Autocar opens $120 million heavy-duty truck factory in Alabama
Made in Alabama – April 19
Indiana-based Autocar today marked the official opening of a $120 million heavy-duty work truck assembly plant in Birmingham that adds a new dimension to Alabama’s growing vehicle manufacturing industry … Once fully operational, the Autocar facility will generate $645.1 million in annual economic impact, which includes a nearly $229 million annual contribution to Alabama’s GDP and $130 million in earnings to Alabama households from 2,655 direct and indirect jobs, according to a study by the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce.
Alabama News Center – April 19
Research models how deadly virus moves among Pacific salmon, trout
Phys.org – April 20
For the first time researchers studying a deadly virus modeled how it spreads to young trout and salmon in the waters of the Columbia River Basin, showing that migrating adult fish are the main source of exposure.
The ecological modeling of the infectious hematopoietic necrosis virus, or IHNV, shows how it moves across the landscape over time, providing a crucial understanding for managers of hatchery programs attempting to protect juvenile salmon and trout.
Are There Health Benefits to Getting a Tattoo?
Fit Day – April 19
Tattoos have a bit of a taboo surrounding them; with the older generation scrunching up their noses when they spot them, and people being discriminated against in the workplace if they have visible ink … Researchers from the University of Alabama collected saliva samples from before and after the volunteer had a tattoo and then tested it for levels of immunoglobulin A. According to associate professor Christopher Lynn, immunoglobulin A is, “a front line of defense against some of the common infections we encounter, like colds.”
Amazon likely near decision on where to build HQ2
Columbus Dispatch (Ohio) – April 19
To steal a reference from the NFL and its upcoming draft, Amazon is on the clock. The internet retailer could decide as soon as this month where it will build its second headquarters, according to one economic development expert. Columbus is one of 20 finalists for a project that is called HQ2, a massive project that will bring 50,000 jobs and a $5 billion investment to the winning city. By various media accounts, Amazon officials have or are nearly finished their visits with the 20 finalists, and K.C. Conway, chief economist for the commercial real-estate group CCIM Institute, and director of research at the Alabama Center for Real Estate at the University of Alabama, believes Amazon may make a decision soon.
UA BSU Celebrates 50 years
NBC 13 (Birmingham) – April 19
The Black Student Union on the campus of University of Alabama is celebrating 50 years. There are several events planned to mark the anniversary, including one that is being held tonight. The celebration of differences will bring together several groups to showcase photographs and poetry.
UA organizations come together to celebrate differences
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – April 19
Tonight, the Black Student Union celebrated their 50th anniversary at the University of Alabama. And they did so in a big way … 12 organizations came together in the Ferguson Student Center all for one common goal.
Academic accolades received by Dayton area students
Houston Chronicle (Texas) – April 19
John Bartee of Dayton is one of more than 300 University of Dallas students named to the fall 2017 Honor Roll for earning a semester GPA of 3.0-3.49. Bartee has not yet declared his major … James Pezent of Mont Belvieu was recognized for research by The University of Alabama’s Randall Outstanding Undergraduate Research Award Program. The title of the research project is “Astrodynamics and Space Research: Contingency Trajectory Design for NASA’s Near Earth Asteroid (NEA) Scout Mission.”
My San Antonio – April 19
Innovations for investigating the plant tree of life
Space Ref – April 19
Advances in genome sequencing have resulted in vast amounts of genetic information being produced for ever-increasing numbers of species, but we are still just scratching the surface … Newly developed phylogenetic approaches often allow these challenges to be tackled in unique ways. Co-editor Michael McKain, Assistant Professor at The University of Alabama and curator of the University of Alabama Herbarium, enthused about a paper by Tovar et al.outlining a method for collecting data from images of plants using the affordable Raspberry Pi computers, which he plans to try with his undergraduate students.
Brink Wire – April 19
Cornell Creates a Database of Fugitive Slave Ads, Telling the Story of Those Who Resisted Slavery in 18th & 19th Century America
Blog Likes – April 19
While the value of slaves in the U.S. from the colonial period to the Civil War rose and fell like other market goods, for the most part, enslaved people constituted the most valuable kind of property, typically worth even more than land and other highly valued resources … (Mitchell is one of the projects three lead researchers, along with University of Alabama’s Joshua Rothman and Cornell’s Edward Baptist, author of The Half Has Never Been Told.)
Tuckahoe’s Biancavilla Shows Work At UA’s Fashion Show
Bronxville Patch (New York) – April 19
From The University of Alabama: Marc Biancavilla of Tuckahoe, NY , presented transformative and forward-thinking designs during The University of Alabama’s Tee Time Fashion Show in April.
Congrats … Andrew Perry
Anniston Star – April 20
Andrew Posey of Piedmont is the secretary of the University of Alabama’s Association for Information Systems chapter, which has won Chapter of the Year from the organization. AIS is a student organization intended to further the Information Systems field by means of technology improvement and corporate engagement.
Saturday event focuses on biodiversity
Tuscaloosa News – April 19
The University of Alabama Aboretum will host this year’s BioBlitz and Earth Day celebration on Saturday. The BioBlitz is designed to conduct an intensive survey of the biological diversity at the UA Arboretum. Participants will record observations of as many different organisms as possible. The free event is open to all ages and requires no previous experience. Staff from the Alabama Museum of Natural History and the Arboretum will be there to help volunteers identify various species and to teach participants how to become citizen scientists who can contribute to ongoing biodiversity projects.
UA prepares for A-Day
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – April 19
The University of Alabama today gearing up for a crowd of up to 80-thousand for Saturday’s A-Day game…Football can’t be far away if cheerleaders are practicing on the University of Alabama quad. Alabama’s A-Day is Saturday.
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – April 19
WSFA-12 (Montgomery) – April 19