UAHuntsville libarts News

Liberal Arts News Stories

O'Brien joins UAH as engineering psychologist

Marita A. O'Brien will join the UAHuntsville psychology faculty this summer.

"We are extremely pleased to have Marita O'Brien join the Department of Psychology. She is currently finishing her Ph.D. in engineering psychology at the Georgia Institute of Technology," said Dr. Jeffrey Neuschatz, associate professor and acting department chairperson of Psychology. "At UAHuntsville, we anticipate Marita continuing to expand her unique research projects and activities in human machine systems and technology acceptance."

An applied experimental psychologist, O'Brien's specialty is developing knowledge concerning the capabilities and limitations of humans to sense, store, process information, and to act.

"This knowledge is applied to the design, use, and maintenance of human/machine systems," she explained. "I am particularly interested in everyday technologies - the kind of devices that we typically use with no training and with little or no instructions such as a cell phone, a ticket purchase kiosk, or a new web site. With our research, we hope to inform designers about how these technologies can be better designed for safer and more effective use."

O'Brien said this kind of research is also referred to as human factors, which is closely related to ergonomics. Human factors is focused more on perceptual and cognitive factors, and ergonomics usually refers to physical design concerns.

A graduate research assistant for the Human Factors and Aging Laboratory at The Georgia Institute of Technology (GIT), she will finish her dissertation before officially arriving on the UAHuntsville campus.

O'Brien's background is based in technical engineering, where she helped companies connect computers together. "I migrated to design for end-users and customers, where I had to learn to know the user — an individual who was not me. As I started to research best practices for design for heterogeneous populations, I discovered this field of psychology created to improve usability by integrating basic research and scientific techniques with practical problems. My parents had just retired, and I was particularly interested in the Human Factors & Aging Lab at Georgia Tech, whose mission was to develop research that would help older adults live independently and contribute to society as long as possible," she said.

When she arrives later this year, O'Brien will also bring her research projects.

"There are two important trends converging to highlight the need for my research - the increasing aging population and the increasing prevalence of technology in our lives. Even more complex technologies like medical devices traditionally intended for hospital use are going home with patients to reduce medical costs," she explained. "Of course, people prefer to be home, but the question is whether the technologies can be safely and effectively used. With my research, I hope to develop approaches to design that improve creation and evaluation of technologies, housing, transportation systems, etc. so that older adults can continue independent living and participation in society."

O'Brien is the author of several publications and has published a number of book chapters and technical reports, and has a manuscript in preparation entitled, "Examining Age Differences in Technology Usage by Younger and Older Adults." Her current research projects include developing an organizational framework for intuitive HCI (human computer interaction); and technology acceptance.

Before her position as graduate research assistant at GIT, O'Brien served as a medical device fellow with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration; coordinator for an eight month Cognitive Aging Conference at GIT (September 2003 to April 2004); a senior manager with Deloitte Consulting in Atlanta and Sydney, Australia; and a network analyst at Morgan Stanley in New York.

O'Brien earned her artium baccalaureatus (A.B.) degree in mathematics and economics from Duke University, and a master's degree in telecommunications from the University of Colorado. She received a second master's degree in engineering psychology from GIT and is expected to obtain a doctorate degree in the same field from Georgia this summer.

Her professional and honor society associations include the American Psychological Association, American Psychological Society, Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. She is also a "big sister" in the organization, Big Brothers & Big Sisters of Atlanta.

In her spare time, O'Brien enjoys reading, hiking, traveling, and community service activities.

UAHuntsville lab combines psychology with technology for unique research projects

1,000 co-ops and internships/year (10³).

One project at a time. That's how Dr. Anthony Morris plans to respond to the challenge issued by University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) President David Williams to find 1,000 co-op and internships for enrolled students over a five-year period of time.

"We are striving to help achieve the ambitious goal of growing the university into an even more successful research institute by strengthening its connection with private and government industry, through an innovative government contracting program known as the Student Career Experience Program (SCEP)," said Morris, who serves as a research scientist at the UAHuntsville Center for Modeling, Simulation & Analysis (CMSA), and as the director of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory.

