Tags: Human Nature

Ocoee scenic byway photo
Buffer Zones Needed

Interesting findings from Warnell School researchers that could have much broader implications (than just the sites mentioned) - natural wilderness areas need the protection of buffer zones: Coveted for their beauty, these wilderness areas draw innumerable outdoor enthusiasts eager for a taste of primitive nature. But University of Georgia researchers say these federally protected nature areas have a problem: Their boundaries have become prime…

UGA North campus with trees
A Welcoming Environment

The speed with which the Confederate flag has fallen below the line of acceptability in a single week is inspiring. That symbol is not just being talked about - it is being taken down. As a part of this swirl of events in motion, predicated on the murderous rampage in Charleston one week ago, how will the conversation to make our campuses more inviting, welcoming and diverse - especially here in the South - continue to progress? Other…

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Pew Scholar in biomedical sciences

Congratulations to Bob Schmitz, assistant professor of genetics, who was recently named a Pew scholar in the biomedical sciences by the Pew Charitable Trusts. Schmitz, an assistant professor of genetics in UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, joins the ranks of more than 600 outstanding scientists who have been selected as Pew scholars in the 30 years since the program's inception and whose careers have been dedicated to bold scientific…

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On truth

Astute piece in the Chronicle Review about the opportunism of disputing the truth that actually grew out of the academy: It’s not just garden-variety ignorance that periodically appears in public-opinion polls that makes us cringe or laugh. A 2009 survey by the California Academy of Sciences found that only 53 percent of American adults knew how long it takes for Earth to revolve around the sun. Only 59 percent knew that the earliest…

aerial view of spherical nodes
Industrial Espionage: A brief history

History professor Stephen Mihm uses his Bloomberg column to offer a heuristic for those who might get the vapors about recent "unscrupulous dealings in the global economy": before getting into high dudgeon mode, the U.S., and for that matter, almost every Western nation, might wish to remember their own, no-holds-barred campaigns to swipe industrial secrets. In fact, one of the first cases involved the theft of industrial secrets from China. In…

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National Humanities Alliance

When a university's humanities programs are strong, as they are at UGA, we don't hear much about the threats to instruction and research in its many disciplines. But that humanites strength on our campus comes from a supportive community that fosters collaboration at critical junctures - both physical and in time - that makes innovative faculty and student initiatives a reality. In other words, we recognize the importance of having the Willson…

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Staff Appreciation and Awards

UGA and Franklin College staff are the people who make our campus work in every way imaginable and this week, staff will be the focus of events to show how much they are appreciated. First up is our Franklin College Staff Appreciation Reception this afternoon at 3 p.m. at the MLC, an annual event that includes the presentition of staff excellence awards and recognition of years of service for longtime employees. Then on Friday, the University…

stadium with fireworks
Commencement 2015

Amazing. Today is the day - the culmination of so many individual, familial and collective efforts. It's why all the buildings are here and the reason we need a word for 'campus.' The desks and chairs, the technology and the books, the assembly of learning and the skill to share it all present together in the diplomas that will be handed out this evening in that edifice normally reserved for contests of will and strength. Today and this evening…

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Chemists trap molecular species of silicon oxides

In an inspiring breakthrough, chemistry researchers have stablized one of the most abundant silicon oxides in the universe: Using a technique they developed in 2008, the UGA team succeeded in isolating silicon oxide fragments for the first time, at room temperature, by trapping them between stabilizing organic bases. "In the 2008 discovery, we were able to stabilize the disilicon molecule, which previously could only be studied at extremely low…

dogwood and building
Franklin faculty in the media

Faculty representing thirteen different departments within the Franklin College were quoted and thier work referenced across a wide variety of international media. A sampling of the terrific public engagement by our experts: Five things to know about tornadoes – Front-page feature in today’s Athens Banner-Herald quotes associate professor of geography John Knox UGA researchers growing trees faster and easier to turn into fuel, reports the Athens…

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Kudos, April - May

Tremendous accomplishments by Franklin faculty of late, as noted below. But we share our our top item with great pride and no small measure of sadness as the Franklin College bids farewell and good luck to one of our great colleagues, Linda Bachman, as she begins an important new job at UGA: Assistant dean Linda Bachman has been named director of university experiential learning. Her appointment is effective May 1 in the Office of the Vice…

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Experiential Learning

The University continues to tweak the undergraduate experience toward broader preparation for the variety of next steps after graduation: [UGA] has taken a significant step toward ensuring that all of its students engage in the kinds of hands-on experiences that enhance learning and position them for success after graduation. All undergraduate students will be required to engage in experiential learning-through opportunities that include…

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2015 Creative Teaching Awards

Creative teaching is not just something professors do, but it's about who they are, where they come from, the vision they have for students, plus a host of other attributes to intuitive scholarship in the classroom. This year, UGA recognizes four great ones, including two from the Franklin College: Richard Menke and Montgomery Wolf, in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Brock Woodson and Siddharth Savadatti…


