The people's voice of reason
The people's voice of reason
Sorted by date Results 1 - 25 of 197
Modern parenting styles are shifting from constant supervision to strategic support as new research reveals the downsides of overprotective parenting approaches, the LA Post reports. The once-popular helicopter parenting style faces growing scrutiny as child development experts point to the benefits of a more measured approach called hummingbird parenting. While both approaches stem from a desire to support and nurture children, they differ significantly in execution and impact. Understanding...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (NOV. 5, 2024) – The National Space Club (NSC), Huntsville Chapter, has selected Dr. Gary Zank at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) to receive the 2024 Distinguished Science Award. Zank is the Aerojet/Rocketdyne Chair in Space Science, as well as director of the Center for Space Physics and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR). The award was presented at the 36th Annual Dr. Wernher von Braun Memorial Dinner on Oct. 30 during the von Braun Space Exploration Symposium on the cam...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (NOV. 6, 2024) – Ledia Shehu, a doctoral student at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has been selected to receive a NASA Future Investigators in NASA Earth and Space Science and Technology (FINESST) grant for her proposal, "Physics-Based Multiscale Constitutive Model for ISRU-Based 3D-Printed Lunar Concrete." The project seeks to develop a multiscale model for 3D-printed concrete using lunar materials by simulating lunar conditions. The project is set to begin o...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (NOV. 14, 2024) – Syed Ayaz, a researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has published a paper in Scientific Reports that builds on an earlier first-of-its-kind study that examined kinetic Alfvén waves (KAW) as a possible explanation for why the solar corona, the outermost layer of the sun's atmosphere, is approximately 200 times hotter than the surface of the sun itself. The new study, also a first, further confirms that these electromagnetic phenomena ...
A few years ago, so few high schoolers ate breakfast in Vermont's Essex Westford School District that the cafeteria looked like "a ghost town" in the morning, recalls Scott Fay, the director of child nutrition. But now that breakfast is free for all students, kids are packing the cafeteria to talk, munch on fresh cranberry-orange bread, and finish homework before the first bell, Chalkbeat reports. "It's really amazing to see that transition," said Fay, who helped lobby for the Vermont law that e...
Universal pre-K has been shown to prepare children for school, narrow the achievement gap, and help reduce child care costs. Still, just as state-funded pre-K programs have taken off nationwide, with enrollment increasing during the 2022-23 school year, a shortage of early childhood educators has thwarted progress toward providing a high-quality, equitable education for every 4-year-old. The reasons for the shortage are complex. Low wages and burnout have led to high turnover across the board,...
November 19, 2024 - MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Four talented young artists have captured top honors in the Alabama Association of School Boards' (AASB) "Diamond Legacy" 75th Anniversary Student Art Contest. The statewide competition, which drew more than 150 entries, challenged public school students to illustrate the lasting impact of school board leadership in Alabama. The contest was sponsored by AASB and Fairbanks, LLC. In the K-5 category, Scarlett Woodroof of Tuscaloosa Magnet Elementary...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (Oct. 14, 2024) – Coach Lorraine "Les" Stuedeman and her softball teams consistently deliver wins to The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and thrills to their fans. Since their first season in 1996, they've earned impressive stats: One thousand, two hundred, sixty-eight wins – and no losing seasons. Thirteen Gulf South Conference (GSC) championships. Four NCAA Tournament South Region championships out of 26 tournament appearances, including a record 21 consecutive ber...
Many kids get their first phone as a gift. In fact, according to a 2022 study in JMIR Pediatrics and Parenting, 59.1% of participants (kids ages 4-18) reported getting their first cellphone simply because they asked for one. During the holiday season, asks for big-ticket items such as cellphones aren't uncommon. From the time kids understand what cellphones are and all their fun uses, they beg for one of their own—but this commitment requires careful consideration by parents before handing o...
They were babies and toddlers when the pandemic hit. At school, some still struggle. One minute, the four-year-old boy was giggling. The school's new behavioral specialist made a game of helping him put on his shoes, playfully sniffing them then scrunching up her face in pretend horror. A minute later, he was inconsolable, an emotional U-turn perhaps sparked by the transition to clean-up time. A teacher cradled the boy in her lap, calmly dodging his small flailing arms. He quieted when he got hi...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (OCT. 18, 2024) – The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), part of The University of Alabama system, marked the 10th anniversary of the Severe Weather Institute – Radar and Lightning Laboratories (SWIRLL) with a celebration on Oct. 18. The event provided attendees a unique opportunity to tour the SWIRLL facility, view its weather trucks and other advanced technology, and learn about its critical contributions to weather forecasting, research, and public safety. A hig...