This unique lab combines psychology and technology, and focuses its research on work performed by human factors engineers. Experimentation and research projects include human operator interaction with complex systems such as aircraft and designing work stations that are logical and user friendly, prevent injuries and trauma disorders; and creating manufacturing systems that maximize quality and productivity, while considering human limitations.

Morris and UAHuntsville graduate student Sage Jessee have been collaborating with Dr. Thomas Davis, chief of the Aviation and Missile Command Field Element of the Human Research and Engineering Directorate of the Army Research Lab on Redstone Arsenal, evaluating head and eye movement in the cockpit of Black Hawk helicopters.

The project Building a Better Helicopter recently aired on The Military Channel's Science of War Videos web site accessed here.

Jessee worked as the eye-tracking specialist on a video game style simulator that monitored the pilot's point of gaze and head position during flight scenarios.

"The purpose was two-fold: first, to build an 'attentional landscape' that characterized the general gaze of the pilot in terms of outside the window as opposed to inside the window viewing times; second, was to identify specific eye measures that correlate with mental workload," Jessee said.

The new ergonomically designed cockpit used in the Black Hawk helicopter upgrade ensured researchers had good head and eye movement. More importantly, it enabled test pilots the ability to spend 90 percent of their time looking outside windows, rather than continuously staring at the instrument panel in the cockpit. This allowed test pilots more time to concentration on reconnaissance. The user-friendly cockpit also gives researchers more opportunity to learn more about pilot behavior, ultimately reducing pilot error and saving lives.

Jessee, a home-schooled student at the North Alabama Friends School, decided to transfer to UAHuntsville because of its focus on student needs and top of the line research. "Combining psychology and technology was a natural progression for me as a budding human factors psychologist," he said. "All I had to do was marry my appreciation of people and individual differences to my enjoyment of technology. It turned out that Huntsville is an excellent place for career opportunities of someone with my interests."

Jessee will graduate this spring and is preparing to move into a position with the Army Research Lab and continue his research. He is also a member of the Tennessee Valley Human Factors and Ergonomics Society, which has allowed students to gain experience in presenting. Last fall, Jessee presented an overview of Delmia's digital human modeling system used during the product life cycle management process.

Delmia is software distributed by Dassault Systems. According to Morris, Delmia has the largest robotics simulation capacity of any product lifecycle management software on the market.

Morris is working on placing other UAHuntsville students enrolled in the Human Factors and Ergonomics Laboratory in prime research posts at manufacturing companies and virtual reality labs located at NASA (Marshall Space Flight Center), Army AMCOM, Boeing and Dassault Systems. Students are also encouraged to get involved in research at CMSA at UAHuntsville.

Morris said the SCEP contract, awarded to students through CMSA, provides valuable training and learning experience for students. "The SCEP contract is typically a 12-month program that allows students to enter into a government work environment with competitive wages while still focusing primarily on their academic curriculum," he explained.

Morris likened human factors engineering as a bridge to student success in the workplace, as well as establishing an advantageous partnership between area businesses and UAHuntsville.

UAHuntsville music, theater departments will present one-act opera 'Amahl and the Night Visitors'

The University of Alabama in Huntsville Music and Theatre Departments present, "Amahl and the Night Visitors" next month.

"This charming one act opera by Gian Carlo Menotti tells the tale of the young boy, Amahl, and his encounter with the Three Wise Men who are searching for the Christ child," according to director Karen Young.

Originally written for NBC's television broadcast in 1951, "Amahl and the Night Visitors" has become another classic Christmas tale perfect for the entire family, she said.

Performances are Saturday, Dec. 13 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, Dec. 14th at 2:30 p.m. in the Roberts Recital Hall on the UAHuntsville campus. Tickets are $10 for general admission.

The UAH Theater is now offering a special dinner/opera package for Saturday evening's performance. These tickets are $50 and include dinner starting at 5:30pm at the Wildflower Bistro and reserved seating for the show.

You can order tickets or get more information about the show by calling 256.824.6436 or going to the following website — www.uah.edu/music/opera. Or feel free to contact: Karen Young at 256.503.9356 and k16young@knology.net and Dawn Neely at 256.479.9991, dawn.neely@hotmail.com

UAH sociology professor honored at annual meeting of faculty diversity institute

The University of Alabama in Huntsville’s (UAHuntsville) Dr. Teresa Terrell was among 80 doctoral graduates honored recently at the Compact for Faculty Diversity’s 15th annual Institute on Teaching and Mentoring. The institute brought together more than 1,000 students, faculty members and others for leadership training and workshops, networking and job interviews.

