A&S in the News: March 5-18, 2023

Earthquake in Turkey and Syria

Turkish members of UA community discuss impacts of earthquake: The Crimson White – March 5

Members of the UA community who were impacted by the earthquakes occurring in Turkey and Syria met in Amelia Gayle Gorgas Library to discuss the emotional affects it had on them and their families.

TikTok Tics

Your kid suddenly has Tourette’s? ‘TikTok tics’ may be to blame: National Post (Canada) – March 5

… “Even professionals in the mental health community can miss it,” says Dr. Marc Feldman, a psychiatrist at The University of Alabama. “Because we don’t approach patients from the perspective that maybe they’re fibbing.”

“Empty Bowls” Fundraiser

Grace Presbyterian hosting Empty Bowls event March 24: WVUA-TV – March 6

… get to pick out a hand-crafted bowl created by local artisans and University of Alabama ceramics students. You’ll also get a meal of soup …
Tuscaloosa News

Women’s History Month

Women’s History Month: 8 pioneering women of the Capstone: Tuscaloosa Patch – March 8

These women are just a few of the many who made their mark on campus and the world.

Summer Pell

New research shows benefits of Summer Pell: Diverse: Issues in Higher Education – March 10

… According to Dr. Stephen Katsinas, director of the Education Policy Center at The University of Alabama, this result is to be expected. “If more students are from single-parent families and parents with lower intergenerational wealth transfer, which African Americans sadly have, that means that parents might be less likely to have that last $300 to lend [their child] so he doesn’t have to drop out. Summer Pell is providing a lot of that,” he said.

Antarctic Ice Shelf

New study finds early warning signs prior to 2002 Antarctic ice shelf collapse: ScienceDaily – March 14

…Also contributing to this study were…Hongxing Liu, professor at The University of Alabama…

Alabama Writer’s Hall of Fame

Alabama Writer’s Hall of Fame inducts eight new members: WVUA – March 14

Trudier Harris, born in Greene County, AL, is an acclaimed author and scholar whose many authored and co-edited books often focus on Black American literature and authors. Her memoir, Summer Snow: Reflections from a Black Daughter of the South, was published in 2003. She retired from her position as The University of Alabama Distinguished Research Professor of English in 2022.

NAGPRA

Dozens of museums and universities pledge to return Native American remains. Few have funded the effort: ProPublica – March 15

… Among those promising to put resources behind their commitment to repatriate is the Tennessee Valley Authority, which told ProPublica that it also has drafted a federal notice that will enable tribal nations to repatriate the remains of nearly 5,000 Native Americans. Federal records show that the utility has at least 3,500 remains in its collections; ProPublica learned that the TVA recently found roughly an additional 1,500 ancestors in its repositories at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville, the University of Kentucky and The University of Alabama.

“The Gospel of Rot”

“The Gospel of Rot” by Gregory Ariail: Southern Literary Review – March 15

… Gregory Ariail’s first novel, The Gospel of Rot, was published by Mercer University Press in 2022. His fiction and nonfiction have appeared in The Common, Indiana Review, CutBank, Lit Hub, and Los Angeles Review of Books, among others. He earned graduate degrees from Oxford University, the University of Michigan, and The University of Alabama, Tuscaloosa, where he currently teaches.

Black Music Symposium

UA faculty member speaks and performs at U. of Arkansas: NBC (Ft. Smith, Arkansas) – March 15

Black History Month may be over but celebrating black voices at the U of A continues. The 2023 Black Music Symposium is underway which educates and exposes the community to the musical contributions of Black Americans. Dr. Alexis Davis-Hazell, a professor at The University of Alabama, is speaking and performing this week. She says it’s important to call attention to unsung voices.

Notre Dame Cathedral

Notre Dame fire revealed cathedral’s innovative use of iron: New Scientist – March 15

… “Compared to other cathedrals, such as Reims, the structure of Notre Dame in Paris is light and elegant,” says Jennifer Feltman at The University of Alabama, who was not involved in the analysis. “This study confirms that use of iron made this lighter structure at Paris possible and thus the use of this material was crucial to the design of the first Gothic architect of Notre Dame.”
Smithsonian Magazine

Merging Dwarf Galaxies

NASA’s Chandra X-ray space telescope tracks colliding galaxies, black holes: Al.com – March 17

Scientists from The University of Alabama have used the Chandra X-ray telescope managed in Alabama to find the first two observable candidates for merging dwarf galaxies that form larger galaxies, fuel black holes and have key roles in space galaxies… Marko Mićić, a University of Alabama graduate student in astronomy and physics, led the study. The research was done in the lab of Dr. Jimmy Irwin, professor of physics and astronomy. Along with Mićić, a doctoral student originally from Serbia, two undergraduate students, Olivia Holmes, a junior from Tuscaloosa, and Brenna Wells, a junior from Andalusia, are co-authors on the paper.
Futurism
Live Science
Yahoo! Lifestyle
Sky News (U.K.)
SciTechDaily
MSN
… and more