Public Libraries

North Dakota Libraries are Under Attack: MSNBC – Jan. 20

…Taylor Brorby, assistant professor at The University of Alabama, advocate for access to literature and author of “Boys and Oil: Growing Up Gay in a Fractured Land”…I want to start with a quote from your New York Times op-ed called “The Real Reason North Dakota Is Going After Books and Librarians.” “Let’s be honest, it’s not the venous to myelodysplastic way to come for first, it spoke with LGBTQ stories, or books by LGBTQ authors, the kind of looks that it provided so many queer young people with a lifeline when they needed it most.”

Cacti and Succulents

The High Stakes World Of The Illegal Cactus And Succulent Trade: LA-ist 89.3 FM – Jan. 22

While one might not think that cacti and succulents would be objects of desire to the point that some might steal and smuggle them, in reality these often endangered plants are among the most sought-after in the world by collectors. In his new book “The Cactus Hunters: Desire and Extinction in the Illicit Succulent Trade” University of Alabama Assistant Professor of Geography Jared Margulies introduces readers to the players who make up the illicit cactus trade and the law enforcement agents tasked with stopping them.

The History of Enslaved People at UA

New website tells the story of enslaved people at UA: The Crimson White – Jan. 24

A faculty research group has compiled research for and created a new website detailing the University’s history with enslaved people before the Civil War. Titled “The History of Enslaved People at UA,” the site contains tabs for an overall timeline, a list of names, information about the lives of enslaved people, and more.
WVUA-TV

Medical Marijuana

Alabama’s botched rollout of medical marijuana hampers jobs, research: Al.com – Jan 26

As Alabama continues to delay the rollout of a medical marijuana program, jobs in the field remain limited, as does research for future medicine…Researchers at UA, under Lukasz Ciesla, assistant professor of biological sciences, analyze the chemical makeup of hemp that the Wemp Company sources through a 20-acre farm in Dallas County. That company has also sought out permission from the state for a medical cannabis facility in Selma. UA’s program has worked with about six undergraduate and graduate students since it launched in 2019, said Ciesla, and the Wemp Company has paid for the work of student researchers, too. But it’s been hard for them to find jobs in their field in-state, and only one currently works with hemp.