The Southern Regional Education Board (SREB) and several partner organizations hosted the institute, which focuses national attention on the severe shortage of minority faculty members across the nation.

When the first institute was held 15 years ago, there were few minority faculty members outside of historically black colleges and universities. Today, about 5 percent of the professors at public four-year colleges in the United States are black, about 3 percent are Hispanic and less than 1 percent are American Indian — despite the fact that almost one-third of America’s college students are people of color.

Terrell, who earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Vanderbilt University, is adjunct professor in the UAHuntsville sociology department. Her areas of interest include community and urban sociology, race and ethnicity and social movements. She joined the UAHuntsville sociology faculty in last year.

On leave during the 2008-2009 academic year, Terrell participated in a postdoctoral fellowship in Race, Gender and Public Policy at the University of Minnesota’s Hubert H. Humphrey Institute of Public Affairs. The fellowship is a joint program of the Wilkins Center for Social Justice and the Center on Women and Public Policy and is designed to advance the field of intersectionality studies, promote interdisciplinary research, and facilitate critical dialog on Race, Gender, and Public Policy. Terrell has been chosen as one of two fellows for the 2008-2009 fellowship year. She will extend her dissertation research on civic participation in urban poor neighborhoods by investigating citizen participation in neighborhoods in North Minneapolis. She will also teach a graduate seminar based upon her research.

The SREB-State Doctoral Scholars Program is part of a nationwide initiative, the Compact for Faculty Diversity, to produce more minority Ph.D.s and encourage them to seek faculty positions. Other Compact members include: the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, the National Institute of General Medical Sciences, the National Science Foundation Alliances for Graduate Education and the Professoriate, the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation Minority Ph.D. Program and the Ronald E. McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement Program. SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region created SREB in 1948.

Jazz great to lecture at UAHuntsville

Renowned jazz educator and musician Gene Aitken will be a guest lecturer and band leader at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) Nov. 13 and 14.

His visit is sponsored by the 2008-09 UAHuntsville Distinguished Speaker Series, the Music Department, the Faculty Senate and the Office of the Provost.

Aitken will give a lecture titled "Jazz Education in Unlikely Places - An Original American Art Form Circles the Globe," on Thursday, Nov. 13, at 7:30 p.m. in Roberts Recital Hall on the UAHuntsville campus. His presentation will describe his experiences taking jazz education into non-western cultures. The event is free and open to the public.

In addition to the lecture, Aitken will also serve as guest bandleader for the UAH Jazz Ensemble Concert on Friday, Nov. 14, at 7:30 p.m. in Roberts Recital Hall. The concert will feature contemporary big band jazz compositions from many of Aitken's former students. General admission for the concert is $5; students are admitted free with valid identification.

Aitken is the author of numerous articles on the implementation of music technology, and his articles have been published in international publications such as Computer and Music and The IAJE Educator magazines.

In 1995, he was the seventh person inducted into the DownBeat Magazine Jazz Educators Hall of Fame. Aitken joined jazz greats such as Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. Aitken was recognized for the impact he has made and continues to make on jazz education throughout the world.

Retired from the University of Northern Colorado, Aitken lives in Southeast Asia where he spends his time giving music clinics in major cities from China to Iraq.

More information is available from the UAH Department of Music at 824-6436.

UAHuntsville Liberal Arts student recipient of prestigious theater fellowship

Rebecca "Becky" Purcell was born for the entertainment business. Her mother was pregnant with her onstage during the musical performance of the Pajama Game.

"I've always been interested in both performing and working backstage. I don't think I could be happy doing anything else," she said. Purcell a senior sociology major with a minor in theatre at UAHuntsville is the recipient of a prestigious theatrical fellowship at West Virginia University (WVU) in Morgantown, W. Va. She will graduate from UAHuntsville in December.

Purcell, born and raised in Huntsville has been attending UAH off and on since 1999. "Thanks to my husband's support I have been able to attend full time in order to finish my degree."

