Five things to know about potential UA President Stuart Bell
Birmingham Business Journal – June 11
University of Alabama system Chancellor Dr. Robert Witt on Tuesday announced he would recommend LSU Provost Dr. Stuart Bell to be the next president of the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. While Bell, a native of Abilene, Texas, is a notable figure in academic circles, there is more to the man who will soon lead the flagship school for the state of Alabama. Here are five things to know about Dr. Stuart Bell: (1). Family: Bell and his wife Susan have three children, according to LSU Media Relations. Their oldest son, Stuart, is a chemical engineering graduate currently working in Beaumont, Texas. Their daughter, Stacy, is a UA graduate and lives in Raleigh, N.C. The Bell’s youngest son, Stephen, attended Kansas University.
LSU Educator Top Choice to Lead University of Alabama
WNCF-ABC (Montgomery) – June 10
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – June 10
WAKA-CBS (Montgomery) – June 10
WPMI-NBC (Mobile) – June 10
University of Alabama Associate Provost Kevin Whitaker to serve in interim provost
Tuscaloosa News – June 10
University of Alabama Associate Provost Kevin Whitaker has been tapped to serve as interim provost. “Dr. Whitaker’s leadership skills, experience at the University of Alabama and his collaborative and analytical approach to decision making, will prove helpful to (presidential nominee) Dr. Stuart Bell as he forms his administrative team,” said UA President Judy Bonner in a statement released by UA. Whitaker will replace interim Provost Joe Benson, who is retiring later this summer. Benson delayed retirement to serve as the interim provost. The search for his replacement was put on hold earlier this year to allow Bonner’s replacement to restart the search. The University of Alabama System announced Bell as the nominee to be the 29th UA president on Tuesday. Bell must still be approved by the UA board of trustees. If approved, he will officially start on July 15. The decision on when to restart the search for a permanent provost will be made by Bell, according to UA spokesman Chris Bryant.
Crimson White – June 10
National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration Opens a National Water Center
AllGov.com – June 10
The federal government now has a National Water Center intended to help address water-related events stemming from droughts, flooding and other causes. The new 65,000-square foot center, established by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and located at the University of Alabama, will house experts to predict water problems and work to mitigate their impact on Americans. “The new National Water Center will help us create a safer, more secure, weather-ready nation,” Secretary of Commerce Penny Pritzker said in a prepared statement. “Measuring, managing, and planning for water is complex, and the need for a more integrated approach has never been greater. Through this center, we will work with our partners in the federal government, community leaders nationwide, and the University of Alabama to deliver solutions to one of our most pressing environmental challenges.”
CBS 42 (Birmingham) – June 10
Girls State at UA (gallery)
Tuscaloosa News – June 10
The American Legion Auxiliary Girls State held their final elections on June 10, 2015 in Morgan Hall at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa. Girls State is a nonpartisan program that teaches young women responsible citizenship and love for God and Country. One rising senior is selected from each participating high school in Alabama to participate. This year 160 girls participated in the program.
Fox 6 (Birmingham) – June 10
See the awesome way one proud dad celebrated his son’s acceptance to the Univ. Alabama
YellowHammer News – June 10
The day high school seniors begin receiving their college acceptance letters is often an exciting one for everyone involved, but one dad in Chantilly, Virginia was reportedly so proud of his son for being accepted to the University of Alabama he painted an mowed a giant script “A” in their yard to let the whole neighborhood know. He just wanted to do something cool for my graduation and when I got home last week he was outside with the A in my yard,” said UA class of 2019’s Pearce O’Donnell said. “I thought it was really cool and it was a complete surprise.” On the University of Alabama’s Class of 2019 Facebook group, where he originally posted the pictures of his front yard, O’Donnell said he will be beginning classes this fall in pursuit of a mechanical engineering degree. But Pearce O’Donnell isn’t the first member of his family to yell Roll Tide; his mother is an alumna of the University.
NBC 12 (Montgomery) – June 10
I-65 between Calera and Clanton: 109 crashes since January
ABC 33/40 (Birmingham) – June 10
You may have noticed many multi-vehicle wrecks recently on a stretch of Interstate 65 between Calera and Clanton. Since January first, there have been one hundred nine wrecks, according to the Alabama Department of Transportation. Alabama Law Enforcement Agency, ALEA, says speed is one factor and the trooper shortage is another part of the problem. “It is dangerous,” Samuel Davis said. Davis lives in Clanton. As he filled his gas tank, he mentally prepared for the drive ahead of him. “You’ve got to know what you’re doing and you got to keep your eyes on the highway and on the fellow driver,” Davis explained. Davis is no stranger to the stretch of i65 from Calera to Clanton. He remembers one major accident that happened in April at mile marker 216 near Jemison. Multiple 18 wheelers were involved. “They shut the interstate down, whether you’re going northbound or southbound. Whatever happened on the interstate, they shut it down,” said Davis.
Burmese python study could bring better understanding into how vertebrates control organ growth and function
Health Canal – June 11
The research is detailed in the paper, “Rapid changes in gene expression direct rapid shifts in intestinal form and function in the Burmese python after feeding,” that is published in the May edition of the journal Physiological Genomics. It analyzes the changes that occur in the reptile’s small intestine in the days after it ingests a meal following a long period of fasting. The authors believe that their work could shed new light on how vertebrates control organ growth and function. Todd Castoe, an assistant professor of biology in the UT Arlington College of Science and corresponding author of the paper, said the study is a breakthrough because it delves explicitly into how genes are utilized in creating the stunning changes that take place in the Burmese python’s organs … The study is a collaboration between UT Arlington, the University of Colorado School of Medicine in Aurora, Colo., and the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Ala. In addition to Andrew and Castoe, other co-authors from UT Arlington include Daren Card, Drew Schield and Richard Adams, all Ph.D. students in Castoe’s laboratory. Additional co-authors are Robert Ruggiero and David Pollock of the University of Colorado School of Medicine, and Stephen Secor of the University of Alabama.