June 2012

Study sees coevolution between invasive, native species

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 28, 2012
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Coevolution is the change of a biological object triggered by the change of a related object. And up until now there has been little evidence of it driving changes in Earth's history, though that, too, seems to be changing:

A new University of Georgia study shows that some native clearweed plants have evolved resistance to invasive garlic mustard plants—and that the invasive plants appear to be waging a counterattack. The study, published in the early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, is thought to provide the first evidence of coevolution between native and invasive plant species.

"The implications of this study are encouraging because they show that the native plants aren't taking this invasion lying down," said study author Richard Lankau, assistant professor of plant biology in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. "It suggests that if you were to take a longer view—a timescale of centuries—that exotic species could become integrated into their communities in a way that is less problematic for the natives."

Renowned educator to join chemistry department

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 28, 2012
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Hundreds of undergraduates from nearly every major take an introductory chemistry course each semester, and beginning this fall they’ll benefit from the expertise of professor Norbert Pienta, who will join UGA in July to fill the position of Director of General Chemistry Instruction. Pienta is a leader in the field of chemical education, a research area that focuses on the teaching and learning of chemistry. He is editor of the Journal of Chemical Education, a highly regarded journal published by the American Chemical Society, whose offices will now be housed at UGA.

Pienta is known for his pioneering use of Web-based tools and software for assessing student learning, using electronic data collection and visualization models to improve the understanding of laboratory data, and creating materials about the application of learning theories and best practices in chemistry for faculty and graduate students. He recently began applying his expertise to K-12 education.

UGA psychologists focus on Facebook

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 27, 2012
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Social media tools have the perception of keeping us all connected, but we probably shouldn't dismiss the extent to which they are also self-serving, so says a new study:

New research from the University of Georgia finds what people may really "like" about social networking are themselves.

"Despite the name ‘social networks,' much user activity on networking sites is self-focused," said Brittany Gentile, a UGA doctoral candidate who looked at the effects of social networks on self-esteem and narcissism.

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Cell-signaling one key to fighting the flu

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 26, 2012
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University of Georgia scientists have utilized a well-known cell-signaling protein in fighting influenza and the results have been promising:

Kimberly Klonowski, assistant professor of cellular biology in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and her colleagues found that administering a cell-signaling protein known as IL-15 to mice infected with influenza reduces their peak viral load by nearly three times.

"We gave the IL-15 intranasally and found that it enhanced the movement of the immune system's natural killer cells and CD8 T cells into the lung airways," said Klonowski, whose findings were recently published in the journal PLoS ONE. "As a result, the animals that received it cleared the virus faster than the control group."

In some ways this new work reflects the thinking behind trends in the greater population toward building up the immune system as a way of fighting off infections. Further defining the most effective components of the immune system builds a better, more sustainable premise for improved health care, and improved health, for more people. Congratulations to Dr. Klonowski and her colleagues.

Image: 2ILA Interleukin 1 Alpha protein, licensed under Creative Commons.

 

HHSOM student Wildman takes First Prize in Austria

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 25, 2012
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On the heels of his second place finish at the International Instrumental Competition in Germany earlier this month, word now arrives that DMA student Simon Wildman has won First Prize in the Artist Tuba Solo Competition at the International Tuba Euphonium Conference in Linz, Austria.

Congratulations to the tuba studio of Dr. David Zerkel in the Hodgson School of Music on the outstanding achievements of Wildman, as well as DMA students David McLemore and Matt Shines, who have also distinguished themselves and UGA at national and international competitions over this last year.

 

Spotlight on the Arts

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 22, 2012
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Speaking of the good life, the UGA campus and Athens, GA are blessed with many of the qualities by which we define that concept - walkability, a great library, an eclectic mix of people, and an arts scene that is deep and wide. If we were a sports franchise, I would say our bench players would be starting for most other teams around the league - at any level. Because of the people who have been coming to the University as faculty and students for decades, the arts are a major identifier of our campus and community. The breadth of theatre offerings here has both a distinguished pedigree and ongoing vibrancy. The volume of visual artists, a pursuit for which no locale is truly hospitable, produces a level of work on par with any major city. Dance and movement are thriving. And... Canopy? Does that practice even exist anywhere else? Oh, yes, and that music scene.

