UA in the News: July 11-13, 2009

University has $3M; more could be awarded in October
Tuscaloosa News – July 12
Nearly $3 million in federal stimulus money has been awarded to University of Alabama researchers so far, but the school still has about $85 million in requests pending before federal agencies. “It’s been a very positive thing for us,” said Joe Benson, vice president for research…The $2.897 million awarded to UA professors comes from the National Science Foundation, which has about $3 billion to grant. It was one of several federal agencies awarding most of its stimulus money to projects previously submitted. However, UA has turned in nearly $50 million in about 80 grant requests to the foundation since the start of the year, Benson said…

UA exceeds fundraising goal
Montgomery Advertiser – July 11
The University of Alabama’s seven-year fundraising campaign has ended after taking in more than $612 million, which surpasses its original goal. University administrators announced Thursday that the “Our Students. Our Future” campaign ended June 30, more than a year after it met its goal to raise $500 million for facilities improvements and scholarships. President Robert Witt praised the university’s alumni, fans and friends for their contributions. More than 100,000 people donated money, with 130 gifts of $1 million or more. Administrators said university faculty and staff donated $11.6 million, while students contributed $289,093, much of which was raised in a student-run campaign.

UA professor studies causes, consequences of corporate infighting
Tuscaloosa News – July 12
…That’s why heated disputes among corporate directors piqued Anup Agrawal’s interest. Agrawal, a University of Alabama finance professor, and Mark A. Chen, a finance professor at Georgia State University, teamed up to do one of the first empirical studies on causes and consequences of boardroom brawls…Agrawal said “boardroom disputes often reveal serious issues facing the firm.” He said an analysis of the data on the companies studied showed that public revelation of problems may lead to large declines in stock prices, result in changes to top management and can even put a company in play for a takeover…Agrawal said “conflicts in the boardroom typically appear to be the result of power struggles between management and directors.”…

Photographer brings unique perspective
Tuscaloosa News – July 11
Laura Shill, director of photography for the University of Alabama, may be young, but she’s already amassed years of professional experience…Working with Michael Dressler, the collections assistant for the University of Alabama’s museum collections department, and Mary Beade of the Alabama Museum of Natural History, Shill unified different species of animals based on a theme of beauty and distress. Some of the photos feature flies, butterflies, moths, an elephant’s foot, a lynx, bats and mice…Deborah Lane, the assistant vice president of media relations at UA, said Shill’s work and reputation are invaluable. “Laura is a perceptive and gifted photographer who has generously shared her outstanding talents and gentle spirit with the University of Alabama for the past five years. Her beautiful photographs have artfully captured so many memorable events in the life of the UA family,” she said. (Chip) Cooper said that during her time as art director, Shill has taken the job to a new level, never losing her energy. “There are only a few colleges and major universities today with directors of her caliber. A lot of photographers at the end of the day are just tired. It takes a very special individual to go the extra mile,” he said. “She has never lost sight of her photography, which is her heart and soul.”

Strip to provide WiFi in the fall
Tuscaloosa News – July 11
…The UA business school’s Management Information Systems program has partnered with Strip merchants, the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama and others to provide the free WiFi.  “We hear a lot of complaints from students that say, ‘The Strip is being viewed as a party atmosphere, why is that?’ ” said Dung Chau, the UA business school professor whose Management Information Systems class is responsible for the project. “So many of our projects now are all team-based, and there’s not a lot of space for team-based projects.” The WiFi network, called Tide-Fi, creates more space along the Strip for groups to congregate and still have the Internet access they need…

Researchers seek de Soto’s Mabila
Selma Times-Journal – July 11
…A group of anthropologists, historians, geologists and folklorists have studied the issue and printed their essays in a book edited by Jim Knight. The book is “The Search for Mabila.”…Chris Bryant, a spokesman for the University of Alabama, which helped organize the event, said “Nobody alive, I’m told, knows where, exactly this battle took place, but these researchers are part of a renewed effort to develop more leads that one day could lead them, or others, to find the battle site.”…

