2013 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship

posted by Alan Flurry on May 21, 2013
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lady-ada-lovelace google dole carton

Congratulations to computer science grad student Jennifer Rouan, who has been awarded a prestigious Google scholarship:

Rouan recently received the 2013 Google Anita Borg Memorial Scholarship, an award that honors its namesake by encouraging women to excel in computing and technology.

Borg was a computer scientist who devoted her life to revolutionizing perceptions of technology and dismantling barriers that keep women and minorities from entering computing and technology fields. The Google scholarship—worth $10,000 for the 2013-14 academic year—also encourages women to become active role models and leaders in these fields.

UGA’s Rouan, a master’s degree student in the Franklin College of Arts and Science’s department of computer science, also was selected for the 2013 Google Student Veterans of America Scholarship. Recipients of Google scholarships can accept only one of the awards.

“I’m very excited to have won both scholarships, but as a woman in tech I identify with Anita Borg and her impact on our field,” Rouan said. “And, so, being part of that memory is an important part of my own life philosophy.”
 

Fantastic - two Google scholarships. Difficult to verify, but we think Jennifer is the first UGA student to be selected for both awards. Big congratulations to her, Thiab Taha, and the computer science department.

Image: Women-inspired Google doodle honoring Anita Borg, Grace Hopper and Lada Ada Lovelace

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Franklin presented USCOTS Lifetime Achievement Award

posted by Alan Flurry on May 20, 2013
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franklin-christine, with Baseball diamond Senior Lecturer, undergraduate coordinator and Lothar Tresp Honoratus Honors Professor in the department of statistics Christine Franklin (no relation but a big part of our family) was awarded the 2013 Lifetime Achievement Award by the United States Conference on Teaching Statistics at the USCOTS Award Banquet on Friday, May 17:

This biennial award is presented at the U.S. Conference On Teaching Statistics to an individual who, over an extended period of time, has made lasting contributions with broad impact to the field of statistics education especially, but not limited to, the teaching and learning of college-level statistics.

What a fantastic and richly-deserved bit of recognition of professor Franklin's positive impact on so many students over the years. To learn more about Franklin and her philosophy on teaching, please see the Focus on the Faculty feature on her from earlier this year. Big congratulations and thanks to professor Franklin for everything she does for our students and the Franklin College.

Image: courtesy UGA photgraphic services.

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Focus on the Faculty: William Finlay

posted by Alan Flurry on May 20, 2013
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Finlay_in the classroomSociology professor and head of the department William Finlay is the subject of the Focus on the Faculty this week on the UGA homepage:

What do you hope students gain from their classroom experience with you?
A set of concepts and ideas for understanding the world around them, whether they are at home, at work or visiting unfamiliar places. I like to think of sociology as a kind of toolkit that we can use to explain human behavior and I hope that my students take some of these tools with them.
Describe your ideal student.
Intellectually curious, open to new ideas, and excited about learning.

This regular feature, in the format of a Q & A, is a great way to learn about our faculty members across the university. Who they are and what they do creates the outstanding experience that is UGA for so many students - be sure and check it when you can.

Image: courtesy of UGA photographic services

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Learning Beyond the classroom: Croatia Maymester

posted by Alan Flurry on May 17, 2013
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Like the Science Maymester, Croatia Maymester Study Abroad offers students an opportunity to study in different disciplines with top faculty - for this program, in a slice of Europe between the Adriatic and the Danube:

Croatia is a beautiful and culturally rich country with crystal-clear seas, more than 1,100 islands, countless beaches and harbors, unspoiled villages, mountains, vineyards, Roman ruins, medieval towns, and baroque cities.  You find a rich cultural heritage everywhere you look .  The Romans and Venetians left a Latin influence on the coast, while the interior's Central European heritage  is a legacy of  the Austro-Hungarian Empire.   Today Croatia is a stable, peaceful, easygoing country that has applied for admission to the European Union. 

The Croatia program, which started on May 13 and runs through June 5 this year, offers students:

the opportunity to earn six hours credit studying various aspects of Croatian culture and society while traveling through this beautiful and fascinating country. Courses are taught by UGA faculty and use active engagement approaches that will take students into different regions and allow them to interact with scholars from Croatian universities and research institutes, local government officials, leaders of non-governmental organizations, and citizens from different walks of life.

Faculty on the trip this year are from Germanic and Slavic languages, politocal science, environment and design, and health promotion and behavior. That should about cover it. Ajmo!

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Former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa to give Chapel lecture

posted by Alan Flurry on May 16, 2013
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James-Joseph silhouette, dark backgroundJames A. Joseph, former U.S. Ambassador to South Africa in the immediate wake of the release and election of Nelson Mandela in the late 1990's, will present a talk this afternoon at 4 pm in the UGA Chapel. The talk is “Leadership as a Way of Being: Reflections on Nelson Mandela, Servant Leadership and Personal Renewal.”

Joseph has served in the administrations of four U.S. Presidents. He was the only holder of the office of U.S. Ambassador to South Africa to present his credentials to President Nelson Mandela. In 1999, President Thabo Mbeki awarded Joseph the Order of Good Hope, the highest honor the Republic of South Africa bestows on a citizen of another country. He is currently Professor of the Practice of Public Policy Studies at Duke University and executive director of the United States – Southern Africa Center for Leadership and Public Values at Duke and the University of Cape Town.

If you heard Dave Marr's radio interview with Ambassador Joseph yesterday on WUGA, I don't have to encourage you to attend this lecture. Great man, with great experiences and lessons to share. Thanks Willson Center for Humanities and Arts and J.W. Fanning Institute for bringing us this terrific (and free) public event.

Image: Courtesy of the International Leadership Association

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student, alumni NSF Fellowships

posted by Alan Flurry on May 15, 2013
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Ten current or former UGA students have been awarded graduate research fellowships from the National Science Foundation. Six of the ten are from the Franklin College:

[The fellowships will allow students] to conduct research while working on their master's and doctoral degrees. The awards provide students with up to $126,000 during a five-year period to conduct research in the areas of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. Eleven students and alumni also received honorable mentions.

This year's Fellows include:

Cameron Brown, of Savannah, GA

Kao-Wie Chua, of Johnson City, TN

Caitlin Elizabeth Conn, of Port Royal, Penn.

Chelsea Cunard, of Warren, R.I.

Caitlin Ishibashi, of Camarillo, Calif.

Uma Jyothi Nagendra, of New Orleans, La.

and from the Odum School of Ecology:

Daniel Joseph Becker, of West Chester, Penn.

Doug Booher, of Dalton, Ga.

Robert Daniel Harris, of the Drumkeerin area in County Leitrim, Ireland,

Carly Phillips, of Columbus, Ohio

Congratulations to these students and alums. Read more at the link about the work these fellowships will support.

 

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