University of Alabama history professor Joshua Rothman scores research grant for barbecue
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 3
For Southerners, barbecue — like college football — inspires pride, intense rivalries and seemingly endless debates. Over the course of the fall and winter, University of Alabama history professor Joshua Rothman and two graduate students will explore Alabama’s food culture of barbecue as well as a broader focus on foodways — how the state’s regional cuisine developed — after receiving an $18,000 grant from the Southern Foodways Alliance, a nonprofit organization based at the University of Mississippi that documents and celebrates the food cultures of the South. “I think the goal ultimately is to figure out how barbecue came to be in that place where it stands as emblematic of Southern culture,” Rothman said. The grant will fund research for two essays on the topics, according to Rothman, who said work had just begun. The essay on barbecue, to be written by doctoral candidate Mark Johnson, is expected to be completed by December and the paper of foodways, to be completed by graduate student Dana Alsen, is expected by May or June.
University of Alabama names interim Continuing Studies dean
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 4
The University of Alabama has named Rebecca J. Pow interim dean of the College of Continuing Studies. Pow assumed the new role Sunday, after the retirement of outgoing Dean Carolyn Dahl at the end of August. Pow joined the College of Continuing Studies in 1988 as assistant director of academic programs and services. Most recently, she served as senior associate dean and director of academic outreach for the college, according to a release from UA. The College of Continuing Studies offers more than 25 degree programs in formats that include online, videotape and video conference as well as programs taught at off-campus sites and during evening and weekend schedules, according to the release.
Al.com – Sept. 3
Atlantic City welcomes Miss America contestants
Bridgeport Post (Conn.) – Sept. 3
The Miss America pageant is back in the city where it began, six years after spurning the city for Las Vegas. The pageant held a welcoming ceremony in Atlantic City on Tuesday for the 53 contestants, one from each state plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The contestants filed out of Boardwalk Hall, where the competition will begin next week and culminate days later, and walked across the Boardwalk to a stage…Miss Alabama: Chandler Champion, 20; Hometown: Leeds, Alabama; Education: Alabama School of Fine Arts University of Alabama…Miss Michigan: Haley Williams, 20; Hometown: Saline; Education: University of Alabama …
Albany Times Union (N.Y.) – Sept. 3
Mystery of the Missing Women in Science
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette – Sept. 3
Peter Ostrander, the tireless coordinator and cheerleader for a renowned science and mathematics magnet program at Montgomery Blair High School in Silver Spring, Md., was not satisfied. Over the past few years, the pool of applicants had included nearly as many girls as boys, and the acceptance rate — based largely on test scores and grades — had followed suit…Convinced the program could do better at pitching its product to girls, Mr. Ostrander recruited teams of upper-class girls last spring to call their hesitant young counterparts. Extol the wonders of the program, he said. Dispel the tired geek myths…The message of equal aptitude has certainly infiltrated today’s youth. In a recent presentation at a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Anthony Derriso of the University of Alabama reported his analysis of a vast 2009 study of more than 21,000 ninth graders nationwide. Mr. Derriso, who is completing his doctoral dissertation in psychology, determined that students of both sexes rated boys and girls equally competent in science and math; expressed similar levels of confidence in their own math and science skills; and were equally likely to say they felt they were engaged in math and science and were supported by their teachers, parents and peers.
Still no candidate: Nancy Worley says Democrats have potentially strong entries in governor’s race (updated)
Al.com – Sept. 3
William Stewart, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Alabama, said it is getting late for Democrats to mount a serious challenge to Bentley. “Gov. Bentley has already amassed a very sizable war chest and anyone who would hope to seriously contest him would have to probably have already done a lot themselves along that line, particularly if you’re challenging an incumbent, because that is always more difficult than if the seat is open,” Stewart said…“I would like to see the Democratic Party put up a legitimate choice so even if that person doesn’t have very good prospects for winning, people who are not comfortable with Republican conservatism would still have an option to vote for him in all good conscience,” Stewart said. “It wouldn’t just be some hack that likes to see his name on the ballot.”
UA professor discusses possible U.S. strike on Syria
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Sept. 3
I got the opportunity to sit down with a University of Alabama expert to discuss a possible U.S. strike on Syria. Assistant professor of political science Dr. Daniel Levine explained, the Obama administration has few options. Levine: “It’s an enormous catastrophe, in humanitarian terms. A part of me when I see footage like this, I want to say ‘no, we have to go do this, we have to go do it right now, this is terrible.’ That urge, the urge to say that is powerful.” Dr. Daniel Levine has been teaching Middle Eastern politics at the University of Alabama for two years. And even with a knowledge of the Syrian government and the regime, the images, for him, are sometimes unbelievable. Levine: “I have a son, and it is very, very hard to watch those images and…see people that are the age of your son.”
University of Alabama Insurance Day welcomes industry leaders
Tuscaloosa News – Sept. 3
The executive heading risk management for the World Trade Center and the now-retired CEO who had led MetLife during the nation’s recent financial crisis will be among the speakers at the University of Alabama’s Insurance Day 2013 on Oct. 23. The annual daylong event also will feature a panel with the state insurance commissioners of Alabama, Mississippi and Georgia and other noted speakers. Alabama Insurance Day is in its 30th year and its seventh consecutive year with the University of Alabama as its host, said William Rabel, a UA professor of insurance and financial services. It is designed for people working in or interested in the insurance and financial services industries, attorneys and accountants, he said. The event will be at the Bryant Conference Center, starting with a registration and breakfast.
Project Health continues to educate
Crimson White – Sept. 4
Distributing T-shirts, buttons and, this week, bananas, Project Health uses swag to sway students into healthy habits, particularly through the Health Hut program. The Health Hut’s crimson and houndstooth tent travels all over campus, occupying high- traffic spots for maximum outreach. “Many people know what the Health Hut is. They’ve seen it walking to class. They’ve seen it around campus. Health Hut has a very strong identity,” Reale Snorton, director of public relations for Project Health, said. Health Hut interns greet students and encourage them to ask questions or participate in a game to learn about health, with the promise of prizes. “One of the things that we’re working on right now is engaging more students on campus. Every semester, we try to increase the number of students we’re reaching and the number of students we’re engaging,” Olivia Hodge, coordinator of public relations for the Health Hut, said.