Tags: Human Nature

people with bounce house outside
Heat dangers of bounce houses

A nearly ubiquitous sight on the suburban landscape, inflatable bounce houses mark the fun and frivolity at children’s parties and other events practically year round. But a new study from Andrew Grundstein and Marshall Shepherd in geography examines the heat safety issues that can put children in danger amid all the innocent play: Expanding on the concept of microclimates like those in parked vehicles that cause serious injuries to children,…

salt marsh day
Satellite data show Georgia salt marsh health decline

Scientists at UGA's Marine Institute at Sapelo Island have found that the amount of vegetation along the Georgia coast has declined significantly in the last 30 years, spurring concerns about the overall health of marshland ecosystems in the area: Using data collected by NASA's Landsat TM 5 satellite, which provided 28 years of nearly continuous images of the Earth's surface between 1984 and 2011, the researchers found that the amount of marsh…

two people in a field
Archeologists find 16th-century fort San Marcos

A team of archaeologists led by University of South Carolina's Chester DePratter and UGA's Victor Thompson has located the remains of a Spanish fort erected in 1577 in the Spanish town of Santa Elena, on present-day Parris Island, S.C. For decades, attempts to find it have failed, and Fort San Marcos stayed hidden until new technology brought it to light: San Marcos is one of five Spanish forts built sequentially at Santa Elena over its 21-…

woman in lab with slides
Expanding Graduate Opportunities

Speaking of the research enterprise, how does the university continue to expand it while developing the leaders individual disciplines need and that UGA wants to be known for? By increasing graduate enrollment: The University of Georgia is rolling out an initiative to increase the enrollment of graduate students by offering new funding opportunities, innovative interdisciplinary programs and a wider array of professional development…

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Willson Center Faculty Fellows 2016-17

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences faculty from an interdisciplinary cross section of research disciplines in the arts and humanities were selected as Willson Center Fellows for 2016-2017: The Willson Center [Willson Fellows 2016-17]  has awarded its 2016-2017 Research Fellowships to twelve members of the UGA faculty in the humanities and arts. These fellowships are awarded in partnership with the Franklin College of Arts…

students ringing bell
Advising UGA Students

The Office of Student Academic Services in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences provides the guidance that helps UGA students build a foundation for success on campus and in their careers. Each week this summer, hundreds of incoming freshmen and transfer students are getting a glimpse of university life that goes beyond Ramsey Center and the residence halls as the classroom and prospective majors take center stage. With so many decisions to…

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The UGA research enterprise

With UGA climbing the list of worldwide universities recognized for the number of utlity patents granted in 2015, the University of Georgia Research Foundation is impacting the state and the nation as perhaps never before. UGARF performs important functions in support of the research enterprise at UGA, as the named party to sponsored research agreements for projects at UGA. Through Innovation Gateway, UGARF protects,…

algal bloom on a pond
Citizen science smartphone app: Cyanotracker

In order to download the CyanoTRACKER app on Android devices, you should first locate the 'Google Play Store' launcher on your device. If you cannot locate the icon on your home screen you may need to click the "Apps" icon and search through the list there. From the Google Play Store you may search for "cyanotracker" (without quotes) to bring up the app information and installation page.  Click install.  You may be prompted regarding…

photo of nuts, grains and barley
New role for B-complex vitamins

A primary U.S. grain supplement has a dual role, according to a new study published by UGA and Tufts University researchers: Folates, whether supplemental B vitamins or natural folates found in food, are essential for the proper functioning of all cells in the body and are critical to prevent birth defects. The study, published July 11 in Developmental Cell, shows for the first time that an adult stem cell population is controlled by an external…

gene graphic
The CRISPR Revolution

The hottest new area of scientific investigation, moving forward thanks to the work of UGA faculty and graduate students, is featured in the current issue of UGA Research magazine: a recently developed gene-editing tool commonly known by the acronym CRISPR, which makes it possible to snip out and replace segments of DNA inside the cells of living organisms with extraordinary precision. The technology is only about three years old, but it’s both…

man and woman smiling
Talking it through

Among the many aspects of communication between couples - from sharing aspirations, hopes and dreams to paying the bills and planning visits to the in-laws - the nature of how we talk to each other rises to particular importance. And while discussions of all kinds shape the interactions with our significant others, factors determining our relative happiness and quite often, the very sustainability of the relationship, can go beyond the success…

woman in lab with instruments
Ingram to become first black female to earn a Ph.D. in physics at UGA

Amazing student Whitney Ingram continues to rise to new heights of greatness. The Double Dawg from Stone Mountain will soon become the first African American woman to earn her Ph.D in physics at UGA: “My love of science at a young age came from arts and crafts books, where you could build small projects,” Ingram told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. That passion stayed with her through college, where she eventually earned her bachelor’s degree…

man next to computer screen
Searching for clues in neural tube defects

Geneticist Jian-Fu Chen's project to understand why neural tube defects, the second most common birth defect in humans, occur recently gained new support from the National Institutes of Health: The neural tube becomes the brain and spinal cord in a developing embryo. The defect occurs when a neural plate folds into a tube during an embryo's development, explained Chen, who works in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences' genetics…


