Ghostbusters’ movie inspires UA web series
Charlotte Observer (N.C.) – Aug. 2
Who ya gonna call? The correct answer is still “Ghostbusters.” When a group of University of Alabama students had to scramble to salvage an advanced TV production project last fall, that was the call they made. They decided to create “Alabama Ghostbusters: A Web Series,” which earlier this month debuted its third episode online. For UA professor Adam Schwartz, who writes and directs the episodes, and the other devotees of the 1984 science-fiction comedy who strapped on homemade proton-packs to play parts, the series is their contribution to a supernatural universe that has captivated their imaginations since childhood. Brock Parker plays one of the paranormal detectives in the Web series and is head of the state fan group Alabama Ghostbusters. He said he has been hooked since he saw the movie in theaters as a child. “It was just funny,” he said. “It was one of those movies that has been able to come across generations.” For Schwartz, the movie starring Bill Murray, Dan Aykroyd, Harold Ramis and Sigourney Weaver was the right blend of comedy, science fiction and horror peopled by characters who were fun to watch. “It’s one of the reasons I got into filmmaking,” said Schwartz, a professor of telecommunication and film. “I wanted to tell stories like that.”
Bradenton Herald (Fla.) – Aug. 2
Green smoothies: Full of health benefits or hype?
USA Today – Aug. 3
If you don’t like eating your vegetables, you can join the growing number of those who are drinking them instead. Slurping smoothies made with raw, leafy green vegetables has become more popular as books and blogs about this health trend sprout up. Green smoothies are good sources of minerals and vitamins. But people who have diabetes or kidney stones should be careful about what they mix into their smoothies, experts say … Kristi Crowe, spokeswoman for the Institute of Food Technologists, a Chicago-based science society, says spinach is one of the great green vegetables to use in smoothies. Celery, kale, beet leaves, cucumbers and parsley are other good green vegetables or plant parts to use, she adds. Those vegetables blend well with green apples and kiwi, says Crowe, assistant professor of nutrition at the University of Alabama. “Also, carrots and beets add a boost of nutrients.” Crowe encourages using more vegetables than fruits in smoothies. Veggies have an abundant amount of antioxidants and less sugar than fruits, she says.
Archaeology | Bow and arrow forever changed ancient cultures
Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) – Aug. 4
The invention of the bow and arrow allowed users to shoot projectiles more rapidly and more accurately than with the traditional spear. A new theory argues that this innovation resulted in more than just a technological revolution. It also had profound social consequences wherever the bow was adopted. Stony Brook University biologists Paul Bingham and Joanne Souza developed the “social-coercion hypothesis” as an explanation for the rise of social complexity. They recently outlined their work in the journal Evolutionary Anthropology … John Blitz, an archaeologist at the University of Alabama, and Erik Porth, a grad student there, reviewed the data for eastern North America and say there is. They report the results of their study in the same issue of Evolutionary Anthropology. According to Blitz and Porth, the bow and arrow were adopted in the Ohio Valley between A.D. 300 and 400. During this period, large spear points were replaced by smaller arrowheads. The result, however, was not an increase in social complexity. Far from it.
What Role Do Beavers Play in Climate Change?
Science Now – July 12
When it comes to transforming their environment, beavers have a lot in common with humans. They clear-cut trees and build dams to block streams, in the process radically altering the world around them. Now, it appears that beavers play a complex role in climate change, too. A new study suggests that beaver dams and the sediments corralled behind them sequester carbon, temporarily keeping greenhouse gases containing the element out of the atmosphere. But when the animals abandon these sites, the carbon leaks back out, contributing to global warming. Beaver ponds can indeed be large sources of potent planet-warming greenhouse gases such as methane and nitrous oxide, says Jennifer Edmonds, an aquatic ecologist at the University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa. (Over the course of a century, methane traps heat in Earth’s atmosphere about 25 times as effectively as carbon dioxide; nitrous oxide does so almost 300 times as effectively over the same interval.) But considering the whole landscape, she adds, “if I had to bet, I’d bet that [the beaver meadows] are storing more carbon than they’re producing.” Nevertheless, Edmonds notes, the methane-producing microbes continue to thrive in a beaver meadow’s sediment for many years after the dams have burst and sediments have begun to dry: “Beavers change streams in fundamental ways, and they leave a mark that lasts for decades.”
Tuscaloosa’s Stephen Tyrone Williams to share Broadway stage with Denzel Washington in ‘Raisin in the Sun’
Al.com – Aug. 2
University of Alabama graduate and Tuscaloosa native Stephen Tyrone Williams continues to raise eyebrows and rub shoulders on Broadway. After sharing the stage with Tom Hanks in the Tony-nominated “Lucky Guy” this past spring, Williams will co-star with another Oscar-winner (and Tony-winner) Denzel Washington in a revival of “A Raisin in the Sun,” which will kick off March 8, 2014, according to Playbill.com. Opening night is set for April 3. The production will be performed at the Barrymore Theatre, where the original production of “A Raisin in the Sun” opened 55 years ago. Playbill.com says the revival will be a 14-week limited engagement through June 15, 2014. Williams will play Joseph Asagai. Washington will play Walter Lee Younger in Lorraine Hansberry’s Tony-winner Diahann Carroll as Lena Younger. The production will also star Oscar-nominee Sophie Okonedo (“Hotel Rwanda”) as Ruth Younger, Tony-winner Anika Noni Rose as Beneatha Younger, Jason Dirden as George Murchison and Tony-nominee Stephen McKinley Henderson as Bobo. Williams graduated from Central High School in Tuscaloosa in 2000 and then University of Alabama in 2004.
