Pensions may be outsourced
Los Angeles Times – Oct. 31 (Registration required)
…But Norman Stein, a pension authority and professor at the University Of Alabama School of Law, worries that if shifting ownership becomes an easy option, it might encourage some employers to freeze and unload pension plans instead of sticking by them. If federal regulators eventually allow such ownership shifts, Stein would like to see ironclad assurances that benefits would not be jeopardized…

Acoustic Sensor to be developed using UA’s New Hemi-Anechoic Chamber
WIAT-CBS 42, Birmingham -- Oct 30
When natural or man-made disasters strike, time is crucial in saving lives. A new project at the University of Alabama College of Engineering could help speed up locating those trapped individuals. Dr. Steve Shepard: “What we’re trying to do is develop a sensor that will enable us not only to tell where a sound is coming from but hopefully how far away that sound it. To aid in developing this sensor is this new hemi-anechoic chamber, which is basically a room full of giant foam wedges used to silence external noises, so the sensor, once developed, can be properly tested.”

X-rated galaxies
MSNBC.com – Oct. 30
Hubble has looked at several "peculiar galaxies" before, including Arp297 and Arp 220, and there's a whole gallery of interacting galaxies at the University of Alabama…

City has housing surplus
Montgomery Advertiser – Oct. 31
The number of homes on the market have gradually increased over the decades, but the 3,629 homes on the Montgomery market was by far the highest number since the Alabama Real Estate Research and Education Center at the University of Alabama began its tracking of them in 2000…

Training future engineers
Decatur Daily – Oct. 31
…The program’s purpose is to prepare students to major in engineering at Auburn, Alabama A&M University or one of the three engineering schools in The University of Alabama system in Huntsville, Birmingham or Tuscaloosa…

Enthusiasts document spooklight sightings
Florence Times-Daily – Oct. 31
…Andy Goodliffe, geophysicist at the University of Alabama, said other strange light phenomena exist such as St. Elmo's Fire from static charges across sea surfaces. Others are "gas hydrates," which occur when a gas escapes from the Earth's surface and ignites…

SGA working to bridge gap with other colleges
Crimson White – Oct. 31
The SGA is working to bridge gaps between the University, Stillman College and Shelton State Community College to create more of a community, said R.B. Walker, SGA president. Walker said the SGA is trying to unite the campuses through different activities and events…

Many attend Halloween party on sorority row
Crimson White – Oct. 31
Dressed as witches, princesses, pirates and zombies, children and their parents packed sorority row Tuesday night for the UA Junior Panhellenic Council's annual Sorority Row Trick or Treat event…