Tags: Earth

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Noted and Quoted, March 2023

Franklin College faculty expertise, opinion, and research were published across a variety of global media during March. A few examples of the news fit for print and pixels:   So what are UAPs? And can we trust the government to tell us if it knows? Stephen Mihm, professor and head of the department of history writing in his column at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  Protective parenting may help your kids avoid health problems as…

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Bacterial genetic fitness help regulate ocean carbon

The world’s oceans are dominated by microscopic organisms that power the Earth’s biogeochemical processes. These microbial ecosystems sustain life in the oceans by forming the basis of the ocean food web and balance the composition of our atmosphere – though scientists are just beginning to understand and study these ecosystems. A new research study led by the University of Georgia examines reproductive fitness of bacteria critical to the world-…

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Bensasson uses yeast to unlock life’s greatest mysteries

What comes to mind when you think of yeast? To a baker, it might mean the ability to make their dough rise. A brewmaster might associate it with the fermentation of beer and wine. Many others may associate these types of fungus with one dreaded infection or another. Yeast serves many functions. For the University of Georgia’s Douda Bensasson, it’s all of these—and more. An associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts & Science’s…

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Model mycology: UGA scientists fight fungi for the rest of us

It starts out with a cough and slightly slurred speech. Then come the muscle spasms and dramatic mood shifts. In HBO’s hit show “The Last of Us,” these are the beginning signs that a human has contracted a fungal infection that turns people into zombies and rips through the fabric of modern society. The premise may sound improbable, but it is based on a very real fungus that really does infect brains and bodies, turning its victims into mindless…

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What a preprint is – and why that matters

New research from the University of Georgia suggests most people don’t understand the difference between a preprint and a published academic journal article. Preprints are research papers that haven’t undergone peer review, the process by which studies’ findings are validated by experts who weren’t involved with the research themselves. The study found the majority of readers have little to no understanding of what a preprint…

map of Antarctica
Expedition to East Antarctica

In Spring 2023, UGA biologist Holly Bik is leading one of five teams of scientists on a research cruise to one of the most remote and understudied places on Earth. From March 6, the group departed from New Zealand and cruise west along the Antarctic continental shelf to South Africa. In all, more than thirty scientists and graduate students will be part of the two-month expedition aboard the Research Vessel – Ice Breaker, The Nathaniel…

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Chung studies how microbes shape ecosystems

University of Georgia plant biologist and ecologist, Anny Chung studies the smaller things in life to understand how microscopic organisms can influence entire ecosystems. As an assistant professor jointly appointed in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Plant Pathology and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Plant Biology, Chung studies how plant-microbe interactions…

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Landau, Terns named Regents’ Professors

Three University of Georgia faculty members have been named Regents’ Professors in recognition of the national and international reach of their innovative and pace-setting scholarship. Regents’ professorships are bestowed by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and are the highest professorial recognition in the state’s system of public colleges and universities. The university’s 2022–2023 Regents’ Professors are Jenna…

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Noted and Quoted, February 2023

A climate change summit with Vice President Kamala Harris, the impossible quest of fake meat, and using machine learning to find new exoplanets are just a few of the many stories where our faculty colleagues lead, explain, and advise in media around the world. A sample of distinguished research and time comment from February:   In Atlanta, VP Harris focuses on climate, finding solutions – event co-moderated by Georgia Athletic Association…

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New book provides scholarship on mountainscapes

Fausto Sarmiento, professor of geography in the Franklin College and director of the Neotropical Montology Collaboratory, continues his excellent work on the broad subject of Montology with the publication of a new book. With the ecological acceleration and the indigenous revival trend of the present, the need for critical views of the reality of mountain systems has become evident in academic circles, such as the Commission of Mountain Studies…

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Three professors elected into National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors has selected three University of Georgia faculty as 2023 NAI Senior Members. NAI Senior Members are faculty, scientists and administrators selected for their proven ability to invent and innovate. The UGA representatives of the 2023 class are Christine Szymanski, Hitesh Handa and Leidong Mao. With their selections, UGA now has 11 Senior Members overall: Szymanski is a professor, associate head of…

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Shepherd joins VP Harris for climate discussion

Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography, moderated a discussion with Vice President Kamala Harris about climate change at Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Atlanta: Fresh off the president’s State of the Union speech and with a likely re-election bid on the horizon, Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Atlanta on Wednesday to deliver a message on climate change…

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Researchers focus AI on finding exoplanets

New research from the University of Georgia reveals that artificial intelligence can be used to find planets outside of our solar system. The recent study demonstrated that machine learning can be used to find exoplanets, information that could reshape how scientists detect and identify new planets very far from Earth. “One of the novel things about this is analyzing environments where planets are still forming,” said Jason Terry, doctoral…

