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ANNOUNCEMENT

Due to the need for social distancing, UA  is operating under limited business operations, which includes remote work assignments. While employees in the department of communications are working remotely, they are available to assist members of the media. Reporters are encouraged to contact the sources below or to use our experts directory to find contact information for other subject matter experts.

BEST BETS

BAMA BUG FEST GOES ON THE WEB The second Bama Bug Fest will live stream on Facebook and YouTube through Jul 25. Bama Bug Fest: On the Web, a collaboration by University of Alabama Museums, UA Libraries and the Tuscaloosa Public Library, will provide interactive videos, interviews with experts and storytelling for all ages every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Segments will air at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. each day. A Q&A session with the public will be held at the conclusion of each day. For more information, contact Rebecca Johnson, UA Museums, at rljohnson8@ua.edu. 

UA PARTNERS TO PROVIDE COVID-19 TESTING IN ALICEVILLE – UA’s Office for Research and Economic Development and University Medical Center are collaborating with Alabama Power to provide COVID-19 screenings in Aliceville July 14. Screenings will take place at New Wright MB Church from 9 a.m. to noon, or as long as supplies last. Attempts will be made to screen all who come, but only those meeting Alabama Department of Public Health guidelines will be tested for COVID-19. Participants don’t need health insurance to be screened. New Wright MB Church is located at 11441 Highway 14 West, Aliceville, AL, 35442. For more information, contact Bryant Welbourne, UA Strategic Communications, at bryant.welbourne@ua.edu

UA’S FLEET SERVICES TO HOLD ONLINE VEHICLE AUCTION – UA’s Fleet Services will hold its first online vehicle auction beginning July 13. A variety of vehicles will be up for grabs, including sedans, trucks and vans. Individuals can view and bid on vehicles, as well as find information about terms and conditions, on Fleet’s auction website. For more information, contact Mario Globetti at mglobetti@fa.ua.edu.

CURRENT COMMENT

UA LAW PROFESSOR: NATIVE AMERICANS WON IMPORTANT DECISION IN U.S. SUPREME COURT – Bryan Fair, the Thomas E. Skinner Professor of Law at UA, said while many Americans are unfamiliar with Federal Indian laws, the U.S. Supreme Court announced an important decision last week vindicating federal jurisdiction over major crimes committed on reservations or Indian lands in Oklahoma and rejecting claims by the state that it had the power to prosecute a sex crime defendant. Writing for the majority, Justice Neil M. Gorsuch declared that only Congress has the power to alter such jurisdiction established under the Major Crimes Act. It is not every day that tribal members win at the Supreme Court, Fair said. To interview Fair, contact him at bfair@law.ua.edu. For more information, contact Monique Fields at mfields@law.ua.edu. ​ 

UA EXPERT SAYS SUPREME COURT RULING MAY MEAN MORE FOR OKLAHOMA THAN REALIZED – The Supreme Court’s decision Thursday ruling that half of Oklahoma is Native American reservation land has multiple implications, said Dr. Allen Linken, an assistant professor of political science. Linken said the decision may open up other points such as the suggestion that Oklahoma doesn’t have sovereignty to govern the lands. To interview Linken, reach him at aelinken@ua.edu

EMOJI REVEAL WHITENESS AS DRIVER OF TECHNOLOGYWorld Emoji Day is July 17, and a UA research can discuss the racial aspects of the characters that help express emotion in texts. Even though they may seem benign ways to communicate emotions in text conversations, emoji reveal technology is shaped by cultural ideologies about race, according to research by Dr. Miriam E. Sweeney, assistant professor of library and information studies who led the study. “How we interpret our technologies and how we design them are all reflective of the particular cultural context we live in,” Sweeney said. “Emoji are a lens through which we can see how gender, race and power shape all of the technological structures around us.” To interview Sweeney, contact her at mesweeney1@ua.edu

UA EXPERTS AVAILABLE TO DISCUSS ISSUES AMID CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC  – Faculty at UA are available to discuss aspects of the coronavirus pandemic including topics related to health care, education and the economy. This list will be updated, so check back often for new sources. For assistance with reaching any of these sources or for topics not highlighted, contact Shane Dorrill at shane.dorrill@ua.edu.

NEED A SUBJECT MATTER EXPERT ON TOPICS MAKING NEWS? – See our frequently updated experts directory here.

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