faculty – Page 26 – College of Arts & Sciences

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 […]

UA’s Poetry Press to Present Annual Festival

October 1, 2012

From the Black Warrior Review to high-ranking M.F.A. programs, UA’s literary chops regularly receive national recognition. Slash Pine Press is the latest addition. Launched in 2009 by Dr. Patti White, a professor, and Joseph Wood, an instructor, both in the Department of English, Slash Pine Press offers students a hands-on opportunity to conceive and create literary projects, including an annual festival showcasing undergraduate and established writers. How hands-on is the experience? Slash Pine’s student interns design, promote, and hand-stitch the […]

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 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 […]

Music Professor Awarded Grant for Jazz Ensemble

August 1, 2012

Dr. Andrew Raffo Dewar, an assistant professor in the School of Music and New College, was awarded a New Jazz Works Commissioning and Ensemble Development Grant from Chamber Music America in the amount of $20,500. He was among 10 composers and ensembles selected for awards from a pool of 167 applicants by independent review panels of musicians and presenters. Dewar will use the grant to compose, perform and record a new book of compositions for his San Francisco Bay Area-based […]

Geological Sciences Professor Wins NSF CAREER Award

July 31, 2012

Dr. Samantha Hansen, an assistant professor in the Department of Geological Sciences, was awarded a $715,000 CAREER Award from the National Science Foundation to study a new approach to investigating the seismic velocity structure beneath Antarctica. These awards are NSF’s most prestigious recognition of top-performing young scientists beginning their careers. Hansen, who joined the College’s faculty in 2010, works in the field of earthquake seismology. Her five-year NSF grant will fund an expedition to deploy a new seismic operation in […]