Efforts underway to save Moundville artifacts from eroding shoreline
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 30
You need a boat to see the erosion that’s eating away a key piece of the Moundville Archaeological Park. “In 2010 we had a catastrophic slide that brought down this entire section of shoreline,” said Matt Gage, Director of Archaeological Research at the University of Alabama. He explains that’s what sped up the problem along part of the Black Warrior River. Erosion of the shoreline underneath the man-made wooden walking trail has been happening since the 1960’s. “All these things are being lost to the river as this erosion occurs and we know if we don’t get started now. It’s going to end up getting worse,” Gage fears. Those things are artifacts from Native Americans who lived here hundreds of years ago. Excavations are underway to find them before it’s too late. “We’re trying to save this important part of the site before it’s lost forever,” Jera Davis, an archaeologist working at Moundville, said. They’re carefully digging and searching for pieces of pottery, arrowheads and more. This will continue until the University of Alabama and the Army Corps of Engineers complete a feasibility study to find the best way to stop or slow down the erosion.
Committee to search for new UA president meets for first time
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 30
The committee formed to find the next president at university of Alabama met for the first time on Thursday. It’s made up of trustees, UA professors and students among others. Karen Brooks, president pro tem of the University of Alabama system board of trustees, says the school has been in a transformational state for the past ten years. They’re looking for a leader with charisma who is also student and research driven. Current UA President Judy Bonner steps down in September. “We’re excited. They had a lot of great things to add a lot of attributes that they’re looking for, as we are too, and I know that the task is difficult, but we will be successful,” Brooks said. Brooks says they’re preparing to select the next president from a pool of as many as 200 candidates.
WDFX-Fox (Dothan) – Jan. 30
WAFF-NBC (Huntsville) (video not available) – Jan. 30
Lessons learned with extra byte
Decatur Daily – Feb. 1
A University of Alabama professor said K-12 schools may be doing students a disservice by failing to give them more access to computer science. Jeff Gray said curricula have been too history- and social studies-focused, while the job market has shifted to the technology sector. He was in Decatur last week leading a statewide initiative designed to have at least 500 Alabama teachers qualified by next year to teach students how technology works and is created. The workshops are sponsored by Code.org, a non-profit organization based in Seattle whose founding donors include Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg. The organization is dedicated to expanding computer science education in secondary and primary schools, and to diversify what is a “white, male-dominated industry” by bringing technology education to students “regardless of where they are,” Gray said.
‘Book Bonanza’ helps underfunded schools
Crimson White – Feb. 2
Book Bonanza for the Black Belt is set to give $1,000 worth of books to five different Black Belt schools. Jamie Naidoo, a professor in the School of Library and Information Studies, started Book Bonanza for the Black Belt in 2009. “The books are my way of giving back to our local community and state,” he said. “All books are brand new, high-quality books.” Eva Randolph, a librarian at Notasulga High School, has previously received books from the program and applied again this year. “It is a very, very worthwhile cause,” she said. “A lot of libraries, not just [in] the Black Belt, are in dire need of books because the library funds have been cut the last 10 years and there’s not a lot of money for books.” Naidoo said he focuses on giving to the Black Belt region because schools there are less likely to be able to raise funds for books through book fairs and PTAs.
Mayor says hosting Univ. of Alabama baseball will be a boon for Hoover
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Jan. 30
While their baseball stadium undergoes a $42 million renovation project, the University of Alabama will play their entire 2015 season at the Hoover Met. City officials say that could generate a lot of extra money for the local economy. Hoover Mayor Gary Ivey said when the city heard about the situation they were more than willing to help out. “This will be kind of like an extended SEC Week for us. And our hotels and restaurants fill up during the ballgames for the SEC [tournament] and we expect pretty much a replay of that for these games,” said Ivey. Dee Dee Gates manages Beef ‘O’ Brady’s just down the road from The Met. Every year during the SEC tournament, she said the restaurant reaps the benefits of having fans only a mile away. “A lot of them come here to eat. They’ll come here for lunch. They’ll grab something in between the games,” said Gates. She expects the same for the 2015 Bama season. “It’s going to mean a lot for our business,” said Gates.
UA astrophysics professor lectures on research
Crimson White – Feb. 2
UA associate professor of particle astrophysics Dawn Williams held a public talk in Gallalee Hall on Thursday concerning her latest experiment at the IceCube Neutrino Observatory located in the South Pole. “IceCube is an array of 5,000 sensors spread throughout one cubic kilometer of ice located within walking distance from the geographic South Pole,” she said. “Every time we use a new telescope, we discover something we’ve never seen before.” Williams said the IceCube experiment has been a great success since its completion in 2010. IceCube is the second telescope of its kind – its predecessor, AMANDA, was instituted in the mid- to late ’90s. IceCube detects neutrinos, small particles coming from within and outside of our solar system, in order to further understand the celestial bodies surrounding Earth.
Professor studies alcohol, life
Crimson White – Feb. 2
Thursday night, Patrick McGovern of the University of Pennsylvania brought together students, faculty and community members to discuss a seemingly unusual pairing – alcohol and evolution. The event, called “Uncorking the Past: Fermentation as Earth’s Earliest Energy System and Humankinds First Biotechnology,” was part of the Evolution Working Group’s 10th year of the Alabama Lecture on Life’s Evolution series, or ALLELE. “Dr. Patrick McGovern came to my attention a few years ago when I came across a Smithsonian article,” said Christopher Lynn, a UA anthropology professor and director of the evolutionary studies minor. “I imagine, like many of you, the title ‘beer archeologist’ was captivating to me.” McGovern, an anthropologist and archaeologist, travels the globe studying the alcoholic beverages of ancient peoples and the significance of fermented products in the evolution of humans. His work was documented most recently in his book “Uncorking the Past: The Quest for Wine, Beer, and Other Alcoholic Beverages.”
