MONDAY, JULY 14 – SUNDAY, JULY 20, 2014
BEST BETS
ENGINEERING CAMP HELD THIS WEEK – The Student Introduction to Engineering, or SITE, program is a summer camp designed specifically for rising juniors and seniors in high school. More than 25 years old, the SITE program is three, week-long sessions this summer with about 120 students attending. SITE students live in residence halls and engage in team exercises. They attend mini-courses in mathematics, engineering, computer science and English. As part of the camp, students participate in a design competition, and this week students will design marshmallow launchers. Students will launch the marshmallows in 1059 South Engineering Research Center Thursday, July 17 at 3:45 p.m. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA engineering media relations, at 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.
UA TO HOST MILITARY TRANSITION SUMMITS – UA will host comprehensive summits in 2014 and 2015 on the multiple avenues to help military veterans transition successfully into civilian life. UA received a $25,000 grant from the National Institute of Child and Human Development to coordinate summit meetings during “Service Member to Civilian: A National Summit on Improving Transition” Dec. 1-3 and again in December 2015. The summits will focus on defining the critical next steps in understanding and addressing the reintegration needs of members of the total military force, veterans and their families. “This will attract the top researchers, in partnership with the VA, to look at critical issues in active duty to civilian life,” said Dr. Karl Hamner, assistant dean of scholarly affairs, Capstone College of Nursing and School of Social Work. The UA summit will include expert panels, collaborative sessions with veterans and their families, and a veteran’s job event that will bring in employers to provide sessions for veterans and their spouses. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
FREE CHILD NUTRITION CAMP – UA’S Institute for Communication and Information Research, located in Reese Phifer Hall, will host a free nutrition camp for children ranging from those who have finished kindergarten through the fifth grade. Children are invited to attend one of eight sessions on July 14-17, from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. each day. Parents should plan to drop off their children at the Walk of Champions in front of Bryant-Denny Stadium 10-15 minutes before the start of the session and must sign a consent form. Topics covered during the camp will include how to read nutrition labels, how to make good choices for snacks, how to understand food advertising and exercise. Participants are asked to come in shorts (or exercise pants), a T-shirt and tennis shoes. For questions or to register, contact: Dr. Kim Bissell, ICIR director, 205/348-7155, Bissell@ua.edu.
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: STAYING SAFE IN THE WATER — As the summer heats up, many like to cool down by taking a swim. Before jumping into those cool waters, check out these water safety tips from UA’s Dr. Brian Gannon. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320.
UA MATTERS: COLLEGE PREP TIPS FOR HIGH-SCHOOL JUNIORS – Whether you’re an incoming high-school freshman or senior, there are a multitude of things you can do to prepare for college. The University of Alabama’s admissions office offers a few suggestions on how students can better plan for their college futures. This is the third of four posts that provides students in each grade level a checklist for college preparation. It focuses on tips for high-school juniors. For tips on freshmen and sophomores, click here and here. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320.
CURRENT COMMENT
TECH INNOVATIONS IN JOURNALISM SHOULD CAUSE EXCITEMENT RATHER THAN FEAR – The Associated Press recently became the latest in a line of news organization’s to announce it would use robots to generate more content more quickly. “While most journalists’ first reaction to news like this is probably alarm, these kinds of innovations are actually an opportunity, or a challenge, to journalists to focus their efforts on ‘higher order’ thinking,” said Dr. Wilson Lowrey, UA journalism department chair. “In all fields, tech innovation gobbles up routine kinds of work, and it’s only the professions that are inflexible and too tied to particular routines or technologies that can’t adjust. Journalism can, and will, adjust to these kinds of changes, and we’ll have better journalism because of it.” Contact: Misty Mathews, UA Media Relations, 205/348-6416, mmathews@ua.edu; Wilson Lowrey, 205/348-8608. wlowrey@ua.edu.