December 8, 2008

The endangered watercress darter and the use of biofuels as an alternative to fossil fuel are just some of the topics to be discussed at the next UAB Discussion Book Dialogues event. The event is free and open to the public. Call 205-934-8560 for details.

The UAB Discussion Book Dialogues will take place Thursday, December 18 from 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. at the Blazer Residence Life Center, Community Room, 1111 16th Street South.

The discussion will include viewings of two, five-minute documentaries produced and directed by UAB students. The films include "Saved: The Story of the Watercress Darter" that tells the story of a local church that became involved in saving the watercress darter found on its grounds. The students completed the film just weeks before nearly 1,000 watercress darters were killed last September after a dam in a Roebuck Springs pond was destroyed.

The second film will be "Food to Fuel." The film examines local biofuel programs and the larger implications of converting food to fuel.

The UAB student filmmakers will discuss their experiences researching and producing the short documentaries as part of an ethnographic filmmaking class offered at UAB.

The UAB Discussion Book Dialogues are held monthly and are based on the UAB campus discussion book selected for the academic year. The discussion book for 2008-2009 is "Field Notes From a Catastrophe: Man, Nature and Climate Change" by Elizabeth Kolbert. Since 2005 UAB has selected a discussion book for the year as a focal point for UAB students, faculty and staff.