Tags: Human Nature

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Shepherd wins SEC Faculty Achievement Award

J. Marshall Shepherd, the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has been named winner of the 2022 SEC Faculty Achievement Award for the University of Georgia, the SEC announced on Wednesday. A leading international weather-climate expert, Shepherd is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, National Academy of Engineering and American…

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Putcha wins Best Article Award from Meridians Journal

Rumya S. Putcha, assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Institute for Women's Studies and the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, has been awarded the 2022 Paula J. Giddings Best Article Award from Meridians Journal for, The Mythical Courtesan: Womanhood and Dance in Transnational India.”  The award honors an author whose work embodies the groundbreaking…

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A journey of helping people – Judge Candice Branche

Originally published in 2019, our profile of Newton County Juvenile Court Chief Juvenile Judge Candice Branche (A.B. psychology, ’90, M.A. counseling, ’92) celebrates a successful alumna and promotes the urge to lead in service among the many attributes that we connect to impactful careers and people. Judge Branche's journey began with psychology, which ushered her into an early professional career in mental health that informs her…

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What Are You Going To Do With That?

The National Humanities Alliance (NHA) released the first season of its inaugural podcast What Are You Going To Do With That? – exploring the decisions that lead someone to study the humanities as an undergraduate and their pathway to a fulfilling career – on March 14. The first season features seven episodes and is hosted by Scott Muir, project director for NHA’s Study the Humanities initiative, features a diverse group of people with…

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The Mural of the Story

For more than decade now, Lamar Dodd School of Art professor Joe Norman has taken art students into the world of public art commissions with the creation and restoration of murals and wall signs across the state. The service projects evolved into Color the World Bright and more than two dozen murals, signs, and historic advertisements be found in communities across Georgia. The team currently includes a dozen UGA…

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Cori Bargmann: Reshaping science to save lives

The story of UGA alumna Cori Bargmann, part of the Georgia Groundbreakers series that celebrates innovative and visionary faculty, students, alumni and leaders throughout the history of the University of Georgia – presents her profound, enduring impact on our state, our nation and the world. The story provides another important chapter of Women's history written across the history of the Franklin College and UGA: In the summer of 1979,…

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Does studying abroad delay graduation?

Studying abroad in college can be a glamorous, once-in-a-lifetime learning opportunity. But is it also a distraction that slows students from completing degrees and moving on with careers? According to a new study from the University System of Georgia, not at all. The study compiled semester-by-semester records from 221,981 students across 35 U.S. institutions. Of those students, more than 30,000 had studied abroad. The analysis found…

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Promoting student mental health and well-being

Following on the need for everyone to get moving (at least a little), UGA Student Affairs is stepping up to expand efforts to strengthen the university’s mental health and well-being offerings. President Jere Morehead acknowledged the challenges faced by today's college students and asked Vice President for Student Affairs Victor K. Wilson to lead UGA’s efforts to foster a more supportive culture, dedicating $1 million in private funds over…

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Unraveling the mysteries of the brain

Georgia Magazine builds out a nice roundup of Parkinson’s research at UGA with implications ranging from the journey beloved former coach Mark Richt to the legacy of the late U.S. senator Johnny Isakson. Fundamental to the research and the breakthroughs that will follow is the Brain and Behavioral Sciences Program in the department of psychology: As chair of the Behavioral and Brain Sciences Doctoral Program in the Psychology Department, […

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Get moving! (Even just a little)

New research from the University of Georgia shows that physical activity could help protect your cognitive abilities as you age. And it doesn’t have to be intense exercise to make an impact. “This finding isn’t saying, ‘If you’re older, you need to go out there and start running marathons,’” said Marissa Gogniat, lead author of the study and a recent doctoral graduate in psychology from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “This is…

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Two to tango: Franklin colleagues team up for Dancing with the Stars

Two Franklin College employees are competing in Dancing with the Athens Stars to benefit one of Athens' most venerable social service organizations. Fuad Elhage, a Lecturer of Spanish and French Languages, and Stephanie Lynn, a Senior IT Manager on the Franklin College Web Services team, will compete as Team 10 in the benefit for Project Safe. Tickets are on sale for the 2022 event, which will be held March 19, 2022 at 7:30 pm in the…

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UGA celebrates Women’s History Month

In recognition of the 2022 national Women’s History Month theme “Women Providing Healing, Promoting Hope,” the Institute for Women’s Studies will be hosting numerous virtual programs in March. This year’s virtual keynote address will be presented by Stephanie Y. Evans, professor of Black women’s studies; former director of the Institute for Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and affiliate faculty in the Department of Africana Studies…

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Kudos, February 2022

Students lead our roundup of Franklin College awards, accolades, and achievements announced during February – though not to be outdone by our outstanding alumni!  Congratulations all: Shannon Rodriguez, Ph.D candidate in linguistics, studies a dialect of English spoken by Latinos born in Georgia, a particular blend of Southern drawl. She recently presented her dissertation on the topic “Latino English in Georgia: a sociophonetic…

