UAB Briefs: Choir to Carnegie, program with Miles, rules for bikes

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Welcome to another installment of UAB Briefs.

In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.

Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email us at jchambers@starnespublishing.com.

CHOIR IS NEW YORK-BOUND

“There is something magical about performing in (Carnegie Hall) that can only be witnessed by the experience,” says Brian Kittredge, the director of the UAB Concert Choir.

And now the members of the Concert Choir will have that experience for themselves.

The choir will make its debut performance at the legendary New York venue on May 27, according to a UAB news release.

The Concert Choir, part of the UAB Department of Music, was chosen to perform in the 2018 Gotham SINGS! Collegiate Choral Showcase based on its successes in international choral performances and an audio recording submission.

Sechrist Travel facilitated the invitation. “We carefully select and invite only top choral programs,” said Sean Berg, Sechrist Travel’s executive director.

Under the direction of Brian Kittredge, the choir features about 50 auditioned singers from numerous disciplines on campus.

The choir will also perform concerts at high schools in Huntsville and Arlington, Va., on the way to New York.

There may also be additional performances in the Washington, D.C., area.

The choir’s performance will consist largely of works by such American composers as Mulholland, Elder, Kirschner, Paulus and Gibbs.

COLLABORATION WITH MILES

The UAB School of Health Professions has created an accelerated master’s 4+1 program with Miles College in Fairfield, according to a UAB news release.

Each year, the Master of Science in Health Informatics program at UAB will accept a select number of students in undergraduate programs in computer and information sciences or management information systems at Miles.

The first students will begin the accelerated program in fall 2018.

This is UAB’s first partnership with a historically black college or university for an accelerated master’s program.

“We want to help change the glaring inequities in the number of underrepresented groups working in health IT, and we will, thanks to our partnership with such a strong HBCU,” Dean of the School of Health Professions Harold P. Jones said

The accelerated master’s program is designed so students will be able to complete their B.S. degree at Miles while also completing coursework toward their UAB MSHI degree.

BIKE SAFETY

In 2015, there were more than 467,000 bicycle-related injuries and more than 1,000 bicycle-related deaths in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“By taking precautions before you ride and while you are riding, you can significantly decrease the risk of injury or death while riding a bicycle,” said David Schwebel, a professor in the UAB Department of Psychology and director of the UAB Youth Safety Lab, in a UAB news release.

First of all, it’s crucial to protect your body, including your head, while riding, and bicyclists should wear helmets, experts say. Helmets should fit snugly with the strap on and should also be ANSI- or SNELL-approved by the federal government.

Riders should wear clothing that is bright or easily seen by drivers, especially at dusk, dawn and night. Their clothing should also fit tightly so it doesn’t get caught in the bicycle.

In addition, “having a quick pre-ride checklist to ensure your bicycle is safe can decrease the risk of injury,” Schwebel said in the release.

The checklist is as follows:

-- Appropriate air in the tires

-- Proper size of the bicycle

-- Adjust the seat to fit height

-- Reflectors on front and back of bicycle

-- Check all parts to ensure they are properly working

-- Grease chains, if needed

Bicyclists are also expected to know the rules of the road:

-- Never ride against the flow of traffic

-- Obey all traffic laws

-- Know pedestrians always have the right of way if riding on the sidewalk

-- Use hand signals

-- Look both ways before crossing the street

It is important for parents to educate children on bicycle safety and provide supervision wherever they ride, according to Schwebel.