Tags: Human Nature

four people outside
Kudos, October 2016

Congratulations to these outstanding faculty, students and alumni on their recent accomplishments: Congratulations to former PhD Student, Marcus Williams of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service, who had the 2nd of his PhD dissertation manuscripts at UGA accepted for publication in the scholarly journal, Photogrammetric Engineering & Remote Sensing Journal. The paper, “Mapping the Spatio-temporal Evolution of…

climate statistics
Noted and Quoted, October 2016

New research, stormy weather and narcissism were some of the headlines featuring Franklin faculty during October, among many others. A sampling of the many media stories: Could You Spell that for Me, Please? Psychology professor W. Keith Campbell quoted in a San Diego State University News story on unique American bay names Can familiarity build trust? A white cop moves into black Atlanta neighborhood. Geography professor Steven Holloway quoted…

colored dots representing data
$1.3m NIH grant to develop statistical tools for disease research

Ping Ma, professor in the department of statistics, has been awarded $1.3 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health to develop statistical tools to further clarify the causes of many diseases-including cancer, heart disease and aging-related illnesses. Over four years, Ma and his team of researchers will look at something known as small RNAs, hoping to unravel their regulatory role on abnormal variations in genetic transcription…

man with plants
Focus on the Faculty: Jim Leebens-Mack

Professor of plant biology and Creative Research Medal winner Jim Leebens-Mack investigates the history of plant life on our planet while being an active member of the local community. His laboratory compares genome sequences to better understand the genetic basis of biological innovations that are of great practical importance for horticulture and agriculture: What are your favorite courses and why? I regularly co-teach three courses…

molecule diagram on red
Researchers publish new paradigm for attacking pathogens

Aggressive pathogens that infect humans can thrive in an oxygen-free environment via an ability to acquire the essential nutrient iron from heme (the cofactor that makes blood and muscle appear red). Newly published research from the department of biochemistry and molecular biology reveals how a key enzyme at the center of this survival mechanism functions, a breakthrough that will help provide an opportunity for a new class of antimicrobial…

two men in a lab with white coats
Bacterium research presents a pathway to potential new treatment

A common bacterium that more than half of people have in their gut can use hydrogen gas present in the gastrointestinal tract to inject a cancer-causing toxin into otherwise healthy cells, according to a recently published study led by Franklin College researchers: The bacterium's reliance on hydrogen presents a pathway to potential new treatment and preventive measures in fighting gastric cancers, which kill more than 700,000 people per year,…

two men in a lab
All in the family: Father-son NSF grant

The Quinns' working theory: If bio-imaging software can efficiently represent cells and their inner structures as "social networks," then biologists can gain further insight into infectious disease behavior and give public health professionals a better chance at combatting those diseases. The Quinns are a fantastic UGA family through and through, including daughters Sarah and Colleen and Mrs. Quinn, Joanne. Congratulations on this great new…

building, cupola, with blue sky
Klein receives Festschrift commemorating scholarly career

Professor of linguistics, Classics, and Germanic and Slavic languages Jared Klein has been honored with the publication of a festschrift celebrating his career and contributions to the discipline of Indo-European linguistics. The book-length volume of original, scholarly articles, Tavet Tat Satyam, was published by Beech Stave Press on the occasion of Klein’s seventieth birthday. The presentation of a festschrift is a European tradition honoring…

woman outdoors in front of building
Faculty profile: Cecilia Rodrigues

"I've always loved teaching and language, so the university was a natural path for me," Rodrigues said. "I feel a perfect connection with students that is so much more than just being in the classroom and doing research." As campus communicators, we get to spend time with the most impressive people you'd ever hope to meet. Dr. Rodrigues fits this bill and more, and her passion for the humanities makes her one of the crucial expert voices on the…

two men on Jeopardy!
Kudos, September 2016

Jeopardy! a Guggenheim Fellowship, new associate provost for international education and a festschrift... quite a month for Franklin College students, faculty and alumni: PhD theatre student Seth Noel Wilson is on Jeopardy! this week – Wilson won on Tuesday night and will return. What is fantastic news for a graduate student? The University of Georgia moved up three spots to No. 18 in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of Best…

ancient hand-drawn map in color
Noted and Quoted, September 2016

Research and expertise of Franklin faculty members mentioned widely in the media in September (plus a few notable examples from August): University researchers discover remains of 16th century Spanish fort associate professor of anthropology Victor Thompson mentioned in multiple outlets – R&B, Beaufort Gazette, The Atlantic, Kokomo Tribune, ABH, Ancient Origins HyperSolar names chemistry professor John Stickney as scientific advisor –…

woman i n lab with glasses
'Good as gold' at the nanoscale

"Medieval alchemists tried to create gold from other metals," she said. "That's kind of what we did with our research. It's not real alchemy, in the medieval sense, but it is a sort of 21st century version." Gold has long been a valuable resource for industry, medicine, dentistry, computers, electronics and aerospace, among others, due to unique physical and chemical properties that make it inert and resistant to oxidation. But because of its…

