Tags: Earth

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Noted and Quoted, September 2018

Hurricane Florence and its highest ever ranking led the headlines for the University of Georgia in September. A sample of faculty and alumni news and widely shared expertise: Project Greenland- Reuters multi-media series following some of the world’s top scientists tackling one of its toughest assignments: Understanding exactly how — and how fast — melting polar ice sheets will make global sea levels rise. Series features Distinguished…

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Doctoral candidate awarded Department of Energy fellowship

University of Georgia doctoral candidate Jordan Russell was awarded a fellowship by the U.S. Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Student Research (SCGSR) program. The program prepares graduate students for science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM) careers critically important to the Department of Energy Office of Science mission by providing graduate thesis research opportunities at DOE laboratories in areas…

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Shepherd featured in 'Let Science Speak' series

The new documentary series Let Science Speak premiered September 20 on Youtube and the Let Science Speak website. The new six-part series aimed at combatting the “escalating efforts to suppress environmental science and silence scientists,” as well as stressing the importance of the work scientists are doing, features our own J. Marshall Shepherd and was filmed partially on the UGA campus: It’s not just scientists who lose…

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Psychology, climate, public health, humanities

We're seeing, and UGA students are experiencing, great examples of the breadth of expertise in the liberal arts learning environment that is a major research university. With the unfortunately impending hurricane Florence, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor Marshall Shepherd is responding to media requests around the clock, from around the world. And in his own regular Forbes column, he expanded the discussion of storm-related…

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Clay science in the 'Critical Zone'

Columns features the publication of a new book written by a Franklin faclty member on one of the most ubiquitous substances found around the world, new and dear to Georgians but crucial to everything from earthenware to building construction and especially its geological role in the 'Critcal Zone': Written by UGA faculty member Paul Schroeder, Clays in the Critical Zone considers clay science in the context of the Critical Zone, the…

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Science into Action: Shepherd on engaging the public

The Pew Charitable Trusts ran a great background feature and Q&A this week with Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences Marshall Shepherd, where he explains his flood-related research and the importance of experts interacting with policymakers and the public: Q: The public isn’t always fully informed about flood risks. How can that change to help people make better decisions? A:…

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Noted and Quoted, Summer 2018

Franklin College faculty and alumni authored and were quoted in dozens of interesting news articles and stories throughout the summer, including some you may have missed: Shades of sharecropping cast shadow over Bluffton restaurant’s solution to staffing crisis  – Charleston Post and Courier quotes B. Phinizy Spalding Professor of Southern History Cindy Hahamovitch Not just seeing: More research sheds light on…

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Locklin leads bio-straw development

A research team with partners from the UGA New Materials Institute and the RWDC Environmental Stewardship Foundation will develop a fully biodegradable plastic straw thanks to a $719,000 award from Singapore’s Temasek Foundation Ecosperity. The team worked to synthesize a food contact polymer that they will now attempt to develop into a commercially viable straw Currently, there are few non-plastic straw alternatives available to…

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Kudos, August 2018

The summer break was glorious but Franklin College faculty, students and alumni never take time off from awards, honors, new books and fellowships. A sample from recent weeks: Professor of psychology and director of the Primate Behavior Laboratory Dorothy Fragaszy was presented with the Distinguished Primatologist Award by the American Society of Primatologists.  The award honors a primatologist who has had an…

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New Faculty Tour 2018: A statewide look at UGA

The 2018 UGA New Faculty Tour wraps up today, after a five-day journey around the state showcasing agriculture and agritourism, industry, the Georgia coast and its rural communities. The tour stopped in 15 cities and passed through 48 counties, introducing faculty who have been at UGA for two or fewer years to the geography, culture, history and economic engines of the Empire State of the South: The tour began with a welcome from UGA…

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Doctoral Student Endures and Strengthens

Ph.D. student Isabelle Holland Lulewicz, an archaeologist studying climate change and an endurance horseback rider, is featured in the most recent issue of the Graduate School magazine: She is also a scientist and anthropologist keeping to a much longer course: to earn her third UGA degree in the fall of 2019. She completed undergraduate degrees in anthropology and geology in 2015 and entered graduate studies. Lulewicz draws…

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The American South, Fibonacci and the origins of money

A title that would make an extraordinary single article [or film], but this triumvirate of stories in the media over the weekend featuring Franklin College faculty provides a handy illustration of the breadth of arts and science scholarship. Professor emeritus of history James Cobb in TIME magazine: During the 1950s and ‘60s, New York-based publications like TIME, Newsweekor Harper’s regularly devoted special issues or…