‘Senior tsunami’ worries officials
Florence Times-Daily – July 13
In California, they’ve dubbed it “senior tsunami,” but here in Alabama, agencies that work on behalf of older residents are expecting the same kind of storm to hit, likely within the next 10 years. It’s anticipated that within the next decade, as baby boomers age, the demand for the services they require won’t be adequately met…”We’re trying to pool our transportation services to coordinate this effort.” Projections of the number of elderly residents by county from 2005-2025 show significant increases, according to the Census and the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama…

Vacation at academy all business
Huntsville Times – July 12
…I attended the Capstone Business Leadership Academy, a 10-day summer program hosted by the University of Alabama that exposes rising high school seniors to Alabama’s School of Business. The experience was truly unforgettable. There were 31 students from all over the country invited to attend. We lived in the dorms on campus and were able to see what is included in college life at Alabama. During the days, we heard from several professors and speakers about the many fields of business and the careers available with a degree in accounting, marketing or management…The university also did a phenomenal job of showing us the nonacademic side of the school. During the evenings, we frequented several local hot-spots for dinner. We were able to experience all that Alabama’s facilities have to offer, and we had plenty of time to enjoy the recreation center and Ferguson Student Center.  We even received an exclusive VIP tour of Bryant-Denny Stadium. It doesn’t matter which team you pull for during football season; walking onto a field with that much of a historic legacy will send chills down your spine.  I’m sure that many other colleges offer similar campus experiences, and attending a summer program like I did is a great way to discover the ideal college for you.

Digging up the truth about the Jemison house
Tuscaloosa News – July 12
…But how can we know for certain? Well, we have the words of Jemison Mansion director Jim Young and historian Dr. Robert Mellown that there’s nothing mysterious hidden in or beneath the house…”The ‘slave tunnel’ story does not make any sense, but as you say, people constantly bring it up,” said Mellown, who joined the University of Alabama Department of Art in 1971, and has written extensively on art and architecture for Alabama Heritage and The Alabama Review. He’s also author of “The University of Alabama: A Guide to the Campus,” published by the University of Alabama Press in 1988…

Death row-worthy crimes largely committed by men
Florence Times-Daily – July 12
…There are 199 men and four women on Alabama’s death row. Bryan K. Fair, a professor of law at the University of Alabama, said the wide margin between the number of men and women being sentenced to death is not a result of courts being more lenient on women. Instead, it’s a result of fewer women committing crimes that meet the criteria for capital punishment, such as a homicide committed during a robbery or rape. “The kinds of offenses that can be punished by death are typically committed by men,” Fair said. “In our society in general, violent crimes are committed most often by men.”…

Gas prices falling in Birmingham metro area
Birmingham News – July 11
…Friday, Birmingham’s average was slightly lower than Huntsville’s, Montgomery’s and Mobile’s, the motoring club survey showed. Peter Clark, a chemical engineering professor at the University of Alabama who follows energy markets, blamed the run-up in crude prices on speculators betting the U.S. economy was on the verge of a turnaround. “When oil was at $72 a barrel last month, probably $30 of that was due to speculators,” he said. “Until the economy starts showing signs of life, oil probably belongs between the $40s and low $50s. With unemployment levels remaining high and demand for oil way down from normal levels, I don’t see crude prices rising anytime soon.”…

Rare Alabama sturgeon sighting reported
Mobile Press-Register – July 11
…The latest is “extremely significant,” said Bernie Kuhajda, an ichthyologist at the University of Alabama. For the sturgeon, “there is still a hope of recovery if we can get a propagation program going and try to improve the riverine habitat in the Alabama River.”…

Education briefs
Birmingham News – July 12
The University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research is hosting the Mid-Year Economic Update on July 22, 10 a.m.-1:30 p.m., at the Cahaba Grand Conference Center in Birmingham… — A University of Alabama journalism class recently produced the third edition of Alpine Living, a multimedia lifestyle magazine on French culture, as part of a course in magazine production.