UAB Briefs: Zipcar, new home for Arts and Sciences, outdoor classroom
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?
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Zip around campus
UAB and Zipcar have partnered to offer a new, convenient on-demand transportation option on campus.
The service, which began Wednesday, September 20, allows students, faculty and staff ages 18 and older to reserve one of two cars, a Ford Focus and a Toyota Corolla, by the hour or the day.
The service is also open to members of the community ages 21 and over.
The vehicles can be reserved online or through the Zipcar mobile app and have designated parking spots at Blazer Circle, located behind Blazer Hall.
“We are starting the program with two vehicles, but our plan is to have as many cars on campus as needed to make the program successful,” said André Davis, director of parking and transportation.
The program not only provides people on campus with another option for transportation but supports UAB’s sustainability efforts, according to Davis.
“Zipcar offers all the benefits of owning a car without the hassles that come along with it,” said Katelyn Bushey, director of University Programs.
For more information about Zipcar, including hourly rates and annual membership fees, go to zipcar.com/uab.
A new home for CAS
UAB leaders broke ground on a new 160,000-square-foot Arts and Sciences Building on Sept. 19.
Costing nearly $40 million dollars, the building – to be located at the corner of 10th Avenue and 14th Street South – is expected to open in time for the fall semester in 2019, according to a UAB news release.
“It will complete the quadrant of high-end buildings around the Green, allow for cohesiveness and convenience, and promote a safe and efficient campus for our students, faculty and staff,” Robert Palazzo, dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, said in the release.
In addition, the college will no longer be forced to rely on the old Humanities Building, which has been in use for 45 years.
The new building will house the departments of Anthropology, Computer and Information Sciences, English, Foreign Languages and Literatures, Mathematics, Philosophy and Social Work.
It will also include a 300-seat auditorium, performance space, administrative support offices and a storm shelter.
Outdoor classroom
The university will open its new Meadow Classroom – a unique facility created through the hard work of UAB volunteers – at Red Mountain Park on Monday, September 25, with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 2 p.m.
It took more than 600 UAB volunteers and more than 2,400 hours of work over two years to create the facility, which sits on a restored meadow bout a 30-minute hike into the 1,500-acre park.
The volunteers also beautified the hiking trails leading to the meadow.
Red Mountain Park is a great place to explore Birmingham’s mining history, geology and biodiversity.
Flashbacks to elementary school
The UAB School of Health Professions is inviting community members to take part in a fast-paced dodge-ball tournament that will raise money for the school’s Junior Advisory Board Scholarship program
The fundraiser, Dodging for Degrees, will take place at the UAB Campus Recreation Center on Oct. 1 at 4 p.m., according to a UAB news release.
This event is open to any individual, company or organization that wants to create a team.
The scholarship program helps young alumni better establish themselves in a competitive workforce.
The scholarship is awarded to graduating School of Health Professions students to help with the costs associated with launching a career, including professional membership fees, licensing exam fees and interview expenses.
The cost to play is $15 per person. Teams are required to register online before Oct. 1.
For more information, please contact Amanda Burton Martin at aebmartin@uab.edu.