Tags: Human Nature

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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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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,…

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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…

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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-…

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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…

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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,…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…

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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…
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