 |
| Spiral galaxy captured by UA and Bevill State astronomers. |
Discovery and Exploration
From using the Hubble Space Telescope to discern the inner workings of a galaxy 200 million light years away to using computer games to discern the learning patterns of autistic children in remote neurological worlds, the research of University of Alabama faculty and students pushes past the boundaries of current knowledge and opens new vistas of possibility. Discovery is the mission of the research university; exploration is the path to its fulfillment. University of Alabama faculty lead students to explore myriad fields, stretching across the spectrum of human curiosity and endeavor, challenging young intellects to flex and strengthen in the pursuit of knowledge and of its useful — and joyful — application.
Astronomers Gene Byrd and Ron Buta, working with Tarsh Freeman of Bevill State Community College, focused NASA's Hubble Space Telescope on the constellation Centaurus to solve the mystery of which arm or arms lead in spiral galaxy NGC 4622. They discovered that, contrary to previously published suppositions, the galaxy has leading spiral structure, a phenomenon that previously had not been definitively recognized in any galaxy. The team presented their findings to the American Astronomical Society meeting in January 2002. Drs. Byrd and Buta also host frequent free public viewing of celestial phenomena through the telescope atop UA's Gallalee Hall.
 |
| NIH-sponsored research by UA psychology professors uses computer games in studying the thinking processes of children with autism. One goal of the research is to develop the first performance-based test to diagnose this neurological disability. |
Exploring inner space, computer games developed by a pair of University of Alabama psychology professors are giving researchers a clearer understanding of the learning problems children with autism face and could lead to development of the first performance-based test to diagnose the neurological disability. The National Institutes of Health in 2001 awarded Dr. Laura Klinger and Dr. Mark Klinger, associate professors in UA's department of psychology, a $400,000 grant to develop tests to examine how children with autism think differently from children with typical development.
The welfare of children and adolescents in Alabama is an ongoing concern of a team of researchers — led by Dr. Steve Nagy, UA professor of health sciences — who have been studying ninth- and 10th-graders in Alabama since 1988.
Other UA research brings faculty expertise to bear on safety issues. Dr. John McFadden, assistant professor of civil and environmental engineering in the UA College of Engineering, last year received the Transportation Research Board's Fred Burggraf Award for his work with Dr. Lily Elefteriadou of Penn State, on a new procedure for evaluating design consistency of two-lane rural highways. Work on another kind of safety won the Best Article award from the prestigious Journal of Financial Research for Culverhouse College of Commerce and Business Administration faculty Dr. Thomas W. Downs, associate professor of finance, and Dr. Robert W. Ingram, Ross-Culverhouse Endowed Chair of Accountancy, for their publication "Beta, Size, Risk and Return."
All research efforts require resources of funding and infrastructure. Alabama's research enterprise received a boost from E. I. du Pont de Nemours and Company Inc. with the donation of patents worth $8.5 million. The patents are based on chemistry developed by Dr. Anthony J. Arduengo, UA's Saxon Professor of Chemistry, and include proprietary new chemical synthesis technology and technical applications that will allow for more environmentally friendly chemical manufacturing processes. The continuing research and development of these technologies will provide a research-rich learning environment for UA students.
Available infrastructure has also been strengthened through a variety of related cost saving measures implemented across the University campus. Internet 1 and 2 connectivity has been increased and its cost reduced through an improved bid for services. Consolidation of bidding for janitorial and plumbing supplies and machine maintenance coverage; the transfer of print publications to the Web; a campuswide lighting retrofit; and employment of benchmarking and best practices discovery through the campus office of Continuous Quality Improvement — all have yielded cost savings while improving service to every department.
