MONDAY, OCT. 31 – SUNDAY, NOV. 6, 2016
BEST BETS
THE SIGHT OF CHOCOLATE CAUSES MYOPIA – Halloween chocolate is everywhere: your office, home, prominent displays in grocery stores. And, while the adverse physical effects of indulging in chocolate are known well before unwrapping the first of many pieces this month, the sight of Halloween candy causes psychological effects unknown to the viewer. Simply seeing a picture of a dessert, like a peanut butter cup or a dark chocolate bar, can cause myopia, or a narrowing of focus, according to Dr. Philip Gable, UA associate professor of social psychology. In a recent study, Gable measured participants’ psychological processes related to urges to eat sweets by using Electroencephalography, a recording of the brain’s spontaneous electrical activity over a short period of time. “What we found was that, after viewing pictures of candy, participants experienced an attentional capture (a sudden, dramatic shift in focus) toward the desserts,” Gable said. “We also discovered that it activates neural regions associated with approach motivation, also related to goal motivation. Basically, you see candy, and it captures your attention and motivates you to move toward it and get it.” For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu. Gable can be reached at 205/348-7028 or pagable@gmail.com.
THE HISTORY OF HALLOWEEN – Witches, Transformers, princesses, and goblins stalking neighborhoods at night for candy wasn’t always what Halloween was about. Hundreds of years ago, Halloween was about celebrating European harvest festival traditions. And as Catholicism began spreading globally, Halloween became All-Hallows-Eve – the night before the celebration of All Saints Day, which celebrated Catholic saints. Dr. Michael J. Altman, a UA assistant professor in the department of religious studies who specializes in American religious cultures, has researched the history and evolution of Halloween throughout the centuries. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, media relations, jamon.smith@ua.edu, 205/348-4956.
UA PSYCHOLOGY PROFESSOR: HALLOWEEN ACTIVITIES AID IN CHILD DEVELOPMENT – Whether or not you embrace the pageantry of Halloween, the parent-child activities associated with the holiday incorporate core developmental exercises for children, according to Dr. Ansley Gilpin, a UA associate professor of psychology. “Halloween is age-scalable, too,” Gilpin said. “A baby is happy to go out and see things, touch a pumpkin, crumble leaves in their hands – it’s an enriching experience. For toddlers, they get to taste things they haven’t eaten before, experience a new art project, get to dress up and pretend. Preschoolers and early elementary-aged children are in the height of the pretending stage, where they learn to take other people’s perspectives, which is the basis for empathy. As silly as it sounds, dressing up and pretending to be someone else helps them learn to take another person’s perspective and be more empathetic.” For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or david.c.miller@ua.edu. Gilpin is available for additional comments from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. She can be reached at 205/348-9903 or agilpin@ua.edu.
STUDENTS TO DEMO MEDIEVAL ARCHITECTURAL TECHNIQUES FRIDAY ON QUAD — The beauty and grandeur of medieval cathedrals lies not only in their vast scale but also in their harmonious proportions, created by the use of ancient principles of geometry. The designers of the great cathedrals were interdisciplinary thinkers. For them, geometry was not as much art as it was a branch of mathematics. In a demonstration of how art and mathematics work together, students from Dr. Jennifer Feltman’s 461 Gothic Cathedrals and 361 Late Medieval art history classes in UA’s department of art and art history will show how the scale plan of the Cathedral of Amiens was laid out using simple tools such as wooden mallets, stakes, string and a mason’s square. Their demonstration will be on the Quad from 9 a.m. to noon Friday, Nov. 4. For more information, contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323, cbryant@ur.ua.edu. Contact Feltman directly at 205/348-0814, jmfeltman@ua.edu.
EVENTS
PHILOSOPHY OF CRIMINAL JUSTICE — Dr. Elizabeth Anderson, a philosophy scholar at the University of Michigan, will speak about race and criminal justice during the second lecture of UA’s Philosophy Today Series. The lecture, titled “Outlaws,” will be presented Thursday, Nov. 3, at 7:30 p.m. in room 205 of Smith Hall on the UA campus. It is free and open to the public. During her lecture, Anderson will discuss hyper-incarceration, racial profiling by the police, and the Black Lives Matter movement through a philosophical lens. Additionally, she will address the philosophy behind what should be done to create a just society. For more details, contact Courtney Corbridge, courtney.a.corbridge@ua.edu, 205/348-8539.
BEAT AUBURN, BEAT HUNGER CONTINUES – UA’s annual food drive, which seeks to gather more pounds of nonperishable food than Auburn, continues through Nov. 16. On Wednesday, Nov. 2, the group will offer a percentage night from 5 to 8 p.m. at Panda Express, 636 15th St East. In addition, a Strongman/Strongwoman competition will be from 4 to 6 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, at the University Recreation Center. Students continue to gather food and raise money from the UA and Tuscaloosa communities. For more details, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205-348-3782.
CURRENT COMMENT
POLITICAL SCIENCE PROFESSOR AVAILABLE FOR ELECTION DAY INTERVIEWS – Dr. Allen Linken, UA assistant professor of political science, is available for media interviews about Election Day and the presidential election today through Nov. 3 and Nov. 7-9. Contact him directly at aelinken@ua.edu or by cell at 256/617-3580. For assistance, contact Jamon Smith, UA media relations, 205/348-4956 or jamon.smith@ua.edu.
LOOKING AHEAD
TRANSPORTATION MUSEUM FEATURES NEW EXHIBIT – The Mildred Vestervelt Warner Transportation Museum will open a new exhibit titled “The Architecture of Don Buel Schuyler, 1937-1964.” Guest curators Gene Ford and Jeanette Remaley have gathered images chronicling Schuyler’s work from Wichita, Kansas, where he worked with Frank Lloyd Wright, to the Tuscaloosa buildings that bear his name, including the one that houses the transportation museum. There will be a reception from 6 to 8 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7; the exhibit will open to the public Nov. 8. For more information, contact Kim Eaton, media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
ALABAMA INSURANCE DAY – UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce’s Alabama Insurance Day is set for Wednesday, Nov. 9 at the Bryant Conference Center. This year’s speakers include Dr. Kay Palan, dean of UA’s business school, and UA’s former national championship gymnastics coach Sarah Patterson. The I-Day program features speakers on topics related to insurance and risk management. For more information about this year’s program click here. This is the 10th annual event with some 300 attendees expected. For more information, contact UA media relations, 205/348-5320.