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University Theatre to present ‘The Great Gatsby’ during arts festival Vol. 42, No. 15
November 3, 2014
www.columns.uga.edu
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4&5
$1.44M grant to fund study on link between epigenetics, cancer By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu
UGA researcher Doug Peterson, right, and graduate student Paul Schueller capture an adult Atlantic sturgeon on the Altamaha River in Georgia as part of their ongoing studies of the species’ ecology and population dynamics.
Gone fishin’
Fisheries professor to study endangered Atlantic sturgeon in three Georgia rivers By Sandi Martin
smartin@warnell.uga.edu
UGA researcher Doug Peterson will use a nearly $500,000 grant from the National Marine Fisheries Service in partnership with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to determine how well Atlantic sturgeon are reproducing in Georgia rivers two years after the species was listed as endangered. Biologists feared the fish’s populations had been lost from several of the state’s coastal waterways. Populations of the ancient fish appear to be rebounding in some parts of the country, spurring discussion about whether the Atlantic sturgeon should be downlisted from endangered status, said Peterson, a
fisheries professor in UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. However, there is no real evidence that the sturgeon is rebounding everywhere, particularly in the South Atlantic Distinct Population Segment, which includes Georgia. Peterson is launching a threeyear project to study the issue. “Although we’ve seen a significant increase in juvenile abundance in the Altamaha River, we remain very concerned about populations in the St. Marys, Satilla and Ogeechee rivers,” Peterson said. Peterson has shown in an unrelated project that the Atlantic sturgeon appears to be rebounding in Georgia. For the first time in decades, he documented sturgeon
reproduction in the St. Marys River. “We thought they were extinct there,” Peterson said, but earlier this year, while working on a new project for the U.S. Navy, his research team captured more than 10 young juveniles he believes were born in the St. Marys River. “Because Atlantic sturgeon return to spawn only in the same river where they were born, this was a significant and exciting find,” Peterson said. Atlantic sturgeon, targeted for their valuable caviar, were first protected from commercial fishing in 1996 after studies showed their numbers had declined dramatically, pushing them to the brink of extinction.The National Marine Fisheries See STURGEON on page 8
College of Education
Top Thai teachers visit UGA for training By Kristen Morales kmorales@uga.edu
UGA hosted 16 science and education teachers fromThailand last month as part of the country’s efforts to learn the latest teaching methods. The program, a collaboration between the Thai government and UGA’S College of Education, combined site visits at local schools with workshops and seminars designed to give the teachers a global educational experience. The group participated in the Georgia STEM Forum held Oct. 20 and 21 and organized by the state Department of Education. “Thailand education has been
greatly influenced by other international systems, so we are now trying to enhance our mathematics and science teachers to study more about science, technology, engineering and mathematics education, and trying to adjust the concepts to fit with our country’s context,” said Savittree Rochanasmita Arnold, program coordinator in the UGA mathematics and science education department, who works with the Thai government on teacher training. During the first week of their visit, the teachers attended some welcome events and seminars at the College of Education, and they spent a morning at East Jackson
Comprehensive High School in Commerce, where they observed classes such as biology, art, world history and physical education. Their monthlong stay also included a visit to Whit Davis Elementary School in Athens, workshops at Sandy Creek Nature Center and the State Botanical Garden and classes in science teaching methods at the College of Education. Deborah Tippins, a professor in the mathematics and science education department who helped coordinate the visit, said this is one more way the department continues to help the Thai government prepare See TEACHERS on page 8
A UGA statistics researcher has been awarded a $1.44 million grant from the National Institutes of Health to develop statistical models that one day may be used to predict cancer and other diseases. Wenxuan Zhong, an associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ statistics department, will use the funds to develop predictive statistical models based on epigenetic change patterns. Epigenetics is the study of changes in a gene’s behavior that can be passed down without actually altering the genetic code. Like an airport traffic controller, the epigenome passes along instructions that change the way the gene is expressed by switching genes “on” and “off.” For instance, twins have the