young woman with mountain
Remembering Ashley Block

Anthropology graduate student Ashley Block, the victim of a tragic accident earlier this week, was a conservationist, athlete and one of our best: Thursday morning, more than 200 people filled the church’s Common Room at Emmanuel, where Block became a treasured member of the church community as soon as she arrived in Athens as a University of Georgia graduate student two years ago. She was a Eucharistic minister for the church, licensed by…

man in the street with hat
'Humans of New York' creator on campus today

Taken together, these portraits and captions became the subject of a vibrant blog. HONY now has over twenty million followers on social media, and provides a worldwide audience with daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City.   With a degree in history, Stanton moved to Chicago and worked in finance until he decided on a new direction. HNY is truly sui generis in the realm of social media and has had…

words on a chalkboard
The power of mnemonics

While it may not ring with the poetry of 'memory,' mnemonics represent the patterns and associations that allow us to remember - and learn - and will be the topic of what sounds like a fascinating presentation this afternoon, sponsored by the department of psychology and CTL: Henry L. Roediger III, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Washington University, will provide a quick history of interest in mnemonics and then…

animated portrait book cover
Neupert book explores Pixar revolution

Animation in modern storytelling is the focus of a new book by Wheatley Professor of the Arts in the Department of Theatre and Film Studies Richard Neupert on Pixar's "Chief Creative Officer," John Lasseter: Lasseter films from Luxo Jr. to Toy Story and Cars 2 highlighted his gift for creating emotionally engaging characters. At the same time, they helped launch computer animation as a viable commercial…

woman and man, drawn in color
How do we say it? The variations in sounding Southern

Automated phonetic analysis and a significant grant from the National Science Founation will allow UGA linguistics researchers to delve deeper into what makes Southerners sound Southern: The researchers will use computer software to analyze 64 interviews with speakers from Florida, Georgia, Tennessee, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Arkansas and Texas recorded from 1968 to 1983. "We hope to document the wide range of pronunciations in the South…

still photo of man talking
Linguistics: how language works

The Linguistic Atlas Project is the oldest and largest ongoing American English survey project in the U.S. Under the leadership of its editor-in-chief William Kretzschmar, Harry and Jane Willson Professor in the Humanities, UGA has become a national center for dialect research, and the materials of the LAP are the best source for the history of mid-century American English. In writing about an upcoming grant awarded to Kretzschmar and colleagues…

woman applying blood pressure sleeve
Global research collaboration grants

... The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences' Benjamin Ehlers, an associate professor of history, and doctoral candidate David Thomson are collaborating with Stephen Kenny and Nicholas Fuqua at the University of Liverpool, England, to ­create a database and web portal for researchers and students to access data on pre-Civil War, trans-Atlantic shipping voyages. Researchers are developing the website that houses the data. They will recruit…

digital numerical graphic, blue on black
Informatics Hiring Initiative

The big news about Big Data on campus includes the announcement of eight new faculty members in the rapidly growing field of informatics that we welcome to UGA this year: The new hires, who will work in seven departments and five of the university's schools and colleges, build upon the university's longstanding leadership in informatics. UGA has more than 160 faculty members whose work involves the analysis of massive data sets, and plans are…

women interior portrait
Life and meaning: Carolyn Medine

Terrific Focus on the Faculty profile of Dr. Carolyn Medine, joint-appointed professor in the department of religion and the Institute for African American Studies: I have always loved the arts and been obsessed with the “BQs” — the big questions, as one of my teachers at UNC called them — the eternal questions about life and meaning. My area is arts, literature and religion, and I get to work on cultural production of all kinds. I think that…

historical photo of black nuns
History: The Oblate Sisters of Providence

UGA history professor Diane Batts Morrow has spent much of her career studying the Oblate Sisters of Providence, the first congregation of black Catholic sisters in the United States. A recent Q & A with Dr. Morrow tells part of the fascinating story: When I was growing up in Philadelphia, I had never seen a black nun. And I was a cradle Catholic. I went to integrated parochial schools, where there were white nuns teaching and the…

weather monitor with super G
Climate data in the classroom

New technology installed at two UGA locations will provide real-time weather data and early warnings for severe weather. Donated by WeatherStem CEO Edward Mansouri,the stations were installed in the State Botanical Garden and on the main campus in early August. The station links to the web and provides tools such as text alerts for changing weather conditions and forecasts. Users can also replay time-lapse videos from attached webcams. Marshall…

woman in front of Park Hall
Amazing Student Madison Jones

As we welcome the next amazing class of UGA students, highlighting achievements in rigorous academics and service to the campus community like those of Madison Jones gives us an idea of what it's all about at UGA: My favorite things to do on campus are... I love meeting friends for a quick bite at Bolton between classes since cooking is hard and the commuter meal plan is a gift to mankind. My favorite activities on campus probably happen…

students in the shape of the super G
UGA welcomes incoming Ramsey Scholars, Foundation Fellows

Congratulations to the incoming freshman class of Ramsey Scholars and Foundation Fellows. Administered by the UGA Honors Program, The Foundation Fellowship is UGA's premier academic scholarship; the recipients were selected from among 1,100 applicants. The Foundation Fellowship was created in 1972 by trustees of the UGA Foundation to enrich the educational experience of outstanding undergraduates. The incoming class has an average SAT score…
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