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Noted and Quoted, February 2022

A month with heavy traffic in current events means Franklin faculty were broadly visible in media around the world. Expert insights plus new research findings lead our news highlight for February – a sample: With $900K Falcons grant, Georgia Organics revamps food insecurity fight – associate professor of geography Jerry Shannon quoted by the AJC Quantum computing 2.0: How a UGA physicist builds on a century of knowledge to…

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LSAMP strengthens opportunities for students, faculty

In partnership with Georgia Research Alliance, more students across the state are able to pursue scientific research through the Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation. An integral part of our recent story of how Black science majors succeed at UGA, resources that help students and faculty propel the university forward. Support networks for current students help the attract the next class of great students and create new…

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Learning in the lab can continue at a distance

As most of the world came to a halt at the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, researchers were trying to find a way to engage students through research at a distance. University of Georgia professor of biochemistry and molecular biology Erin Dolan and her research team carried out a study to appraise the remote programs that grew from this challenge. The study evaluated 23 programs at colleges, universities, and research institutions…

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Sorority alumnae establish endowed scholarship

Gifts from over 100 Alpha Kappa Alpha alumnae created a $100,000 scholarship fund More than 100 alumnae of the University of Georgia’s Eta Xi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc. gave a total of over $50,000 to establish the 1973 Eta Xi Alumni Association Inc. Georgia Commitment Scholarship, which will provide need-based aid to UGA students in perpetuity: Near the beginning of 2021, Eta Xi alumnae set out to raise $50,000 by the end…

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Claire Bunn named Gates Cambridge Scholar

University of Georgia senior Claire Bunn of Marion, Arkansas, will continue her studies in lung biology this fall as one of 23 Americans selected for the 2022 class of Gates Cambridge Scholars. The scholarship fully funds postgraduate study and research in any subject at the University of Cambridge in England. Bunn is UGA’s ninth Gates Cambridge Scholar in the program’s 21-year history. The scholarship, which recognizes intellectually…

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Palmer earns prestigious NEH Fellowship

Jennifer Palmer, associate professor of history, has been awarded a fellowship from the National Endowment for the Humanities for 2022. The award was announced in January and will provide course release for a full academic year. Seventy-three fellowships were awarded by the NEH this year, among 208 grants worth $24.7 million for humanities scholarship and programming across the country: Palmer will use the fellowship for…

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Studying the impact of language on identity

Shannon Rodriguez studies a dialect of English spoken by Latinos born in Georgia, a particular blend of Southern drawl, clipped Latino vowels and a more general mainstream American accent. Speakers pull features from each to emphasize different parts of their identity. In January, she presented her dissertation on the topic “Latino English in Georgia:  a sociophonetic analysis of ethnicity and identity” to the board of regents. The…

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How Black science majors succeed

University of Georgia life science and education researchers investigated the stories behind one of the most successful groups of science majors on campus: Black undergraduate students. Despite an array of additional challenges beyond their coursework, Black science majors are able to complete their science degree programs. Black students persist at a higher rate than any other racial or ethnic subgroup on campus for many of the science majors…

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Kudos, January 2022

Wonderful awards and accolades across the Franklin College to begin 2022, though there can only be one headline to our January kudos: 41 years! Georgia Bulldogs win rematch vs. Alabama Crimson Tide for first college national championship since 1980 season – ESPN, Sports Illustrated, CNN, ABC News, U.S. News & World Report, UGA Today, GeorgiaDogs.com, ABH, Atlanta Business Chronicle Marshall…

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Noted and Quoted, January 2022

A variety of articles and columns, quoting or authored by Franklin Faculty members at the turn of the new year. A recent sample of insights and expertise: Photos, other mementos discovered hundreds of miles away after tornadoes – John Knox, professor of geography, quoted by KMOX in St. Louis, via Audacy Gerald Ford vowed to whip inflation; it whipped him instead – column written by Stephen Mihm, associate professor of history,…

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Xu elected a 2022 IEEE Fellow

Ying Xu, professor of biochemistry in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, was elected a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers. The IEEE publishes approximately one-third of the world’s literature in computer science and the electrical and electronic engineering fields. It also co-sponsors more than 1,900 international conferences annually. As the largest professional organization for the advancement of technology…

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Parents Leadership Council fall 2021 undergraduate writing retreat

On Nov. 14, undergraduate students from across campus gathered in the Miller Learning Center’s Reading Room for an afternoon devoted to writing—and write they did. Supported by a Parents Leadership Council grant and hosted by UGA English faculty and writing program administrators Lindsey Harding, Sara Steger, Becky Hallman Martini and Elizabeth Davis, 49 students from across campus registered for this year’s Undergraduate Writing Retreat.…
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