Preparing for a career after graduation, she began theatrical auditioning a few weeks ago. "I went to North Carolina to audition for a number of schools at one time in one setting. It's an annual offering arranged by the SouthEastern Theatre Conference, and 12 schools were looking for actors," Purcell explained. "I was fairly certain I had not done well, and didn't expect callbacks from any of the schools. I was wrong. I received callbacks from half of them. I was so happy I nearly cried … I was in shock for the rest of the weekend, but very honored."

Purcell said her fellow competitors were tough and talented. "There were over fifty students attending, and though I'm an older, non-traditional student, these were actors who were coming in with practice. The auditions were literally cattle call in style, and the process was very stressful. We were given only a minute and a half to wow the audience who, by the way, are analyzing you at the same time," she explained.

Her award package from WVU includes a three-year master of fine arts program. "WVU only accepts six to eight students every three years instead of every year," she said. "I will receive a full tuition waiver, and a stipend. This will include insurance, and they have even offered to help my husband find work. I'd love to be able to come back after completing my MFA and work with David Harwell (lecturer in Communication Arts) at UAH … so we'll see how it goes.

"David is an amazing man – he made if possible for me to do something I didn't think I could do, and he has done everything in his power to help me recognize myself as a talented, successful, person. David has made a huge impact on my life and I can't thank him enough," she said.

Purcell is also a work-study office and research assistant in the UAHuntsville Sociology Department. And, she serves as President of the Student Sociological Association. "Since I'm a work study student in Sociology, it's great to be able to bounce my ideas off faculty and staff …they're very supportive and open to discussion. I've had a very difficult year, and they've all been amazing and have kept encouraging me to do my best."

She plans to combine the fields of theater and sociology to further her career, "as they both involve the study of people and society. It won't be hard to do, because they're actually extremely comparable fields," Purcell explains. "The research knowledge and the ability to see culture and society for what it is will help me to be a better performer onstage and a better observer offstage.

Purcell has worked onstage and backstage in community theatre since she was a child, but she says her favorite roles are ones she has done recently.

"I performed as Sir Toby in The Shakespeare on the Mountain production of Twelfth Night, and I even fooled some of my family dressed as a ‘drunken uncle,"' she said. "I also portrayed a disabled woman in the world premiere play Four Spirits. It was tough keeping my legs perfectly still in a wheelchair during the performances.

Four Spirits, Sena Jeter Naslund's 2003 novel about the civil rights era in Birmingham, was dramatized and received its world premiere as a fully staged play at UAHuntsville last February. Four Spirits relates to the four young black girls (Denise McNair, Cynthia Wesley, Carole Robertson and Addie Mae Collins) killed in the Birmingham church bombing in September 1963.

When it comes to Purcell's family, entertaining runs deep. It's almost as if the Sister Sledge 70s rhythm and blues hit We Are Family was penned just for her kin.

"My mother (Linda Wood Turner, scheduling assistant in the University Center) is locally well known as a great blues singer, and truly has a voice that can bring the house down. She and my stepfather, and my brother and myself are all in a band together with four close family friends, The Turner Family Band," she said.

"We play at local events (private and public) around the city. Mom and my dad, as well as other family members, have also been involved in theatre in the North Alabama area. Even my stepfather, a couple of uncles and my husband work as stagehands through the local International Association of Theatrical Stage Employees union," she said.

Purcell said in the future she is looking forward to portraying characters in more demanding roles, especially ones that challenge parts women typically play.

"I really want to be able to expand my skills and grow as an actor, because the chance you have in front of an audience is like no other. You have an opportunity to mold them … to hold them in the palm of your hand, and through your performance prompt them to cry or laugh. Any acting roles that allows me to be better at my craft are ones I want to embrace, she said."

UAH professor recipient of prestigious Max Kade award

Rolf J. Goebel, professor of German in the Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures at UAHuntsville, is the recipient of the 2007 Max Kade award for the essay "Gesamtkunstwerk Dresden: Official Urban Discourse and Durs Grünbein’s Poetic Critique," The German Quarterly 80:4 [Fall 2007]: 492-510. The award includes a cash prize and recognition at the American Association of Teachers of German annual meeting.

