UA students to compete in NASA robotics challenge
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – May 13
The University of Alabama’s Astrobotics Team will soon find out if it has what it takes to help NASA explore space. The team is gearing up for a competition at the Kennedy Space Center. The team is putting the final touches on the robot they built that they are calling “MARTE.” “It’s basically two robots in one, the top robot which excavates can separate from the bottom robot which drives and those both operate independently of one another and it’s a great feature for taking things to space,” said UA Senior, Kellen Schroeter. “On the software side of it, our robot competes completely autonomously so we press one button and it thinks for itself and takes care of the entire competition run without a driver and that’s a difficult thing to do,” added Schroeter. The team will be taking MARTE to compete in the NASA Robotics Mining Competition in Cape Canaveral. “They have 40 or 50 NASA representatives at the competition evaluating the robots and looking for things that they can use,” said Kenneth Ricks, an Associate Professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering at UA. The team practices in sand but the robot is designed to work in a substance called Regolith, which is a material found in space.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – May 13
Scientific Glassblowing Class at UA (gallery)
Tuscaloosa News – May 12
John Massey, a senior double majoring in chemical engineering and chemistry, heat a class tube. Rick Smith, the glass blowing facility manager at the University of Alabama in the chemistry department, teaches Scientific Glass Blowing during interim. The three week 400 level course teaches basic fundamentals of glass blowing. This week students are learning to make T seals.
Post Office at Gorgas House
Tuscaloosa News – May 13
Bill Allen, left, and Lydia Ellington carry an old post masters desk from an upstairs storage room at the Gorgas House, into the room that was originally used as the University Post Office, as they recreate the room at the Gorgas House in Tuscaloosa, Ala. on Wednesday May 13, 2015.
Fight allergies without medications
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – May 13
It’s allergy season with everything from trees to mold making allergy sufferers miserable. But one doctor tells WIAT 42 that you should only use allergy medications as a last option. That’s because allergy medications could interfere with home medications or they could make you drowsy or lead to other side effects. Luckily – there are lots of ways you can fight back against the pollen count without a trip to the pharmacy. Dr. Richard Friend says don’t go outside in the early morning hours or late in the evening. Hot, dry windy weather tends to promote the pollen count and pollen counts are higher. You can also wipe off your clothes, shower or wash your hair to help get rid of the allergens.
Economy will be key in how McCrory is judged
Wilkes County Journal-Patriot (N.C.) – May 13
Pat McCrory will likely run for re-election next year as governor of North Carolina against longtime Attorney General Roy Cooper. Both men are capable candidates who will run skillful, well-funded campaigns. Given the larger political context, I see the contest as unpredictable at the moment. But there are a couple of things we can say with confidence about it. The first is that while North Carolinians care about many issues, they are mostly likely to judge McCrory’s performance as governor as it relates to the performance of the state’s economy. … Examining gubernatorial elections in 43 states, Kevin Leyden of West Virginia University and Stephen Borrelli of the University of Alabama found that the relationship between state unemployment rates and the vote totals of incumbents or their would-be partisan successors was stronger when the same party also controlled the state legislature. “Voters are more able and/or willing to reward or punish a political party when that party’s responsibility for government performance is complete,” the authors wrote.
The Mountaineer (Haywood County, N.C.) – May 13
State parks offer big return on investment
Montgomery Advertiser – May 13
As the debate continues about Alabama’s budget crisis and the Legislature’s proposal to take $10.4 million from the State Parks System (plus another $1 million from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources), uncertainty hangs in the balance. Here are some things I want to share with our supporters and skeptics about the Alabama State Parks in 2015: … A 2014 Economic Impact Study performed by the University of Alabama demonstrated that our state gains a tenfold return ($375 million) on investment in our State Parks System. In 2014, the Parks System had 4.6 million visitor occurrences. Our State Parks System is a highly valued public service program that improves our quality of life and brings significant revenue to the communities where our parks exist.
Alabama Graphite Reports Additional Naturally Occurring Graphene Derivatives Found at Its Coosa Property in Alabama, USA
Investor Intel – May 14
Alabama Graphite Corp. is pleased to announce that it has found additional types of naturally occurring graphene-based derivatives called few-layer graphene (2-5 layers), multi-layer graphene (2-10 layers), and graphite nanoplates (less than 100 nm thick)[1] at its Coosa Property in Alabama, USA. This material was obtained using the same cost- effective process, as was previously used by the Company to obtain graphene (see press release dated March 12, 2015). These types of graphene-based derivatives are valued because they exhibit unique electrical, optical, mechanical, and thermal properties. This work was conducted by Dr. Nitin Chopra, Associate Professor at The University of Alabama under our sponsored research partnership.
State committee approves Hillcrest teen’s license plate design
Tuscaloosa News – May 13
A Hillcrest High School senior is moving closer to her goal of having an anti-bullying license plate available in Alabama. Last fall, Baylee Smith enlisted the help of a class at the University of Alabama to design the plate, which has a blue heart ribbon representing anti-bullying. The plate also included the slogan “Bully Free Starts With Me.” On Tuesday, the state Legislature’s Legislative Oversight Committee in Montgomery approved the anti-bullying license plate. Beginning June 1, residents can pre-order the plate through the Alabama Department of Revenue Motor Vehicle Division’s website, https://precommit.mvtrip. alabama.gov/UserCommit/ Index. There is a $52 fee. If 1,000 people pre-order within a year, the state will print the plate. “I really want it to say something to teens, adults, you know, just everybody,” Smith told WBRC. “On the tag it says ‘Bully Free Starts with Me,’ and I think that’s really important. It just — it speaks for itself. Each person has to do their own part.”
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – May 13
WAFF 48 (Huntsville) – May 13
WPMI-NBC (Mobile) – May 13
“Twenty-twenty” Rehearsal at UA (gallery)
Tuscaloosa News – May 12
Rita Snyder, Associate Professor of Dance at the University of Alabama, has been invited to showcase her choreography at the Balleto di Civitavecchia in Civitavecchia, Italy during a collaborative concert at the Teatro Traiano. UA senior dance majors Emily Higginbotham and Shaun Leary are performing the pas de deux title “Twenty-twenty”.
Jacob Kelley leads 2015 TechBlitz award winners
Gadsden Times – May 13
Students from Gadsden City Schools brought out their best tech projects for the 2015 TechBlitz at the Bevill Center on the Gadsden State Community College campus last week. The event was hosted by the Alabama Technology Network and the University of Alabama Gadsden Center and featured the work of students in elementary through high school grades. Eura Brown student Jacob Kelley won best in show.