Newswise — For the 34th consecutive year, The University of Alabama’s Office of Media Relations offers predictions from faculty experts for the coming year. See our list of the Top 15 “Educated Guesses” for 2015:
Beijing to be First to Host Both Summer, Winter Olympics Three-Square Meals to Go Belly-Up Controversy Surrounding ACA to Slow 70’s to Dominate Spring Fashion Trends Economy to Grow by 2.6 percent in 2015 Commissioner’s Authority to Punish NFL Players to be Curbed New Cars to Become Smart Phones on Wheels Yik Yak, Snapchat Users to Trend Younger, Facebook Older NASA to Cite Additional Evidence of Water on Mars Cheap Natural Gas Prices Continue Move Away From Coal Softer, Cooler Colors among Interior Design Trends Warren May Get Democratic Nomination Over Clinton Small Businesses to Expand Social Media’s Growth Lower Gas Prices to Negate Only Some Impacts of Higher Groceries Effective Challenges to Common Core More Likely From State Level
For more insight into some of the thinking behind each guess and for contact information, see below. Media Relations contacts: Cathy Andreen, [email protected], 205/348-8322 (print/online media); Shane Dorrill, [email protected], 204/384-8319 (broadcast media)
EDUCATED GUESSES 2015
Beijing to Become First to Host both Summer, Winter GamesBeijing will be named in 2015 as the host of the 2022 Winter Olympics, becoming the first city to host both a Summer and Winter Games, predicts Dr. Andrew Billings, director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication at The University of Alabama and the Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting in UA’s department of telecommunication and film.Contact: Dr. Andrew Billings, [email protected], 205/239-2337
Three-Square Meals Go Belly-UpDespite Pinterest and food delivery companies further inspiring millennials to cook at home with fresh, organic ingredients, the concept of three square meals a day will dissipate in 2015 as more people will dine on the go or choose options like green smoothies or snacks, predicts Sheena Quizon Gregg, a registered dietician and assistant director in The University of Alabama’s department of health promotion and wellness.Contact: Sheena Quizon Gregg, [email protected], 205/348-0205
Controversy Surrounding ACA to Show Signs of Slowing in 2015Implementation of the Affordable Care Act will further increase demand for primary care doctors in 2015, and the controversy surrounding it will begin waning as people see the benefits, predicts Dr. Richard Streiffer, dean of The University of Alabama’s College of Community Health Sciences.Contact: Dr. Richard Streiffer, [email protected], 205/348-1288
70’s to Dominate Spring Fashion TrendsSpring fashion trends will include a return to the past as popular styles from the 1970s, including longer silhouettes, suede fabrics, fringe, tie dye, patchwork, and a fuller volume pant leg will become new again in the coming year, says Brian Taylor, instructor in the department of clothing, textiles and interior design in The University of Alabama’s College of Human Environmental Sciences.Contact: Brian Taylor, [email protected], 205/348-6020
Economy to grow by 2.6 percent in 2015The U.S. economy is forecast to grow by about 2.6 percent in 2015 and will be led, in part, by growth in transportation equipment manufacturing, says Ahmad Ijaz, associate director of The University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research in the Culverhouse College of Commerce.Contact: Ahmad Ijaz, [email protected], 205/348-2955
Commissioner’s Authority to Punish NFL Players to be CurbedNFL Commissioner Roger Goodell’s role in determining the punishment for player crimes and misbehavior will be significantly lessened, as a consensus forms that this power serves no one well, says Dr. Andrew Billings, director of the Alabama Program in Sports Communication at The University of Alabama and the Ronald Reagan Chair of Broadcasting in UA’s department of telecommunication and film.Contact: Dr. Andrew Billings, [email protected], 205/239-2337
New Cars Become Smart Phones on WheelsIn 2015, cars will become more connected to the Internet with a seamless integration between smart phones, computers and vehicles, according to Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian, a former Daimler vice president and a University of Alabama professor with joint appointments in mechanical engineering and electrical and computer engineering.Contact: Dr. Bharat Balasubramanian, via Adam Jones in media relations, [email protected], 205/348-6444
Yik Yak, Snapchat Users to Trend Younger, Facebook OlderGrandparents following the exploits of their kids and grandkids will be among those causing the age of the typical Facebook user to trend older while the typical Yik Yak and Snapchat user trends even younger in 2015, says Susan Fant, instructor of marketing in The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce.Contact: Susan Fant, [email protected], 205-348-3940
NASA to Cite Additional Evidence of Water on MarsDuring 2015, NASA will announce that one of its Mars rovers has revealed the most concrete evidence to date of water on the Red Planet, but evidence of the existence of previous life on the planet will remain elusive, predicts Dr. William Keel, professor of astronomy in The University of Alabama’s College of Arts & Sciences.Contact: Dr. William Keel,[email protected], 205/348-1641
Cheap Natural Gas Prices Continue Move Away From CoalWith or without new environmental regulations on emissions, electric utilities will continue the trend of using natural gas to replace coal-fired power generation as the price for natural gas remains cheap, predicts Dr. Jason Bara, associate professor of chemical and biological engineering in The University of Alabama’s College of Engineering..Contact: Dr. Jason Bara, [email protected], 205/348-6836
Softer, Cooler Colors among Interior Design TrendsNature-inspired neutrals will be paired with softer, cooler colors in the coming year’s interior designs, putting us at peace within our fast-paced lives that seem consumed with technology, says Stephanie Sickler, assistant professor in the department of clothing, textiles and interior design in The University of Alabama’s College of Human Environmental Sciences.Contact: Stephanie Sickler, [email protected], 205/348-4262
Warren May Get Democratic Nomination Over Clinton, UA Analyst PredictsElizabeth Warren may have a real shot at the Democratic nomination over Hillary Clinton; although Warren has said she won’t run for president in 2016, the party may see her as a fresh alternative to the polarizing Clinton, says Dr. George Hawley, assistant professor of political science in The University of Alabama’s College of Arts & Sciences.Contact: Dr. George Hawley, [email protected], 205/348-5528
Small Businesses to Expand Social Media’s GrowthMore employees with social media skills will join small businesses in the coming year, leading to an increased presence on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, while viral marketing will provide unpredictable but massive growth in brand awareness, predicts Susan Fant, instructor of marketing in The University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce.Contact: Susan Fant, [email protected], 205/348-3940
Lower Gas Prices Will Only Negate Some Impacts of Higher GroceriesLower gas prices will add about .4 percent to real gross domestic product, but this will only negate some of the economic impacts of higher grocery prices, estimates Ahmad Ijaz, associate director of The University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research in the Culverhouse College of Commerce.Contact: Ahmad Ijaz, [email protected], 205/348-2955
Effective Challenges to Common Core More Likely From State LevelIf any large-scale changes to the Common Core Standards occur in 2015, those will likely come from state-wide efforts and not from the federal level, predicts Dr. Jeremy Zelkowski, professor of math education in The University of Alabama’s College of Education.Contact: Jeremy Zelkowski, [email protected], 205/348-9499
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