UA In the News — April 12

UA In the News — April 12

Experience of Black Doctoral Students Underscores Need to Increase Diversity in STEM Fields
Lab Manager – April 11
The danger and risk of riding out a storm is symbolic of the decision black men make to pursue a graduate degree in engineering. They do so knowing they will face challenges, but the barriers described by black men who shared their experiences as part of a six-year study show how race was a greater obstacle than they expected … Burt and co-authors Krystal Williams, University of Alabama; and William Smith, University of Utah, interviewed 21 black men pursuing engineering graduate degrees at a research university.

Autonomous vehicles present opportunities, challenges
The Sun Chronicle (Attleboro, Massachusetts) – April 6
For years, auto manufacturers and software makers have touted self-driving cars as the next big trend to hit the American road. Then, in quick succession last month, those bright predictions were shaken by crashes involving partly self-driving cars that killed a pedestrian in Arizona and a driver in California …“Vehicle safety and self-driving technology are really two sides of the same coin,” said Bharat Balasubramanian, an engineering professor at the University of Alabama and former Daimler official who played a major role in developing driver-assisted technology for that company’s vehicles.

Collaborative community space hosts music, art shows
Al.com – April 11
Burgin Mathews hoped the evening of Sept. 22 would be something special. That was the point of the event, after all, and the reason for founding its host venue. But even Mathews, a founder of the collaborative creative space, was surprised by The Jaybird’s opening night … Mathews is an English teacher and radio host. McLaughlin is an assistant dean at the University of Alabama Law School, and her business acumen has been essential to the project.

UA research shows waiting periods to buy a gun impacts suicide rates
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 11
A recent study that includes research from a University of Alabama law professor shows that waiting periods to buy a gun reduces firearm related suicides by between 2 and 5 percent. Professor Fredrick Vars says the research also showed delays in getting a gun did not have any significant changes in homicide rates. He explained the impact a waiting period could have on suicides in Alabama.
 
VERIFICATION: THE KILLINGS ARE THEY CONTAGIOUS?
The Quebec Post (Canada) – April 11
“The more we advertise the attacks, the more they are repeated. […] It [the videos of the killings] feeds your fantasy [the killers-mass potential],” said recently in court the psychiatrist Cécile Rousseau … Thus, in an article published last year in Suicide and Life Threatening Behavior, the criminologist from the University of Alabama Adam Lankford has used the same data on killings from 2006 to 2013 (232 in total), and then it has randomly generated 500 sets of 232 dates generated in order to have a point of comparison.

MapLab: Airports In Abstraction
City Lab – April 11
Cities are the frequent subject of scientific research in biology, health, environment, and lots of other mainstream fields. But the science of cities themselves—as holistic systems and networks, as “organisms” that function in particular ways—has always been a little more fringe … Go trees: a University of Alabama undergrad is cataloguing every pine, willow, and oak on her campus.

Alliance of private fusion companies working to get $100 million prize for first to achieve net energy
Next Big Future – April 11
A dozen private fusion companies, including LPPFusion have joined together in an alliance to promote fusion and to try to get government funding for a broad-based approach to fusion … Los Alamos National Laboratory and University of Alabama are also members.

MARK HUGHES COBB: Ready to face the camera
Tuscaloosa News – April 11
It’s perilous, being semi-recognizable. People look at you, sometimes, with that dog’s head tilt, like “Wait. You smell funny.” You know that’s what dogs think … Thus my mind was anywhere but present as I walked into “I Gelosi” Tuesday night, at the University of Alabama’s Allen Bales Theatre.

Health Matters: Over the Counter Medications
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 11
Yeah, there’s a lot of misunderstanding and even skepticism about generic medications. What people need to understand is that today generics are monitored and regulated just like brand names.

Former UA football player prays over President
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 11
The visit went much like the ones in the past have. But this year, the University of Alabama’s former punter, JK Scott, used his time meeting the president as an opportunity to pray over him. “I knew that if the lord wanted me to pray for him or say something to him, I knew that he would give me the opportunity and that it wouldn’t be forced.”
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 11
Entertainment Tonight  (Syndicated show that airs nationally) – April 11