UGA Columns March 16, 2015

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Researchers discover clues for treating bacteria resistant to antibiotics RESEARCH NEWS

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Curtain to rise March 24 on University Theatre’s ‘Hot Georgia Sunday’ Vol. 42, No. 29

March 16, 2015

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UGA GUIDE

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SPIA political scientist Charles Bullock named University Professor By Camie Williams New vaccines, plant varieties, commodity chemicals production methodology and educational tools are among the products and processes originating from the university’s research enterprise, resulting in 28 new products in 2014.

New discovery route UGA licensing, startup programs combine as Innovation Gateway

By Terry Marie Hastings thasting@uga.edu

In a move to streamline the path from laboratory and field to market, UGA has merged its technology licensing and startup programs to create a combined unit called Innovation Gateway. “Combining what were previously known as the Technology Commercialization Office and the Georgia BioBusiness Center into a single entity, the Innovation Gateway, will enhance the creation of new innovative companies and products based on UGA research, and ultimately, improve the quality of life in our state and around the world,” said David Lee, vice president for research. “The optimal approach for moving a discovery from the lab to the market can vary depending on the type of technology and stage of development,” said Derek Eberhart, Innovation Gateway director. “In

some cases, the best route for a promising technology is licensing to an established company, while in other instances, the best way to nurture the nascent technology is launching a startup company. As Innovation Gateway, we can more effectively and efficiently help researchers and companies navigate either of these pathways and ensure that groundbreaking discoveries emerging from UGA research will reach their fullest commercial potential.” The spectrum of licensing services provided by Innovation Gateway includes evaluating UGA inventions for patentability and commercial potential, protecting intellectual property rights,negotiating intellectual property agreements and facilitating strategic partnerships with industry. For UGA technologies that proceed through the startup route, Innovation Gateway accelerates the early growth of startups through

access to space in its incubator, startup support services, seed funding and mentoring through partnership with the Georgia Research Alliance Ventures program. As the state’s most comprehensive research institution, UGA is recognized for its diverse intellectual property portfolio. New vaccines, plant varieties, commodity chemicals production methodology and educational tools are among the products and processes originating from the university’s research enterprise, resulting in 28 new products in 2014 alone. Overall, more than 525 products based on UGA research have reached the marketplace through partnerships with industry. UGA consistently ranks among the top universities for licensing activity. According to the most recent data from the Association of University Technology Managers, UGA ranked among the

See GATEWAY on page 8

OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH

Thinc. Week to focus on enhancing innovation, entrepreneurship at UGA By Terry Marie Hastings thasting@uga.edu

Aspiring entrepreneurs from UGA and the Athens community will have a chance to rub shoulders with successful innovators and help develop the local startup ecosystem during Thinc. Week, March 23-27, on the UGA campus. Thinc. Week kicks off with the second annual Local Arts & Culture Business Summit, bringing together local business owners to share experiences and advocate for the best ways to support local arts entrepreneurs in the future. Thinc. participants have numerous opportunities to interact with entrepreneurs in fields ranging from agriculture and bioscience to media and consumer science. Founders of PhytoSynthetic and Meredian Holdings Group, companies in UGA’s startup incubator, will be part of a Agbioscience Startup Safari;

founders of companies that are working to find cures for diabetes, cancer and other diseases, also in the startup incubator, will welcome questions at the Innovation Gateway open house (see story, above); and the creators of the controversial social media app Yik Yak will tell their story at an event in the Tate Student Center Theatre. A panel of entrepreneurs representing the College of Family and Consumer Sciences will offer insights into families, fashion and consumer economics in the panel discussion, “Digital Disruption: The Latest Ideas Driving Change.” Aspiring entrepreneurs who hope to one day pitch their business ideas can attend the eHub Pitch Camp, where ideas will be critiqued by a panel of entrepreneurs and investors for prize money. For those looking for creative ways to develop entrepreneurial skills, See WEEK on page 8

camiew@uga.edu

Charles S. Bullock III, the Richard B. Russell Professor of Political Science in the School of Public and International Affairs, has been named University Professor, an honor bestowed on faculty who have had a significant impact on UGA beyond normal academic responsibilities. Bullock, who is also a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor, joined the UGA faculty in 1968. During his more than four decades at the university, he has established himself as the state’s pre-eminent scholar on Southern politics. “Dr. Bullock’s exemplary contributions to the teaching, research and service mission of the University of Georgia span decades and continents,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs

and provost. “He is a leading scholar of Southern politics, and many of his students have gone on to serve their communities, state and naCharles Bullock tion with distinction. He is a respected, trusted source of information for domestic and international journalists, and he epitomizes the extraordinary impact that our faculty have on our state and world.” Bullock has mentored hundreds of future leaders both in the classroom and as director of the Georgia Legislative Internship Program since 1977. Bullock’s former students at UGA have gone on to become “a virtual ‘who’s who’ of state and

See PROFESSOR on page 8

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Global forum will focus on women in science, medicine By Kristen Morales kmorales@uga.edu

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 Georgia Center for Continuing Education. T h i s y e a r ’s c o n f e r e n c e , “Women in Science and Medicine: Challenges, Achievements and Way Forward,” brings experts from around the globe to delve into a multicultural, multidiscipline event. Forum topics include women in African medicine, global hunger, breast cancer and patient

diversity, gendered politics of health and obesity epidemics around the world. The annual forum focuses on women in scientific fields because they are, traditionally, an underrepresented group, said Rose Chepyator-Thomson, a professor in the College of Education’s sport management program and organizer of the conference. The event includes a mix of UGA scholars and experts from around the world. This mix, Chepyator-Thomson said, brings the world to UGA while also giving students and faculty across disciplines a chance to collaborate.

See FORUM on page 8

FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

UGA historian James Cobb to deliver 2015 Phinizy Lecture By Alan Flurry

aflurry@uga.edu

Yik Yak founders Brooks Buffington, left, and Tyler Droll will tell their story at an event in the Tate Student Center Theatre.

ON THE WEB thinc.uga.edu

UGA historian James C. Cobb will deliver the 21st Ferdinand Phinizy Lecture in the Chapel March 20 at 11:30 a.m. Cobb’s lecture, “Divided by a Common Past: Southerners and the Struggle to Control Their History,” is open free to the public. The Ferdinand Phinizy Lectureship was established and endowed by Phinizy Calhoun, UGA class of 1900, as a memorial to his grandfather, Ferdinand Phinizy, who was a graduate of the UGA

class of 1838. Previous lecturers include John Kenneth Galbraith, Dean Rusk, Walker Percy, Richard Ford, and most recently, Melissa James Cobb Faye Greene. One of UGA’s most distinguished faculty members and authors, Cobb will receive the 2015 Woodward Franklin Award for Historical Writing from the

See LECTURE on page 8


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