UA’S FASHION FOR LIFE FEATURES SENIOR APPAREL DESIGN COLLECTIONS – UA apparel design students will have an opportunity to showcase who they are as a designer during the seventh annual Fashion for Life. Senior apparel design students in the College of Human Environmental Sciences will showcase their final collection at 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 22, in the Ferguson Center ballroom. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA Media Relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
THE FAST AND THE SCHOLARLY: The Three-Minute Thesis final competition will be at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov 18, in 159 Russell Hall. Fifteen graduate student-finalists will present compelling three-minute presentations on their research. Attendees can learn more about graduate school, and vote for their favorite presentation. A reception will follow. Details: Cori Perdue, director, Graduate School programs, at cperdue@ua.edu or 205/348-2118 or Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
INTERNATIONAL WEEK: UA’s Capstone International Center is sponsoring International Education Week from Monday, Nov. 16, to Friday, Nov. 20, to celebrate the benefits of international education and exchange worldwide. The program will consist of events such as film screenings, discussion panels, featured speakers and educational lunch and coffee gatherings. The Capstone International Center initiates, promotes and supports UA’s international efforts on campus, throughout the state and around the world. For a schedule, go to http://international.ua.edu/news/iew/. Details: Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782; or Megan Wagner, coordinator, Capstone International Center, 205/348-9002,megan.wagner@ua.edu.
HOPES OF CHANGING HEALTH OUTCOMES ONE COMMUNITY AT A TIME — One UA researcher is encouraging communities to take responsibility for their own health, and she’s giving them the tools to do just that. Dr. Debra Whisenant, assistant professor in the Capstone College of Nursing, has received a grant to launch a health promotion program in multiple communities in Jefferson, Walker and Blount Counties. The first community health screening will be Nov. 21 at Rock Creek Church of Christ in Warrior. Contact Whisenant directly at 205/348-6317 or dpwhisenant@ua.edu. For assistance, contact Kim Eaton in media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
THOMA NAMED ‘UNIVERSITY RESEARCH PROFESSOR’ – Dr. Stephen Thoma, program coordinator of the educational psychology department at UA, has been named a Distinguished University Research Professor by the UA Board of Trustees. Thoma joined the UA College of Education in 1986 and helped establish the UA Center for Ethical Development. His research has focused primarily on personality and social development in late adolescence and youth and moral judgment development. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK TO BEGIN VETERANS NEEDS ASSESSMENT IN SOUTH ALABAMA – More than 64,000 military veterans live in South Alabama. Many live in rural communities, and their needs, from mental health care to housing, are multi-faceted. The UA School of Social Work has partnered with the Community Foundation of South Alabama to conduct a needs assessment of military veterans in the Southern region of the state. “In a state with such a disproportionately strong veteran presence, there’s a great need and a great potential for engaging veterans and their families more effectively,” said Dr. David Albright, UA social work professor and principal investigator of the study. “The state of Alabama is positioned to be a leader. In order to strengthen existing initiatives, it’s important to ID the needs and gaps in Alabama communities.” Albright said he hopes to extend the study to a statewide level, which would make Alabama the first to conduct a veterans’ needs assessment at that level. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Media Relations, 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
BUILDING TALLER, STURDIER WOOD BUILDINGS THE GOAL OF UA RESEARCH – UA researchers are leading an effort that could lead to the construction of taller and studier wood-framed buildings in earthquake-prone areas. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA Engineering Media Relations, at 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu.
UA STUDY: FALL, HOLIDAYS DANGEROUS TIME FOR YOUNG DRIVERS – The last three months of the year can be treacherous for all drivers, but young drivers are involved in considerably more crashes during that time than the rest of the year, according to a recent study of traffic data by UA’s Center for Advanced Public Safety. For more information, contact Adam Jones, UA engineering media relations, 205/348-6444 or acjones12@eng.ua.edu, or Rhonda Stricklin, associate director of CAPS, at 205/348-0991, or rstricklin@cs.ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
CISA BILL A GOOD FIRST STEP, BUT AMBIGUITY MUST BE ADDRESSED – President Barack Obama is not expected to veto the Cybersecurity Information Sharing Act, which recently passed both House and Senate votes. But the bill, which will allow private companies to share cyber-threat data, including personal user data, with the federal government in an effort to prevent cyber-attacks has been slammed by tech companies. Dr. Diana Dolliver, a UA criminal justice professor, said the bill is a good first start, but is a bit too vague in places and will need clarification down the road. “It’d be beneficial if they could pull it off, but they’d need to create a better repository that all federal agencies could access for information.” Overcoming fragmentation is always a challenge at any level of law enforcement, she said. “The bill essentially charges DHS, DNI, and DOJ with designing something like this. Section 4, though, is also interesting – allowing private entities – private companies? private contractors? – to monitor and detect cyber threats in other private or government entities with written consent. I’m guessing that’s not intended to be a two-way street, but it reads as if it were.” For more information, contact David Miller, media relations, 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu; or Dolliver, 205/348-2062, dldolliver@ua.edu.
IS THANKSGIVING DAY TURKEY MAKING YOU TIRED? — With more than 9 million Americans taking prescription sleep aids, public health professionals are evaluating a variety of natural methods to help people get better sleep. The role nutrition plays in promoting better sleep has gained more attention lately, and with Thanksgiving approaching, many people wonder if the extra turkey plays a role in inducing the traditional Thanksgiving Day afternoon nap. Turkey contains tryptophan, an amino acid responsible for helping to manage our sleep cycle. However, eating turkey on its own is probably not causing people to feel sleepy. “One of the main reasons we feel sleepy after a Thanksgiving feast is we are eating carbohydrate-rich foods like mashed potatoes and stuffing along with our turkey,” said Dr. Adam Knowlden, assistant professor of health science at UA. “The sleep-inducing amino acid found in turkey has a much easier time being processed when combined with carbohydrate-rich foods. There may be other factors contributing as well such as lower stress due to time off work.” For more information, contact Knowlden at aknowlden@ches.ua.edu or Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
HOLIDAY SHOPPING INS AND OUTS — What do retailers have up their sleeves to attract shoppers this holiday season, and what kind of deals can you get? Kristy Reynolds, a professor in UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce, has an inside look at what shoppers can expect this holiday season. Contact: Edith Parten, eparten@Culverhouse.ua.edu, 205/348-8318; or Reynolds, kreynold@culverhouse.ua.edu.
UA EXPERT TIPS
UA MATTERS: HOW TO HAVE A WELL-STOCKED FIRST AID KIT — A well-stocked first-aid kit can help you respond effectively to common injuries and emergencies. Ideally, one kit should be in the home and one in the family car. UA’s Dr. Louanne Friend provides a list of items that are recommended for first-aid kits for the home in this week’s UA Matters. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
UA MATTERS: AVOIDING COLDS AND FLU — Celebrating fall and looking forward to the holiday season is exciting for most of us, but with all the fun we may be visited by some unwelcomed guests and share unwanted gifts — colds and flu. UA’s Dr. Debra Whisenant provides several recommendations to decrease your risk of colds and flu and also to prevent the spread of both to others. Contact: Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.