Tags: Society

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Mentoring + Law School

The UGA Mentoring program connects students with alumni to gain insights into the connections between campus and career. This invaluable exchange allows our alumni to give back in ways that help individual students during their educational journey.  Coordinated through the UGA Career Center, the Mentoring program is a critical asset for both alumni looking to stay involved on campus – no matter where they are – and students looking for…

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CRISPR study reveals secret to genetic immunity

Neww research from the University of Georgia has identified the critical role a particular type of protein – known as histone – plays in archiving information from past viral threats and contributing to more effective immune responses to future threats, through what is called genetic immunity. Histones are highly conserved proteins that have been compared to spools around which strands of DNA wrap themselves. A research team led by Michael Terns…

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UGA team awarded NIH funding to use AI to investigate molecular interactions

Molecular scale breakthroughs in human health – from COVID-19 vaccines to cancer therapeutics – require scientists to understand how molecules interact with each other, akin to figuring out how puzzle pieces fit together. To do this, scientists use a special microscope called an atomic force microscope (AFM) that can see and manipulate molecules. For the virus that causes COVID-19, for example, this microscope can gently poke and measure…

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Kudos, September 2023

Thriving students, faculty and staff of the Franklin College pushes UGA to ever-greater heights, A few of the awards and shoutoutds we celebrated during September: University of Georgia professor J. Marshall Shepherd was npresented with the prestigious 2023 Environmental Achievement Award by the Environmental Law Institute 2023 University Professor Jean Martin-Williams, associate dean in the Franklin College, and 2023 Regents Professor Michael…

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2023 BFSO awards luncheon

Six UGA students and four staff members received scholarships and awards during the Black Faculty and Staff Organization’s 2023 Founders Award Scholarship Ceremony, held Sept. 19. UGA President Jere W. Morehead expressed his appreciation to the BFSO for its assistance in supporting the institution’s students. “What the Black Faculty and Staff Organization does at this event, and the work leading up to this event, is especially important because…

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Noted and Quoted, September 2023

From storms to smart phones to... what happened to the Southern accent? Research from Franklin College faculty and graduate students was widely reported during September. A sample of the stories and media pick from across the globe: Scientists are asked if humans have broken the Earth’s climate – Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor od Geography, quoted by CleanTechnica, The Extinction Chronicles  Does…

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Socializing boosts mood more than screentime

People expect more enjoyment in conversation than on smartphones, but don’t always follow that instinct It turns out people might prefer social interactions over their smartphones, but that doesn’t mean they’re going to stop scrolling. A new study from researchers in the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences found that when asked to scroll on their phones, sit quietly by themselves or have a conversation with a stranger,…

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Professor studies endangered languages and their variations

Awareness about languages, the differences in how individuals speak, and how these create local identities may come as no great surprise to American Southerners. When speakers of certain linguistic varieties decline, though, their languages become endangered. Keith Langston’s scholarship addresses questions of linguistic structure and the relationship of language and identity, with a focus on the country of Croatia. “We always have this idea…

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Semitic language scholar joins UGA as the Ann and Jay Davis Professor of Jewish Studies

Aaron Rubin joined the University of Georgia in August 2023 as the Ann and Jay Davis Professor of Jewish Studies in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of religion. Rubin arrived at UGA after 19 years on the faculty at Penn State University. Jewish Studies is a vast field, which includes the study of religion, history, literature, language, philosophy, art, sociology, political science, and more. Rubin hopes to work with other…

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Dean Stenport meets with Franklin alumni from across the U.S.

Franklin College Dean Anna Stenport has been meeting with alumni and friends of the college at Meet-and-Mingle events designed to provide our alumni the opportunity to get to know Dean Stenport – and for Dean Stenport to learn about how our graduates want to help shape a vision for the Franklin College. The events began even before she officially started her duties as dean of the college when she attended a recital at Steinway Hall in NYC in…

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Classic Georgia accent fading fast

A collaborative study between the University of Georgia and Georgia Tech has found the classic Southern accent is undergoing rapid change in Georgia. The instigator? Generation X. “We found that, here in Georgia, white English speakers’ accents have been shifting away from the traditional Southern pronunciation for the last few generations,” said Margaret Renwick, associate professor in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of…

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Sociology faculty, students, honored at ASA conference

Faculty and students in the department of sociology were recognized for career excellence and innovative research at the 118th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association: The Educative Power of Sociology in Philadelphia, PA in mid-August. William Alex Pridemore, professor and head of the department of sociology, received the 2023 Albert J. Reiss Distinguished Scholarship Award. Presented every other year by the…

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Dean's intro video scored by Hodgson School of Music student

Our new video introducing Dean Anna Stenport features a score composed and produced by Jacob Evarts, a media composition major in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. The music helps create an elevated tone for the video and is another example of innovative experiential learning opportunities in the Franklin College. "Jacob already had a piece performed by the Orlando Symphony in 2022, called "Wonder of the World" as part of a program called "The…

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Alumni Association celebrates 2023 class of 40 Under 40

The University of Georgia Alumni Association unveiled the 40 Under 40 Class of 2023 – including 13 Franklin College alumni. The program celebrates the personal, professional and philanthropic achievements of successful UGA graduates under the age of 40. The honorees will be recognized during the 13th annual 40 Under 40 Awards Luncheon Sept. 22 in the Tate Student Center on campus. Congratulations to the 40 Under 40 Class of 2023! Franklin…

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Kudos, Summer 2023

Book awards, new grants, fellowships, and excellence in musical performance headline the outstanding accolades of Franklin College faculty and students over the summer. A sample of the good news from over the summer break – congratulations all: Anna Westerstahl Stenport became the 17th dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences on June 1 UGA appointed Gagan Agrawal, professor and associate dean for research and graduate studies in…

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Noted and Quoted, summer 2023

For Franklin College faculty across campus, 2023 was a summer 'on' for writing in and commenting for media reports from around the world. Expert insights and new research findings were widely covered in a variety of broadcast, digital, and print media. A sample from our tireless colleagues: Eating carrots (and other veggies) really does improve your eyesight, study says – research study led by Jack Harth, a doctoral candidate in the College…

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Welcome, class of 2027!

We welcome all of our new and returning students back to campus today, with special focus on the 6,200-strong first-year class: The incoming class includes students from 470 Georgia high schools, 143 Georgia counties, 45 states and 14 nations. Approximately 81% of the first-year students are Georgia residents. Overall, 84.5% of UGA’s undergraduate student body are Georgia residents, a percentage of in-state students far above that of many other…

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Pre-med student veteran receives national leadership award

University of Georgia student Gabriela Castillo was featured on the cover of the August issue of G.I. Jobs magazine for receiving the publication’s 2023 Student Veteran Leadership Award. The national honor is handed out annually by the magazine’s editorial team to student veterans who make a positive impact through serving their schools, communities and fellow veterans. Castillo, an Army medic turned pre-med student, logged…

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Five UGA faculty receive NSF CAREER awards for research

Five University of Georgia early-career faculty – three from Franklin College units – have been recognized in 2023 by the National Science Foundation’s Faculty Early Career Development Program (CAREER), which rewards faculty who have the potential to serve as leaders in the advancement of research and education:   UGA’s newest awardees include Akram Alishahi (Department of Mathematics), Amanda Frossard (Department of…

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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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