Sign Language Recognition

University of Alabama: Signing In: Tuscaloosa Patch – May 17

Researchers across disciplines at The University of Alabama are developing an innovative way for deaf and hard-of-hearing communities to better interact with devices or smart environments. The patent-pending technology leverages radio frequency sensing to enable a human-computer interface built from the start to recognize the language of the deaf community — sign language.

School Integration

On anniversary of Brown v. Board, these Alabama schools remain segregated: Al.com – May 18

… The most recent list, released in November 2019, shows 31 of the state’s “failing” public schools are located in Black Belt counties. That failure has consequences for students and for society, Mann said. He and co-author Annah Rogers, a graduate student at The University of Alabama, cite multiple benefits of school integration, backed by scholarly research, in the study.

Summer Camps

UA will hold summer camps for kids: Fox 6 – May 18

In just a few days, The University of Alabama will reopen several summer camps for kids that were closed last year because of the pandemic. Nearly half-a-dozen summer camps are set to open at The University of Alabama either on or after June 1.

Possibility of Peace

Possibility of peace in the Middle East: WVTM13 – May 19

As the rockets fly from Gaza into Israel and the bombs are dropped by Israel into Gaza, “You know, this is not a thousand-year-old conflict. It’s a very modern conflict.” University of Alabama professor Daniel Levine says inside this ongoing tragedy, “there’s a basic dishonesty in how we talk about this conflict. We talk about it like it’s something we want to solve. In point of fact, it’s something that we want to keep on a low boil.” Levine says both sides abandoned a chance for peace in the ‘90s when moderates appeared close to a two-state solution. Now hardliners Hamas on one side and Prime Minister Netanyahu on the other are in charge and says Levine Netanyahu is comfortable dealing with the Hamas government.
CBS 42

Scholars of Color

‘On our own terms’: How scholars of color are correcting the narrative of national tragedies: Yahoo! News – May 20

… But public syllabi also have a place in formal college classrooms, said Hilary Green, an associate professor of history at The University of Alabama, who has used the Charleston Syllabus in her introductory classes since the 2015 shooting.
Lovebylife
USA TODAY

Plant Trafficking

Global cactus traffickers are cleaning out the deserts: New York Times – May 20

A recent raid in Italy involving rare Chilean species highlights the growing scale of a black market in the thorny plants… “The basic functioning of the planet would effectively grind to a halt without plants, but people care more about animals,” said Jared Margulies, a geographer at The University of Alabama who studies plant trafficking. “A lot of plant species are not receiving the amount of attention they would be if they had eyes and faces.”
Deccan Herald
MSN.com
DNYUZ
Granthshala News
The New Zealand Herald
Forbes India
DTNext