same genetic makeup, but they do not always experience the same illnesses, such as asthma or a mental illness. This is due to epigenetics, Wenxuan Zhong often a result of environmental factors. Zhong hopes to shed light on the role of epigenetic changes in illnesses, particularly cancer. One form of epigenetic change known as DNA methylation is particularly understudied in this area. “There’s a large amount of evidence that a process known as DNA methylation is a key player in cancer development,” Zhong said. “Today’s next-generation sequencing techniques give us the data we
See GRANT on page 8
commencement
Fall graduates will hear from alumnus and faculty member By Stephanie Schupska schupska@uga.edu
Roger Hunter, a UGA alumnus and associate director for programs at the NASA Ames Research Center, will deliver the university’s undergraduate Commencement address Dec. 19 in Stegeman Coliseum. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the graduate ceremony to follow at 2:30 p.m. The university’s graduate Commencement will feature Gregory H. Robinson, the UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor of Chemistry. Tickets are not required for the graduate exercise. For the undergraduate ceremony, commencement candidates are allowed six
Roger Hunter
Gregory Robinson
tickets per student, with additional tickets available on a first-come, first-served basis from the Office of the Registrar, www.reg.uga.edu, Nov. 17-21. In his current capacity, Hunter leads the center’s small spacecraft mission and technology development programs as well as the NASA Ames Small Spacecraft Integrated
See GRADUATES on page 8
UGA arts council Nearly 2 dozen student events added to annual Spotlight on the Arts festival By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
Students will be in the spotlight once again Nov. 6-14 during the third annual Spotlight on the Arts festival. In addition to the more than 60 events sponsored by the UGA Arts Council during the 2014 festival, nearly two dozen events have been organized and produced by students, including DJs in Snelling Dining Hall, a flash mob, an Alfred Hitchcock film festival, a comedy
show and several dramatic productions and musical performances. In an inaugural event called “4 minutes, 33 seconds: Spotlight on Scholarship,” graduate students in the arts will have a chance to share their research with the community. Inspired by John Cage’s 1952 composition 4’33”—which challenged audiences to reconsider the function of art and the borders between traditional art disciplines and between artistic practice and philosophy—students will
See SPOTLIGHT on page 8
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Nov. 3, 2014 columns.uga.edu
Around academe
Google, University of Oxford partner on deep learning project
Google announced late last month that it is partnering with the University of Oxford to accelerate its research into artificial intelligence, including areas such as image recognition and natural language understanding. Google DeepMind will work with four leading experts in the use of deep learning for natural language understanding. The group will be working on efforts to enable machines to better grasp what humans say to them. As part of the effort, Google DeepMind will make contributions to establish a partnership with the computer science and engineering departments at the university. That partnership will include student internships, lectures and workshops.
Japanese government aiming to aid its universities boost global level
The Japan Times is reporting that the Japanese government has launched a grant program aimed at boosting its universities to the global level of Harvard University or the University of Oxford. The government will provide support for up to 10 years for 37 universities. The funds will be used to recruit faculty and students from outside Japan as well as to boost rankings.
News to Use
Speech and hearing screenings to be held Nov. 7 in Aderhold Hall
The Speech and Hearing Clinic will provide speech and hearing screenings for children and adults Nov. 7 in Aderhold Hall. Offered twice a year, the free screenings help identify issues such as stuttering, hearing loss, cognitive issues and swallowing disorders. All evaluations are an outreach service of the clinic, which is part of the College of Education. During the speech tests, subjects will be asked to point out familiar objects in pictures and describe them, while subjects taking the hearing tests will be checked for a range of sounds. All patients will leave with information about the results and resources for a follow-up, if necessary. The tests are conducted by graduate students in the communication sciences and disorders program and are part of the students’ required clinical experience. This allows the students to gain valuable experience with different personalities and testing situations. Those who suspect possible speech or hearing issues may make an appointment for either test by calling the UGA Speech and Hearing Clinic at 706-542-4598. More information about the clinic is available online at http://t.uga.edu/13a. Source: UGA College of Education
The UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication was ranked in the top 10 journalism schools for 2014. The Grady College was lauded for professors who help students and curriculum that encourages internship experience.
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10.
