UA student veterans can get medical treatment from the VA without leaving UA’s campus
WBRC-Fox 6 (Birmingham) – July 12
We’re looking at a new way one group of veterans can get medical care through the Tuscaloosa VA Medical Center without having to go to the medical center. This group of veterans are students at The University of Alabama. There are a few thousand students at UA who are veterans, or service members. This new partnership between the Tuscaloosa VA and The University of Alabama’s Office of Veteran and Military Affairs allows those students to have an appointment with a doctor at the Tuscaloosa VA without ever leaving campus. The Veteran and Military Affairs Office at UA has set up a system for clinical video teleconferences, where the student can privately meet with a VA healthcare provider through video. The goal is to to help provide care for these veterans who are usually juggling a busy class schedule, and the logistics of getting on and off campus to get a doctor’s appointment.
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – July 12
University of Alabama associate professor’s book earns award
Tuscaloosa News – July 13
Eric Weisbard, associate professor of American studies at the University of Alabama, has won the 2015 Woody Guthrie Award, given to an outstanding work on popular music, for his book “Top 40 Democracy: The Rival Mainstreams of American Music.” The award is given annually by the U.S. branch of the International Association for the Study of Popular Music. A dozen books were considered, and committee members chose “Top 40 Democracy” for its comprehensive history of commercial radio formats, one the association said would be a valuable reference for years.
Global warming implicated in dinosaur extinction
The Guardian – July 13
Each climate warming spike correlates with an episode of extinction identified in an earlier study led by Professor Tom Tobin of the University of Alabama. “Our findings support the ‘press-pulse’ extinction mechanism,” said Doctor Sierra Petersen, referring to the theory that long-term environmental stress made life on Earth vulnerable to the shock of the asteroid impact. “The volcanism caused significant climate change, and the environmental stress from this climate change likely led to enhanced overall extinction.”
Your parenting style may affect your child’s future work performance
The Loop – July 13
Everything you do for and say to your children will impact them. Not just immediately but for years to come. You know this to be true whenever you recall how your own parents treated you and talked to you and advised you when you were younger. Then, you couldn’t be further in your opinions but now, looking back, you think, “Damn, I have become my mother.” There’s a study out of the University of Alabama, Culverhouse College of Commerce that suggests the way a person is parented impacts their future relationships, both personal and professional. So if you don’t want your kids to have problems at work (a distant reality but scarily, not that far off), you might want to check your parenting style.
Five Ways to (Mostly) Get What You Want
Psychology Today – July 13
We’d all like to be able to get what we want, when we want it, and how we want it. Of course, reality may get in the way, and sheer determination doesn’t always lead to your desired goals … In a review of the research on grit as a personality construct, Iowa State University psychologists Marcus Credé and Michael Tynan, along with University of Alabama psychologist Peter Harms (June 2016) conclude that grit is just another version of the personality trait of conscientiousness.
Spotlight
Flagpole – July 13
“Spotlight” focuses on the practices of three professional artists who share graceful approaches and minimal color palettes. Judith McWillie, professor emerita of drawing and painting at UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art, explores spirituality and history through a series of paintings documenting “Beloved Land,” a ceremony held earlier this summer at the Smithonia Plantation House in honor of Native Americans and enslaved African Americans who were buried there. Inspired by travels to Japan, Tulane University printmaking professor Teresa Cole contributes a series of hand-dyed works using washi, a style of paper made from mulberry bark. Pete Schulte, who teaches at the University of Alabama, offers a collection of graphite drawings.
“The Producers” comes to Bean-Brown Theatre
Crimson White – July 13
Singing, dancing and laughter will commence Friday night at Theatre Tuscaloosa’s premiere of the musical “The Producers” at Bean-Brown Theatre at Shelton State Community College. “The Producers” is a musical comedy adaptation of Mel Brooks’s 1968 film of the same name. The show tells the story of Max Bialystock and Leo Bloom, two Broadway producers who discover they can make more money if their production is a flop. The two men then set off to create the worst play ever and hilarity ensues. . . . The show also features many UA students, alumni and employees. John Walker, who plays Bloom is a doctoral student at the university working towards his doctorate in higher education administration. Walker says he is excited about his opportunity to play a major role in the production. “There is a lot of pressure, and it’s felt every night when you walk out and you see the lights and hear the orchestra backstage and you are realizing that you are about to go out and you are going to hear these people but you can’t see their faces,” Walker said. “You just have to take them somewhere and take them on a journey and somehow dig down inside and make them feel what you are feeling.”
Students and instructors discuss summer classes
Crimson White – July 13
For most of the University, summer is a time to relax and unwind without the pressures of class. Students and professors can sleep in late, go the beach, spend time with friends and family and not worry about grades. But for some, the summer months are another semester – just faster and shorter. Classes in the fall and spring last a few months, during which students and professors mostly meet a few times a week for an hour or an hour and a half. During the summer, classes might last one month and meet almost every day of the week for a couple hours. This intense timeline means instructors and students have to adapt their academic styles. “I think it’s more stressful in the summer,” Jennifer Hoewe, a professor in the journalism department said. “Because you have to come in everyday ready to go for three hours and keep students interested and engaged, whereas over the fall and spring, I see you guys twice a week for an hour so if I can just keep you engaged for two hours once a week, we’re good.” The trick, according to Hoewe, is changing her teaching style. Instead of teaching the class like a large lecture, as she would during the normal semester, she breaks it up into blocks: 20 minutes of lecture, an activity or class discussion, then 20 more minutes of lecture. The increase in classroom discussion and more frequent meeting times can actually help her students, she said.
“Pokemon Go” brings monster catching to the real world
Crimson White – July 13
Throughout the years, “Pokemon” has been a massive worldwide hit, inspiring players to “catch ‘em all” while exploring the lands of Johto, Kanto and others. Now, the game’s core exploration and elements have expanded to real world locations. “Pokemon Go” is a new twist on the standard monster catching formula. Instead of controlling a character set out on a journey, players themselves are the character in a location-based Pokemon catching experience. . . . Luckily, The University of Alabama is filled with Pokestops. During a short walk from Bruno Library to the Ferguson Center, I came across five different stops each offering different items. While the app itself is free, players can also spend real money to get more items, though with the abundance of Pokestops nearby, it’s not necessary.
Students from across country conduct chemistry research
Crimson White – July 13 (Print only)
The University of Alabama is currently hosting undergraduate chemistry students from across the country as part of a research program that is funded by the National Science Foundation. The students are part of the Research Experiences for Undergraduates program They are currently engaged in learning new scientific techniques at the University.