In the article, Goebel analyses how the Eastern German city of Dresden, upon the occasion of the reconstruction of its famous Church of Our Lady (Frauenkirche), employs the Romantic composer Richard Wagner’s concept of the Gesamtkunstwerk (total work of art) to legitimate its desire for a redemptive recovery from traumatic historical legacies: World War II bombings and Germany’s East-West division. By contrast, the work of the poet Durs Grünbein conceptualizes Dresden as an unreal spectacle and irreparably ruined work of art, where unredeemable traces of the past reject any nostalgic desires. Thus, the official city discourse and the individual poetic voice provide dramatically different images of urban history for Dresden’s aspirations as a cultural metropolis in Eastern Germany and the New Europe.

Max Kade made a fortune in the pharmaceutical industry in the early 1900s, manufacturing and distributing "Pertussin," a cough medicine. The drug was prescribed for the contagious, respiratory disease, Pertussis better known as whooping cough. In 1944, Kade and his wife, Annette, established the Max Kade Foundation. The goal of the organization during the early post-war years was to help people in need and to save works of art and other objects of the German cultural heritage. Kade provided scholarships and post-doctoral fellowships. And he supported efforts to research and interpret the history and heritage of German immigration to the United States country.

Since 1982 Goebel has been teaching German language and culture at UAHuntsville. His areas of research are German modernism and contemporary culture and media. In addition to numerous articles and conference papers, he has published three books: Kritik und Revision: Kafkas Rezeption mythologischer, biblischer und historischer Traditionen (Critique and Revision: Kafka’s Reception of Mythological, Biblical, and Historical Traditions,1986), Constructing China: Kafka’s Orientalist Discourse (1997), and Benjamin heute: Großstadtdiskurs, Postkolonialität und Flanerie zwischen den Kulturen (Benjamin Today: Urban Discourse, Postcoloniality, and Flânerie between Cultures, 2001).

Goebel is also the co-author of A Franz Kafka Encyclopedia (2005) and is currently editing A Companion to the Works of Walter Benjamin for Camden House. His essay "Berlin’s Architectural Citations: Reconstruction, Simulation, and the Problem of Historical Authenticity" won the 2004 William Riley Parker Prize for an outstanding article published in PMLA during the preceding academic year.

An active organist, Goebel served as dean and sub-dean of the Greater Huntsville Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, and has given numerous local recitals and introductory organ workshops. He is especially interested in the German, English, and French repertoire of the 16th to 18th centuries.

David Reimer of UAHuntsville's art program participates in national printmaking workshop

"For students like me, this was a graduate school prep," said David Reimer of Mobile. "They taught us how to improve. You have the chance to show your work and to see other people's work.

"They take your portfolio and teach you how to show it, sell it and teach it."

Reimer, a senior art major at The University of Alabama in Huntsville, sharpened his printmaking skills at the Frogman Print and Paper Workshop this summer at the University of South Dakota in Vermillion, S.D.

Reimer's goal is to earn an assistantship in a graduate program and become a college art instructor. He said this skills and techniques workshop will help him reach his goals.

Reimer's instructors were two world-renown professionals. Woodcut artists Gordon Mortensen of Carmel, Calif., and Mary Brodbeck, woodblock print artist from Kalamazoo, Mich., participated in the two-week event, teaching and critiquing these future artists. Brodbeck teaches printmaking and drawing at the Kalamazoo Institute of Arts. Mortensen is considered one of the leading woodcut artists of the 20th and 21st centuries.

Reimer wants to learn from these other artists and later apply it to his own teaching techniques. He said he likes not only the artistry of printmaking, but also the mechanics of it.

"It's very mechanical," said Reimer. "You're putting it on special materials, and there is a skill involved." One of his current works, "Baron von Tubby," is completed through a relief-printing process — carving away the sections of his artwork (similar to a giant stamp) he does not want to print. He then applies a roller with ink to the image, carved on medium density fiberboard (a common shelving material). The image is then placed atop canvas and run through a Takach etching press.

Reimer said one reason he was drawn to printmaking stems from his childhood. "I developed the love of creating things through hands-on and mechanical methods coming from my father."

Remier's knowledge of the history of printmaking has also added to his appreciation of the art.