Missouri-Columbia Penn State North Carolina-Chapel Hill Western Kentucky Northwestern Indiana University-Bloomington Syracuse University UGA Maryland-College Park Arizona State University
Source: Collegemagazine.com
School of Social Work
School of Social Work discusses past, future at 50th anniversary celebration By Laurie Anderson laurie@uga.edu
Tributes, toasts and earnest dialogue about the future of social work education marked the School of Social Work’s 50th anniversary celebration, held Oct. 17-18 at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis. The theme of the celebration was “Reflecting on Our Past and Envisioning the Future.” Activities included a town hall forum, a gala dinner and a post-gala brunch reception. The Oct. 17 forum, which was open free to the public, consisted of two panel discussions. The first was moderated by Glenda A. Hatchett, Georgia’s first African-American chief presiding judge of a state court. Panelists were Nancy Kropf, associate dean for research and strategic planning and professor of social work at Georgia State University; Joseph H. Lumpkin Sr., chief of police for the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government; Antonio Molina, chair of the Latino Caucus of the Democratic Party of Georgia; and Michael Thurmond, superintendent of the DeKalb County School District. Panelists discussed and took questions from the audience on the challenges of educating social workers to meet the needs of the growing populations of the aged, youth in the juvenile justice system, Latino immigrants, and children and families in crisis. After a short break, a second panel composed of School of Social Work faculty members Jennifer Elkins, June Gary Hopps, Rebecca Matthew and Trisha Reeves continued the discussion with an emphasis on contemporary issues in social work education and practice. The faculty panel was moderated by
Laurie Anderson
From left, alumni Betty Bellairs, Allie Kilpatrick and David Boyle listen to a panel discussion on persistent and emerging issues in social work education. The Oct. 17 panel was held as part of the UGA School of Social Work’s 50th anniversary celebration at the Atlanta Marriott Marquis.
alumnus Fenwick Broyard III, executive director of the Athens-based nonprofit Community Connection. The gala dinner featured tributes and reminiscences from alumni and all three of the deans who guided the school across 50 years: founding Dean Charles A. Stewart, who served from 1964 to 1995; Bonnie Yegidis, who served from 1995 to 2003; and the current dean, Maurice C. Daniels, who has served since 2005. Cheryl Davenport Dozier, president of Savannah State University and a former faculty member of the school, served as master of ceremonies. Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, expressed her admiration for the school’s achievements and led a toast to its future. In attendance were two alumni from the first graduating class of 1966: Betty
Bellairs and Allie Kilpatrick. Four current students, representing each of the school’s degree programs—bachelor’s, master’s and doctorate in social work and master’s in nonprofit management —gave a lively presentation about the skills needed in their professions. Hatchett closed the program with a salute to the school. She praised social workers, citing her experiences as a juvenile court judge. “Tonight, more than anything else, I come to say thank you,” she said. “By doing what you do, you are making a change; you are causing transformational progress in the lives of children and generations yet to be born.” A portion of proceeds from the gala dinner benefited the Charles A. Stewart Scholarship, which provides financial support for graduate students.
willson center for humanities and arts
UGA Libraries
By Dave Marr
By Jean Cleveland
Book discussion Willson Center will host visits look at women by David Daley, Barry McGovern to in Georgia history davemarr@uga.edu
The Jane and Harry Willson Center for Humanities and Arts will host upcoming visits by a journalist and an actor. David Daley, editor-in-chief of Salon.com, will give a talk Nov. 7 at 10:10 a.m. in Studio 1 on the first floor of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Barry McGovern, an Irish stage, film and television actor, will give a reading from the poetry and prose of Samuel Beckett Nov. 10 at 8 p.m. at Ciné, 234 W. Hancock Ave. The inaugural Willson CenterGrady College Digital Media Fellow, Daley will give a talk titled “That’s Outrageous! Why the Internet Makes Us Mad All the Time—and Why That Might Be a Good Thing.” He will discuss what he calls a “culture of outrage” that has become prevalent in online journalism. An open question-and-answer session will follow the lecture. His visit is co-sponsored by the Willson Center and the Grady College. Daley was culture editor and executive editor of Salon, an online journal of news, politics, culture, technology and entertainment, before being named editor-in-chief in 2013. He is the former features editor of Details magazine and the former lifestyles manager of the Louisville Courier-Journal. He is also editor of the online literary journal FiveChapters. McGovern’s reading, which will be preceded by a reception and
book signing, is sponsored by the Consulate General of Ireland in Atlanta as part of the Willson Center’s programming for the UGA Spotlight on the Arts festival. It is open free David Daley to the public, but advance tickets are available at the Ciné box office or by calling 706-353-7377. McGovern has a long association w i t h B e c k e t t ’s work. With the Barry McGovern Gate Theatre in Dublin he has played Estragon and Vladimir in Waiting for Godot, Clov in Endgame and Willie in Happy Days. He also has played Lucky in Waiting for Godot, Krapp in Krapp’s Last Tape, Words in Words and Music, and directed All That Fall. “Barry McGovern is among the world’s leading interpreters of Samuel Beckett’s dramatic and literary works,” said Nicholas Allen, Franklin Professor of English and director of the Willson Center. “We are very lucky to share his presence in Athens during his current tour, which includes readings from Beckett’s newly published Collected Letters. Beckett was one of the 20th century’s great minds—humor, melancholy, and sympathy are three strands of his imagination.”
