UA In the News — June 22

UA professor creates movie that received top honor at the American Black Film Festival
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – June 21
University of Alabama theater professor Seth Panitch created a movie that shows black and white medical students working together during a time of great racial turmoil in the U.S. The film won the top honor at the American Black Film Festival on Sunday. Click the video above to watch the official trailer for “Service to Man” from YouTube. It was one of 25 movies included. CBS 42 was told it took Panitch five years to research and write the script. Three other UA professors were also involved, behind-the scenes.
Crimson White (Print only) – June 22

UA Wheelchair Basketball Coach Ford Burttrum named WVUA’s Everyday Hero
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – June 21
This week we are honoring UA wheelchair basketball coach Ford Burttrum. He was nominated by one of our viewers. The viewer had this to say about Coach Ford, “Ford was a student at The University of Alabama many years ago and was in a horrible accident, and lost the use of his legs. After finishing his degree in 2014, he took over as the coach of the adapted sports program, working with basketball, tennis and golf students. He has since worked with other students struggling to overcome physical and emotional injuries to get back in the game. He is their biggest fan as well as their coach.”

UA students win big in “Eco-Car” competition
WHNT-CBS 19 (Huntsville) – June 21
A team of engineering students from The University of Alabama is celebrating a strong finish in the national Eco-car competition. The students won fourth place for their design, or rather, redesign. The competition teams had to re-engineer a 2016 Chevy Camaro to make it energy efficient while still maintaining its muscle car performance capabilities. The competition took place at the General Motors desert proofing ground in San Diego, California.
 
UA professors help Olympic athletes promote their brand
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – June 21
The University of Alabama is working to help thousands of Olympic Athletes promote their brand. Several professors created a course showing athletes how to manage their online presence through several different mediums. It gives athletes gold, silver and bronze awards for completing different levels. That online course targets athletes, but anyone can sign up, and it’s free.
 
College Choice Releases 2016 Ranking of the Best Online Master’s in Psychology Degrees
WDRB-TV (Louisville, Kentucky) – June 21
College Choice (http://www.collegechoice.net) has published its annual ranking of best online master’s in psychology degrees.  . . . Indiana Wesleyan University tops the list followed by Northeastern University and the University of Washington. Other ranked schools include (alphabetically ordered) . . . University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, AL.
 
Richmond’s Community High grads earns $9.9M in scholarships
NBC 12 (Richmond, Virginia) – June 16
NBC 12 is extending a big hats off to a Richmond graduating class that is making the grade in more ways than one. Seniors at Richmond’s Community High School received their diplomas Wednesday night. Every single senior has been accepted into college, and as a class, Community raised $10 million in scholarships. The soon-to-be college students spent the last four years focused on the future. 57 students walked across the stage Tuesday, all of them going to college, collectively receiving $9.9 million in scholarships. “That’s just a ridiculous number for the size of the class we have,” said graduate Frank Gutrie. Guthrie is going to the University of Alabama with all of his tuition covered.
 
Gun control measures fails
WTNH-ABC (Hartford, Connecticut) – June 21
A recent study by The University of Alabama says the United States accounted for one-third of the world’s mass shootings from 1966 to 2012. With numbers on the rise, Connecticut Senators say they will continue to push for changes, despite the lack of bi-partisan support.
 
Meet the University of Alabama Sororities: A guide to the 22 women’s organizations on campus
AL.com – June 22 (Slide presentation)
With August and Bid Day only a few months away, scores of young women will soon join the sisterhood at one of the University of Alabama’s 22 sororities active on campus.
 
Phony tragedies go viral
Worchester (Mass.) Telegram – June 22
Munchausen syndrome was identified and coined in the 1950s and is included in the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. The Internet-abetted version, not yet recognized in the DSM, is one that mental health officials say is also a real ailment, not just an online ruse to extract money. “Actually, Munchausen by Internet has now become more common than real-life Munchausen syndrome because it’s so easy to do. It used to be that real-life Munchausen patients would have to go to medical libraries, research the illnesses they would feign and go to doctors’ offices to reenact the symptoms,” said Marc Feldman, a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of Alabama who coined the term “Munchausen by Internet” in 2000. “Now they don’t need to do any of that — instead, they can go online and deceive hundreds or thousands of people.”
Tyler (Texas) Morning Telegraph – June 22

University libraries offer 3D printing services
Crimson White (Print only) – June 22
The University Libraries Office of Library Technology is offering free 3D printing services in Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library for faculty, staff and student use. According to UA libraries, the technology staff will print approved designs on the 3D Cube Pro Duo Printer. Patrons will be notified when the finished job is ready to pick up at the Circulation Desk located on the second floor of Gorgas Library.
 
UA research center develops sports technology
Crimson White (Print only) – June 22
The building of a sports technology research center dedicated to improving the performance, training and health of athletes was approved by the UA System Board of Trustees at its meeting on Friday. The Integrative Center for Athletic and Sport Technology, or I-Cast, is a first-of-its-kind collaborative research facility devoted to developing new technologies and applying existing ones for the purpose of reducing injury, accelerating recovering, enhancing athletic performance and optimizing nutrition in both performance and recovery in competitive sports.
 
UA farmers market brings fresh food to students
Crimson White (Print only) – June 22
Tucked away on the lawn of the Canterbury Chapel Episcopal Church, a group of vendors sets up shop to take part in something different: a student run farmers market located just outside of campus. Homegrown Alabama is a University of Alabama based farmers market that brings together a variety of vendors from within 100 miles to sell produce, bread and other homemade items to UA student and Tuscaloosa residents.