"Printmaking has been a means of showing art to the world since the 15th century," Reimer said. "It was a political means of getting images out there and showing them to the world."

UAHuntsville's Sarkis Baltaian to perform with Armenian group at Carnegie Hall

Sarkis Baltaian, international concert pianist and assistant professor of music at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) will perform with the Armenian General Benevolent Union (AGBU) at Carnegie Hall in September.

The New York Special Events Committee presents the concert, and it is the debut performance featuring AGBU’s performing artists. The concert is Saturday, Sept. 20 at 8:30 p.m., in Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie in New York.

Baltaian officially joins the UAH music faculty in August. His premiere performance, George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, was in April during inauguration festivities for President David B. Williams.

Baltaian has gained an international reputation as a concert pianist, chamber musician, recording artist, and pedagogue. He has been compared to George Gershwin and Oscar Levant for his performance of Gershwin’s Concerto in F. Baltaian made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1999, and has performed extensively throughout the United States, Australia, Germany, Austria, Holland, Czech Republic, and Bulgaria.

Baltaian attended the University of Southern California where he received the bachelor of music, master’s of music, and doctor of musical arts degrees. He previously served on the keyboard faculty at the California State University, Los Angeles.

The AGBU preserves and promotes the Armenian identity and heritage through educational, cultural and humanitarian programs. The non-profit Armenian organization was established in 1906, and is headquartered in New York City with an annual international budget of $36 million.

For ticket information about the AGBU concert featuring UAHuntsville’s Sarkis Baltaian, please call (212) 319-6383 ext. 131.

UAH professors: No band-aid fix for national 'NCLB' law

A stunning 38 percent of local K-8 teachers would not encourage others to enter the teaching profession. And, another 29 percent remained indifferent on the subject, according to a recent survey conducted by Dr. Philip Kovacs and Dr. Jason Smith, assistant professors at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH).

Alarming too was the nearly 30 percent of teachers who either agreed or strongly agreed with the survey statement, "I am considering changing professions." But, perhaps more disturbing of all the responses received, was the cry of despair from one respondent: "Please help us!"

"The broad coalition who initially supported NCLB had no idea what the incidental consequences would be, but after six years the coalition has crumbled, " said Kovacs, assistant professor of education.

Smith, assistant professor of sociology, said the survey didn’t ask administrators about encouraging others into teaching or if they (the administrators) were considering a career change, but he and Kovacs did ask them to discuss the legislation.

"Close to 60 percent of administrators surveyed either disagreed or strongly disagreed the education law is not a positive step for national reform," Smith noted. "And, nearly 72 percent of teachers expressed the same opinion."

Kovacs and Smith say there are very few advocates of NCLB and the dismal responses by local educators and administrators echo their peers on the national level.

Smith said the education policy is flawed, "mainly because it is a nationwide program. In a nation as diverse as this country, trying to apply a single policy or measuring stick is going to create problems. School conditions in Maine are far different from Alabama; challenges in California may not exist in Idaho," he explained. "Furthermore, much of the promised support for NCLB (in terms of funding demands placed on schools) has not been delivered — this creates more problems, and increases the opposition."

When asked if NCLB could be saved, Kovacs gave an emphatic No.

"With NCLB there is no middle ground. Students are either proficient or they’re left behind …. they either pass or fail, there is no in-between," Kovacs explained. "When you go into a department store, there are thousands of sizes and brands to choose from. Under NCLB, we get one."

Kovacs said there are many reasons NCLB is such a nightmare for local school systems, but he underscores point one of the law: the achievement gap. "There are at least 10 other gaps including economical, social, and environmental that need to be closed before that can happen," he explained.

"Finally, this is something that should really resonate with Huntsvillians … NCLB outsources our children’s education by forcing teachers to rely on prepackaged materials and examinations. For example, the state of Washington spent $57 million dollars last year alone on tests and materials that it purchased from private companies," Kovacs said.

Kovacs and Smith ended the survey with an open-ended question, If you could change one thing about your job, what would it be? The two researchers categorized respondent’s answers to "themes" earlier identified in the document. Nearly 120 responses mentioned something related to NCLB, testing, or accountability. "Another important issue that educators addressed was teachers’ sense of professionalism," said Smith. "We are now examining the effects of NCLB on teachers’ sense of professionalism, particularly as it relates to their opinion of encouraging others into the field, and their own thoughts of leaving it."