21st Coley Lecture

UGA and the Franklin College welcomes Juana María Rodríguez, professor of gender and women's studies at the University of California, Berkeley, to campus to deliver the 21st annual Andrea Carson Coley Lecture on April 10 at 12:30 p.m. in the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. Rodríguez's lecture, "Sexual Affects: Visualizing Pleasure, Troubling Politics" will follow a reception honoring the Coley family at 11:30 a.m…

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Goldwater Scholarship winners

Three Franklin College students are UGA's 2015 Goldwater Scholarship recipients: Lauren Dennison, Erin Hollanderand Karishma Sriram—have received 2015 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, the premier undergraduate scholarship in the fields of mathematics, the natural sciences and engineering. The UGA students are among a group of 260 recipients of the one- and two-year scholarships that recognize exceptional sophomores and juniors. The…

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Kudos, March 2015

If you've noticed recent issues of Columns, you know that Franklin College faculty are among the recipients of this year's top university honors, awards and professorships. Here are some of those honors plus appearances and grants. Congratulations on all of these important professional accomplishments. Congratulations to Franklin College faculty members Jennifer Palmer (department of history) and Peter Jutras (Hugh Hodgson School of Music) who…

woman with plants
Fast-growing trees

The creation of biofuels from trees involves a host of challenges, including but certainy not limited to the breakdown of lignin. So researchers have been approaching the problem from a variety of angles and here is the latest glancing blow for renewable energy production: Researchers at the University of Georgia have discovered that manipulation of a specific gene in a hardwood tree species not only makes it easier to break down the wood into…

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UGA classics student at Hellenic Studies Symposium

Latin and Greek major in the department of classics Elizabeth Ridgeway recently presented her research at the Harvard University Center for Hellenic Studies' Undergraduate Symposium in Washington, D.C.: Ridgeway traveled with UGA professor Charles Platter, her faculty adviser, and presented her paper at the event. "The workshop gives select undergraduate students the ‘opportunity to discuss the strengths and weaknesses of their work in…

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Women's roles in the sciences

Very interesting, topical and timely conference coming up next week at the Georgia Center: Top women who study topics in medicine, global hunger and obesity will share their experiences at the ninth annual Global Educational Forum on March 19 at the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education. This year's conference theme, "Women in Science and Medicine: Challenges, Achievements and Way Forward," brings experts from around the globe to…

colorful celebration
Happy Holi, and Spring Break

Apno ka pyar, yhi to hai HOLI ka tyohar. And next week the UGA campus will be under strict observance of Spring Break! A much deserved pause from courses, exams, papers and planning for faculty and students. Time to rest and re-charge, and prepare to come back ready for the great run of festivals, conferences (and more studying!) on campus through the end of the semester.

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Brain Structure and Trust

Compelling new research from the department of psychology on how brain structure in people differs according to how trusting people are of others: The research may have implications for future treatments of psychological conditions such as autism, said the study's lead author Brian Haas, an assistant professor in the department of psychology. Each autism diagnosis is on a spectrum and varies, but some diagnosed with the condition exhibit…


The Trans-Atlantic Choctaw Irish Exchange

In 1847, the Choctaw Indians at Skullyville, Indian Territory, were saddened to hear the news of the starvation in Ireland due to the potato famine. The Choctaw had experienced starvation only sixteen years earlier, when the entire Choctaw nation of people were forced to walk west by Andrew Jackson's government. On the mass forced migraiton known as the Trail of Tears, Choctaws were the first to be "removed" out of the Southeast and their…

people in lab
Editing genome sequences to correct mutations

Extraordinary new research on how the bacterial immune system provides a way forward on correcting genetic mutations:  [UGA] researchers Michael and Rebecca Terns were among the first to begin to study the bacterial immune system. They now have identified a key link in how bacteria respond and adapt to foreign invaders. The new study, authored by the Terns and postdoctoral research associate Yunzhou Wei in the Franklin College of Arts and…

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Kudos, February 2015

Our congratulations and appreciation for the awards, presentations, new books and professional honors that distinguish Frankln faculty and their scholarship at home and abroad. A few recent examples: Assistant professor of history Jennifer Palmer and associate professor in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music Peter Jutras are 2015 recipients of the Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching Noel Fallows, professor of…


Conference on Holocaust theatre Feb. 26-28

In conjunction with the ongoing performances of "Mein Kampf" we mentioned yesterday (performances continung this weekend and Tues. through Sat. next week), the departments of theatre and film studies & German and Slavic studies will host of an international conference on Holocaust theatre featuring the work of playwright George Tabori: [The] international conference on "George Tabori and the Theatre of the Holocaust" Feb. 26-28. The…
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