University of Alabama’s Office of Archaeological Research uses 3D technology to rebuild the past
3DPrint.com – Dec. 20
It’s interesting to think about how much technology is used to look back in time, so to speak. I still can’t wrap my mind around the fact that it’s possible to see back millions of years in space, but on a more earthbound level, technology is able to make even ancient history clearer and more tangible than ever before. 3D technology, in particular, allows us to restore ancient objects and even rebuild things that no longer exist. 3D printing and scanning are just part of the arsenal of technology used by the University of Alabama’s Office of Archaeological Research to bring the past into the present. We’ve written about archaeologists who have used 3D scanning and printing to reproduce and study fossils and ancient artifacts, but researchers at OAR have been using 3D modeling to reconstruct entire towns. Jeremiah Stager, a cultural resources assistant at OAR, was able to virtually rebuild an entire Alabama town as it existed in the early 20th century.
Rubio likely to win GOP nomination, but will lose to Clinton, University of Alabama predicts
AL.com – Dec. 21
For the 35th year, professors at The University of Alabama are offering “educated guesses” about what will happen in the year to come. Perhaps most notable among the 2016 predictions is the assertion by Richard Fording, UA’s chair of the political science department, that Donald Trump’s presidential campaign may soon run out of steam. “Donald Trump will make a strong run for the Republican nomination for president, but eventually he will fall short as the Republican establishment rallies around one candidate, with Marco Rubio being the most likely,” Fording predicts. “However, none of this will matter, because Hillary Clinton will be easily elected in November as our next president and our first woman in the Oval Office.”
AVA gallery showcases works by more than a dozen of its artists in annual juried exhibition
Chattanooga Times Free Press – Dec. 20
Every year, the Association for Visual Arts organizes an exhibition to showcase the work of its member artists. The collection draws on the diverse talents of AVA’s members and, as such, there isn’t always a unifying theme to tie the pieces together. This year, however, they found one, says AVA Education and Exhibitions Director Lauren Goforth, who decided how to present the works in the association’s in-house gallery. . . . The pieces were selected by Giang Pham, an assistant professor of art at the University of Alabama. In her juror’s statement, Pham writes that the pieces she selected reflect a kind of artistic wanderlust on the part of their creators.
UA athletes earn degrees
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Dec. 18
A total of 31 Crimson Tide student athletes, including 23 football players, earned their degrees during commencement ceremonies held at The University of Alabama last weekend. Here’s a closer look at what earning that degree means to these athletes.
College News: University of Alabama
Tuscaloosa News – Dec. 20
Eric Schulz, a Parker, Colo. native who studied mechanical engineering and German at the University of Alabama, was selected for a doctoral fellowship that will partner his studies with research for Mercedes-Benz. . . . – Caitlyn Spann, a senior in civil engineering from Winfield, and Michael Dunn, a junior in civil engineering from Merritt Island, Fla., will receive scholarship awards from the Alabama Road
Employment for Calhoun County up
Styrk – Dec. 18
Calhoun County had fewer unemployed residents in November than it did on average during all of 2014. An Alabama Department of Labor report released Friday show the county’s jobless rate was at 6.6 percent in November. Last year, the county had an average jobless rate of 7.9 percent. . . . Ahmad Ijaz, director of economic forecasting with the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama, said unemployment across the state increased from October to November because of improvements in the economy. “The unemployment rate went up because the civilian labor force went up,” Ijaz said. “I think for one thing, people are feeling a lot more confident about the economy than they were last year.”
Opinion: CASA of Madison County serves growing needs for a growing community
AL.com – Dec. 21
For years we’ve heard about the coming “gray wave” of retiring baby boomers that is coming. Make no mistake, the first waves of this seismic shift have already washed over Madison County, creating new and unique challenges for social service agencies like CASA that fill in the gaps for crucial services that Medicare and Medicaid simply can’t cover. To be frank, we’re already having a hard time keeping up. But even more alarming, projections for the next ten years show an unprecedented growth rate for Alabama seniors that should be on the radar of every business leader and each one of us that has a vested interest in our community. According to a recent report by the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research, the population of those at age 65 and older in Madison County will grow by a whopping 20 percent from 2015 to 2020. To put that into perspective, Madison County’s total population is only expected to grow by just over seven percent during the next five years. When you project out another five years to 2025, the 65 and over age bracket in Madison County will mushroom by 46 percent. 25 years from now we’ll have more than doubled the total elderly population from where it presently stands, representing a staggering growth rate of 138.5% from 2010 to 2040.
Ted Cruz looks to solidify conservative base during Alabama visit
AL.com – Dec. 18
Sen. Ted Cruz will swing through Alabama this weekend as he attempts to solidify support among Southern evangelical voters, a key demographic in the race for the GOP presidential nomination. Polls show that Cruz is a popular candidate among voters identifying themselves as “very” conservative, including tea party activists who seem to have embraced his anti-government rhetoric. And if Cruz can solidify that voting base, insiders say he has a good chance – like Rick Santorum in 2012 and Mike Huckabee in 2008 – to win the Alabama GOP primary. “I do think the ‘SEC Primary’ is Cruz’s best chance for winning the GOP presidential nomination,” said William Stewart, professor emeritus of political sciences at the University of Alabama. “If he can’t win in these red states, how could he expect to do well in those which are ‘purple’ to say nothing of those which are ‘blue.'”