UA In the News — Feb. 8

UA In the News — Feb. 8

Alabama awarded patent for sideline tent
Birmingham Business Journal – Feb. 6
The University of Alabama’s win in the College Football Playoff wasn’t the school’s only big football-related win in January. The school was also assigned a patent for the collapsable sideline tent that was invented by trainers and mechanical engineering students at Alabama and is now ubiquitous in major football. The co-inventors are Jeff Allen, Thomas Patrick Powell, Jared Porteous, Jared Cassity, and Christian Parris, according to the U.S. Patent Office. As we’ve previously reported, Alabama partnered with spinoff Kinematic Sports LLC, which was housed in a Tuscaloosa incubator, to market the college, professional and other football teams.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – Feb. 7

UA students provide free tax preparation (live interview)
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 7
UA students provide free tax preparation services for families in the Tuscaloosa area. The services are available at the McDonald Hughes Community Center and the Tuscaloosa public library according to UA’s center for ethics & social responsibility. Services are available to working families making up to $54,000 a year with children in the home or $20,000 a year without children in the home. Tax services are provided by UA students.

In Our View: School Buses Safe As Is
The Columbian (Washington) – Feb. 7
The crash of a school bus carrying students from Hudson’s Bay High School on Monday clearly lands in the category of “it could have been worse.” No injuries were reported after the bus was sent partially down an embankment when it was hit by a car. That was fortunate. But the incident also brings up the question that inevitably arises following a crash involving a school bus: Why don’t buses have seat belts? … Some critics have questioned the cost of adding seat belts to school buses. According to MSNBC: “Separate studies by the NHTSA and the University of Alabama concluded that installing seat belts would add anywhere from $8,000 to $15,000 to the cost of a new bus while having little to no impact on safety.”

‘Like we descended from Hitler’: Coming to terms with a slave-trading past
Washington Post – Feb. 7
The family secret lurked in the background as the cousins grew up in Maine, Maryland and Tennessee. Something about the Southern ancestors, back in the Civil War days, that most of the adults wouldn’t talk about, although those who married into the family would occasionally give hints … They were also some of the richest men in the United States, said Joshua Rothman, a University of Alabama historian who is writing a book about Franklin and Armfield. At the time of his death in 1846, Franklin owned more than 600 slaves and was worth the equivalent of $40 million in today’s currency.
Cetus News – Feb. 7

5 Art Events In Atlanta To Check Out This February
Atlanta PlanIt – Feb. 7
This month, several Atlanta exhibitions are showcasing photography, paintings and other multi-media works from artists around the world. While the art covers a wide range of topics, some of the works reflect on the Civil Rights Movement and African-American history … The University of Alabama’s Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art contains one of the largest and most comprehensive collections of 20th-century African-American art in the world, which will be on display at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Georgia from Feb. 10 to April 14.

Alexis J. Howard of Thayer named to UA Dean’s list
West Plains Daily Quill (Missouri) – Feb. 7
Alexis J Howard, of Thayer, was named to the University of Alabama’s (UA) Dean’s list for fall 2017. A total of 12,594 students enrolled during the 2017 fall semester at UA were named to the Dean’s list with an academic record of 3.5 or above or the President’s list with an academic record of 4.0 (all A’s).
Ft. Wayne Jouranl Gazette (Indiana) – Feb. 7
Summerville Journal Scene (South Carolina) – Feb. 7
Aiken Standard (South Carolina) – Feb. 7
 
UA Dance Marathon incorporates new elements for 2018 event
Crimson White – Feb. 7
The eighth annual University of Alabama Dance Marathon is just around the corner and those involved have kicked it up a notch. “It’s so much fun,” said Tatianna Zambrano, a sophomore psychology major and UADM Morale Member. “You get to see all the love first hand, and I think my favorite part of the main event is seeing the children, and getting to play with them, and getting to realize they’re not hospital patients, they’re children. I encourage people to go to get the experience — it’s really motivating and just really fun overall.”

UA participates in college fair in Mississippi
WXXV-Fox (Biloxi, Mississippi) – Feb. 7
Ole Miss, Mississippi State, and the University of Alabamawere just some of the universities represented. “We have more and more each -year. We have probably 57 colleges, technical programs, scholarships, military, all the branches of the military, so we have a-little bit of everything.” All of this helping students like senior Joseph Bardwell understand what comes after graduation in May.
 
University Programs to host Mardi Gras celebration
Crimson White – Feb. 7
Mardi Gras celebration. Who: University Programs is hosting the event for students …“We are hosting Mardi Gras to provide students with an opportunity to learn about its history and culture in a safe, non-alcoholic environment,” said Shemaiah Kenon, special events coordinator.
 
Local students receive degrees from Alabama
Decatur Daily – Feb. 7
Several local students received degrees from the University of Alabama during the winter commencement Dec. 16.