"Watchdogs or Lap Dogs? Politics and the Alabama Press" discussed during forum at UAHuntsville

How local and regional print media handle hot-button news stories will be examined during Scott Horton’s talk "Watchdogs or Lap Dogs? Politics and the Alabama Press," on Tuesday, April 22 at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville).

Horton, a writer for Harper’s Magazine and an adjunct professor at Columbia Law School, will give a presentation at 7 p.m., in the Shelby Center, room 107 on the UAHuntsville campus. The North Alabama Media Reform Group (NAMRG) and UAHuntsville sponsor Horton’s visit. The event is free and open to the public.

"Scott Horton is coming to UAH to address some critical concerns about Alabama media," said Dr. Clarke Rountree, Professor and Chair of the Department of Communication Arts. "Most prominently, the local press’s coverage of the Don Siegelman case, which appears to have lagged behind the national media in failing to scrutinize the possible role of politics in trying, convicting, and sending a former governor away in shackles."

"Given the radical consolidation of our news media over the past two decades, concerns have arisen over a conflict between corporate interests and the public interest, and between the national orientation of these corporations and the local interests and concerns of their listeners and readers," Rountree explained. "Media commentators like Scott Horton offer a critical lens for thinking about the implications of those changes in media ownership."

Horton’s interest in Alabama politics stems from his roots: his family is from Lawrence County, Ala. Recently he has appeared on MSNBC, National Public Radio, Democracy Now! and other national programs to discuss the political prosecution of Alabama’s former Governor Don Siegelman.

Rountree added that the NAMRG, which is the primary sponsor for Horton’s visit, has been working for a couple of years now to try to bring balance to the news media. Additional sponsors for Horton’s visit include the UAHuntsville Communication Arts and Political Science Departments, Humanities Division of Calhoun Community College and Alabama A & M Political Science Department.

North Alabama area high school students to participate in UAHuntsville annual Liberal Arts tournament

Nearly 400 North Alabama area high school juniors and seniors will test their knowledge of history, political science, and art at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Liberal Arts Tournament on Thursday, April 17.

The purpose of the annual tournament is to motivate students to study the Liberal Arts and help prepare for future collegiate studies.

During the 12th annual competition schools will provide teams for the subjects. Women’s studies have been added to this year's contest. The event begins at 10 a.m., in the Chan Auditorium. At 11:45 a.m., testing is completed and students are encouraged to take tours of the campus and enjoy a complimentary lunch. The tournament awards ceremony begins at 1 p.m., in the Chan Auditorium.

Each student has the opportunity to win an award based on his or her performance. Individual plaques will be awarded to the top 10 individual scorers for each test. Team plaques will be awarded for the first, second, and third place American history and world history teams. Individual winners in each contest will be awarded a $500 UAHuntsville scholarship.

Students participating in this year’s tournament include Johnson, Catholic, Randolph, Ardmore, Madison County, Covenant Christian Academy, Columbia, Brewer and Athens.

The UAHuntsville College of Liberal Arts, the History Department, and the UAH Offices of the President, Provost and Development sponsor the annual event.

For more information, please call Beverley Gentry at 824-6310.

UAH inaugural concert to feature new faculty member Sarkis Baltaian, international concert pianist

George Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue will be performed by concert pianist Sarkis Baltaian during week-long inauguration festivities for David B. Williams, fifth President of The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH). The inaugural concert will be presented Tuesday, April 8.

The premiere performance of Baltaian, UAHuntsville’s new assistant professor of music, will also include the university’s jazz ensemble under the direction of Don Bowyer, chairperson and associate professor of music, and the concert choir led by Michael Conran, assistant professor of music. The performance will be at 4 p.m., in Roberts Recital Hall, after the College of Liberal Arts Convocation, which begins at 2 p.m.

Baltaian has gained an international reputation as a concert pianist, chamber musician, recording artist, and pedagogue. He has been compared to George Gershwin and Oscar Levant for his performance of Gershwin’s Concerto in F, Baltaian made his Carnegie Hall debut in 1999, and has performed extensively throughout the United States, Australia, Germany, Austria, Holland, Czech Republic, and Bulgaria.

