UA Geologist to get White House honor

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. (AP) — President Barack Obama has named University of Alabama geologist Samantha Hansen as one of the recipients of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers. The awards recognize scientists and engineers in the early stages of their independent research careers. The University of Alabama said Hansen is using energy signals from earthquakes to better understand how the Transantarctic mountain range was formed across Antarctica. Hansen and two graduate students returned last month from a six-week stay in Antarctica where they retrieved data from 15 seismic stations that Hansen and research colleagues installed along portions of the mountain range in 2012. Hansen is among 102 researchers receiving the presidential award.