Stories from space: NASA Day shows Alabama’s role in space exploration
Montgomery Advertiser – March 3
Part of being an explorer is sharing your experience. That’s at least what NASA astronaut Donald Pettit told a group of college students Thursday afternoon at the Capitol. . . . His talk was part of “NASA Day,” a day set aside to acknowledge Alabama’s role in NASA’s journey to Mars. Interactive exhibits like a rocket engine and NASA’s space launch system were on display outside the state house for students. NASA officials spent time this week at schools and nonprofits engaging students in science and technology activities. . . . “It’s been incredible just meeting all of the industry leaders here and getting to meet people like astronauts,” said Rebecca Sedlak, a senior at the University of Alabama majoring in aerospace engineering. “That’s why I do this. Hearing stories like (Pettit’s) when I was in high school, it’s the reason I went into aerospace.”
Sand mining is the global environmental crisis you’ve probably never heard of
Dot Emirates – March 2
A boat is seen stranded on the cracked bed of a dried area of Poyang Lake — one of the world’s biggest sand mines. Times are good for Fey Wei Dong. A genial, middle-aged businessman based near Shanghai, China, Fey says he is raking in the equivalent of £180,000 a year from trading in the humblest of commodities: sand … That makes Poyang the biggest sand mine on the planet, far bigger than the three largest sand mines in the US combined. “I couldn’t believe it when we did the calculations,” says David Shankman, a University of Alabama geographer and one of the study’s authors.
PREVIEW: Honors College (57 Miles) Trip to Selma
Crimson White – March 2
For the second straight year, University of Alabama students will join thousands of people from across the country on a pilgrimage to Selma, Alabama, in order to commemorate “Bloody Sunday,” one of the most significant events of the Civil Rights Movement.
Treasurer Chiang, Working Group Meet in Los Angeles to Find Ways to Provide Banking Services to Legal Cannabis Industry
Tri County Sentry (California) – March 2
California’s $7 billion a year legal cannabis industry is about to launch 10 months from now. But it is hampered by having no access to basic banking services enjoyed by other businesses. Cannabis firms are being forced to deal almost entirely in cash, creating a rich environment for violent crimes, money laundering and other illegal activity. The Cannabis Banking Working Group heard from: Rick Garza, Director of the Washington State Liquor and Cannabis Board; Cora Parker, Deputy Treasurer for the State of Oregon; Kenneth Berke, Co-founder and CEO of PayQuick; and Julie Anderson Hill, professor at University of Alabama School of Law, an expert on the U.S. Constitution’s “supremacy clause.”
UA Basketball player named to SEC First Team Community Service Team
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 2
One Alabama basketball senior was named to the SEC First Team Community Service team this afternoon. Corbin Collins, a senior graduate transfer has impacted the Tuscaloosa community in his one year at the Capstone. Collins helps out regularly at food kitchens and has become a regular at elementary schools where he reads to children and talks to them about higher education.
UA Million Dollar Band tweets support of high school band members injured during Mardi Gras parade
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – March 2
Several different university marching bands are giving support for the Gulf Shores High School band after twelve of its members were ht by an SUV during a Mardi Gras parade Tuesday. The Buckeyes from Ohio State stood in a heart formation and tweeted their support. The Florida Gators, Michigan Wolverines and The University of Alabama all posted inspiring messages on Twitter.