Tags: International

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Bensasson uses yeast to unlock life’s greatest mysteries

What comes to mind when you think of yeast? To a baker, it might mean the ability to make their dough rise. A brewmaster might associate it with the fermentation of beer and wine. Many others may associate these types of fungus with one dreaded infection or another. Yeast serves many functions. For the University of Georgia’s Douda Bensasson, it’s all of these—and more. An associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts & Science’s…

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Model mycology: UGA scientists fight fungi for the rest of us

It starts out with a cough and slightly slurred speech. Then come the muscle spasms and dramatic mood shifts. In HBO’s hit show “The Last of Us,” these are the beginning signs that a human has contracted a fungal infection that turns people into zombies and rips through the fabric of modern society. The premise may sound improbable, but it is based on a very real fungus that really does infect brains and bodies, turning its victims into mindless…

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Expedition to East Antarctica

In Spring 2023, UGA biologist Holly Bik is leading one of five teams of scientists on a research cruise to one of the most remote and understudied places on Earth. From March 6, the group departed from New Zealand and cruise west along the Antarctic continental shelf to South Africa. In all, more than thirty scientists and graduate students will be part of the two-month expedition aboard the Research Vessel – Ice Breaker, The Nathaniel…

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Chung studies how microbes shape ecosystems

University of Georgia plant biologist and ecologist, Anny Chung studies the smaller things in life to understand how microscopic organisms can influence entire ecosystems. As an assistant professor jointly appointed in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Plant Pathology and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Plant Biology, Chung studies how plant-microbe interactions…

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Kudos, February 2023

Even the shortest month has been replete with accolades and awards across UGA and the Franklin College. A few of the colleagues, alumni, and campus organizations we congratulated during February: UGA senior vice provost Michelle Garfield Cook named vice president for student affairs – UGA Today, WGAU, Athens CEO   Christine Szymanski, professor and associate head of the department of microbiology, is one of three…

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Noted and Quoted, February 2023

A climate change summit with Vice President Kamala Harris, the impossible quest of fake meat, and using machine learning to find new exoplanets are just a few of the many stories where our faculty colleagues lead, explain, and advise in media around the world. A sample of distinguished research and time comment from February:   In Atlanta, VP Harris focuses on climate, finding solutions – event co-moderated by Georgia Athletic Association…

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UGA Opera Theatre presents ‘Postcard from Morocco’

As part of the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music spring season, UGA Opera Theatre presents “Postcard from Morocco” by Dominick Argento Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. and Feb. 26 at 3 p.m. This work is the most performed American Chamber Opera in the world. This also marks the department’s first return to a fully staged work since before the COVID-19 pandemic. “A surreal, entertaining and emotionally charged work, ‘Postcard…

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New book provides scholarship on mountainscapes

Fausto Sarmiento, professor of geography in the Franklin College and director of the Neotropical Montology Collaboratory, continues his excellent work on the broad subject of Montology with the publication of a new book. With the ecological acceleration and the indigenous revival trend of the present, the need for critical views of the reality of mountain systems has become evident in academic circles, such as the Commission of Mountain Studies…

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Three professors elected into National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors has selected three University of Georgia faculty as 2023 NAI Senior Members. NAI Senior Members are faculty, scientists and administrators selected for their proven ability to invent and innovate. The UGA representatives of the 2023 class are Christine Szymanski, Hitesh Handa and Leidong Mao. With their selections, UGA now has 11 Senior Members overall: Szymanski is a professor, associate head of…

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Franklin students, alumni lead UGA as top producer of Fulbright students

For the fifth time in 11 years the University of Georgia has been named a top producer of Fulbright U.S. students, a recognition given by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs to the U.S. institutions that received the highest number of Fulbright offers. Eleven UGA students and alumni were offered Fulbright awards for 2022-2023, with 10 students able to accept. Seven are teaching English in countries…

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Shepherd joins VP Harris for climate discussion

Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography, moderated a discussion with Vice President Kamala Harris about climate change at Georgia Tech on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 2023, in Atlanta: Fresh off the president’s State of the Union speech and with a likely re-election bid on the horizon, Vice President Kamala Harris flew to Atlanta on Wednesday to deliver a message on climate change…

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Researchers focus AI on finding exoplanets

New research from the University of Georgia reveals that artificial intelligence can be used to find planets outside of our solar system. The recent study demonstrated that machine learning can be used to find exoplanets, information that could reshape how scientists detect and identify new planets very far from Earth. “One of the novel things about this is analyzing environments where planets are still forming,” said Jason Terry, doctoral…

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Georgia Magazine feature: Martin Kagel

Our colleagues at Georgia Magazine published this Faculty Focus Q & A with Martin Kagel, Associate Provost for Global Engagement, Office of Global Engagement. A former associate dean in the Franklin, Kagel is the A.G. Steer Professor in Goethe Studies in the Franklin College. A native of Germany, Kagel has spent decades teaching German studies and helping others understand the importance of the humanities and international studies…

