AUBURN - The Auburn University Chamber Winds and Percussion will perform in an evening of music for small ensembles on Tuesday, Oct. 13, at 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Opelika. The concert is presented by the Auburn University Department of Music and the Auburn University Bands.

Selections will span almost 400 years and feature instrumentation from as few as three to as many as 35 musicians in the final selection. Featured composers will include Modest Mussorgsky, Maurice Ravel, Gordon Jacob and Alfred Reed.

The Auburn University Chamber Winds and Percussion are a select group from the Symphonic Band conducted by the director of bands, Rick Good.

The Auburn University Symphonic Winds and Percussion will also present a concert on Thursday, Oct. 22, at 7:30 p.m. at First Baptist Church in Opelika. All concerts are free and open to the public.

Contact: Richard Good, (334) 844-3178 (goodric@auburn.edu), or
Mike Clardy, (334) 844-9999 (clardch@auburn.edu)

The Committee of 19, Auburn University's leadership team for the War on Hunger, has designated Oct. 12-16 as Hunger Awareness Week at Auburn University. This annual event highlights the plight of the one billion chronically hungry people throughout the developing world and draws attention to the needs of individuals and families in the local community.

Events begin on Monday, Oct. 12, at 5 p.m. with the Student Government Association's 16th annual Beat Bama Food Drive. For more information, go to http://www.beatbamafooddrive.com.

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AUBURN - Alabama's green industry has stretched its lead as the state's number-one cash crop and now injects $2.89 billion into the state's economy annually, as shown by an economic analysis of the industry conducted by agricultural economists in Auburn University's College of Agriculture. That represents a 52 percent increase from 2003, when the industry's overall economic impact was $1.9 billion.

The latest study, based on 2007 data that agricultural economist Deacue Fields collected in a statewide industry survey, also indicates that the horticultural industry now accounts for 43 percent of Alabama's total crop sales, compared to 38 percent in 2003. Cotton comes in a distant second, at 18 percent of cash receipts, down 6 percent from 2003.

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AUBURN - Analysts in the Center for Governmental Services at Auburn University say U.S. Census data released in September include some encouraging results for Alabama.

The state's rate of persons without health insurance coverage in 2008, 11.9 percent, was the lowest rate recorded for Alabama in this decade. Alabama also has the lowest rate of uninsured residents in the southeastern states, besting Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee.

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AUBURN – Researchers in an Alabama educational alliance have received a $3 million grant from the National Science Foundation to help Alabama students with disabilities earn college degrees in science, technology, engineering and mathematics and, ultimately, enter the workforce.

The funding was granted to the Alabama Alliance for Students with Disabilities in STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – which is a collaborative effort involving Alabama State University, Auburn University, Auburn University Montgomery, Tuskegee University, Central Alabama Community College, Southern Union State Community College and the Alabama Institute for the Deaf and Blind. The alliance also includes six school districts in Lee, Chambers, Elmore, Montgomery, Macon and Tallapoosa counties and has an outreach component that covers the entire state.

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AUBURN – “Cry, the Beloved County,” the 1995 film adaptation of Alan Paton’s 1948 novel, will be shown Thursday, Oct. 1, at 7 p.m. in the ballroom of the Auburn University Student Center. Critics have described the movie as illuminating the rigid and racist structures of society in South Africa that would later give rise to apartheid.

Overtoun Jenda, a native of the African country of Malawi and head of the Auburn’s Office of Diversity and Multicultural Affairs, will offer brief introductory remarks. There will be an opportunity for group discussion following the film. Sponsored by Auburn’s Honors College, the film is open to the public and admission is free.

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AUBURN – Foreclosed homes and unsustainable growth can wreck the tax base of local governments. That’s the warning being issued by Auburn University’s Center for Governmental Services following its study of newly released U.S. Census Bureau data on housing unit growth.

Auburn researchers compared housing data from the states of Alabama and Georgia to gauge the effects of the recession and its real estate bubble on property taxes that fund local governments and their services.

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AUBURN - Auburn University's College of Sciences and Mathematics, in collaboration with the Alabama Department of Education, has been awarded $600,000 from NASA to produce modules in the varying science focus areas of global climate change. The program, "Bringing Global Climate Change Education to Alabama Classrooms," will partner with the Alabama Science in Motion, or ASIM, program to effectively train teachers and educate students in grades 9-12 about the changing planet.

Steve Ricks, director of the Alabama Math, Science and Technology Initiative, said the partnership with Auburn University will allow Alabama's teachers and their students to experience first-hand how scientists investigate global change. Teachers and students will gain unique insight into the science behind one of the most prevalent scientific issues of our time – the environment and its effect on our lives.

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AUBURN - Auburn University became one of the first universities to have its own social networking Web site last week with the launch of "Auburn Family," a site designed to inform and connect current and prospective students, alumni, faculty, staff, parents and fans.

The site, which can be accessed at http://family.auburn.edu, allows users to manage their personal profile, upload Auburn-related photos, blogs and videos, set status updates and communicate with other members via their "comments wall" or direct messaging. The network also features current news stories about Auburn University from students' perspectives.

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AUBURN - Fabien Cousteau, grandson of the late undersea explorer and filmmaker Jacque-Yves Cousteau and an internationally known environmentalist and filmmaker in his own right, will present the E.T. York lecture, "One Water One People," at 7 p.m., Sept. 22 at The Hotel at Auburn University and Dixon Conference Center. His presentation will focus on water-related environmental issues.

Cousteau grew up exploring the sea and the world with his grandfather and his father, Jean-Michel. After earning a degree in environmental economics from Boston University, Cousteau meshed his family legacy of championing environmental protection with his business acumen by successfully spearheading the development of new environmentally sustainable products and business models.

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