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The Ocean Plastic Pollution Problem

Plastic waste has been a growing focus of attention from UGA researchers for some time, and their work along several lines of inquiry is drawing important coverage to a serious problem. Marine sciences faculty have also been studying the problem near the Georgia coast and one of them was invited share some of that expertise at a congressional briefing this summer:  University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography…

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Experiential Learning: connecting coursework beyond the classroom

The thriving Experiential Learning initiative at UGA provides arts & sciences students and faculty members the opportunity to reach higher: While experiential learning has long been part of many of UGA’s pre-professional programs, there was initial concern about the feasibility of ensuring science and humanities majors had a diverse range of opportunities. In STEM disciplines, undergraduate research is the most coveted EL experience.…

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Georgia Climate Research Roadmap identifies Top 40 Climate Questions

From higher storm surge and more frequent flooding along the coast, to erratic weather patterns that affect the many industries connected to agriculture and forestry, the state of Georgia and its citizens face a growing array of challenges related to climate change. Now, a multi-disciplinary team of experts from across the state has developed the Georgia Climate Research Roadmap, a list of 40 key questions that can help Georgia’s policymakers…

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2nd Southeast Quantum Computing Workshop at UGA May 18

With development timetables already showing practical quantum computing machines arriving much sooner than expected, researchers from the region will gather at UGA for second consecutive year fotr discussion on new work and ideas at the Southeast Quantum Computing Workshop May 18: Quantum computers, which use quantum states of subatomic particles to store information, was initiated as a field in 1980, and though its development remains…

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How corn breaks genetics laws

In a new paper published in the journal Cell, genetics professor Kelly Dawe solves a long-sought mystery: Modern genetics is based on the idea that genes are passed on to progeny in a predictable fashion, as first described by 19th-century Austrian botanist Gregor Mendel. He determined that genes exist in pairs, and each one of the two has an equal chance of being transmitted to the next generation. However, in rare exceptions, chromosomes…

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Microbes and a changing environment

A striking new study published in the journal Cell shows details how ancient microbes that thrive in some of the world’s most extreme environments and modern-day humans have more in common than meets the eye—namely, they both respire and conserve energy using a similar molecular mechanism, one that has adapted to changing environmental conditions over billions of years: "Nature is really good at finding molecules that work and then modifying…

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Spring Commencement 2018

Today is The Day - all of the studying, books, classes, exams, friends, professors, meetings, study guides, notecards, letters home, study abroad experiences, internships, parttime jobs, scholarships, sporting events, weekends, pranks, performances, all-nighters, early coffees, late dinners, awards, honors, roommates, majors, DECISIONS, networking, buses, connections, papers, grades, interviews, accomplishments. It has all built up to this.…

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Kudos, April 2018

Awards season celebrates many of our best and the accolades continue for Franklin College faculty and students. Among the many honors, inductions and elections: Janet Westpheling, professor of genetics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is president-electof the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology. SIMB is a nonprofit, international association dedicated to the advancement of microbiological sciences,…

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Undergraduates present research at CURO Symposium

Presentations on the best of UGA undergraduate research are underway at the annual CURO Symposium, held this year on April 9-10 at the Classic Center in downtown Athens: Hosted by CURO, the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, this year’s symposium is the largest to date, with more than 575 participants. These undergraduates are pursuing 103 different majors from 14 UGA schools and colleges. Collectively, they are…

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World Anthropology Day, Feb 15

color tapestry based on CERN
Capturing Science contest winners

Congratulations to the student winners of the Inaugural Capturing Science contest sponsored by the University of Georgia Libraries and the Office of Research to communicate science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, concepts using any media or genre: In the graduate category, the first-place winner [microbiology PhD candidate] Megan Prescott received $500 for her submission “Designing Science-Fashion Content.” Katlin Shae […

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Focus on the faculty: Robin Shelton

The impact of my research is that it has moved forward our understanding of the galaxy in which we live. How does your research or scholarship inspire your teaching, and vice versa? Students greatly enjoy when I tell them about the newest astronomical discoveries. Some of that information is learned at scientific meetings that I attend as part of my research and scholarship duties. Probably, my scientific presentations have benefited from…

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Bio sciences lab team brings science to life for elementary school students

"Our community and our school have deep schisms in our population, having both students whose families live in poverty and those who live in affluence, so it is crucial that we provide extra enrichment and sparks to learning for them all," Mullins said. "UGA is a treasure trove for us and the community at large." Indeed, Ms. Mullins. And Barrow Elementary is itself one of our community jewels, educating Athens school kids adjacent to UGA in a…
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