MONDAY, DEC. 5 – SUNDAY, DEC. 11
BEST BETS
UA TO HOLD ITS WINTER COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES – UA will hold its winter commencement exercises Dec. 10 at Coleman Coliseum on the UA campus. The ceremonies will be held at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. More than 2,200 diplomas are scheduled to be awarded to undergraduate and graduate students from all colleges and schools. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or david.c.miller@ua.edu.
CAN WATERMELON REDUCE RISK OF HEART DISEASE? – Two UA researchers are recruiting for a 10-week study to see how watermelon affects blood vessel function. Study participants need to be postmenopausal African-American or European-American women ages 55 through 69 who do not smoke or have high blood pressure, diabetes, liver disease or kidney disease. Participant screening will take place from now until Jan. 13. Drs. Amy Ellis and Kristi Crowe-White will ONLY be available for interviews from 9 to 11 a.m. Wednesday, Dec. 7, and from 2 to 2:30 p.m. Friday, Dec. 9. For more information, contact Kim Eaton, UA media relations, at 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ua.edu.
CHILDREN WITH HIGHER ANXIETY HANDLE NATURAL DISASTERS BETTER, RESEARCH SHOWS – Dr. John Lochman, professor of psychology at UA, conducted a study of 360 children in grades four through six who were directly and indirectly affected by the April 27, 2011 tornado. The children had received prior treatment of behavioral disorders. The results, recently published in the Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology, showed that children with higher levels of anxiety showed greater resilience during the after effects of the disaster. “Initially, we thought that children with higher levels of anxiety prior to the tornado would develop intensified behavioral problems after the disaster,” said Lochman, lead author of the study. “Surprisingly, children’s anxiety appeared to help them handle the stress of a natural disaster more resiliently than those who had lower anxiety levels before the tornado hit.” Additionally, Lochman said he believes that the parents’ emotional reactions to the consequences of this tornado “may have had an impact on how their children reacted, causing them to show more signs of post-traumatic stress symptoms and aggression.” Lochman is available to speak to reporters through Friday. He can be reached at 205/348-7678 or jlochman@as.ua.edu. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, 205/348-0825 or david.c.miller@ua.edu.
CURRENT COMMENT
IT RAINED, BUT ARE WE STILL IN A DROUGHT? – Lightning flashed, thunder cracked, the winds howled and life-sustaining water fell from the sky last week. But, was it enough to end the approximate three-month drought that Alabama has experienced? Dr. Sagy Cohen, a UA assistant professor of geography who specializes in global hydrology, is available to comment. the state. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, UA media relations, at 205/348-4956 or jamon.smith@ua.edu
LOOKING AHEAD
WHAT’S AHEAD FOR 2017? UA FACULTY TO MAKE PREDICTIONS – UA’s annual faculty prediction package, known as Educated Guesses, will be available next week. Subject matter experts will speculate on what’s in store for various areas, from politics to fashion, in the coming year.