Associate degrees offer students flexibility to achieve different educational and vocational goals. They usually take half the time of a bachelor's degree and could help you meet the academic requirements for many entry positions into a career. Community colleges that offer associate's degrees are often a more affordable option for students. However, education can still be a hefty cost at any level, so it's important to choose a school and degree program that will help you attain the knowledge a...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (OCT. 21, 2024) – A team of research engineers from The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Research Institute travelled to Guam earlier this year with several colleagues to support a Missile Defense Agency (MDA) STEM outreach initiative called "Operation STEM - Guam 2024." UAH, a part of the University of Alabama System, partnered with MDA, the armed forces and the Guam Department of Education to participate in almost two weeks of science, technology, engineering and m...
With Biden's student loan forgiveness plan in limbo, here's how some borrowers may find relief In late August 2024, the latest chapter in the ongoing student debt forgiveness debate came to a close—for now—when the Supreme Court announced it would uphold a block on the Biden-Harris administration's sweeping student loan repayment plan. With an unprecedented $1.74 trillion in collective student debt, Americans are struggling with repayment. The 42.8 million borrowers with federal student loan deb...
Does AI actually help students learn? The Hechinger Report examines the results of a recent experiment in a high school which provided a cautionary tale. Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania found that Turkish high school students who had access to ChatGPT while doing practice math problems did worse on a math test compared with students who didn't have access to ChatGPT. Those with ChatGPT solved 48% more of the practice problems correctly, but they ultimately scored 17% worse on a...
Halloween is just around the corner. But did you know that October is also Bullying Prevention Month? Now is the perfect time to examine how bullying has evolved in schools. For example, this case of a boy being bullied about his Halloween costume highlights how easily an occasion that should be festive can turn into one of bullying. While data from the National Center for Education Statistics, or NCES, reports that bullying has gone down in recent years, it still has serious negative impacts on...
Fourteen states have taken up a challenge to significantly reduce the rate at which children miss a lot of school, responding to a recent call from a bipartisan coalition for states to prioritize school attendance, Chalkbeat reports. Some of the states making the pledge have had among the highest rates of chronic absenteeism in recent years, such as Nevada, New Mexico, and Colorado. Others signing on include: Alabama, Arkansas, Connecticut, Iowa, Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio, Rhode Island,...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (OCT. 28, 2024) – Dr. Avimanyu Sahoo, a researcher at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), has been awarded a National Science Foundation (NSF) award totaling $299,969 to characterize the vulnerability of the learning-based intelligent cyber-physical systems (CPS) and defend them. The CPS represents a symbiotic integration of physical systems, sensors, actuators and learning-based intelligent controllers through communication networks such as smart grids, robotic s...
From former presidents and famous movie stars to accomplished engineers and lawyers, it is not uncommon for children to choose the same career as their parents. Even Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson followed in his father's footsteps as a professional wrestler after a stint in the Canadian Football League and a slew of injuries that cut short his path to football stardom. But does following in a parent's footsteps speak to the importance of parental influence and involvement, or the value of role...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (OCT 30, 2024) – The College of Nursing (CON) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) is celebrating 50 years of excellence during fall 2024 and spring 2025. The college invites its extended family – alumni, students, retirees, faculty, staff, friends and community partners – to join CON for its Golden Anniversary Series of events, culminating in the Golden Gala on April 5, 2025. UAH is a part of The University of Alabama System (UAS). "The UAH College of Nursing is so...
Inside a North Philadelphia high school, a class of 11th graders talked frankly about the most controversial aspects of the 2024 election: abortion, Project 2025, the prospect of the first female president. Nearly 650 miles away at a middle school in Indianapolis, an eighth grade teacher avoided talk of former President Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris, holding a mock debate about cellphones and cafeteria food instead. As the presidential election took over classroom conversations t...
When you're a kid, going to school feels like a given—no matter how much you beg to play outside instead. But for school-aged children with disabilities, going to school wasn't always a guarantee. For decades, many states legally refused to properly support the educational needs of children with disabilities, often putting them in institutions that did little to impart vital knowledge and life skills. This unequal treatment also burdened their families, who rarely had other options or access to...
Data Summary - In 2024, 93% of surveyed students told BestColleges their online degree has or will have a positive return on investment (ROI). - The percentage of online learners who say this has increased by five percentage points since 2019. - More than 8 in 10 online students (81%) also say that online education is better than or equal to on-campus learning. - Further, 97% say they would recommend online education to others. - Despite online education being perceived as more affordable than i...
"The age of AI has begun," Bill Gates boldly proclaimed in a blog post dated March 2023. By then, ChatGPT had reached 100 million users. Alternatives like Anthropic's Claude and Google's Bard (now called Gemini) were also launched. Gates predicted artificial intelligence would change how people work, communicate, and learn. He called it "revolutionary." Indeed, McKinsey's 2024 Global Survey reported that 65% of organizations were already using generative AI tools, which are algorithms that can...
HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (SEP. 6, 2024) – Until recently, it was believed that human urine is sterile, but advanced culturing techniques and DNA sequencing have revealed that bacteria and other microbes – such as viruses and fungi – inhabit the human bladder and urinary tract, known collectively as the "urobiome." Now in a study that is one of the first of its kind, Dr. Tanya Sysoeva, an associate professor of microbiology at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), a part of the University of Al...