A dedicated teacher, Baltaian’s students have won various national and international competitions and continue to establish themselves as respectable musicians. Baltaian attended the University of Southern California where he received the bachelor of music, master’s of music, and doctor of musical arts degrees.

Baltaian serves on the keyboard faculty at the California State University, Los Angeles. In August, 2008, he will join the music faculty at UAHuntsville.

"Instrumental Extravaganza" concert at the Von Braun Center

An "Instrumental Extravaganza" concert will be sponsored by the UAH Music Department on Friday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m., at the Von Braun Center Concert Hall.

The concert will feature the university's premiere instrumental ensembles, the UAH Wind Ensemble and the UAH Jazz Ensemble, with special guests Ken Watters, Carolyn Sanders and Margery Whatley.

The UAH Wind Ensemble conducted by C. David Ragsdale, will present a program that includes Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, and world premieres of new compositions by UAH Music Department chairperson, Don Bowyer, and student, Xavier Roberson.

The UAH Jazz Ensemble, directed by Bowyer, will feature Watters on trumpet as well as works by UAH Music students, Jody Stiles and Mitsuru Kitade and alumni Andrew Palmer and Newt Johnson.

For ticket information, please contact the UAH Department of Music at 256-824-6436.

Tallulah Bankhead topic of UAH Honors Forum lecture

Passionate, bold, and kindhearted all describe the many moods of Hollywood legend and Huntsville native Tallulah Brockman Bankhead.

The life and times of Bankhead will be discussed during a University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Honors Forum on Tuesday, March 11 at 11 a.m., in the Frank Franz multipurpose room.

The guest speaker will be Dr. David Bowman of Sewanee, Tenn., president emeritus, of the Tallulah Bankhead Society and former columnist and writer at The Huntsville News. Bowman’s talk is entitled “Remembering Tallulah Bankhead.”

During the lecture, clips from some of her movies will be shown to the audience, as well as vintage copies of magazine and trade publication articles and interviews. Bankhead’s career spanned more than five decades. She was featured on the cover of LIFE magazine March 1939, for her performance as Rebecca Giddens in the movie, “The Little Foxes.” Bankhead was also on the cover of the November 1948, edition of Time.

Bowman will also read from Bankhead’s autobiography TALLULAH published in 1952. Bankhead actually talked in a Dictaphone about her life and had it transcribed for the book. When Bankhead’s film career waned she turned to radio and TV. Her last memorable major movie role was in “Die. Die. My Darling!” in 1965.

Bankhead was born on Jan. 31, 1902 in Huntsville. Less than one month after she was born, Bankhead’s mother, Adelaide died from complications of childbirth. Bankhead’s father, William Brockman Bankhead served in the United States House of Representatives and was Speaker of the United States House of Representatives until his death in 1940. President Franklin D. Roosevelt attended his funeral in Jasper, Alabama.

When she was a teenager, Bankhead entered her photo in a movie magazine beauty contest and won. Bankhead was Hollywood bound. Over the next 50 years, Bankhead had movie roles in “Reflected Glory," "Dark Victory," "Forsaking All Others," "The Little Foxes," and "Skin of Our Teeth." She was the recipient of the New York Film Critics Award for her appearance in Alfred Hitchcock's "Lifeboat," in 1944.

Bankhead’s bold, raucous behavior is legendary in Hollywood circles. Little known facts about Bankhead include she was terrible at remembering names and that’s why she greeted most everyone with her signature, “Hello Dahling!” And, she was the first white woman to appear on the cover of Ebony, the oldest African American magazine.

On May 18, 1963, Bankhead returned to Huntsville for the dedication of Bankhead Hall on the Redstone Arsenal. The building memorializes Senator John Hollis Bankhead of Alabama (her uncle) and Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives William Brockman Bankhead (her father).

In 1993, a musical ‘TALLU’ chronicling the life and times of Bankhead premiered at UAHuntsville. The musical was also performed in Jasper, and Birmingham. For more information about Bowman’s lecture, please call the UAH Honors Forum office at (256) 824-6451.