MONDAY, FEB. 6 – SUNDAY, FEB. 12
BEST BETS
AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY MONTH — UA’s Crossroads invites the campus and community to participate in events throughout February during African American History Month. The theme this year is “Crisis in Black Education.” Events include a selection of artwork from the Paul R. Jones Collection and a roundtable titled “Challenges in Education: From Preschool to Graduate School.” Events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted. For details, contact UA’s Crossroads at 205-348-6930. For a schedule, go here. For assistance, contact Richard LeComte in media relations, rllecome@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
STUDENTS TO DELIVER TEDDY BEARS TO 5TH GRADERS – The Phi Alpha Honor Society in the UA’s School of Social Work will continue its annual tradition of celebrating Valentine’s Day by delivering teddy bears to children. Members of the honor society will deliver the bears to 5th graders at Big Sandy Elementary School in Moundville at 10:30 a.m., Friday, Feb. 10. The annual project engages and encourages community organizations to donate teddy bears or funds to purchase bears to help spread positive energy to children around the county. Phi Alpha has donated teddy bears to children’s hospitals in previous years. The group will deliver more than 80 teddy bears this year. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, at 205/348-0825 or david.c.miller@ua.edu.
DANCING FOR THE KIDS – UA’s Dance Marathon kicks off at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the Ferguson Student Center ballroom. The 12-hour event is the culmination of a year-long program that raises funds and awareness for the children and families being treated at Children’s of Alabama in Birmingham. For more information, contact Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
CLASSICAL MUSIC ALIVE AND THRIVING; TSO CONCERT FEB. 6 – Classical music isn’t dead, nor is it dying, as some say. But it is changing. Dr. Jenny Mann, associate professor of bassoon at UA and executive director of the Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra as well as its principal bassoonist, said the music genre that most people only associate with Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart has begun blurring the lines with other genres. Mann said many classical composers over the past 20 years have incorporated the language from popular music and jazz into classical pieces. TSO’s first performance of the season will be Feb. 6 at 7 p.m. in UA’s Moody Concert Hall. Student tickets cost $10, and adult tickets run between $20 and $40, depending on seat location. Tickets can be ordered online at tsoonline.org. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, UA media relations, 205/348-4956 or jamon.smith@ua.edu
GRAD STUDENTS OFFER SPACE-THEMED FAMILY NIGHT — West Alabama families are invited to don their spacesuits and prepare for blastoff during this year’s space-themed Hands-on Family Night at the Alabama Museum of Natural History on UA’s campus. A collaborative effort among UA’s Graduate School, the Graduate Student Association, Graduate Parent Support and Alabama Museum of Natural History, “Adventures in Space” will run from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 11, at the museum in Smith Hall. The event features exhibits by graduate students in different departments as well as music, food and door prizes. It is open to students, faculty, staff and community members, and it is free. For more information, contact Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
IMMUNIZATIONS ADDRESSED AT MINI MED SCHOOL – Dr. Jane Weida, director of clinical affairs, family, internal and rural medicine and associate professor in UA’s College of Community Health Sciences, will present “Immunizations for the Elderly” at noon Thursday, Feb. 9, as part of a lecture series for UA’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, or OLLI, program. Most people know it’s important for little people to get their “baby shots,” but immunizations are important for older people, too, from “boosters” to prevent disease such as tetanus to immunizations for diseases that tend to affect the elderly, such as the shingles. Weida will explore which immunizations are recommended for older people so they can “stay sharp” on their shots. The presentation will take place in the Bryant Conference Center’s Birmingham-Central Room. For more information, contact Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
MUSEUM OFFERS FUN PROGRAMS FOR CHILDREN – UA’s Alabama Museum of Natural History kicks off its Museum Monday, an after-school program for kindergarten through second-graders, from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Monday, Feb. 6. The cost is $8 per participant. This month features “Physics is Phun,” where students will conduct physics experiments and learn about concepts such as kinetic energy, ramps, velocity and more. For more information, contact Kim Eaton, UA media relations, 205/348-8325 or kkeaton@ur.ua.edu.
CAMPAIGN FOR BOOKS – UA’s Center for Economic Development’s Books for the Alabama Black Belt campaign runs from Wednesday, Feb. 1, to Tuesday, Feb. 28. The campaign offers an opportunity for students and area residents to donate new or gently used classic and award-winning books frequently found on school reading lists for K-12 children. Donation boxes will be placed on campus in Bidgood Hall, Capstone Village, Gorgas Library, McClure Library, Nott Hall and Smith Hall. Books also may be dropped off at the UA Center for Economic Development office at 621 Greensboro Ave. For a complete list of appropriate books, visit the center’s website: www.uced.ua.edu/books-for-the-black-belt.html. Distribution of the books will be made to the schools within the 13 counties in early summer. For more information about the book campaign, contact Sally Brown at 205/348-8344 or sally.brown@ua.edu. For assistance, contact Richard LeComte, media relations, rllecome@ur.ua.edu, 205/348-3782.
LOOKING AHEAD
COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY RESEARCHER TO SPEAK AT ANNUAL AFRICAN-AMERICAN HISTORY COLLOQUIUM – Dr. Desmond Patton, assistant professor of social work at Columbia University, will hold a discussion with area youth and a colloquium for the UA and Tuscaloosa communities Feb. 16 and 17 at the Bryant Conference Center. Patton, whose research of teen violence in neighborhoods and through social media has been featured on NPR, will host “A Teen Talk with Dr. Patton” luncheon Thursday, Feb. 16 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Bryant Conference Center. He’ll host “Innovating Gang Violence Prevention with Qualitative Analysis and National Language Processing at 11:30 p.m., Friday, Feb. 17, at the Bryant Conference Center. For more information, contact David Miller, UA media relations, 205/348-0825 or david.c.miller@ua.edu.