UA in the News

Colleges and Universities A-Z University of Alabama
1

<p>UA engineering students show off safe room designs
FOX6 (Birmingham) – July 18</p>

<p>BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – Gov. Robert Bentley opened the Safer Alabama Summit Monday at the University of Alabama Bryant Conference Center in Tuscaloosa. The summit brought together local communities, state and federal agencies, nonprofits, the private sector, and the public to identify resources to make Alabama safer.</p>

<p>Hosted by the Alabama Emergency Management Agency and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, attendees at the summit included state and local officials, financial organizations, contractors, builders, engineers, academic and scientific departments, and organizations, insurance companies, trade associations and other stakeholders.</p>

<p>Different models of the safe room designed by University of Alabama engineering students were on display by FEMA today in Tuscaloosa. Designed by UA engineering students, the room about the size of a closet is tested to withstand an F-5 tornado.</p>

<p>UA biologists receive recognition for helping patients fight two diseases

ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – July 13</p>

<p>…two University of Alabama biologists receive national recognition for helping patients with two diseases. This week, “Nature Communications” highlights research by Dr. Guy and Dr. Kim Caldwell. The husband and wife team are known for their work on Parkinson’s disease.</p>

<p>Touched by Nurses, Retired Judge Gives UA $100,000 for Nursing Scholarship</p>

<p>TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – It’s hard to impress a 90-year-old lawyer who, even after retiring as Tuscaloosa’s municipal judge in 1984, still comes into the office. Yet, Gordon Rosen was so impressed by the nurses who helped his brother that he donated $100,000 to Capstone College of Nursing at The University of Alabama to create an endowed scholarship.</p>

<p>“As I grew older I had more occasions to be in hospitals, especially with my oldest brother,” Rosen said. “I had seen nurses operate and came to appreciate the profession. It’s a calling. It’s a noble profession. If I can do anything to assist them, any financial help, that’s what I want to do.”</p>

<p>Rosen and his wife, Ann, decided to create the Gordon and Ann Rosen Endowed Nursing Scholarship to benefit incoming freshmen nursing students who meet academic requirements and have a financial need.</p>

2

<p>College Board Selects UA as Test Site for New Computer Science AP Program</p>

<p>TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama is one of 10 selected schools to participate in the College Board’s Advanced Placement Pilot Study to develop and test a new computer science course and exam.</p>

<p>The course, “Computer Science Principles,” is listed at UA as CS 104, and it will focus on increasing secondary and post-secondary educational interest in computer science and improving collegiate preparation for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, majors.</p>

<p>UA was chosen from more than 220 applications and will receive a $20,000 grant from the College Board. The development of this course is led by computer science educators in partnership with the College Board and the National Science Foundation.</p>

<p>During the 2011-2012 academic year, UA’s computer science department, led by Dr. Jeff Gray, associate professor of computer science, will partner with Booker T. Washington Magnet High School in Montgomery to test the new program. The College Board requires universities offer college credit for corresponding courses to make the new course and exam successful. Therefore, the pilot sites are working in parallel to help demonstrate how that transition may occur.</p>

<p>“For UA, this means that we have a chance to be a national leader in the future of computer science education at the K-12 level,” said Gray. “We have the chance to influence the future of a new way to teach computer science to high school students through the curricula we will be developing.”</p>

<p>A+ College Ready, which focuses on increasing access to rigorous college-level AP content throughout Alabama, is partnering with the University for this pilot study. If the pilot is successful, A+ College Ready program schools throughout the state will offer the new computer science course, increasing access for Alabama students to rigorous and engaging coursework in STEM subjects. A+ College Ready is currently in 64 high schools across the state.</p>

<p>The AP course’s curriculum will introduce students to a broad range of computer science topics, to basic computing concepts and to how technology is constantly changing the world. A particular focus will be instruction on how to program smartphone applications on the Android platform and how such applications affect many different segments of society.</p>

<p>The Pilot II study will include pre- and post-pilot surveys, an evaluation of the proposed curriculum and its implications for both participating students and faculty. The College Board plans to make “Computer Science Principles” a regularly offered AP exam provided an ample amount of colleges and universities agree to honor the course with appropriate college credit and funding for the AP exam development, administration and grading is secured. The new exam is expected to be available in the next two to three academic years.</p>

<p>“A new method for introducing computer science is needed nationally to prepare the future workforce for the demand expected for technology workers,” explained Gray. “Many states, including Alabama, have only a small handful of high schools that teach computer science at the current AP level, yet computer science is frequently the top career option in terms of starting salary and job availability. This new AP course will be designed to introduce computing principles to a broader range of teachers and students.”</p>

<p>In 1837, The University of Alabama became one of the first five universities in the nation to offer engineering classes. Today, UA’s fully accredited College of Engineering has more than 3,100 students and more than 100 faculty. In the last eight years, students in the College have been named USA Today All-USA College Academic Team members, Goldwater scholars, Hollings scholars and Portz scholars.</p>