Via Podcast: Communication Studies Professor Celeste Condit

Her research provides some perspective on how media and our use of words affects our ability to understand one another, the world around us and even ourselves. As we continue on through this election season, how we use our words and how we understand each other seems more important than ever. Recently featured in a Wabash College podcast, she also had the honor of giving the Brigance Forum Lecture on campus there this Spring. Her lecture there…


Satellite Precipitation Data, the Energy-Water-Food Nexus and the Urbanized Globe

Water, food and energy are inextricably linked. All three sectors impact one or both of the others. Improving water, energy and food security on a global level can be achieved through a nexus approach that integrates management of these resources across geographies and sectors. Having the data to do this, however, is a challenge.   Dr. Marshall Shepherd, director of UGA's atmospheric sciences program and the Georgia Athletic Association…

student computer illustration
Laptops in the classroom

A Washington Post article notes a West Point study that using laptops during class harms smart students even worse than others. But how does computing in class affect learning, the classroom dynamic, the professor's engagement? Anyone can get distracted by distracted people: Now there is an answer, thanks to a big, new experiment from economists at West Point, who randomly banned computers from some sections of a popular economics…

flowering plant close-up
How plants respond to climate change

Jill Anderson, an assistant professor of genetics, has received a $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation Early Career Development Program to study the effects of climate change on plants. Among the NSF's most prestigious, CAREER awards support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar and the integration of education and research: Anderson's project tests whether plants will be able to survive on a warming…

micro-organisms on black
Understanding the microbiomes

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy hosted a May 13 event on microbiomes—communities of microorganisms that live on and in people, plants, soil, oceans and the atmosphere—featuring presentations from four scientists including UGA's Samantha Joye: Microbiomes maintain the healthy function of ecosystems, influencing diverse features of the planet from human health to climate change and food security. During the event, the…

b/w prints framed on a wall
Noted and Quoted, April 2016

April was a big month for Franklin faculty, students and alumni in the media - though, in truth, we might say that most months. A sample of the covergae of meaningful research, opinions and engagement over the previous few weeks: Surprising, vibrant reef discovered in the Muddy Amazon – National Geographic, Live Science, Atlas Obscura, International Business Times, Latin Post, Inquisitr, Irish Times articles quote marine sciences professor…

man, headshot with sky
The Physics of Financial Markets

Answering these questions from a physicist's viewpoint, Chhabra leads to a new framework for investing that extends Modern Portfolio Theory to incorporate large deviations such as bubbles and crashes. The colloquium will not assume prior knowledge of the subject matter and is instead aimed at an audience with a variety of backgrounds. We welcome Mr. Chhabra back to UGA and the department of physics and astronomy. The technical details of…

woman in lab with beaker
Hollander presents research at Posters on the Hill

CRISPR-associated proteins are some of the most promising new tools providing a way to make gene deletions, corrections of mutations and additions of new genes in any genome. Outstanding undergraduate researcher Erin Hollander, a junior Honors student majoring in biochemistry and genetics, was one of 60 presenters selected out of hundreds of applicants from institutions across the country to present her research at the nation's capital…

girl on bike, man with sign
Sustainability, NSF Grad Fellowships and a Postcard

Seventeen UGA students and alumni were among the 2,000 fellows selected from nearly 17,000 applicants nationwide for the 2016 competition. And Interim Associate Provost Noel Fallows shares with us this postcard from University of Liverpool professor Alan McCarthy, who recently spent three days at UGA courtesy of the department of genetics and the department of marine sciences: “The focus of my research is the development and application of…

students with thank you signs
Thank a Donor Day

The Fifth Annual Thank a Donor Day is taking place today in Tate Plaza until 1 p.m. Come join our students, including many Franklin Ambassadors, in expressing their gratitude to UGA donors with photos, cards and giveaway prizes. We appreciate the supprt of our donors as well as the efforts of the stewardship staff that connects UGA alumni and friends with opportunities to impact campus and help enhance the UGA experience for all students.…

four men in a lab
Advanced Functional Fabrics partnership moves forward

The AFFOA partnership builds on recent breakthroughs in fiber materials and manufacturing processes that will soon allow scientists to design and manufacture fabrics that see, hear, sense, communicate, store and convert energy, regulate temperature, monitor health and change color. ... UGA researchers who will play critical roles in AFFOA include Sergiy Minko, the Georgia Power Professor of Polymers, Fibers and Textiles in the College of Family…

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Fulbright Scholars explore the world

UGA faculty participating in the 2015-16 and 2016-17 Core Fulbright Scholar and Fulbright Specialist programs evaluated the impact of rural nursing in Ecuador, brought research on telenovelas to universities in Chile, and will examine the coast and teach about invasive species in Chile. The incoming class of scholars includes Robin Shelton, professor in the department of physics and astronomy, who will travel to Berlin in spring 2017 to…
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