Tags: Society

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Bram Tucker prioritizes people in work to understand cultures

Bram Tucker is an associate professor in the University of Georgia’s Department of Anthropology, where his Behavioral Ecology and Economic Decisions Labstudies how people make decisions under risks, vulnerabilities and changes. He works primarily with Mikea hunter-gatherers, Masikoro farmers and Vezo fishers in southwestern Madagascar, and previously served as president of the Society for Economic Anthropology with the American…

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In Memoriam: Lars G. Ljungdahl

University of Georgia Professor Emeritus Lars G. Ljungdahl passed away in July 2023 at the age of 96. A pioneer in the field of anaerobic metabolism, Ljungdahl made remarkable discoveries leading to a set of biochemical reactions now known as the Wood-Ljungdahl pathway, and about supramolecular cellulosome complexes that efficiently digest cellulose. Ljungdahl joined the faculty of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of…

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How individuals learn racial biases at the microlevel

While many White American residents believe that disregarding race would help minimize racism, or fear that acknowledging race could lead to the development of racial biases in children, multiple research studies suggest that racial socialization in White American families can reduce racial biases among children and provide a counter narrative to the systemic factors that reinforce racial biases. Individual-level racial biases operate across…

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Wolf named director of the Franklin Residential College

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences has named Montgomery Wolf as the new director of the Franklin Residential College (FRC), UGA's oldest living learning community. Wolf, Principal Lecturer of American History in the UGA department of history, succeeds Benjamin Ehlers as director of the FRC. Established in 2000, the Franklin Residential College is a collaborative partnership among the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the Office of…

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The First Kings of Europe: professor explores ancient hierarchies in Field Museum exhibit

Attila Gyucha, assistant professor of archaeology at the University of Georgia’s Department of Anthropology, and colleagues organized an exhibition at Chicago’s Field Museum of Natural History titled, “The First Kings of Europe”. Gyucha is the co-curator and leading editor of two books that accompany the exhibition, which runs through Jan. 28, 2024. It can be accessed by discovery or an all-access pass, and showcases more than 700…

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Adversity can accelerate brain aging among Black Americans

Longitudinal research studies led by faculty in the UGA Center for Family Research have changed the landscape of developmental, health, and prevention science by demonstrating its potential for narrowing social and racial disparities in health and well-being. By tracking the experiences of individual subjects over decades, prospective investigations of resilience among Black Americans have set a standard for conducting research with…

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UGA department of history announces creation of Sheffield Hale Fellowship

The University of Georgia department of history has announced the creation of the Sheffield Hale Fellowship. The annual award will underwrite a paid internship at Atlanta History Center, open to both undergraduate and graduate students interested in pursuing a career in public history and historical museums. The award honors Sheffield Hale, the current president of Atlanta History Center. Hale, who graduated with honors in History, summa cum…

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Five UGA undergraduates offered Boren Scholarships in 2023

The Boren Scholarships are designed to add important international and language components to students’ educations by giving them the opportunity to study overseas in world regions critical to U.S. interests. The national initiative is administered by the Institute of International Education on behalf of the National Security Education Program. Boren recipients commit to working in the federal government for at least one year after graduation in…

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Juneteenth 2023

In the tradition of recognizing and celebrating Americans and American history, we observe Juneteenth today. Two months after the American Civil War ended and two years after President Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, U.S. Major General Gordon Granger, newly arrived with 1,800 men in Texas, ordered that “all slaves are free” in Texas and that there would be an “absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property between…

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Agrawal appointed director of School of Computing

The University of Georgia has appointed Gagan Agrawal, professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies in the School of Computer and Cyber Sciences at Augusta University, as the director of the UGA School of Computing. Agrawal was selected after a national search and will begin as director July 1. UGA elevated its longstanding department of computer science to a School of Computing in July 2022 in response to rising student…

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nothin' finer in the land

Georgia Magazine dons the Redcoats for the cover of its newest issue: Bawcum has been a part of the Redcoat Band for more than 30 years, first as a saxophonist and then as drum major, graduate assistant, and associate director before being named director in 2020. He’s heard lots of iterations of the Redcoat Chant. “The way the band performs the Chant changes every year, but the basics are still the same,” he says. “That’s on purpose, and it’s OK…

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Welcome, Dean Stenport!

