UAB Briefs: Hairspray, the Egg Drop and lots of campus events
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.
FUN SHOW, BIG CAST
Theatre UAB will present the musical comedy “Hairspray” -- a fast, fun, family-friendly show with 60s-style songs, great costumes and a cast of 28 -- in the Sirote Theatre at Alys Stephens Performing Arts Center from April 11-15.
The shows are April 11-14 at 7:30 p.m. and April 15 at 2 p.m.
Winner of eight Tony Awards, including Best Musical, “Hairspray” is based on the 1988 John Waters film of the same name.
Set in Baltimore in 1962, “Hairspray” tells the story of teenager Tracy Turnblad, who wins a coveted spot dancing on a local music program, “The Corny Collins Show,” after learning some dance moves from a black friend.
After getting on the show, Turnblad uses her new local stardom to push for the show to become racially integrated.
The Theatre UAB production has fancy sets, hair and costumes, as well as large musical numbers.
But at its core, the play is about a fight for equal rights, according to co-director and choreographer Roy Lightner, a UAB assistant professor.
“This production celebrates acceptance -- acceptance of race, love, body and dreams,” Lightner said in a UAB news release. “How beautiful that song and dance is used as the vehicle to demand equality.”
The production is co-directed by Lightner and Valerie Accetta, the department’s head of musical theatre, with musical direction by Carolyn Violi.
Tickets are $15 and $20, $6 for students and $10 for UAB employees and senior citizens. Call 975-2787 or go to alysstephens.org.
For more about Theatre UAB, go to uab.edu/cas/theatre.
A BUSY SPRING
There are a lot of notable events and activities on the UAB campus in April as the spring semester draws to a close.
The following is a rundown of some of the highlights, with information from UAB Media Relations and departmental web sites.
Friday, April 6
The UAB School of Engineering will present the 29th annual Brent Newman Memorial Egg Drop Contest at Vulcan Park & Museum on Friday from 9:15 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. Hundreds of students from area elementary, middle and high schools take part. Individually or in groups, they design and build contraptions they hope will prevent raw eggs from breaking as their devices are dropped from a platform just below the Vulcan statue to the ground -- a distance of 105 feet. The purpose of the competition is to promote an interest in engineering among Alabama students. The event is hosted by the UAB chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. For details, click here.
Visit UAB art faculty in their studios and participate in hands-on art-making demonstrations in the 2300 Studios, located at 2300 Seventh Ave. South, on Friday from 2-5 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Visitors will see such processes as screen printing, sculptural mold-making, Japanese natural dyeing and 19th-century wet-plate collodion photography. Complimentary pizza and refreshments will be served. For more information, go to uab.edu/cas/art.
Tuesday, April 10
The inaugural Birmingham Clinical Innovation Conference will take place at the UAB Edge of Chaos events space at Lister Hill Library on Tuesday from 1-6 p.m. UAB Solution Studios and Innovate Birmingham will host the event. UAB students, physicians, nurses and engineers have been working together to create solutions to problems experienced by patients and caregivers.They will present their projects to representatives of Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, Alabama Launchpad and Alabama Capital Network and receive advice about marketing their projects. For details, click here.
The UAB Broadcast Education Association Media Club will host the Steel Reel Film Festival in the Alumni Theater of the UAB Hill Student Center on Tuesday at 6 p.m. Short documentaries, narratives and public service announcements from student and amateur filmmakers in Alabama will be shown. The event is free and open to the public.
Thursday, April 12
The Social Spotlight Film Festival, to be held in the Alumni Theater at Hill Student Center on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., will allow students, faculty, staff, and community members to watch and discuss films dealing with important social justice issues. Noted documentary filmmaker Kristi Jacobson will show two of her films, “A Place at the Table” and “Solitary.” She will also take part in Q&A sessions with the audience after each film. The event is sponsored by several UAB departments, including undergraduate research, media studies and the Institute for Human Rights. For event details, including the times for each screening, go to the Facebook event page by clicking here.
Thursday, April 12; Friday, April 13
The annual UAB Spring Expo -- presented by UAB Undergraduate Research -- celebrates excellence in research and scholarship by showcasing the academic endeavors of undergraduate students.
Oral presentations will take place at the Hill Student Center on Thursday, and poster presentations will be displayed at Bartow Arena on Friday.
“This is the biggest gathering of undergraduates presenting their research, service learning and creative activities," Jones told Iron City Ink.
“Upwards of 600 students present oral and poster presentations over two days,” Jones said.
There are nine main categories for oral and poster presentations at the Spring Expo, including Art and Humanities, Biological and Life Sciences, Engineering, and Social and Behavioral Sciences. Students may also present works in progress.
Presentations for a video research award will also be held at the Hill Center on Thursday following the oral presentations. The six finalists will present their videos in a TED Talk-style presentation in the Hill Student Center Alumni Theater from 3-4 p.m., according to Gareth Jones, the university’s assistant director for service learning and undergraduate research.
For details about the Expo, go to uab.edu/undergraduateresearch/spring-expo.