Students learn about engineering through UA visit
Tuscaloosa News – Oct. 6
Abigail Miller does not know who she wants to be when she grows up, but she likes knowing what is out there in the world for her. Abigail, a fourth-grader from Myrtlewood Elementary School, was one of nearly 1,000 students from the area to see careers up close during “E-Day,” where students toured the University of Alabama to examine different engineering programs. During the tour, students saw what opportunities are available in different fields, from aerospace to chemical engineering. “Everyone here today is here to help you see what engineering is all about, so please feel free to ask questions, be curious and explore all of the different types of engineering you will see,” engineering students Lizzy West and Blythe Johnston wrote in a program published for the students.
Criminology Professor weighs in on Las Vegas shooter fame debate
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Oct. 5
A University of Alabama professor weighs on the debate about mass shooters gaining fame. Criminology professor Adam Lankford studies mass shooting news coverage, teaming up with over 147 experts from around the country. Many are former FBI agents, psychologists and more, all found many mass shooters in recent history have indicated they are doing it to make a name for themselves, even in death.
ABC Australia – Oct. 5
WTVM 9 (Columbus, Georgia) – Oct. 5
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – Oct. 5
Planet Genius – Oct. 5
Death Rattle – Oct. 5
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 5
No Manifesto, No Phone Calls: Las Vegas Killer Left Only Cryptic Clues
New York Times – Oct. 5
The man who killed 49 people at an Orlando nightclub last year pledged allegiance to the Islamic State, in a 911 call, as the massacre unfolded. The sniper who shot to death five police officers in Dallas told the police that his goal was to attack white people. The man who attacked a black church in Charleston posted a racist manifesto online. . . . Adam Lankford, a professor at the University of Alabama who has studied mass shootings, said a killer’s professed motive can also represent incomplete or self-serving information. He cited Orlando as an example: If Omar Mateen, the Orlando gunman, was driven by fundamentalist views, he also pledged loyalty to the Islamic State and expressed affinity for Hezbollah — clashing militant groups.
Plenty of service members are likely to sympathize with #TakeAKnee
Washington Post – Oct. 6
Is kneeling during the national anthem disrespectful to the American flag, and by extension, to the U.S. military? That’s the charge President Trump recently leveled at NFL players who began “taking a knee,” to use the athletes’ language, to protest police brutality against people of color. But underneath that charge is an unexamined assumption that veterans and service members would not share the athletes’ views — and are white. . . . Allen Linken is an assistant professor of political science at the University of Alabama. Gracie Smith is an undergraduate student at the University of Alabama.
COMMENT: As Confederate statues come down, what about Columbus?
Herald Scotland – Oct. 5
Kris Lane can’t shake the image of Christopher Columbus covered in blood. Red fluid — all of it fake — ran down the famed explorer’s statue in downtown Denver after Native American activists emptied their buckets on Columbus Day 1989. Lane, a professor of Latin American history at Tulane University, lived in Denver then … One option is adding statues, said Alfred Brophy, a law professor at the University of Alabama who studies historical memory. Place a statue of a indigenous woman holding her child at Columbus Circle in New York City, he said, reminding viewers of the those Columbus encountered and enslaved. New plaques could put the brutal parts of Columbus’ story in daylight for all to see.
Experts Call for Mass Killers’ Names to Be Kept Quiet
Forensic Mag – Oct. 5
An open letter signed by 147 criminologists, sociologists, psychologists and other human-behavior experts asks that the media stop publishing the names and photographs of mass killers. Research has found that fame is a major motivation for many mass shooters. “They want to be celebrities,” said Adam Lankford, one of the lead drafters of the letter and a criminologist at the University of Alabama. “We know that some of these offenders have said things like, ‘The more you kill, the more you’ll be known,’ and ‘Someone who is known by no one will be known by everyone.'”
The GOP’s Big Problem Is Big Money
Billy Moyer’s – Oct. 5
There are lots of explanations for why Republicans have backed themselves into a corner both legislatively and politically, unable to either enact an agenda or to contain a populist uprising that now poses as great a threat to GOP incumbents as it does to Democrats … GOP governors and voters actually now broadly support Medicaid’s expansion, says Richard Fording, a political science professor at the University of Alabama, who noted that attacks on Obama resonate less with GOP voters now that he is no longer president.
Electric cars, self-driving cars – where is auto industry going?
