A&S in the News: February 17-23, 2019

Tuscaloosa Heritage Festival

Tuscaloosa Heritage Festival will include food, music and honors for civic leadersTuscaloosa News – Feb. 17

The Tuscaloosa Heritage Festival, a three-day celebration of diversity and cultural sensitivity, will be held Thursday through Saturday … At 7:30 p.m. Friday, UA students will showcase performance art pieces about UA’s history in the auditorium of the Moody Music Building. For more information about “The Blackout,” go to facebook.com/uaasap.

Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra

Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra’s ‘Hope and Splendor’ concert is tonightTuscaloosa News – Feb. 18

One way to spot an artist: Look which way the river’s flowing. The creator will be the one striding against it. For Monday’s Tuscaloosa Symphony Orchestra concert, “Hope and Splendor,” Adam Flatt chose music by a pair of contrarians, showing off the orchestra with romantic pieces in the month celebrating Valentines … Where: Moody Concert Hall, 810 Second Ave., on The University of Alabama campus.

“Bakkhai”

Ancient Greek show continues to intrigue viewersCrimson White – Feb. 18

Elizabeth Kirkland, a third year MFA directing candidate at The University of Alabama, directed “Bakkhai.” Kirkland also directed “Little Women” earlier this season, saying that the idea of transformation has been constant through the productions in the Allen Bales Theatre.

Criminal Justice

Criminal Justice news coverage in 2018The Crime Report – Feb. 18

The most significant development in 2018, as it was in 2017, was the continued drop in coverage of local justice issues, which arguably has a greater impact … The news media’s habit of featuring mass killers continued to get attention last year. Criminologist Adam Lankford of The University of Alabama, who has studied the practice, was invited to speak at the annual meeting of Investigative Reporters and Editors, an event covered in The Crime Report.

Alzheimer’s Research

The little worm mimics the key genetic risk for Alzheimer’sArchy News – Feb. 19

Researchers at The University of Alabama have shown that a small worm can replicate the genetic causes of Alzheimer’s disease by expanding the breadth of preclinical models for the disease.
Medical Express – Feb. 19

National Republican Senatorial Committee

How she got that internship: Reagan’s internship at the National Republican Senatorial CommitteeFuture Female Leader – Feb. 19

Summer is perhaps the best time for young leaders to invest in themselves by gaining valuable work experience, namely through internships. FFL is sitting down with a number interns to reflect on this year’s highlights and encourage more young leaders to apply for next year’s internships … Reagan Tonner is currently a Junior at The University of Alabama, majoring in Political Science with minors in Public Policy and Social Welfare.

Black History Month

Rediscovering the lives of the enslaved people who freed themselvesWashington Post – Feb. 20

Black History Month this year has coincided with a steady stream of news about racist practices that have not gone away. From politicians caught in blackface, to designer sweaters and shoes inspired by minstrelsy, to the persistence of police violence, reminders appear every day of racism’s grip on American life and culture. (Mary Niall Mitchell , (UA professor) Joshua D. Rothman …)

Opera Theatre

UA Opera Theatre to perform Die Fledermaus (Live Interview)WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 20

We have a star with us tonight. This is Megan Taylor and she is one of the stars of a big upcoming production at The University of Alabama, and it’s called, “Die Fledermaus.” This is a fun, over-the-top show.
WVUA (Tuscaloosa) – Feb. 22

Dance Alabama!

Dance Alabama! coming to Welti Elementary on FridayCullman Tribune – Feb. 21

The University of Alabama’s Dance Alabama! troupe will perform for students at Welti Elementary School on Friday, Feb. 22 at 11 a.m. The performance is funded by a grant from the Alabama State Council on the Arts. Welti is one of 18 schools in 12 counties benefiting from the council’s statewide Alabama Touring Artist Program.

Bible History Elective

Alabama lawmaker files bill to allow Bible history elective in public schoolsAl.com – Feb. 21

North Alabama Sen. Tim Melson, R-Florence, wants the Bible to be the focus of three new social studies electives in public schools. But at least one group that favors the separation of church and state is watching the bill closely … An academic study of the Bible is within constitutional limits but whoever is teaching the course needs proper training to ensure they don’t step across any legal boundaries, according to Michael Altman, a religious studies assistant professor at The University of Alabama.

Jussie Smollett

Why would someone do what Jussie Smollett did? (Live Interview)KCBS-AM (CBS Radio) (San Francisco) – Feb. 21

To help answer that question, we’re joined live on the KCBS Ring Central Newsline by Dr. Marc Feldman, a professor of psychiatry and psychology at The University of Alabama, and author of “Dying to be Ill: True Stories of Medical Deception.”

“The Drowsy Chaperone”

UA production breathes fresh life into satirical playTuscaloosa News – Feb. 22

The currently-running “The Drowsy Chaperone” could be seen as an act two. Theatre Tuscaloosa performed it, same script, same music, same basic comedic beats, same choreographer and even the same lead actor, Gary Wise, as agoraphobic old-style-musical-fan The Man in Chair, a little under eight years ago, in 2011 … But that’s not a full or fair assessment, as The University of Alabama Department of Theatre and Dance production features an otherwise new cast and crew, inflating this unlikely hit back to goofy, thoroughly enjoyable light and life.

Schistosomiasis

Biologist uses new grant to find ways to eliminate schistosomiasisMedicine News Line – Feb. 22

A biologist at The University of Texas at Arlington is using a new grant to look for ways to finish off a disease that has stubbornly resisted all attempts to eradicate it …Castoe is principal investigator and is joined in the study by co-principal investigator Saiful Chowdhury, UTA associate professor of chemistry and biochemistry, and Stephen Secor, professor in the Department of Biological Sciences at The University of Alabama at Tuscaloosa, who is leading concurrent research.
Phys.org – Feb. 21
Bio Engineer – Feb. 21
News Medical – Feb. 22
Medical Newser – Feb. 23

Premier Awards

College NewsTuscaloosa News – Feb. 23

The University of Alabama Graduate School named recipients of the 2018-2019 Outstanding Graduate Student awards. The awards will be presented as a part of UA Honors Week, April 1-5. Three faculty committees selected seven outstanding graduate students from those nominated by their individual departments and colleges.  . . . The University of Alabama will recognize the recipients of the 2019 Premier Awards – the top individual honors for scholarship, leadership and service — at a dinner Thursday, Feb. 21, as well as during Honors Week.