Tags: Society

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Amazing student: Hailey Clark

Senior biochemistry and molecular biology major and North Oconee graduate Hailey Clark has taken her UGA experience in the direction of a future in health economics: I cannot understate the value of the various undergraduate research opportunities that I have participated in. I was a Roosevelt Scholar (now an Honors Policy Scholar) and was immersed in the world of public policy. My work throughout the semester resulted in a policy proposal…

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Researchers increase diversity in plants by reactivating dormant genes

A new breeding technique using a plant's own DNA could produce crops that are more resistant to drought and disease: A team of University of Georgia researchers has developed a new way to breed plants with better traits. By introducing a human protein into the model plant species Arabidopsis thaliana, researchers found that they could selectively activate silenced genes already present within the plant. Using this method to increase diversity…

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Marine sciences professor Mary Ann Moran named UGA Regents’ Professor

Internationally renowned researcher whose work has created a better understanding of marine ecosystems and the roles of the ocean microbiome, UGA professor Mary Ann Moran has been named Regents’ Professor: Moran is a Distinguished Research Professor in the marine sciences department, part of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, who has served on the University of Georgia faculty since 1993. Regents’ Professorships are bestowed by the…

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Noted and Quoted, February 2018

Faculty members authoring articles and being quoted by the popular media demonstrate the impact of public scholarship and expertise on current discourse surrounding many important issues. A sample of the recognition of and engagement by Franklin College faculty members during February: Four ways that black Catholic sisters rewrote the American story, article by associate professor of history and African-American studies Diane Batts Morrow…

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“Women, Hollywood and the #METOO Era”

A roundtable panel on “Women, Hollywood and the #METOO Era” will be held Feb. 23 at 4 p.m. in the Balcony Theatre (Room 400) of the Fine Arts Building. UGA faculty members will assess ongoing hurdles and notable triumphs for women in American filmmaking today: The panel will include Antje Ascheid, associate professor of film studies; Maryann Erigha, assistant professor of sociology; Kate Fortmueller, assistant professor of…

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Amazing student: Sam Tingle

Foundation Fellow Sam Tingle has been able to learn around the world — from the South Pacific to Malaysia to the Greek Island of Lesvos — but has also immersed himself in academics and activities on campus: Current employment:  I am currently working with NASA doing research through a NASA DEVELOP node here at UGA. This semester, I am working on a team that is using imagery from NASA satellites to assess threats to river water quality and…

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Hunter-Holmes Lecture Feb. 15

UGA and the Franklin College welcome award-winning journalist and alumna Charlyne Hunter-Gault back to campus to deliver the 2018 Hunter-Holmes Lecture on Thursday Feb. 15 at 2 p.m. in the Chapel: in 1961, [Hunter-Gault] became the first African-American woman to enroll at the University of Georgia, as well as one of the first two African-American students to integrate the school. After graduating, Hunter-Gault became an esteemed, award-winning…

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Researchers identify gene to improve plant yield, growth for biofuels

A research team led by professor of biochemistry and molecular biology Debra Mohnen has discovered that manipulation of the same gene in poplar trees and switchgrass produced plants that grow better and are more efficiently converted to biofuels: Due to the composition of plant cell walls, plant material is not efficiently broken down or deconstructed to the basic sugars that are converted to biofuels. In a paper published today…

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World Anthropology Day, Feb 15

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Leaning into the Plastics Problem

Once considered the key to all manner of convenience, practicality and profit, plastics turn out to be one of most dangerous and long-lasting pollutants to the natural environment. Georgia Magazine takes a look at how UGA faculty researchers are working to approach the problem from many angles, including the development of new materials with industry partners: Jason Locklin, an associate professor in UGA’s chemistry department, had a related…

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Capturing Science contest winners

Congratulations to the student winners of the Inaugural Capturing Science contest sponsored by the University of Georgia Libraries and the Office of Research to communicate science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, concepts using any media or genre: In the graduate category, the first-place winner [microbiology PhD candidate] Megan Prescott received $500 for her submission “Designing Science-Fashion Content.” Katlin Shae […

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UGA to partner in new humanities grant for archeological study

An international research team that includes assistant professor of anthropology and geography Suzanne Pilaar Birch has been awarded Arts and Humanities Research Council UK funding for their four-year project on Radical Death and Early State Formation in the Ancient Near East.  Using new evidence from the Early Bronze Age graves of Başur Höyük, on the Upper Tigris, the project will examine how ritual killing was implicated in…

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Black History Month 2018

The University of Georgia and the Franklin College celebrate Black History Month 2018 with a wide variety of programs and activities across campus. Events began on Feb. 1 and Black History Month Kickoff is at noon on Monday Feb. 5 at Tate Plaza. An extraordinary breadth of lectures, performances, screenings and discussions featuring our students as well as guests to campus punctuate the celebrations all month long. The complete listing of…

