Take advantage of a series of free virtual webinars starting Aug. 25, with experts advising on topics both valuable and fascinating.
On the calendar are sessions with topics this fall including nutrition for each stage of life, estate planning, brain health, bitcoin basics, a history of witches and keeping your pet at a healthy weight.
The series is presented by the National Alumni Society at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. Previous episodes of this UAB National Alumni Society virtual series are available to view at the UAB NAS website under the Resources tab or on its YouTube channel. More sessions are in the works, including one on career burnout; visit alumni.uab.edu for updates and the latest information.
Thursday, Aug. 25, “To Infant & Beyond: Looking at Nutrition through the Lifecycle”
The human body develops and changes throughout the human lifecycle, and how you fuel your body affects those changes. Lizzy Davis, Ph.D., will discuss the fuel and nutrients of importance for each stage of life and explore how nutrition at one stage can impact someone’s nutrition at later lifecycle stages. “To Infant & Beyond: Looking at Nutrition through the Lifecycle” will be at 7 p.m. CDT, Thursday, Aug. 25. This webinar is part of a series on nutrition, your diet and you. Davis is a registered dietitian with a passion for teaching nutrition. She earned her Ph.D. from the UAB School of Health Professions in 2020 and is an assistant professor and director of the Dietitian Education Program in the UAB Department of Nutrition Sciences. Register online and see all events at alumni.uab.edu. A link to the webinar will be sent to registrants in a confirmation email.
Tuesday, Aug. 30, “Estate Planning: Understanding the Basics”
On Tuesday, Aug. 30, tune in at noon CDT for “Estate Planning: Understanding the Basics,” presented by the NAS in collaboration with the UAB Office of Planned Giving. Implementing an estate plan is always more complex than it seems, and it takes time to make sure all affairs are in order. Expert Nancy Ball will give a basic overview of all core estate planning documents and a few strategies to consider when implementing a plan. She will cover wills and why you should have one, how to include charities, what to do when loved ones are incapacitated, and how to leave assets to children and other beneficiaries. Ball, author of “Navigating Estate Planning Before, During and After a Marriage,” regularly presents on estate planning topics and practices in the areas of trusts and estates, including estate planning and estate administration, taxation, real estate, and corporate law. Register online and see all events at alumni.uab.edu. A link to the webinar will be sent to registrants in a confirmation email.
Wednesday, Sept. 14, “Brain Food”
When you’re trying to improve brain health, a working knowledge of which foods are supercharged with health benefits is a must. Join “Brain Food” at noon CDT, Wednesday, Sept. 14. This webinar is part of a series on nutrition, your diet and you. Suzanne Judd, Ph.D., will explore more than 30 different foods that have brain function benefits and dive into how these foods individually relate to brain health. Judd, who has a unique combination of training in engineering, epidemiology and nutrition, is director of the Lister Hill Center for Health Policy and a professor in the School of Public Health at UAB. Her research focuses on the role of diet and the environment as mediators of racial disparities in the risk of hypertension, kidney disease and stroke. Register online and see all events at alumni.uab.edu. A link to the webinar will be sent to registrants in a confirmation email.
Thursday, Sept. 22, “Blockchain and Web 3.0: A Decentralized World”
Most people have probably heard of bitcoin, but what do we truly know about it and other cryptocurrencies? Cryptocurrency has been around for more than a decade and has become 
more common over the last few years. Learn more about crypto in this highly volatile market during “Blockchain and Web 3.0: A Decentralized World,” at noon Thursday, Sept. 22. Brothers Christopher Edmonds, Ph.D., and Mark Edmonds, Ph.D., both UAB graduates, will give better insight into virtual currency during this virtual event, and discuss centralized versus decentralized systems, the technology behind bitcoin, ethereum, NFTs and more. Christopher Edmonds is an associate professor and Mark Edmonds is an assistant professor, both in the Department of Accounting and Finance at the UAB Collat School of Business. Register online and see all events at alumni.uab.edu. A link to the webinar will be sent to registrants in a confirmation email.
Thursday, Oct. 27, “Witches: Representations and Retellings”
Witches have long been trapped in a narrative that paints a picture of a long-nosed, hat-wearing, broomstick-borne bearer of misfortune and practitioner of magic. For “Witches: Representations and Retellings,” 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, Aparna Dwivedi will explore witches in literature and society and trace their sociohistorical context as 
well as individual witch narratives, like Tituba, the Black Witch of Salem and the Wicked Witch of the West. Dwivedi will take the group through analysis of these literary works, fairy tales and folklores to liberate witches from the historical discourse surrounding them. Dwivedi is a full-time instructor in the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of English, and in addition to studying witch narratives, among her teaching and research interests are marginality, immigrant and refugee experiences. Register online and see all events at alumni.uab.edu. A link to the webinar will be sent to registrants in a confirmation email.
Tuesday, Nov. 8, “What Pet Parents Should Know about Obesity and Diabetes”
While some think chubby pets look cute, the extra weight your dog or cat is carrying increases their risk in developing preventable diseases. “What Pet Parents Should Know about Obesity and Diabetes” will be at 7 p.m. CST, Tuesday, Nov. 8. If your pet has increased its water consumption, seen changes in appetite or lacks energy, they may be at risk. During this webinar, Philip A. Wood, DVM, Ph.D., will explain how extra weight affects our furry friends and how concerned we should be about their developing diabetes. Wood was in biomedical research and academics for nearly four decades and focused on inherited metabolic/endocrine diseases and nutrition. He retired from research and academics in 2017, returning to his original passion for clinical veterinary medicine practice, and is a primary care veterinarian for cats and dogs. Wood earned his Ph.D. from the UAB Graduate School, and from 1989-2008 was on the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine faculty. Register online and see all events at alumni.uab.edu. A link to the webinar will be sent to registrants in a confirmation email.