AL.com – Oct. 5
As executive director of the University of Alabama’s Center for Advanced Vehicle Technologies, Bharat Balasubramanian is tasked with envisioning the future of the automobile. Speaking at Birmingham’s 10th annual Southern Automotive Conference today, Balasubramanian presented an amusing “news story” from the year 2037 to show how auto technology may evolve over the next two decades. The story deals with a rare auto accident on Interstate 20 near Tuscaloosa between two vehicles, which both drove themselves to the sheriff’s office to report the accident. Both vehicles provided differing versions of how the accident happened – one in super sports driving mode, the other downloading new song software and possibly distracted. However, both car owners were asleep during the accident and uninjured.
A lot of the internet’s anti-vaxxers are coming from Pennsylvania’s affluent communities, study shows
Philly Voice (Pennsylvania) – Oct. 5
Among new parents, the anti-vaccination movement has lured more and more followers, and like many prominent followers of the modern age, they can be found on Twitter … Researchers used a machine-learning algorithm to examine more than half a million tweets from around the country written between 2009 and 2015. Vargo and his co-author Theodore Tomeny, an autism researcher at the University of Alabama, assessed only tweets that referred both to autism and to vaccines.
What Teachers Wish Parents Knew
Netscape – Oct. 5
The most effective way parents can help their children do their best in school is to offer continual support and encouragement of learning. But how can you specifically put this into action? Dr. Diane Sekeres, assistant professor of education at The University of Alabama, offers six ways parents can do just that.
There’s a Scientific Explanation for Why Fires Are So Romantic
The Cut – Oct. 5
If you want me to open up, plop me down in front of a crackling fire. When I met my boyfriend, Mo, neither of us was that eager to jump into a new relationship. We’re both reserved people by nature, each with a divorce already under our belts, and the thought of starting something new felt daunting … Research sheds a little light (no pun intended): A 2014 University of Alabama study, for example, found that people were more social while watching a fire. They also had lower blood pressure, suggesting that they were more relaxed.
UA political science professor emeritus discusses Alabama’s gubernatorial race
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – Oct. 5
Dr. Bill Stewart taught politics at Alabama and is a published author. He says Governor Ivey’s current title gives her an edge. Democrats are optimistic according to Dr. Stewart due to recent violations by three top Republicans in Montgomery. The author is also predicting a heavy voter turnout since this is a strong two-party race.
Opera Guild hosts annual fundraising gala
Crimson White – Oct. 5
On Friday, Oct. 6 from 6:30-7:30 p.m., the University of Alabama Opera Guild will host its fourth annual Opera Gala, BRAVO! An Evening with Our Stars. The event, organized by UA Opera Theater students and directed by Dr. Paul Houghtaling, will entail a multitude of activities and entertainment. There will be a formal dinner, along with auctions and prizes such as a photo safari trip in South Africa, a beach home vacation package, a diamond pendent and over 50 other items for both silent and live auctions. All proceeds go to the UA Opera Theatre’s operations.
UA journalism students react to Cam Newton’s comments
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Oct. 5
Few people are laughing following Cam Newton’s answer to that reporter’s question, including Laney Howard. She’s a 20-year-old PR major who wants a career in sports entertainment.
Moundville Native American Festival Is This Week
WVUA-23 (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 5
People across West Alabama are able to interact and learn about Native American history this week at the annual Moundville Native American Festival, Oct. 4 to Oct. 7. The event celebrates Southeastern Native American culture with a variety of cultural performances, craftsmen demonstrations and Native American food. Event Director Bill Bomar emphasized the importance of the festival for passing on Native American culture. “It’s really cultural preservation because there are many cultural practices that are being preserved by the practice of being handed down from individual to individual and so that’s what happens right here at our festival,” said Bomar.
Beat Auburn Beat Hunger Kicks Off This Week
WVUA-23 (Tuscaloosa) – Oct. 5
The annual food fight between the University of Alabama and Auburn University kicked off on Monday. Beat Auburn Beat Hunger takes the rivalry from the football field to the food bank, competing against one another to help end hunger in West Alabama. Non-perishable food items can be dropped off in red barrels across UA’s campus. “We’re trying to show that there are people who are in need of food and one of the best ways they can help is by donating to Beat Auburn Beat Hunger and the West Alabama Food Bank,” said Co-Director Katie Judson. “Whether it be food or money to help support and end hunger.”