RESEARCH
STUDENTS TO DEMONSTRATE MIND-CONTROLLED DRONE RACING — A group of UA students and researchers will demonstrate mind-controlled drone racing Thursday, April 4, at 11 a.m. in UA’s East Campus Storm Shelter behind the Child Development Research Center. Dr. Chris Crawford, a UA assistant professor of computer science who coordinates the research behind the project, will be available to answer questions about how such technological advances work and where it can lead. Watch for more information, or contact Chris Bryant in UA communications, at chris.bryant@ua.edu or 205-348-8323.
BEST BETS
EDUCATION MAJORS, ELEMENTARY STUDENTS TO COMPLETE STEM PROJECTS — Elementary education majors at UA worked with fourth and fifth-grade students at Woodland Forrest throughout March to create different STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) projects and experiments. At 9:45 a.m. Tuesday, April 2, the students will complete construction of a scaled-down lunar orbiter and test its landing capability at Woodland Forest. Other students are designing and building a prototype for a shoe. Reporters are invited to attend the activities, one of UA’s Bama Blitz fundraising projects. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Strategic Communications, at 205/348-0825 or david.c.miller@ua.edu.
SIXTH GRADERS TO LAUNCH ROCKETS FRIDAY FROM REC FIELDS – UA students visited Tuscaloosa city and county classrooms throughout the semester teaching sixth graders the fundamentals of rocket science. Some of these young students will demonstrate portions of what they learned as they launch rockets with water during the Tuscaloosa Rocketry Challenge from 12:15-1:30 p.m. April 5 at UA’s Student Recreation Center Fields. The top eight teams from each of the 12 schools are invited to UA for the competition. This full day of events includes an engineering fair where many of the engineering design groups display their projects to the young students on the Shelby Engineering Quad. For more information, contact Alana Norris, communication specialist, College of Engineering, at 205-348-6444 or anorris@eng.ua.edu or UA communications, 205-348-5320.
BATTLE OF THE ROBOTS – K-12 students from Alabama will compete in the ninth annual Alabama Robotics Competition from 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday, April 6, in the Bryant Conference Center. In the event, hosted by the computer science department within UA’s College of Engineering, the students will compete by programming their robots to navigate a series of obstacle courses autonomously. The keynote speaker is Dr. Chris Crawford, UA assistant professor of computer science, who will speak on brain-robot interaction and brain-computer interfaces for novice programmers. Crawford will host a brain-drone race in the Bryant Conference Center later the same day. For more information, contact Alana Norris, communication specialist, UA College of Engineering, 205-348-6444 or anorris@eng.ua.edu.
EVENTS
CROSSINGPOINTS PROGRAM TO HOLD ANNUAL DINNER THEATER – UA’s CrossingPoints, a transition program for young men and women with intellectual disabilities, will perform Beauty and the Beast, Wednesday, April 3, at Bryant Conference Center. The production begins at 6 p.m. The third annual dinner theater culminates months-long efforts to master scripts, build sets and costumes, and practice performances, all of which are vital in helping students improve social interaction, language skills and imagination. Tickets for dinner and the show start at $30 and can be purchased here. Students and teachers will be available for media interviews on Monday, April 1, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Bryant Conference Center, where they plan to rehearse. For more information, contact David Miller, UA Strategic Communications, at 205/348-0825 or david.c.miller@ua.edu.
TAPPING ON THE MOUND — UA will recognize the achievement of outstanding students and faculty during Honors Week, April 1-5, culminating in the Tapping on the Mound ceremony on Honors Day. The Tapping on the Mound ceremony, a tradition since the early 1900s, will be at 1:30 p.m. Friday, April 5, on the Mound at the west side of the UA Quad. The rain location will be Morgan Auditorium. For more information, ,contact Richard LeComte, Communications, Richard.lecomte@ua.edu.