UA in the News: October 6, 2009

UA researchers look for possible link between soil bacteria and some causes of Parkinson’s
Birmingham News – Oct. 6
…In a paper published today, University of Alabama researchers report a possible environmental contribution to the illness. In preliminary work, they have found that a common soil microorganism makes a toxin that can kill dopamine-producing nerve cells…”The data, so far, are seriously important at best, and at least, intriguing,” said Guy Caldwell, a C. elegans expert in the UA biology department and co-author of the paper. Caldwell and his fellow researcher and wife, Kim Caldwell, became interested in looking at soil microbes about five years ago, after hearing several lines of evidence about compounds known to inhibit what Caldwell calls the “garbage disposal” system of a cell, the system that degrades unneeded or damaged proteins…
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 6

Collaboration with UA uses puppets to teach classroom skills
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 6
…A new collaborative curriculum, ‘Counting and Commedia: Mathematics and Opera in the Pre-Kindergarten Program,’ is teaching Pre-K students at Central Primary and Woodland Forrest Elementary fundamental math skills using figures from opera, said Paul Houghtaling, director of the University of Alabama Opera Theatre and assistant professor of voice. Houghtaling and UA education professors Julie Herron and Cecile Komara created a supplemental curriculum that introduces five classic stock opera characters — Harlequin, Pantalone, Pierrot, Colombina and Pulcinella — to teach five basic math skills: counting, matching, patterning, geometric shapes and sorting. They are aided by Kathleen Buccleugh, a master’s vocal performance student, and Marcus Miller, a doctorate of musical arts student, who help Houghtaling teach the songs and introduce the commedia characters.

Sophie’s Choice for 2-Year Colleges
InsideHigherEd.com – Oct. 5
… National experts on community colleges are not surprised to see the kinds of actions coming now in California. Steve Katsinas, director of the Education Policy Center at the University of Alabama, and the co-author of a recent report on declining state support for community college, said that he was troubled by these trends, but that colleges are simply not getting adequate support. “I am afraid that if we continue to get cuts at the level we are seeing, we may see a very quiet and disturbing transition from comprehensive, open door community colleges to niche colleges that are not comprehensive in their missions.”…