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Joye featured in Planet Earth: Blue Planet II

  Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Arts and Sciences Samantha Joye is featured in the new BBC documentary series, Planet Earth: Blue Planet II: Presented by Sir David Attenborough and scored by Academy Award-winner Hans Zimmer, Planet Earth: Blue Planet II takes viewers on a revelatory and magical journey into the mesmerizing world of our oceans — by turn tempestuous and serene, exquisitely beautiful and bleakly…

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Student satellite team moves one step closer to space

The ingenuity and hardwork of the Small satellite Research Labaoratory continues to lead the project up, up and away: A University of Georgia research laboratory led by a group of undergraduate students is one of only two university research programs chosen by the United States Air Force to build and launch satellites into space. The UGA Small Satellite Research Laboratory, which is supported by faculty from the Franklin College of…

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Noted and quoted, January 2018

From the downside of smart phones to the promise of a 'super yeast' for biofuels to the creation a new island off the Georgia coast, Franklin faculty have been ready and willing to lend their expertise on the full range of issues and current events. A sample from this month: Less smartphone time equals happier teenager, study suggests – article reference research by professor of psychology Keith Campbell in Los Angeles Times, India…

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Rishi Masalia named 2018 Cross Scholar

Congratulations to Rishi Masalia, Ph.D. candidate in the department of plant biology, who has been named one of seven K. Patricia Cross Future Leaders for 2018 by the American Association of Colleges and Universities for his commitment to teaching and learning, as well as his involvement in science outreach in the Athens community. Masalia is the fifth UGA student to win the award. A biologist and bioinformatician by training, his area of…

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Georgia Debate Union wins University of Miami tournament

Additionally, the team of Alyssa Hoover (Alpharetta, Georgia) and Tripp Haskins (College Park, Georgia) finished tied for 5th place at the tournament.   The University of Miami Hurricane debates featured schools from around the country, including teams from Emory University, Boston College, the United States Naval Academy, and the University of Michigan.  The Bulldogs' victory at Miami represents the second tournament won by the…

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Martin Luther King Jr. Day 2018

Observances of the holiday commemorating the Birthday of Martin Luther King, Jr. on Monday January 15 take on a sepcial significance in 2018, which will be 50th anniversary of his assassination in April, 1968. This important day of service across the United States to celebrate nonviolent activism in support of civil rights and the Civil Rights Movement is one of reflection, engagement, assessment and action in the name of a great American…

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Genetics professor to lead corn pangenome project

Distinguished Research Professor Kelly Dawe in the department of genetics is principal investigator on a new project to sequence the genetic diversity of the world's largest cash crop: When the human genome was first sequenced in 2001, the project focused on a single individual. Since that time, several new genomes have been assembled and additional genetic data have been generated for thousands of individuals, producing a more complete picture…

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Focus on the faculty: Robin Shelton

The impact of my research is that it has moved forward our understanding of the galaxy in which we live. How does your research or scholarship inspire your teaching, and vice versa? Students greatly enjoy when I tell them about the newest astronomical discoveries. Some of that information is learned at scientific meetings that I attend as part of my research and scholarship duties. Probably, my scientific presentations have benefited from…

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Peace in the New Year

With campus frigid and students on their way back from extraordinary New Year experiences, we share these words from our namesake and our hopes to fulfill their promise: Be at War with Your Vices, at Peace with Your Neighbours, and Let Every New Year Find You a Better Man - Benjamin Franklin, from the 1755 edition of “Poor Richard’s Almanac.” Complete title: “Poor Richard improved: Being an Almanack and Ephemeris of the Motions of the Sun…

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Happy Holidays!

May your holidays be filled with joy and light from within.  Best wishes this holiday season and in the New Year from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

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The allure of archeology's mysteries

This attitude was prevalent when Thomas began his archeological research on St. Catherines Island in 1974. Thomas' visit and Signature Lecture was designed to commemorate the transfer of a major trove of artifacts to the UGA Laboratory of Archeology recovered by Thomas and his team on St. Catherines Island. This collection itself and what it implies about Georgia's past underscores this truism shared by Thomas:  "It's not what you find,"…

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Fall Commencement 2017

Congratulations graduates! The day has arrived for 2,800 students - 700 undergraduates and 1,100 graduate students - who have met requirements to walk in the university's fall Commencement ceremonies. Congratulations to parents, families and friends, and welcome to campus. Enjoy the moment and the culmination of years of hard work. Our best wishes in your future endeavors - we expect greatness from each and every one.
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