MONDAY, OCT. 13 – SUNDAY, OCT. 19, 2014
BEST BETS
LOCHMAN, BOXMEYER TO EXPAND, ENHANCE COPING POWER CURRICULUM – Interventions to curb or prevent aggressive behavior in adolescents are difficult due to the turbulent nature of the puberty and how they handle environmental stressors. The answer, though, could be in a successful program used to treat younger children. Drs. John Lochman and Caroline Boxmeyer of The University of Alabama and the UA Center for Prevention of Youth Behavior Problems recently received a pair of grants totaling more than $2.2 million to expand Coping Power, a children’s behavioral therapy program co-designed by Lochman. Lochman will serve as principal investigator on a four-year, $1.5 million grant to test the efficacy of his Early Adolescent Coping Power program, tested extensively with elementary school-aged children, with 720 at-risk seventh-grade youth and their caretakers in Virginia and Alabama. Boxmeyer, who received a $700,000 grant from the National Institute on Drug abuse, will incorporate mindfulness training elements, like meditation and yoga, in Coping Power strategies to reduce aggression and future drug abuse in youths. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
VIRTUAL REALITY A KEY TO HELPING STEM ADOLESCENT MARIJUANA USE? – Dr. Amy Traylor, assistant professor of social work at The University of Alabama, will lead a two-year study of adolescents’ reactions to contextual cues, like environments and interactions, related to their marijuana use. Traylor was recently awarded a $275,000 grant from the National Institutes of Health to create and test virtual environments to identify common cannabis-related proximal and contextual cues adolescents encounter. The study will include focus groups at The Bridge, a Tuscaloosa-area juvenile rehab facility. “Further down the road, we could look at using it in treatment situations,” Traylor said. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
STUDENTS’ VIEWS ON EVOLUTION SHAPED BY CHURCH ATTENDANCE – College students’ views on evolution are shaped significantly more by church attendance than education, according to a survey of Southern students. The study, accepted for publication in a scholarly journal, was done by UA researchers and based on data collected from some 3,000 UA students. It’s said to be the first in-depth analysis on the acceptance of evolution in the South. For more information, contact UA’s lead researcher, Dr. Leslie Rissler, professor of biological sciences, directly at rissler@ua.edu or 205/348-4052. For assistance, contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323, cbryant@ur.ua.edu.
UA RESEARCHERS DEVELOP NOVEL METHOD FOR MAKING ELECTRICAL CELLULOSE FIBERS –By using liquid salts during formation instead of harsh chemicals, fibers that conduct electricity can be strengthened, according to a patent issued to a team of researchers at The University of Alabama. The new method of crafting the fibers could open up normally flimsy materials, such as cotton, to conduct electricity in technologies normally reserved for stronger fibers. Contact: Adam Jones, UA Engineering Media Relations, 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.
PILOT PROGRAM OFFERS MED STUDENTS CHANCE TO FOLLOW PATIENTS THROUGHOUT TREATMENT –Third-year medical students at UA have an opportunity to follow a patient over time through the health-care system as part of an innovative new program being piloted this year. The Tuscaloosa Longitudinal Community Curriculum, or TLC2, is a program through UA’s College of Community Health Sciences that covers medical students’ third-year curriculum. Rather than the traditional rotation schedule, which consists of seven eight-week rotations through various the specialties, through TLC2, students spend most of their third-year working with a community physician and following patients throughout the diagnosis or disease. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 808/640-5912 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: TALKING TO YOUR KIDS ABOUT SEX — The words “sex talk” can strike fear in the hearts of the most veteran parents. It is something we know is essential but not a topic we feel most comfortable discussing. The University of Alabama’s Dr. Melanie Tucker, assistant professor in the department of family medicine at College of Community Health Sciences and a certified health coach, offers a few tips on how to have those conversations. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320
UA MATTERS: WHAT TO KNOW IF BREAST CANCER RUNS IN YOUR FAMILY — Breast cancer is the second leading cause of death from cancer in women. A woman’s lifetime risk of developing breast cancer is 12 percent (1 of every 8 women). Breast cancer risk is higher among women whose close blood relatives have this disease. The University of Alabama’s Dr. John McDonald, assistant professor in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at the College of Community Health Sciences. offers some guidance on what women should know if breast cancer runs in their family. Contact: UA Media Relations, 205/348-5320
EVENTS
BEAT AUBURN, BEAT HUNGER – The annual Beat Auburn, Beat Hunger food drive and competition launches with an event from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13, on the Ferguson Center Plaza. The kickoff will include games and an opportunity to vote on who participants would like to see get a “pie in the face.” The food drive, which pits the Tuscaloosa and Auburn communities against each other, benefits the West Alabama Food Bank and ends Nov. 21. Contact: Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782
NORTH AND SOUTH – UA’s Crossroads Community Center is hosting a photography exhibit, reception and lecture featuring Jose Galvez, a Pulitzer-Prize-winning photojournalist. The exhibit will be in the Ferguson Student Center Art Gallery. The exhibit, “Al Norte al Sur: Latino Life in the South,” will be open during October. The show showcases Galvez’s images of Latinos living in the southern United States. The reception and lecture with Galvez will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 13, also in the Ferguson Student Center Art Gallery. Each event is free tothe public. Contact: Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
UA MUSEUM EVENT FEATURES FOSSIL FUN— The community is invited to get a glimpse of the past during National Fossil Day at the Alabama Museum of Natural History at Smith Hall on The University of Alabama’s campus. The free event will be held from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 15, in the grand gallery of Smith Hall, and it will feature demonstration tables, hands-on activities for children in the museum’s Discovery Lab and a wide variety of fossils on display. Contact: Kim Eaton, media relations, kkeaton@ur.ua.edu, 808/640-5912
NASCAR OFFICIAL TO SPEAK ON CAMPUS – The UA Program in Sports Communication (APSC) will host David Higdon, managing director of integrated marketing communications for NASCAR, Oct. 16 at 7 p.m. in Reese Phifer 216 to speak with students about the partnership the University established with the auto-racing industry. The collaboration involves a student-run Daytona 500 launch campaign that was started over the summer. Contact: Krista James, Public Relations Intern, 205/348-6416 or knjames2@crimson.ua.edu
DOMESTIC VIOLENCE – The Women’s Resource Center at UA is recognizing Domestic Violence Awareness Month by hosting a series of events to help eliminate the problem of dating and domestic violence in the Tuscaloosa area. During October, community members are asked to wear purple ribbons as part of the center’s awareness campaign. Ribbons can be requested for individuals or organizations by contacting Zoe Storey at zlstorey@sa.ua.edu. The center also will join with Verizon Wireless for the annual HopeLine drive in October. Community members are asked to drop off used cell phones — in working order or not — and accessories at the center or the Office of the Dean of Students. The phones will be recycled and used to help those affected by dating and domestic violence. For a list of events, click here. Contact:
LOOKING AHEAD
NANOTECH CONFERENCE TO BRING RESEARCHERS TO CAMPUS – Approximately 200 researchers from across the state are expected to attend a scientific forum on nanotechnology Oct. 23-24 on the UA campus. The University will host the second NanoBio Summit at the Bryant Conference Center featuring more than a dozen scientists representing various entities. More information is available here. Contact: Chris Bryant, UA Media Relations, cbryant@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-8323