And that's another thing - even writing about this subject you leave out most of it: Georgia Museum of Art, UGA Performing Arts Center, The Georgia Review. Now UGA will tie together all of these efforts in order to shine a light on all of them. A Spotlight:

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The University of Georgia will spotlight the arts during a nine-day festival in November when members of the UGA Arts Council will host events and activities that include concerts, theater and dance performances, art exhibitions, poetry readings, author panels and book signings, lectures and discussions on the arts and creativity, and more.

UGA has played a foundational role in building the reputation of Athens as one of America's top destinations for the arts, providing the physical and intellectual infrastructure for study and performance that brings together students, faculty and the community.

"The arts are an integral part of the fabric of UGA, a powerful thread that helps us define ourselves and our community," said Jere Morehead, UGA senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. "As the place where so many artists, writers, actors and musicians first find their voice, UGA offers a richness of opportunity for members of the university community and audiences from throughout the area to participate in the arts."

Realizing the Good Life

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 19, 2012
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How far removed are we from connecting a successful life with the ability to enjoy it?

It can be a painful question, one that seems like an assault on capitalism. But you would think that capitalism could withstand a vigorous debate on its ultimate purpose. As this essay In Praise of Leisure points out, it's a subject the great economist John Maynard Keynes was willing to contemplate even in 1930.

Imagine a world in which most people worked only 15 hours a week. They would be paid as much as, or even more than, they now are, because the fruits of their labor would be distributed more evenly across society. Leisure would occupy far more of their waking hours than work. It was exactly this prospect that John Maynard Keynes conjured up in a little essay published in 1930 called "Economic Possibilities for Our Grandchildren." Its thesis was simple. As technological progress made possible an increase in the output of goods per hour worked, people would have to work less and less to satisfy their needs, until in the end they would have to work hardly at all. Then, Keynes wrote, "for the first time since his creation man will be faced with his real, his permanent problem—how to use his freedom from pressing economic cares, how to occupy the leisure, which science and compound interest will have won for him, to live wisely and agreeably and well." He thought this condition might be reached in about 100 years—that is, by 2030.

Given when it was written, it is not surprising that Keynes's futuristic essay was ignored. The world had much more urgent problems to attend to, including getting out of the Great Depression. And Keynes himself never explicitly reverted to his vision, though the dream of a workless future was always there in the background of his thinking. Indeed, it was as a theorist of short-term unemployment, not of long-run economic progress, that Keynes achieved world fame, with his great book, The General Theory of Employment, Interest, and Money. Nevertheless, there are good reasons for returning to the questions Keynes raised, then dropped.

Amazing student: Lauren Anderson

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 19, 2012
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A senior from Macon, Lauren Anderson is engaged with unique combination of opportunies at UGA to focus her studies at the confluence of U.S. foreign policy and the international politics of human rights.

Lauren Anderson:

Degree objective:

A.B. in international affairs, A.B. in human geography, minor in African studies and anthropology

 

UGA Research News

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 18, 2012
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The UGA Office of the Vice President for Research has released the Spring 2012issue of Research magazine with several articles detailing the work of Franklin faculty, including:

  • Harry and Jane Willson Professor in the Humanities Bill Kretzschmar, on his work in language variations and complex systems.
  • Associate professor of psychology Adam Goodie on the nature of pathological gambling.
  • Responding to climate change as a research priority at UGA, featuring the work of climatologists Marshall Shepherd and Tom Mote, among others. 

The whole issue is informative and well done, and may be viewed online here.

 

warming climate uneven, state by state

Posted by Alan Flurry on June 14, 2012
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The NY Times Green blog has an interesting post on global warming trends, as illustrated by a nice interactive map produced by Climate Central.

Alongside overall warming trends, the maps show how some states are lagging in warming trends compared to others. Tthe reporter quotes UGA professor and director of the Atmospheric Sciences program, Marshall Shepherd, president-elect of the American Metoerological Society, on the phenomena of 'warming holes' to explain these variations:

The particulate pollution in the air reflects sunlight back into space before it has a chance to warm the atmosphere.

Another theory is that Southeastern tree-planting efforts (afforestation) in the mid-1900s may have slowed warming there by absorbing carbon dioxide, Dr. Shepherd said. Whatever once kept those states cooler, though, has apparently quit working, and “the Southeast is now warming with the rest of the world,” he said.

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