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Noted and Quoted, January 2023

Starting the new year strong with media across the globe featuring Franklin College faculty expertise, research and new books. From resolutions to bot-generated text to tornados, our faculty colleagues have it covered. A sample from over the recent month:   What monks can teach us about paying attention – new book by professor of history and associate dean Jamie Kreiner reviewed and featured widely in The New Yorker, New York…

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Kudos, January 2023

Fellowships and awards, new books and a college football National Championship has 2023 off to a great start for UGA and the Franklin College. Congratulations to all – because it takes everyone to create the new standard of excellence in athletics and academics. The latest accomplishments among our colleagues include: The American Association of Geographers (AAG) honored professor of geography Nik Heynen as a 2023 AAG Fellow, one of 16…

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Concerto Competition Winners Launch School of Music Spring Season

The University of Georgia’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music launches its spring Thursday Scholarship Series of concerts with the winners of the Concerto Competition performing with the UGA Symphony Orchestra. This year’s winners (in alphabetical order): Michael Baker, trumpet; Gabriella McClellan, cello; Anna Savelyeva, piano; Diego Suarez, piano; and Yinzi Zhou, flute. The UGA Symphony Orchestra is conducted by Mark Cedel. The concert will be…

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Unscripted: Coleman Barks on the poetry of Rumi

We've posted a new Unscripted podcast episode, a conversation with UGA emeritus professor of English Coleman Barks about his life and work: The author of twenty-one volumes, including the bestselling “Essential Rumi” (1995) and “Rumi: The Big Red Book” (2010), which collects 34 years of his work on Rumi’s ghazals and rubai, Coleman Barks has spent the past sixty years exploring the possibilities of American ecstatic poetry through his…

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Kashyap receives National Endowment for the Arts Literature Translation Fellowship

The National Endowment for the Arts announced that University of Georgia faculty member Aruni Kashyap is one of 22 translators selected to receive a Literature Translation Fellowship.  Kashyap, associate professor of English and Creative Writing in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Director of Creative Writing Program, will use the time of the fellowship to translate a novel called ‘Udbhashito Upokul,’ by Dipak…

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Stenport selected as next Franklin College dean

Anna Westerstahl Stenport, dean of the College of Liberal Arts at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), has been named the next dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Georgia following a national search. Stenport is a professor of communication and an expert in transnational cinema and media, modern literature and drama, and visual and cultural studies, with a focus on the Arctic and Nordic regions. She will…

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2022 in Review – Welcome 2023!

Numerous achievements throughout 2022 for the Franklin College and the University of Georgia – shining on the field, in the classroom and beyond. From celebrating a National Championship in January to a Rhodes Scholar in November, 2022 was truly a year to remember. Thank you to our students, faculty, and staff for making 2022 such a memorable year. To commemorate 2022, please enjoy this slideshow of images from UGA photographers Peter Frey…

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Fall Commencement 2022

The University of Georgia will welcome its newest alumni on Dec. 16 as 1,681 undergraduates and 1,521 graduate students—a total of 3,202— met requirements to participate in the university’s fall Commencement ceremonies on a crisp December day. Congratulations and welcome to the many family and friends on campus today! Well done, each and every one!  

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Moss, Wilkes named 2022 Marshall Scholars

Franklin College seniors Natalie Moss and Lauren Wilkes received the prestigious Marshall Scholarship, which funds graduate study in the United Kingdom at any institution and in any field of study. 2022 is the first time two University of Georgia students received the honor in the same year:   Honors seniors Natalie Moss of Norcross and Lauren Wilkes of New Orleans, Louisiana, will continue their studies in the U.K. next year through…

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2022 Arctic Report Card

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) presented the 2022 Arctic Report Card, highlighting that the warming Arctic reveals shifting seasons, widespread disturbances, and the value of diverse observations. Issued annually since 2006, the Arctic Report Card is a timely and peer-reviewed source for clear, reliable and concise environmental information on the current state of different components of the Arctic environmental…

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Elise Karinshak selected as a Schwarzman Scholar

A senior from Lawrenceville, data science and marketing double major  Elise Karinshak is the University of Georgia’s newest Schwarzman Scholar. A Foundation Fellow in the Morehead Honors College, the Franklin/Terry College double-major also is pursuing a minor in studio art in the Lamar Dodd School of Art: The 151 scholars in the incoming Schwarzman Class of 2024 represent 36 countries and 121 universities. They were selected from…

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Diplomatic Corps

There are only a handful of titles a person can hold forever. “Ambassador” is one of them. Georgia Magazine features the five UGA alumni who have served as lead American diplomats abroad, including Franklin College alumna Lynne Tracy (AB '86), who was nominated this year by President Joe Biden to be the next ambassador to Russia: Lynne Tracy AB ’86, the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, credits her UGA education for putting her on a path to what…
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