Startup extracts uranium with shells
Crimson White – July 30
Uranium, a key player in the growing world of nuclear energy, is projected to be in short supply and high demand in 2017 and beyond. But if 525 Solutions, a UA-based startup, has anything to do with it, the 4.5 billion tons of uranium in the oceans will be able to help close that gap. “The goal is to design a technology that will allow the extraction of uranium from seawater and adding the ocean as an additional uranium resource,” Julie Shamshina, chief technology officer at 525 Solutions, which recently received nearly $1.5 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Energy. Oceanic uranium extraction currently relies on plastics, which are costly and potentially harmful to the environment. 525 Solutions, building on research from UA Center for Green Manufacturing Director Robin Rogers, has focused on working with chitin to extract uranium. To do so, they had to create chitin, a material found in crab and lobster shells, in a new way. “Chitin is a marine biopolymer. It came from the ocean, and nature knows how to deal with it,” Rogers said. “The process we have developed allows for the isolation of purified chitin with high molecular weight directly from crustacean shells, with no need for extensive and harsh conditions that are currently used elsewhere.”
The Republic (Columbus, Ind.) – July 30
University of Alabama names new associate provosts
Crimson White – July 30
The three new associate provosts of academic affairs and administration are arriving from different departments and backgrounds within the University. Kevin Whitaker and Patricia Sobecky were appointed as associate provosts for academic affairs, while Jennifer Greer was appointed as associate provost for administration. Whitaker came to the University in 1987 and was the associate dean for academic programs in the College of Engineering. … Whitaker was initially interested in the position of Associate Provost because of his passion for the education process, and his duties will include overseeing the core curriculum and the coordination of new majors, minors, tracks and concentrations. … Sobecky came to the University from Georgia Tech in 2009 to be the chair of the department of biological sciences. Sobecky said she was drawn to the position because she wants to help bolster the exciting changes taking place across campus. … Dot Martin, who was the previous Associate Provost, retired after more than forty years at the University, and Greer will take over the position after chairing the journalism department and serving as interim dean for the College of Communication & Information Sciences.
Powell, Ratliff take new positions at UA co-op
Crimson White – July 30
The UA Cooperative Education and Professional Practice Program has seen several staff changes since the retirement of director Roy Gregg. Naomi Powell, the program’s new director, said she hopes to further office’s success with Amy Ratliff as new associate director. “My first position in the co-op office was that of receptionist,” Powell said. “Since that time I have held every position in the co-op office. This has given me invaluable insight into how our program has evolved into one of the most respected co-op programs in the Southeast.” Powell started her career working at the University of Alabama’s Career Center and later transferred to the co-op office. After working in the human resources department for Mercedes-Benz U.S. International, she came back to the program, working her way up to director. … Stepping into Powell’s former position of associate director is Amy Ratliff, a Tuscaloosa-native who received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University. After 16 years of working in the Division of Student Affairs office, she transferred to the co-op five years ago.
Reed wins annual US scholar-athlete award
Crimson White – July 30
University of Alabama track and field athlete Hayden Reed may have two more years of NCAA eligibility, but the redshirt sophomore has already accomplished more than most. After winning the discus championship in the NCAA Outdoor Championship and the USA Track and Field Championship in June, Reed was named the men’s outdoor field events NCAA Division I Scholar Athlete of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association this week. According to UA Athletics, Reed is the first male athlete from Alabama to win the award, which is selected annually from athletes who earn All-Academic honors and place in individual events at the NCAA Championships.
Guilt may spoil restorative effects of entertainment
Baltimore Sun – July 30
People who play video games or watch television to unwind after a hard day may end up feeling worse about themselves, not better, says a new study. Although enjoying something pleasurable can restore “vitality” after a draining bout of demanding work, researchers found that users of entertainment media will get less benefit if they see the activity as procrastination rather than rest … “I thought the study added a new layer of understanding to the research that has come before, so I really think it’s important work,” said Elliot Panek from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, who was not involved in the study. “I think the new wrinkle that this study provides is context, so playing a video game isn’t inherently bad – it’s not necessary going to make you feel good or bad,” said Panek, adding that it depends on what you’ve been doing and how you’ve been feeling that day before you engage in using entertainment media.
CAF advanced in equipment, training
Crimson White – July 30
There aren’t many places where researchers can find an IMAGO Local Electrode Atom Probe. At the University, however, researchers from across the country come to the Southeast just to use it. The LEAP, which allows researchers to find atom positions in a specimen, is one of seven instruments at the Central Analytical Facility in the Tom Bevill Energy, Mineral and Material Science Research Building available to both student and faculty researchers. “We have major research instruments that are too big and expensive for any one faculty person, or for that matter department, to have in their labs,” CAF Director David Nikles said. “It’s just too expensive to maintain them. That makes these instruments available for anybody on campus who wants to be trained in how to use it.” Carl Pinkert, vice president for research, said major research instrumentation was acquired as far back as the early ‘90s, with a focus on mineralogical studies. “Over the years, additional instrumentation needs were identified and acquired through NSF proposals with UA support,” he said. “It also became obvious that it would be advantageous to house like technologies and instrumentation in one central facility.”
Photography exhibit opens window into the past
Crimson White – July 30
The Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art is providing audiences with a window into the South’s past through the photography of two Alabama natives, William J. Anderson and Prentice H. Polk. The exhibit, titled “Parallel Visions: William J. Anderson and P.H. Polk Photographs from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art,” portrays a wide array of Southern subject matter, with pictures ranging from the Great Depression to the Civil Rights Movement. While Anderson tries to capture the more rural aspects of Southern life, Polk appears to be more interested in the institutional aspects, with a lot of his material being linked to Tuskegee, where he ran a photography studio. The purpose of the exhibit, or the idea behind it, was to juxtapose the photographs of two similar photographers from two different time periods. Emily Bibb, the collections manager for the Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art, came up with the idea for the exhibit. “While living in New York a few years ago, I visited a fashion exhibition at the Metropolitan Museum of Art titled ‘Schiaparelli and Prada: Impossible Conversations’ that compared the work of those two designers, who had similar styles but who had never met or spoken,” Bibb said. “Once I arrived at [the University], I learned the photographs by Prentice H. Polk in The Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at The University of Alabama formed one of the largest collections of Polk photos in the Southeast, if not the country, and I began thinking about ways to spotlight them in an exhibit.”
University of Alabama, College of Continuing Studies Offering New World Education.net Certificate Courses
Digital Journal – July 30
The University of Alabama, Office of Professional Development and Community Engagement College of Continuing Studies now offers new online culinary and fitness courses, provided by World Education.net. Last spring, the school partnered with World Education.net to provide its students with a broad range of online certificate courses for first-time job seekers, as well as individuals interested in switching careers, or obtaining advanced skills and certificates within their current fields. Associate Dean, of Professional Development and Community Engagement, College of Continuing Studies Leroy Hurt says, “Online training has long been a significant skill-building tool for working adults and their employers, all of whom need training anywhere and anytime. World Education.net will help us take this capability to a higher level through valuable services like career counseling and externships.”