faculty – Page 12 – College of Arts & Sciences

Traveling to the Ocean Floor: Professor Studies Deep-Sea Mollusks

September 12, 2016

Aplacophora are worm-like mollusks characterized by their lack of shells and tiny units called calcareous spicules.

From the September 2016 Desktop News | While the unique environment of the deep ocean would likely prove nightmarish and panic-inducing for many people, it’s just another day of fieldwork for Department of Biological Sciences’ assistant professor Dr. Kevin Kocot. This July, Kocot submerged to oceanic depths for the ninth time, joining 21 other marine scientists from universities across the nation who were selected to participate in this year’s Chief Scientist Training Cruise put on by the University-National Oceanographic Laboratory System. In […]

A&S in the News – August 19-25

September 1, 2016

UA professor receives grant to develop flood prediction system CBS 42 (Birmingham) – Aug. 25 One University of Alabama geography professor is keeping a close eye on the historic flooding in Baton Rouge. Dr. Sagy Cohen specializes in Global Hydrology. His research unit has recently received a grant to develop a flood inundation map using remote satellite images. This grant will allow him to develop a new flood prediction system that can alert people sooner and give them crucial time […]

A&S in the News – August 5-11

August 12, 2016

What if we never named the shooters? NBC 9 (Denver, Colo.) – Aug. 6 It’s a question that psychologists and journalists increasingly wrestle with: Are the people who engage in public violence trying to become famous, and would it help if the media stopped naming and showing them? … There are many theories about the factors that contribute to public violence. Criminologist Adam Lankford from the University of Alabama is concerned about the power of celebrity in present day U.S. […]

Professor Emeritus Receives Legendary Geoscientist Medal

August 11, 2016

From the August 2016 Desktop News | Dr. Ernest A. Mancini, a professor emeritus of geological sciences, received the 2016 Marcus Milling Legendary Geoscientist Medal from the American Geosciences Institute. The medal recognizes a senior scientist who has a record of achievements and service in earth sciences and who has been acknowledged for accomplishments in fields of expertise by professional societies, universities, or other organizations. Mancini’s career in the geosciences includes having served as a distinguished research professor at UA as well […]

American Studies Professor Wins Award for Best Book on Popular Music

August 9, 2016

From the August 2016 Desktop News | Dr. Eric Weisbard, an associate professor in the Department of American Studies, has been awarded the 2015 Woody Guthrie Award for the most outstanding book on popular music for his book Top 40 Democracy: The Rival Mainstreams of American Music. The prize is given annually to the best English language monograph on popular music, said Dr. Elizabeth Lindau, chair of the 2015 Woody Guthrie Award committee for the U.S. branch of the International Association for […]

Fall Dates and Deadlines

August 1, 2016

August August 3: Summer classes end August 4-5: Final exams August 5: President’s reception – We invite August graduates and their families to join us for a celebration reception at the President’s Mansion from 3-4 p.m. August 6: Commencement August 17: Fall classes begin August 24: Last day to drop a course with a grade of “W.” This is a student’s last opportunity to drop a course. Drops after this date must be approved and processed by the student’s college. September September 5: Classes dismissed for Labor […]

Professor Wins Best Film at American Black Film Festival

July 11, 2016

From the July 2016 Desktop News |University of Alabama theatre professor Seth Panitch’s first feature-length film, Service to Man, was awarded the grand jury prize for best film at the 20th American Black Film Festival last month. “We feel terrific about it,” Panitch said. “We were the only university-sponsored and supported film in the entire competition. So to have them honor us with best picture was a real shock and incredibly gratifying, especially considering the caliber of films that were running […]

UA Researchers Receive NSF Grant to Study Everglades’ Greenhouse Gases

June 15, 2016

From the June 2016 Desktop News | Drs. Gregory Starr and Christina Staudhammer, professors in the Department of Biological Sciences, along with collaborators from Florida International University and the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Forest Service recently received $834,000 from the National Science Foundation to continue their study of greenhouse gases in the Everglades. They will specifically look at how changes in fresh- and sea-water levels are affecting the balance of carbon-dioxide and methane emissions in the Everglades. “Historically, the Everglades were a […]

UA Names Director of the Center for Sedimentary Basin Studies

March 9, 2016

From the March 2016 Desktop News | Alabama’s State Geologist and Oil and Gas Supervisor, Dr. Berry H. “Nick” Tew Jr., has been named director of The University of Alabama’s Center for Sedimentary Basin Studies and a research professor in the UA’s Department of Geological Sciences. His work with the University will be in addition to his duties directing the Geological Survey of Alabama and the staff of the State Oil and Gas Board. Geological sciences chair, Dr. Fred Andrus, is […]

Where Science Meets Fiction

February 8, 2016

The x-ray image superimposed over the optical image creates the purplish smile of The Cheshire Cat Galaxy Group.

From the February 2016 Desktop News | When Dr. Jimmy Irwin, a professor in the Department of Physics and Astronomy, began his research on the Cheshire Cat group of galaxies, he was interested in more than just the teasing smile of a disappearing cat. “The two bright eye galaxies,” Irwin said, “are actually moving very fast relative to one another, so I thought this may be a collision between two groups.” And if there was a collision, the new galaxy would […]