcelona Symphony and Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra, and has conducted the San Diego Symphony, Brandenburger Symphoniker, and opera at the Royal Opera House Muscat in Oman.
University of Alabama students find ways to add fun to summer jobs
Tuscaloosa News – June 19
University of Alabama students, from left, Kate Laird, Kaki Simpson and Camille McLindon are among a group of friends who drove 28 hours northwest to work summer jobs in Jackson Hole, Wyo., a 48-mile valley surrounded by mountains. … While at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla., it is not uncommon to hear a “Roll Tide” or “Go Vols” from a cast member while boarding that thrill ride you so patiently waited an hour to enjoy. The reason being: Disney World offers an array of internship programs to college students across the world. The Disney Professional Internship program is not quite as easy to get into as Space Mountain may be at 10 p.m. on a school night, however. There are multiple interview processes, required GPAs, references and certain qualifications students must meet in order to be an intern candidate. Thousands of applications are filled out yearly, and for those lucky enough to be accepted into the program, an unforgettable season spent at Disney awaits them.