UA student and father ride bikes up Mount Kilimanjaro for a good cause
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – May 4
A University of Alabama graduating senior is preparing to march this weekend with his class, but he says a recent trip to Africa is something even more special to than getting his degree. Last March, Tate Nelson rode his mountain bike up Mount Kilimanjaro for charity. Nelson, a business marketing major, ascended the African mountain with his father. “It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done,” Nelson said. “I am not a cyclist I am an MMA fighter. Long days, some days were eight hours of pedaling but it was worth it and lots of fun and challenging.”
WERC-AM (Birmingham) – May 4
Seeing Safe Driving and Self-Driving as Going Hand in Hand
Trucking Info – May 4
There is a mechanical engineer and professor of mechanical and electrical engineering— whose distinguished and globe-trotting career has already spanned over 40 years— who can simply and succinctly explain how autonomous driving technologies will actually make it onto a road near you… and sooner than you might think possible … Balasubramanian retired in 2012 as group vice president of research and advanced engineering for Daimler. Not content to rest on his corporate laurels, Balasubramanian’s next move was to accept an engineering professorship at the University of Alabama as well as the post of executive director of UA’s Center for Advanced Vehicle Technology.
Lawmakers pass pets in hot car bill
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – May 4
State lawmakers have passed a bill to provide immunity to people who rescue animals in hot cars. The proposed legislation says if a “good Samaritan” breaks a car window to help out a dog or cat that is locked inside, they will not be arrested. It is backed by State Representative Chris England of Tuscaloosa, and students at Holt High School with the help of other students at The University of Alabama traveled to Montgomery to get support for the bill.
More than 80 UA student-athletes slated for graduation
247sports.com – May 5
More than 80 University of Alabama student-athletes are slated to receive their degrees during the upcoming commencement weekend in Tuscaloosa. That total includes four NCAA champions and more than 20 All-Americans, according to Alabama Athletics.
Military Veteran to graduate from UA
WVUA 23 (Tuscaloosa) – May 4
Thousands of men and women will graduate from The University of Alabama this Saturday. One of the graduates deserves a special salute for serving his country first. His name is Robert Brackbill. Saturday, he’ll wear his cap and gown when he graduates from Alabama, but before his cap and gown, he proudly wore the uniform of the United States Army for 20 years.
Naperville People in the News
Chicago Tribune – May 5
Naperville resident Madison Mullinax has been inducted into the Omicron Delta Kappa Honor Society at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. The group is a national leadership honor society that recognizes scholarship, leadership and character. Mullinax was also inducted into the Mortar Board honor society at the University of Alabama, a national honor society that recognizes college seniors for superior achievement in scholarship, leadership and service. The University of Alabama’s chapter is one of the oldest in the nation.
For college students grappling with mental illness, the world can seem colorless
USA Today College – May 4
She stands on the emerald field, the sky blue and cloudless, holding an archer’s bow. In the moment, there is only her and the arrow, only the target 50 meters away. If she aims too high, the arrow will fly high and out of control, and if too low, it’ll plummet into the ground. In the moment, she doesn’t have to think about her anxiety and how the room feels like it is going to close in and suffocate her. She doesn’t have to think about the dark days when she would lay in bed for hours feeling like she’d never be happy again. She doesn’t have to think about the days in the partial hospitalization program where a nurse monitored her food intake. Matthew Wilson is a University of Alabama student and a USA TODAY College correspondent.