<p>[University</a> of Alabama News College Board Selects UA as Test Site for New Computer Science AP Program](<a href=“http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/07/college-board-selects-ua-as-test-site-for-new-computer-science-ap-program/]University”>http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/07/college-board-selects-ua-as-test-site-for-new-computer-science-ap-program/)</p>

3

<p>[University</a> of Alabama News UA Engineering Student Awarded UNCF/Merck Scholarship](<a href=“http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/07/ua-engineering-student-awarded-uncfmerck-scholarship/]University”>http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/07/ua-engineering-student-awarded-uncfmerck-scholarship/)</p>

<p>UA Engineering Student Awarded UNCF/Merck Scholarship</p>

<p>*TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Aeriel Murphy, a junior from Wetumpka majoring in metallurgical and materials engineering at The University of Alabama, recently received a 2011 United Negro College Fund and Merck Foundation Undergraduate Science Research Scholarship Award.</p>

<p>The UNCF/Merck Scholarship will cover the costs of Murphy’s tuition and other related expenses at $25,000 per year along with a $5,000 summer internship at the Merck research facility in Rahway, N.J. During her internship this summer, Murphy is researching nanosuspended drug formulations for oral and in vitro drug delivery, specifically investigating drugs that are insoluble and have a slow dissolution rate in the body.</p>

<p>At the Capstone, Murphy is involved in Tau Beta Pi engineering honor society, Golden Key international honor society and Cardinal Key honor society. She is the vice president of the Metallurgical and Materials Engineering Student Advantage chapter and a McNair Scholar. In April 2011, Murphy was awarded the John C. Wilkins Excellence Award for her accomplishments in metallurgical and materials engineering.</p>

<p>She currently works in UA’s magnetic suspension melting lab where she researches the electromagnetic processing of metals.*</p>

<p>~snipped~</p>

4

<p>[University</a> of Alabama students create video about “new normal” after tornado (video) | al.com](<a href=“http://blog.al.com/spotnews/2011/07/video_ua_students_create_video.html]University”>University of Alabama students create video about "new normal" after tornado (video) - al.com)</p>

<p>University of Alabama Students Create Video About “New Normal” After Tornado - VIDEO</p>

<p>*TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – Students from the University of Alabama have created a video that documents Tuscaloosa residents’ lives before the April 27 tornado and the little things they miss.</p>

<p>The video is designed to increase awareness of the impact of natural disasters, Mike Devlin, a UA doctoral student in the College of Communication and Information Sciences who is overseeing the project, said in a news release. The film was made by undergraduate students from the department of telecommunications and film and the department of advertising and public relations.</p>

<p>“Disasters change lives in an instant. And there is no going back,” Devlin said. “It’s all about adjusting to the new normal, and that’s what we tried to show.”*</p>

<p>~snipped~</p>

5

<p>UA computer science students developing health-related smartphone apps</p>

<p>*TUSCALOOSA, Alabama – University of Alabama computer science students are developing smartphone apps specifically to help those with health problems or physical disabilities ranging from diabetes to blindness, reports The Crimson White.</p>

<p>Associate professor in computer science Jeff Gray told the CW that the development program helps motivate students to learn more about technology that speaks to their own personal interests and creativity.</p>

<p>Computer engineering associate professor Edward Sazonov, who has worked with two UA students, told the newspaper the apps are helping solve practical problems, including food intake. Kyle Redding’s app for Android, called Diet Diary, helps users keep track of calories using senors, the report says.</p>

<p>Michael Robson, a senior majoring in computer science, has an app for people with type 2 diabetes. *</p>

<p>[UA</a> computer science students developing health-related smartphone apps | al.com](<a href=“http://blog.al.com/tuscaloosa/2011/07/ua_computer_science_students_d.html]UA”>UA computer science students developing health-related smartphone apps - al.com)</p>

6

<p>**UA Opens Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art in Downtown Tuscaloosa with ‘Icon’ Exhibit
**</p>

<p>July 27, 2011 - Filed under: Events, Outreach | Tagged: Art and art history, College of Arts & Sciences, Community, Culture, Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art</p>

<p>TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The University of Alabama has established an art gallery in downtown Tuscaloosa that will exhibit works year round from the Paul R. Jones Collection of American Art at The University of Alabama, as well as other artists’ exhibitions.</p>

<p>The Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art at 2308 Sixth St. will be dedicated Aug. 13 at 4 p.m with an exhibition featuring selections from the Jones Collection.</p>

<p>The gallery provides an advantageous location for the community to view art from The University of Alabama, said Dr. Robert Olin, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, which will manage the gallery.</p>

<p>more info…</p>

<p>[University</a> of Alabama News UA Opens Paul R. Jones Gallery of Art in Downtown Tuscaloosa with ‘Icon’ Exhibit](<a href=“http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/07/ua-opens-paul-r-jones-gallery-of-art-in-downtown-tuscaloosa-with-icon-exhibit/]University”>http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/07/ua-opens-paul-r-jones-gallery-of-art-in-downtown-tuscaloosa-with-icon-exhibit/)</p>

7

<p>Chandra X-ray Telescope Images Gas Flowing Toward Black Hole in UA-Led Study</p>