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Simons, Ma, Hermanowicz elected as AAAS Fellows

Five University of Georgia faculty – three from the Franklin College – have been named new Fellows for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, bringing the university’s total representation on this prestigious list to 42. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council for extraordinary achievements leading to the advancement of science. This year, UGA’s new Fellows, representing four disciplines, are Joseph Hermanowicz, Ping…

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New vaccine targets life-threatening fungal infections

A new study from University of Georgia researchers describes a vaccine that could be the first clinically approved immunization to protect against invasive fungal infections, a growing concern as antifungal drug resistance increases:   The experimental vaccine is designed to protect against the three most common fungal pathogens that are responsible for more than 80% of fatal fungal infections. The study tested the vaccine’s efficacy…

graphic image with inverted monks, top and bottom, butterfly
Noted and Quoted, January 2023

Starting the new year strong with media across the globe featuring Franklin College faculty expertise, research and new books. From resolutions to bot-generated text to tornados, our faculty colleagues have it covered. A sample from over the recent month:   What monks can teach us about paying attention – new book by professor of history and associate dean Jamie Kreiner reviewed and featured widely in The New Yorker, New York…

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Q&A with Doug Menke: Of lizard genetics & human biology

Three years ago, Doug Menke led a team that became the first in the world to create a gene-edited lizard. A professor of genetics in the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences and director of UGA’s Developmental Biology Alliance, Menke was recognized last spring with a UGA Creative Research Medal for the accomplishment. In this interview, Menke discusses his award-winning work, how he fell into the work of genetics and what…

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Fall Commencement 2022

The University of Georgia will welcome its newest alumni on Dec. 16 as 1,681 undergraduates and 1,521 graduate students—a total of 3,202— met requirements to participate in the university’s fall Commencement ceremonies on a crisp December day. Congratulations and welcome to the many family and friends on campus today! Well done, each and every one!  

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New weather radar to improve forecasting in North Georgia

A weather radar system purchased by the University of Georgia and the Georgia Institute of Technology could lead to improved weather forecasting in North Georgia – and provide both expanded educational opportunities for students and enhanced research capabilities for the two institutions. “The acquisition of this radar is a game-changer for our state,” said Marshall Shepherd, director of UGA’s Atmospheric Sciences Program. “Not only does it…

photo of sunrise over frozen sea, with bow of ship
2022 Arctic Report Card

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) presented the 2022 Arctic Report Card, highlighting that the warming Arctic reveals shifting seasons, widespread disturbances, and the value of diverse observations. Issued annually since 2006, the Arctic Report Card is a timely and peer-reviewed source for clear, reliable and concise environmental information on the current state of different components of the Arctic environmental…

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Noted and Quoted, November 2022

From doing the math on Fibonacci numbers to a later and later hurricane season and layoffs in the tech industry, Franklin faculty offered expertise and had their research featured in a variety of media across the globe. A sample from November's stories:   Commentary: It’s not just the economy, stupid – Stephen Mihm, associate professor and head of the department of history, writing in The Washington Post Midterm elections are Nov…

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Kudos, November 2022

Congratulations to students, staff, and faculty in our community for their many extraordinary and distinguishing feats of intellect, athleticism, and artistry. A sampling from November: On Friday, Oct. 28, three University of Georgia students clinched a victory in the Capital One College Bowl, a multi-week trivia competition hosted by Peyton Manning and Cooper Manning. Broadcast nationally on NBC, seniors Aidan Leahy (Double Dawg student from…

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Community threads

A story that combines campus, alumni, sustainability, the Georgia Bulldogs, and local partnerships weaves the fabric held together by Community threads: It might be difficult to see on television or while attending a game in Sanford Stadium, but if you were to examine the University of Georgia’s football jerseys closely, you would see tokens from past games in the form of darned tears or re-stitched seams. These repairs tell the story of…

photo of students in garden with medicinal plants
UGA’s Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden

An incredible resource of knowledge about flora from around the world – some very familiar, others less so – positioned in a corner of North Campus is a wealth of tastes, cures, and indigenous wisdom. Students in many FYO courses, as well as staff from around Franklin College, have enjoyed and learned from tours of Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden courtesy of its director Paul Duncan.  Research Communications presents an intro complete…

book cover with text and color photo of ruins
New book focuses on global land governance

Should Africa’s land be owned? Westerners have a crucial blind spot when it comes to engaging with other landholding systems. Private, exclusive title backed by statutory law is sacrosanct in the West, and has been sold to the rest of the world on our behalf through international development agencies such as USAID and the World Bank.  Many benefits are said to flow from this outside intervention in African land relations, from greater…
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