Research – Page 34 – College of Arts & Sciences

College Faculty and Alumni Provide ‘Crimson Connection’ to Mars Research

November 6, 2012

Dr. Ryan Ewing, an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, and NASA scientist James Rice, a College alumnus, have more than The University of Alabama in common. Both scientists have been involved in different ways with the discovery and exploration of Mars, known as the Red Planet. Ewing, who specializes in sediment dynamics, has collaborated with other scientists on the most recent Mars mission, Curiosity, to analyze rock outcrops on the planet. These structures are the part of […]

College Physicist Collaborates with UA Scientists to Seek New Source of Magnetism as World Supply Ebbs

November 3, 2012

Dr. Patrick LeClair, an associate professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy and fellow researchers in UA’s Center for Materials for Information Technology (MINT), have been researching alternative materials to produce magnets. Their research is a response to the growing concern in the scientific community that the supply of naturally magnetic materials will not keep up with demand. Magnets are used in nearly all electronic devices such as computers, cellphones, and medical appliances. And although these appliances are in […]

Fishing for Uranium

November 1, 2012

UA Professor Researches Unlikely Resource in the Uranium Extraction Process More common than silver, tin, or mercury, uranium is found nearly everywhere on Earth — yet it is often difficult to obtain. On land, uranium mining is damaging to the environment and risky for workers. And though the world’s oceans contain some 4.6 billion tons of uranium, the element is found in very low concentrations there, making it expensive to collect. But a UA chemistry professor has developed a cheap, […]

Astronomer Works to Change Public Perceptions of Science

October 12, 2012

Astronomy professor Dr. Bill Keel is a man with a mission. He’s heavily involved in the Galaxy Zoo Project, which encourages citizens around the world (with or without scientific experience) to evaluate photos taken by the Hubble Telescope. Galaxy Zoo is unique in that millions of people across the globe are encouraged to examine and even classify millions of galaxies. In 2007, Hanny’s Voorwep (an astronomical oddity roughly the size of the Milky Way) was discovered by novice astronomer Hanny […]

Alabama Student Explores Centuries-Old Silk Road Caves

October 12, 2012

Meng Tong of UA enjoyed the opportunity of a lifetime when she was offered a trip this summer to visit Dunhuang, China to research the Mogao Caves. Tong, a grad student of art history, stayed for a week in June to study the artwork found in the caves. “Paintings cover every corner of the caves,” she says, “the iconic images of the Buddha, bodhisattva and popular native Chinese deities, narratives of the life of Shakyamuni and Buddhist scriptures, as well […]

Psychologists Study “Time Flies When You’re Having Fun” Phenomenon

October 1, 2012

Do you ever wonder why time seems to pass faster when you are doing something enjoyable? A new study, published by two researchers in the College’s Department of Psychology, suggests that the feeling that time is somehow shorter seems to be the specific result of a desire to approach or pursue something, not a more general effect of heightened attention or physiological arousal. The results of the study are published in Psychological Science, a journal of the Association for Psychological […]

Classics Professor to Translate Rare Religious Texts from Latin to English

October 1, 2012

A volume of commentaries on the Bible written in Latin by Protestant reformers in the 16th Century will soon be translated for the first time into English by Dr. Kirk Summers, professor of Classics in the Department of Modern Languages and Classics. Summers has been asked to serve as Latin translator for a soon to be published volume of the texts that were written by historic authors who are not well-known to modern readers. “These volumes will make available texts […]

Biology Students Win Top Honors at Water Conservation Conference

October 1, 2012

Two doctoral students in the College’s Department of Biological Sciences recently presented at the 26th Annual Alabama Water Resources Conference and brought home top honors for their oral presentations. Suja Rajan and Nikaela Flournoy won first and second place, respectively, at the conference held in Orange Beach. The annual event is a forum about understanding and improving complex issues related to water resources. Both Rajan and Flourney have been researching the short- and long-term effects to coastal Alabama due to […]

Biology Professor Teams Up with Surgeon in New Approach to Pain Treatment

September 1, 2012

A chronic pain condition and numerous gastrointestinal disorders may all be caused by a virus. That’s a Tuscaloosa-based surgeon’s theory likely headed for a clinical trial early next year and one drawing support from Dr. Carol Duffy, an assistant professor in the Department of Biological Sciences. The two are teaming up to conduct a clinical trial that will test the effectiveness of a combination of two drugs in treating fibromyalgia. Duffy is serving as the chief scientific advisor for Innovative […]

Geography Students and Faculty Study Hurricane Isaac

September 1, 2012

Just as the winds and rain were at their peak during Hurricane Isaac’s wrath, several College students were in the thick of it all for the sake of science. Under the guidance of Dr. Jason Senkbeil, an assistant professor in the Department of Geography, students measured wind speeds in New Orleans just as Isaac made landfall on August 29. Three of his students were captured by Associated Press photographers and images of the students in full raingear appeared online with […]