UAB Briefs: LEED certification, Parkinson's research, exercise symposium
In this weekly online feature, we keep track of interesting people and events on campus.
The newly constructed University Hall on campus received has received an environmental honor.
The Center for Exercise Medicine at UAB is holding its annual symposium this Friday, Sept. 13.
And The Alabama Udall Center continues its important research to fight Parkinson’s Disease.
Know people, places and programs on the UAB campus that deserve a mention? Email jchambers@starnespublishing.com.
Taking the LEED
University Hall — the newest classroom and office facility on campus — is set to receive a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, according to UAB Media Relations.
The building, which serves as the new home for the College of Arts and Sciences, will be the first LEED-certified building on UAB’s campus, saving energy and water and generating less waste.
The LEED certifications were created by the United States Green Building Council, and they provide a framework to create healthy, efficient and cost-effective green buildings.
University Hall will be only the first of many LEED-certified buidling on campus, according to Melody Gillezeau, project manager for sustainable project development in the UAB Facilities.
“We have several projects in the planning phases and two current construction projects in the works that are seeking LEED certification,” Gillezeau said.
In terms of energy conservation, University Hall exceeds even the energy code set by the state of Alabama, which is one of the most stringent in America, according to Media Relations.
University Hall is designed to achieve 9.1 percent additional energy cost savings, compared to a baseline building that meets Alabama’s minimum energy code requirements.
“The overall design of the building reduces energy costs by maximizing daylight in collaborative spaces and economizing on the energy used within the building,” Gillezeau said.
There is a heavy focus on saving water at University Hall, both inside and out. The landscaping of the building requires less water for irrigation and is also designed to slow and infiltrate rainwater using vegetated green space. Low-flow water fixtures, flow-restrictors and aerators reduces potable, indoor water use by 35 percent.
In terms of building materials at University Hall, UAB — along with the general contractor, MJ Harris — recycled and reused 67 percent of all construction waste, according to Gillezeau.
UAb also sought to guard indoor air quality in the building through efforts to lower or eliminate particulate matter and airborne contaminants in the materials chosen for construction.
SEEKING EXCELLENCE
The UAB Department of Neurology has one of nine Udall Centers of Excellence in Parkinson’s Disease Research created by the National Institutes of Health in 1997 in honor of former U.S. Rep. Morris Udall of Arizona, a Parkinson’s sufferer.
The Alabama Udall Center — created in September 2018 and funded by a 5-year, $10 million NIH grant — is led by Dr. David Standaert, the chair of the Department of Neurology and an international leader in Parkinson’s disease.
Standaert says the center is focusing on the role of inflammation and immune response in the progression of Parkinson’s, which is a new approach to the disease.
“The cure for Parkinson’s disease still remains elusive; but if we can find a way to slow or stop the progression of the symptoms, we can help many people live full and active lives,” he said.
Parkinson’s affects about 1 million people in the United States and 10 million worldwide.A major goal of the Alabama Udall Center since its inception in 2018 was the development of a clinical research core, directed by Dr. Talene Yacoubian, associate professor of neurology. The core has recruited a cadre of 40 research subjects during the past year.
WELLNESS
The Center for Exercise Medicine, part of the UAB School of Medicine, will host its seventh annual symposium at the Hill Student Center Ballroom on Friday, Sept. 13.
This year’s keynote speakers are Gretchen Reynolds, a physical education columnist for the New York Times and author of the book, “The First 20 Minutes,” and Stuart Phillips, director of the McMaster Centre for Nutrition, Exercise and Health Research in Canada.
A science communication workshop and a REACT clinical trials workshop will both be held on Thursday, Sept. 12
For details about the workshops and symposium, go to the Center for Exercise Medicine website at uab.edu/medicine/exercise.