Local Expert Sounds Off On Bridge Safety
NBC13 – Aug. 2
…University of Alabama Civil Engineering Professor Jim Richardson has spent his career studying bridges and what causes them to fail…Richardson said it’s likely the Minnesota bridge collapsed because of corrosion: salt used to de-ice roads can speed the weakening of steel…

Governor orders inspections of bridges around state
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
Jim Richardson, an associate professor in the department of civil engineering at the University of Alabama, teaches classes on structures and conducts research for the Alabama DOT on bridge maintenance. Richardson said a major difference between the bridges in Alabama and the ones in Minnesota is that Alabama rarely has ice and snow that require salting of roadways on bridges.
Florence Times-Daily – Aug. 3

State re-inspects three bridges after tragedy
Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 3
…according to Dan Turner, a civil engineering professor at the University of Alabama. The design holds up the structure with a series of interconnected metal triangles, he said.
All were re-inspected Thursday by state transportation officials…

Grim national bridge stats don’t apply to Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
Despite his concerns about the overall state of the nation’s infrastructure, professor Charles Leathers had no reservations crossing the Hugh Thomas Bridge on Thursday on his daily trek to the University of Alabama…

Democrats: Policy aimed to help GOP
Montgomery Advertiser – Aug. 3
…University of Alabama political scientist Bill Stewart said he doesn't see the practice as purely partisan and pointed out that newspaper editorial boards across the political spectrum have opposed "double dipping" for years…

Fiserv Agrees to Acquire CheckFree for $4.4 Billion
Bloomberg News – Aug. 3
…``Electronic banking is increasing at a significant pace,'' said Benton Gup, a professor of finance at the University of Alabama. ``More financial-services companies are going to offer online banking if they don't already'' …
Orlando Sentinel – Aug. 3

UA co-leads Joint U.S.-Cuban archaeological expedition
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
Researchers in an ongoing U.S.-Cuban archaeological expedition, co-led by the University of Alabama, are attempting to learn more about the native people Christopher Columbus encountered on his first voyage to the New World…“This is the first ever international U.S.-Cuban partnership in archaeology to involve U.S. students,” Knight said…

Space experts to share ideas at UA symposium Aug. 25
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
Burt Rutan, designer of SpaceShipOne, the world’s first privately funded spacecraft, and David King, director of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, will be the keynote speakers for the inaugural Gloria and John L. Blackburn Academic Symposium at the University of Alabama on Aug. 25…

Theoretical breakthroughs that have become commercial reality in computer hard drives recognized with award
AZoM.com – Aug. 3
…Institute for Materials Science honored Dr. William Butler, director of UA’s Center for Materials for Information Technology, or MINT, with the NIMS Award for Recent Breakthroughs in Materials Science and Technology at its annual conference in Tsukuba, Japan held July 11-13…

End of the line
Tuscaloosa News – Aug. 3
University of Alabama senior wide receiver Tyrone Prothro has been ruled out for the 2007 season, essentially ending his college football career…“It’s a permanent situation, there is an appeal process that a player could go through, but our medical staff would not put a guy on this if they though that a guy be able to come back and play,” Saban said.
Birmingham News – August 3

Research chief at A&M to run state program
Huntsville Times – Aug. 3
The head of the Alabama A&M University Research Institute has been elected to serve as executive director of the Alabama EPSCoR Steering Committee…University of Alabama campuses in Huntsville, Tuscaloosa and Birmingham…