MONDAY, AUG. 1 – SUNDAY, AUG. 7, 2016
BEST BETS
UA TO HOLD SUMMER COMMENCEMENT – UA will hold its summer commencement exercises Aug. 6 at Coleman Coliseum. The ceremony begins at 9 a.m. More than 1,500 diplomas are scheduled to be awarded to undergraduate and graduate students from all colleges and schools. The ceremony will be broadcast live over the Internet. The webcast will be archived at ua.edu/commencement/, and it will be available for viewing for 30 days following the ceremony. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, 205/348-0825 or dcmiller2@ur.ua.edu.
ROBING CEREMONY TO CELEBRATE BLACK STUDENT ACHIEVEMENT – A number of UA graduation candidates are expected to participate in a pre-commencement robing ceremony Friday, Aug. 5, to celebrate their achievements and reflect on their African roots and the UA trailblazers who preceded them. The event, conceived by students, begins at 5 p.m. in the Great Hall of the Ferguson Center. Each student participant, whether undergraduate, graduate or professional, will be robed by a faculty member or other special person in their lives. In the first of what is expected to become a twice a year tradition on the eve of commencement, this “Nyansapo” Robing Ceremony uses Kente cloth, a symbol of valor and honor worn in West Africa as far back as the 12th century. Nyansapo means wisdom knot, organizers said, and is a symbol of wisdom, ingenuity, intelligence and patience. For details, contact Chris Bryant in media relations, 205/348-8323 or cbryant@ur.ua.edu. For interviews, contact Dr. Pamela Payne-Foster, president of the Black Faculty Staff Association, 205/348-5148 or pfoster@ua.edu or Fred Horn, a student organizer of the event, frhorn@crimson.ua.edu or 205/705-0119.
CAMP 1831 DAY OF SERVICE — Camp 1831, an experience for freshmen and transfer students at UA, will include a day of service on the camp’s last day from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, at Holt Elementary School. About 150 incoming students will help classroom teachers prepare for the semester as well as perform cleanup, painting and beautification tasks around the school. The service day is the final element of the three-day camp, which is held at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo. Camp 1831 is centered on four main themes: adventure, leadership, service and history and tradition. New students learn about UA and are able to form bonds that they can take with them into the new school year. For more details, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu or 205/348-3782. Note: UA President Stuart R. Bell will join the Camp 1831 participants at 12:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 5, for service projects at Holt Elementary School.
PROFESSOR EXPLORES DEEP OCEAN – Dr. Kevin Kocot, a UA assistant professor of biological sciences and curator of invertebrate zoology at UA’s Alabama Museum of Natural History, is one of 22 marine scientists from across the nation participating in the Chief Scientist Training Cruise put on by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. The expedition, which continues through Aug. 9, trains early-career research scientists in the use of research submersibles used to explore the deep sea. Scientists are collecting biological and geological samples from the Atlantic Ocean’s floor. To find out more details about how the expedition is going and to ask questions about it, a live, 30-minute Q&A session will be held on Facebook Live and Periscope at 9:30 a.m. (Central) Aug. 3, 4 and 5. Questions must be submitted beforehand on Twitter. See details here. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, media relations, at 205/348-4956 or jamon.smith@ua.edu.
WOMEN NEEDED FOR RESEARCH STUDY — Women ages 55-69 are needed for a research study to evaluate the taste, texture and other sensory characteristics of different watermelon-flavored beverages. Women in this age group without any food allergies are eligible to participate. Participants will come to the Food Lab in Doster Hall at UA to taste test the beverages and complete a computerized sensory evaluation. The visit will take approximately a half hour to complete. Researchers are evaluating the cardio-protective effects of compounds found in watermelon juice. Interested participants can make a testing appointment by phoning, toll-free, 844/348-7057. For more details, contact UA media relations, 205/348-5320.
LOOKING AHEAD
ALABAMA ACTION – About 150 students from UA’s Honors College will be working at Vance Elementary School and Brookwood Middle School from Monday, Aug. 8, to Friday, Aug. 12. Service projects include painting and building benches and tables for an outdoor classroom. A media day will be from 9 to 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug. 9, at Vance Elementary School. Media are invited to interview students and observe them in action. For more details, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecomte@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION FOR BUSINESS ANALYTICS SYMPOSIUM – UA’s Institute of Business Analytics will host a symposium Oct. 13-14 at the Bryant Conference Center. The event explores the diverse landscape of business analytics with experts in statistics, optimization, data mining and analytics. The symposium offers the opportunity to network with analytics professionals, faculty and students. Visit www.mycba.ua.edu/basymposium for details. Register for the early bird rate of $275, or phone 205/348-3000. For more information, contact Edith Parten, UA media relations, 205/348-8318 or eparten@culverhouse.ua.edu.