UA holds summer commencement
WSFA-NBC (Montgomery) – Aug. 3
An exciting day for many students … graduation ceremonies were held across the state for several universities today. Students from Auburn University, the University of Alabama, and other schools commemorated their newest graduates. From all of us here at WSFA, congratulations.
Around Here for Aug. 5
Gadsden Times – Aug. 5
The University of Alabama awarded 1,604 degrees Saturday during summer commencement on campus. With this graduating class, the University of Alabama will have awarded more than 232,000 degrees since its founding in 1831 as the state’s first public university. Area students listed as candidates to receive degrees include: ALBERTVILLE: Taylor N. Bentley, Bachelor’s Degree; Nathan Lee Tucker and Cara Leigh Whitehead, Master’s Degree; ATTALLA: Colbi L. Martin, Bachelor’s Degree; Kyle H. Barksdale, Master’s Degree …Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 4
Five Marengo County students to graduate from UA
Demopolis Times – Aug. 2
The University of Alabama will celebrate summer commencement on August 3 at 9 a.m. at the Coleman Coliseum. The university will award over 1600 degrees during the commencement ceremony. Students from Marengo County receiving degrees include: Porcha B. Brown, Katie E. Jennings, John T. Scott, Suzanna Elise Niehoff and John C. Carlton. With this graduating class, the university will have awarded more than 232,000 degrees since its founding in 1831 as the state’s first public university.
Mining for liquid gold
Florence Times Daily – Aug. 4
A financial boon could be awaiting Alabama just below the earth’s surface in parts of north and west Alabama. That’s what some consider to be the potential of oil sands — or tar sands as they also are called — that geologists said are called in some areas, including Colbert, Franklin and Lawrence counties. According to some estimates, the oil sands hold 7.5 billion barrels of crude oil and a revenue source for the state that has remained untapped to this point. Environmental groups call it unnecessary and potentially disastrous … In its raw form, the sand stone is similar to asphalt, geologists said. “It takes a lot to get it out of the ground,” said Andrew Goodliffe, an associate professor of geophysics at the University of Alabama. He has studied the oil sands in various areas and said it is similar to what is found in Canada and what could be transported to refineries near the Gulf of Mexico in the proposed and controversial Keystone pipeline.
UA to offer begin offering concentration in software engineering
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
The University of Alabama department of computer science will begin offering a concentration in software engineering this fall. The new offering is a response to a growing demand for high-quality software engineers, according to a release from UA. The new concentration will allow students earning a bachelor’s degree in computer science a formal way to earn recognition for software engineering expertise, according to the release. The software engineering concentration can be completed without increasing the hours needed for the degree. The software engineering track consists of 12 hours of specialized coursework, focusing on a more in-depth knowledge about human-computer interaction, software design, project management, testing and quality assurance, maintenance, evolution and web-based systems, according to UA.
UA students end summer internship in Walker County
Daily Mountain Eagle – Aug. 3
Students from the University of Alabama have been in Walker County for the third consecutive summer tackling important issues with local partners. Bryant Cooper teamed up with Jon Nee, director of Camp McDowell’s new farm school, to expand raised bed gardens at West Jasper Elementary School. “I think when people better understand where their food comes from, they can live healthier lives. What better way to do that than with children?” Cooper said. The gardens were established last summer by another intern from UA’s New College program. The school recently received a $2,000 School Garden Grant from the Whole Kids Foundation to fund improvements. West Jasper students now have access to more and bigger beds, a rain barrel and a compost station. Cooper also provided teachers with a packet of information to help them maximize the use of the gardens.
Watching the watchdog: the ups and downs of the IAEA
The Jordan Times (Amman) – Aug. 3
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has taken on investigations of controversial nuclear energy programmes, including the Iranian file, and in doing so will continue to experience praise and criticism. The IAEA maintains a mandate of promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy, prohibiting the use of nuclear weapons, and ensuring the non-diversion of nuclear materials. The agency has asserted this role, particularly under its previous director general, Mohammed El Baradei, and now under the leadership of Yukiya Amano … Daniel Joyner, a law professor at the University of Alabama, criticised the IAEA, saying that the agency had exceeded its legal mandate in applying safeguards in Iran.
Fans invited to share their memories of Bryant
Sand Mountain Reporter – Aug. 2
Sept. 11, 2013 will mark the centennial of legendary Alabama coach Paul “Bear” Bryant’s birth. The Bryant Museum on the University of Alabama campus has several special projects and events planned, and it wants to get fans involved.