<p>July 27, 2011 - Filed under: Research | Tagged: College of Arts & Sciences, Physics & Astronomy, Space</p>

<p>NGC 3115: A lenticular galaxy located about 32 million light years from Earth. (X-ray: NASA/CXC/Univ. of Alabama/K.Wong et al, Optical: ESO/VLT) This composite image contains X-rays from Chandra (blue) and optical data from the VLT (gold) of the galaxy NGC 3115. Using the Chandra data, the flow of hot gas toward the supermassive black hole in the center of this galaxy has been imaged. This is the first time that clear evidence for such a flow has been observed in any black hole. The new Chandra data also supports the previous optical observations that suggest that NGC 3115’s black hole has a mass of about two billion times that of the Sun. This would make NGC 3115 the host of the nearest billion-solar-mass black hole to Earth. Scale: Full image: 7.5 arcmin (about 70,000 light years) | Inset image: 27 arcsec across (about 4,150 light years)</p>

<p>TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — The flow of hot gas toward a black hole has been clearly imaged for the first time in X-rays. The observations from NASA’s Chandra X-ray Observatory, analyzed by University of Alabama astronomers, will help tackle two of the most fundamental problems in modern astrophysics: understanding how black holes grow and how matter behaves in their intense gravity.</p>

<p>The black hole is at the center of a large galaxy known as NGC 3115, which is located about 32 million light-years from Earth. A large amount of previous data has shown material falling toward and onto black holes, but none with this clear a signature of hot gas. </p>

<p>By imaging the hot gas at different distances from the supermassive black hole, astronomers have observed a critical threshold where the motion of gas first becomes dominated by the black hole’s gravity and falls inward. The distance from the black hole is known as the “Bondi radius.”</p>

<p>“It’s exciting to find such clear evidence for gas in the grip of a massive black hole,” said Dr. Ka-Wah Wong, a post-doctoral researcher at The University of Alabama, who led the study that appears in the July 20 issue of The Astrophysical Journal Letters. ”Chandra’s resolving power provides a unique opportunity to understand more about how black holes capture material by studying this nearby object.”</p>

<p>More info:
[University</a> of Alabama News Chandra X-ray Telescope Images Gas Flowing Toward Black Hole in UA-Led Study](<a href=“http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/07/chandra-x-ray-telescope-images-gas-flowing-toward-black-hole-in-ua-led-study/]University”>http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/07/chandra-x-ray-telescope-images-gas-flowing-toward-black-hole-in-ua-led-study/)</p>

8

<p>Coupe boosts Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa Vance Plant
New vehicle could cement Tuscaloosa Vance’s status
By Patrick Rupinski
Staff Writer
Published: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 at 3:30 a.m.
Last Modified: Tuesday, July 26, 2011 at 8:32 p.m.</p>

<p>Reports that Mercedes-Benz will add a totally new M-Class coupe to its Vance plant lineup within the next few years could further cement the Tuscaloosa County plant as the North American center for the German automaker.</p>

<p>Mercedes’ Tuscaloosa County plant has produced Mercedes’ sport utility vehicle since the plant opened in 1997. It’s the sole worldwide producer of the German automaker’s M-Class and GL-Class SUVs and its R-Class crossover vehicles. In a little more than two years, it also will start making Mercedes’ top-selling C-Class sedans for the North American market.</p>

<p>With the addition of an M-Class coupe, a vehicle that is expected to be smaller than the SUVs and C-Class sedan, the plant would produce five different vehicles.</p>

<p>more info:
[Coupe</a> boosts Mercedes’ Vance plant | TuscaloosaNews.com](<a href=“http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20110727/NEWS/110729804/1007/sitemaps04]Coupe”>http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20110727/NEWS/110729804/1007/sitemaps04)</p>

<p>This is good news for T-town and for Bama. </p>

<p>Any expansion provides more internships and job opps for engineers, business majors, etc.</p>

9

<p>Two UA Engineering Professors Named Fellows by ASME</p>

<p>August 18, 2011 - Filed under: Awards & Honors, Faculty & Staff | Tagged: College of Engineering, Engineering, Mechanical Engineering</p>

<p>TUSCALOOSA, Ala. — Two University of Alabama mechanical engineering professors have been elected as Fellows of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers.</p>

<p>Dr. Yuebin Guo, professor of mechanical engineering, and Dr. Beth Todd, associate professor of mechanical engineering, recently received this prestigious distinction.</p>

<p>The election to the grade of Fellow is the highest honor awarded to ASME members. According to ASME, a Fellow is one who has attained a membership grade of distinction and, at the time of advancement, shall have been responsible for significant engineering achievements and shall not have less than 10 years of active practice.</p>

<p>[University</a> of Alabama News Two UA Engineering Professors Named Fellows by ASME](<a href=“http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/08/two-ua-engineering-professors-named-fellows-by-asme/]University”>http://uanews.ua.edu/2011/08/two-ua-engineering-professors-named-fellows-by-asme/)</p>

10

<p>Thanks M2ck. I had read some of these but not all of them.</p>

11

<p>YAY DR. TODD!!! Aka my awesome advisor. She totally deserved it.</p>