MONDAY, FEB. 12 – SUNDAY, FEB. 18
RESEARCH
UA GRANTED PATENT FOR SIDELINE PRIVACY TENT – UA was recently awarded a patent for a medical privacy tent developed by engineering students and Crimson Tide Athletics, firmly protecting the tent’s unique capability to easily expand or collapse on the sideline of a football field. For assistance, contact Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at 205-348-4328 or adam.jones@ua.edu.
PROFESSOR CREATES NEW CLASS OF MATERIALS FOR GAS SEPARATIONS – In response to future energy challenges, chemical engineers at UA are creating new materials to more efficiently separate gases related to energy processes. For assistance, contact Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at 205-348-4328 or adam.jones@ua.edu.
BEST BETS
THE REFUGEE CAMP — On Feb. 15, University Libraries will host “The Refugee Camp: Quarantining and Disciplining Black Bodies and Black Freedom in the Civil War,” a presentation by Dr. Thavolia Glymph, a professor of history at Duke University. The event will be held at Gorgas Library, room 205, at 5 p.m. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, UA Strategic Communications, at jamon.smith@ua.edu, or 205-348-4956.
BLACK HISTORY MONTH – UA’s celebration of African-American heritage includes campus tours, lectures and a film series. For more information on events throughout the month, click here. For assistance, contact Richard LeComte, communications, richard.lecome@ua.edu, 205-348-3782.
LAW PROFESSORS’ NEW BOOK ANALYZES FIRST AMENDMENT– Richard Delgado, the John J. Sparkman Chair of Law, and Jean Stefancic, professor and Clement Research Affiliate, have released a new edition of their book about free speech and protecting people’s right to express toxic ideas. “Must We Defend Nazis?: Why the First Amendment Should Not Protect Hate Speech and White Supremacy,” published by New York University Press, articulates reasons to limit First Amendment protections in cases of hate speech. The authors instead call for a system of free speech that considers the harms that hate speech inflicts on those who are disempowered and marginalized. For more information, contact Monique Fields, manager of communications, UA School of Law, 205-348-5195, mfields@law.ua.edu or contact Delgado directly at 205-348-2753 or rdelgado@law.ua.edu.
TWO TUSCALOOSA WOMEN AMONG 2018 EDUCATION HALL OF FAME INDUCTEES – Barbara Rountree, who helped create Tuscaloosa’s Children’s Hands-On Museum and started the Capitol School, is one of three inductees into the 2018 Education Hall of Fame at UA. Rountree has been involved in K-12 education for more than 47 years. Sandra Ray Hall, a Tuscaloosa native who served as director of the Alabama Association of School Boards, and Dr. Jane B. Moore, longtime faculty member at Auburn University, will be honored at the ceremony Saturday, Feb. 17 at the North River Yacht Club in Tuscaloosa. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Strategic Communications, at 205-348-0825 or david.c.miller@ua.edu.
MAKING NEWS
BLACK PANTHER MOVIE’S CULTURAL IMPACT – With Marvel Comics “Black Panther” movie releasing in theatres Feb. 16, excitement for the film featuring Marvel’s first black superhero has skyrocketed. Presales for the movie have outdone every other Disney-Marvel movie in history, news outlets report. And, in black American communities nation-wide, people are turning the movie’s attendance into an event with many planning to dress in African attire in celebration. Dr. Stacy Morgan, a UA associate professor of American Studies and an expert on African American art history, literature, folklore, film and popular culture, is available to offer his expertise on the subject. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, UA Strategic Communications, at jamon.smith@ua.edu, or 205/348-4956. Or, contact Morgan directly at smorgan@ua.edu or 205-348-5940.
U.S. POLITICAL BICKERING, BACKLASH HAS SUNK TO NEW LOWS – Politics has never been a kind field, but politics in the 21th century, particularly in the last three presidential elections, has reached a new level of petty and vehemence. Or, does it just seem that way? Dr. Richard Fording, a UA political science professor specializing in public policy, state politics and race/ethnicity politics, is available to the media to offer his expertise on the subject. For more information, contact Jamon Smith, UA Strategic Communications, at jamon.smith@ua.edu, or 205-348-4956. Or, contact Fording directly at rcfording@as.ua.edu or 205-348-5528.
WATCHING THE OLYMPICS FOR TRENDS – UA’s Dr. Andrew Billings and colleagues are monitoring coverage of the 2018 Winter Olympics for several trends, including the use of mobile devices to watch the games and the gender gap in primetime coverage. Billings is part of a grant from the International Olympic Committee to study mobile and second-screen media use for the Games and co-authored a book that found women athletes received a greater percentage of primetime broadcast television coverage during the 2014 Sochi Games than in any previous Winter Olympic broadcast. Contact Billings at 205-345-8658 or acbillings@ua.edu or Adam Jones, UA Strategic Communications, at 205-348-4328 or adam.jones@ua.edu.
ARE BITCOIN AND CRYPTOCURRENCIES HERE TO STAY OR A FAD? – It’s been several years since Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies became an available and somewhat trusted source of alternate currency. But, for many, there remain lots of questions about the enigmatic currency. What, exactly, is it? Will it become the universal currency of the future? Why is it here? Are investments in it wise? Will it ever have a steady value? Dr. James Cover, an economics professor in the Culverhouse College of Commerce, is willing to tackle those questions and more about Bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies. Contact him at jcover@culverhouse.ua.edu or 205-348-8977. For assistance, contact Jamon Smith, 205-348-4956 or jamon.smith@ua.edu.
NEED A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT ON ANOTHER TOPIC? – See recently revised expert directory here.
EVENTS
FAMILY NIGHT AT THE MUSEUM – The eighth annual Family Night at the Museum will take place Feb. 17 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. on all three floors of Smith Hall and the first floor of Lloyd Hall on the UA campus. Admission is free, and students, faculty, staff and members of the West Alabama community are welcome. This year’s theme will be “Ocean Explorers,” and the event will include children’s activities developed by more than 20 UA graduate departments. Families will also be able to enjoy free food and have a chance to win door prizes. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at 205-348-8325 or bryant.welbourne@ua.edu.
LOOKING AHEAD
NOBE PRIZE WINNING ECONOMIST VERNON SMITH TO PRESENT – Acclaimed economist Dr. Vernon L. Smith, who won the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2002 for his groundbreaking work in experimental economics, will present a talk, courtesy UA’s Culverhouse College of Commerce, about how commonly held – and false – beliefs about economic behavior and the market have changed over time. The discussion will be in the Bryant Conference Center from 10-11 a.m. Friday, March 2. For more information, contact Zach Thomas, director of marketing and communications in Culverhouse, at zthomas@cba.ua.edu or 205-348-8318.