Unlocked hosts forum on race in public schools
Crimson White – Feb. 2
Students and members of the UA community crowded into 1093 Shelby Hall on Thursday night to see the forum “Confronting Reality: Race in Our Public Schools.” “I was really excited to see so many students and faculty members and community members who are passionate about our public schools,” said Philip Westbrook, moderator of the event. The forum hosted a five-speaker panel. The speakers included Nikole Hannah-Jones, an award-winning journalist for ProPublica; Nirmala Erevelles, UA professor of educational leadership and foundations of education; Utz McKnight, UA associate professor of political science; Earnestine Tucker, a member of the Tuscaloosa City School Board; and Mary Givens, UA assistant clinical professor of education. Each spoke in-depth on the issue of racial segregation in Tuscaloosa public schools. “I think, maybe, we pierced that post-racial bubble for [the audience],” Hannah-Jones said. “I think a lot of younger kids, who have seen a black president, kind of believe race isn’t really an issue anymore, and I hope this opened eyes that it is still an ongoing problem.”
Lafayette museum kicking off spring art season with new exhibits
Acadiana Advocate (Baton Rouge, La.) – Feb. 2
Lafayette’s biggest art museum is kicking off the spring art season with an array of thought-provoking exhibits that museum officials hope will engage the community. … On the other side of the exhibition hall is University of Alabama professor Gary Chapman’s “Truth and Identity: Questions for the Self.” The work features large paintings and mixed media that document the search for the ultimate truth in finding one’s identity. “They’re just layered in all kinds of different religious and pop culture iconography,” Gray said. “It’s a really fascinating exhibition.”
Center Stage: 1st student-written play produced by UA theater
Crimson White – Feb. 2
Writing has been a crucial element of Laura Coby’s life since she first began writing poetry in elementary school. “I wrote my first poem in fifth grade, and it was about a tater tot,” she said. “Everything since then has been fantastic.” Jokes aside, Coby, a junior majoring in English and theatre, is the first undergraduate ever to have their one-act play performed by the University of Alabama theatre and dance program. Steve Burch, associate professor of theatre history and playwriting, took notice of Coby’s work while she was enrolled in his playwriting course. Her play, “Meet the Bradleys,” was chosen after a production had to be dropped from the original 2014-2015 season lineup. “The department was suddenly placed in the position of having to select another [play] for our season,” Burch said. “I had taught playwriting the last semester, and Laura and a handful of others did particularly well. For the first time since I’ve been teaching, I thought some of the plays were good enough to [use].”
Students help at after-school tutoring program
Crimson White – Feb. 2
Memories of one’s childhood are sometimes marked by the smell of new crayons, the taste of a freshly-opened Capri Sun or the presence of a special mentor. Through the Plum Grove Baptist Church after-school program, UA students are able to help fill these role model positions in the lives of local children. Emily Bryant, a junior majoring in early childhood education, serves as a program leader for Plum Grove. “We spend half the time tutoring and half playing games and really just forming personal relationships,” she said. Bryant became involved last year through Calvary Baptist Church’s college outreach, The Well, which collaborates with Plum Grove for the tutoring program. She now also volunteers in a leadership role, helping to coordinate volunteers. “A lot of [children’s] parents have to work after their children [finish their day], so there’s really a need for an after-school program,” she said. “We help to supply the volunteers who work one-on-one and get to know the kids.”
‘Gardens 2 schools’ grows
Crimson White – Feb. 2
Druid City Garden Project will expand its Gardens 2 Schools program to a new elementary school in the fall of 2015. The project uses gardens on school property to teach science, math and entrepreneurship to students. Students learn to grow their own food, allowing them easy access to healthy eating options. “We’re excited to be able to continue impacting more students in Alabama and to be able to spread unique teaching opportunities to a new school,” said Lindsay Turner, executive director of Druid City Garden Project. “There is a direct correlation between people in the program and physical health. We’re excited to take a program that’s already making dramatic results and continue making a difference in Alabama.” Turner said she has seen positive effects in the classrooms as a result of the project.
Theta Chi chapters at Auburn and Alabama compete for cause
Auburn Plainsman – Jan. 30
Auburn University and the University of Alabama’s Theta Chi chapters are competing to raise money for United Service Organizations, according to Thomas Miller, Auburn’s Theta Chi president and junior in accounting. Miller said Theta Chi’s national organization formed a partnership with USO to support the troops. “We figured that we can take a rivalry and twist it into something that can be competitive and for a good cause,” Miller said. Miller said the former presidents of the University of Alabama and Auburn University Theta Chi chapters met to discuss how they can improve their philanthropic efforts. They decided to form the fundraising competition. William Ball, former Auburn Theta Chi president and senior in building science, said the chapters have come together. “We all decided it would be better for us to give back to the community since our national organization has partnered with USO,” Ball said. “We combined that and wanted our chapters to be better and show that they are from the great state of Alabama.”
Sites Help Explain State’s Involvement In War
Examiner.com – Feb. 1
Alabama has some 50 historical sites or stops along its’ vast Civil War Trail and among them are these 12 that help explain the state’s involvement in the war. … The Gorgas House on the University of Alabama campus in Tuscaloosa is the one of only four university buildings that survived a Union attack by Gen. John Croxton on April 4, 1865 when his brigade burned the university. At the time the home was that of the university president and his wife ordered the Union soldiers not to burn her home – and they obeyed and put the fire out.