The University of Georgia and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences today welcomes Anna Westerstahl Stenport as the 17th dean of UGA's oldest and largest college. Dr. Stenport, 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, joined the UGA faculty as the University of Georgia Athletic Association…

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Urban Climate Justice

A new book of essays published by the UGA Press explores the links between climate justice and urban justice. Edited by Jennifer L. Rice, Joshua Long and Anthony Levenda, Urban Climate Justice – Theory, Praxis, Resistance was published May 1. Arguing that climate injustice is one of our most pressing urban problems, the volume explores the possibilities and challenges for more just urban futures under climate change. Whether…

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Psychology researchers changing the way we diagnose, treat schizophrenia

Our colleagues from UGA Research Communications take a deep dive across the breadth of department of psychology research on schizophrenia, changing perceptions of the disorder, new information that could bring clarity to how clinicians diagnose and treat it in the future. Great work by some of UGA's best: The popular understanding goes something like this: An individual, usually a young adult, begins having hallucinations—“hearing voices”…

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UGA students excavate Athens factory site

"Any understanding of the world must begin at home--or end there." --Siegfried Lenz, The Heritage, 1981. Faculty members at the University of Georgia have partnered with Sandy Creek Nature Center to create a field school to teach students in a hands-on environment.  “We wanted to establish a class that offers hands-on field experience to teach archaeological methods to students,” said Attila Gyucha, assistant professor in…

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First-generation Graduate empowering generations of Bulldogs

Franklin College Advisory Board member Neicy Wells' (AB '96) commitment to Franklin and love for UGA is a building on her legacy of greatness at the university:   When Neicy Wells’ grandmother encouraged her to go to college and insisted she apply to the University of Georgia because “it was the best,” she had no idea the legacy of greatness she was setting into motion. Neicy (AB ’96) began making her presence felt on campus with her…

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‘Play deserts’ common throughout Deep South, Southwest

Physical activity is crucial to children’s healthy physical and mental development. But new research from the University of Georgia shows hundreds of U.S. counties are play deserts. These play deserts are areas where parks and other spots to run around and play are nonexistent, hard to access or in less safe locations that make parents second-guess taking their children to play there. The study found that about 7% of the country…

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Spring Commencement 2023

Let the Chapel bell ring, today is the day! The University of Georgia welcomes its newest alumni on May 12 as 6,008 undergraduates have met requirements to participate in the university’s spring Commencement ceremonies. Congratulations to the 1,665 graduate students—a total of 7,673—who had their Commencement ceremonies yesterday. Welcome to the many family members and friends visiting campus this week.  The undergraduate ceremony is…

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Student Commencement speaker reflects on community

If you ask Sudhan Chitgopkar about the highlights of his time at the University of Georgia, he’ll pause before responding. “I’ve got to think about this one,” he said. “It’s four years’ worth of memories.” It is a lot to condense into a few words, but Chitgopkar will do his best as undergraduate student speaker at the 2023 spring Commencement ceremony. “I think the most important thing that I carry with me is the community,” Chitgopkar said…

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$14M from DOE renews bioenergy center

The Center for Bioenergy Innovation (CBI), a multi-institutional initiative based at Oak Ridge National Laboratory and co-led by University of Georgia researchers, has been renewed by the U.S. Department of Energy as one of four bioenergy research centers across the nation that advance robust, economical production of plant-based fuels and chemicals. According to its announcement, DOE will provide $590…

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Franklin College Digitizes Buried Treasure

The Pantheon Website Operations Platform followed up its celebration of the Franklin College Office of Information Technology's Web Services Team with a feature on the Team's work exploring new projects – including digitizing enormous collections of specimens and artifacts in UGA collections:   The Web Services team has embarked on an exciting journey: seeking to digitize all of the collections housed within the Georgia Museum of…

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Noted and Quoted, April 2023

Weather and climate, baseball, ghosting, and Tupperware were some of the subjects Franklin faculty colleagues discussed and wrote about over the course of April. A sample of the many news stories and research reporting that appeared in media around the world:   The U.S. leads the world in weather catastrophes. Here’s why – Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor, quoted widely by AP News, …

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Kudos, April 2023

Honors Week, the Franklin Faculty Awards reception, Guggenheim Fellows, and Goldwater Scholars are among the Franklin College students, staff, and faculty achievements that took center stage during April. A sample of the excellence and accomplishments of our colleagues across the College: Tessa Andrews, associate professor of genetics, is one of four faculty members the University of Georgia honored with its highest accolade for…

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UGA professor narrates a new 20-episode lecture series 

More than a year in the making, a new lecture series featuring University of Georgia faculty member Suzanne Pilaar Birch "Early Humans: Ice, Stone, and Survival" is now streaming on Wondrium. The 20-episode series tells the story of humanity's journey from our earliest origins in Africa to the emergence of agriculture, examines the role of climate and environmental change in driving these transitions, and how archaeological science is helping us…

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UGA writing center receives major gift

The University of Georgia Writing Center is being renamed for Jill and Marvin Willis III.  Housed under the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in Park Hall, the Writing Center is now known as the Jill and Marvin Willis Center for Writing in recognition of their $1 million gift. “From the moment I met Jill, I sensed her generosity of spirit and her sincere interest in the work we do to support writers,” said Rebecca…
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