jclevela@uga.edu
The editors of a new volume of essays about women’s role in Georgia history will speak Nov. 11 at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. The talk, “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History: Georgia Women Shape the Twentieth Century,” will feature Kathleen Ann Clark, an associate professor of history at UGA, and Ann Short Chirhart of Indiana State University, who will discuss the collection Georgia Women: Their Lives and Times-Volume 2, at 3 p.m. in Room 285 of the Russell Special Collections Building. “Women were leading actors in 20th century developments in Georgia, yet most histories minimize their contributions,” said Lisa Bayer, director of UGA Press, which published both collections. “The essays in the second volume of Georgia Women vividly portray a wide array of Georgia women who played an important role in the state’s history, from little-known Progressive Era activists to famous present-day figures such as Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alice Walker and former first lady Rosalynn Carter.” A reception will follow the talk. The event is open free to the public. Copies of both volumes of essays will be available for purchase. This event is part of the UGA Spotlight on the Arts festival and is co-sponsored by the UGA Libraries and UGA Press.
RESEARCH news
columns.uga.edu Nov. 3, 2014
3
Digest Lecture to look at midterm elections
Peter Frey
Rodney Dishman, a professor of kinesiology in the College of Education, led a study that found a connection between a person’s cardiorespiratory fitness and sleeping ability.
Fit to sleep
College of Education study links declining fitness, sleep complaints among middle-aged adults By Molly Berg
mberg14@uga.edu
A new UGA study finds a link between a person’s fitness level—specifically cardiorespiratory fitness—and sleeping ability. Led by Rodney Dishman, a professor of kinesiology in the College of Education, the study featured in the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise analyzed data collected over 35 years. As people age, they risk losing their cardiorespiratory fitness, Dishman said. The longer adults can walk or run on a treadmill as speed and grade increases, the greater their cardiorespiratory fitness is. “When participants lost a minute on their treadmill time, they experienced a greater risk of sleeping problems,” Dishman said. “Our findings give an incentive for adults to maintain fitness and continue exercising.” The data, from the Aerobics Center Longitudinal Study, followed a group of over 8,000 men and women from 1971 to 2006. Their cardiorespiratory fitness was measured over four clinic visits, each separated by an average of two years. “This kind of study is novel,” Dishman said. “In the past, studies mostly
used self-reporting as a means of researching physical activity or measured fitness just once. However, this study closely examines the fitness changes in men and women over a long period of time using an objective measure of cardiorespiratory fitness.” Administered at the Cooper Clinic in Dallas, Texas, participants initially were given medical examinations and maximal graded treadmill exercise tests. The men and women, between the ages of 20 and 85, did not complain about sleeping problems during their first visit. Over time, a significant number of participants lost their cardiorespiratory fitness. By their second or third visits, they were no longer able to exercise on the treadmill like they could during their first visit. During a checkup with their physicians, participants were asked a series of questions about their health, including questions about difficulty sleeping. For each minute decrease in treadmill endurance between the ages of 51 and 56, sleep complaints increased 1.7 percent for men and 1.3 percent for women. Depending on an adult’s age, maintaining fitness may be difficult. Around age 45, adults will start losing fitness if
they aren’t exercising regularly. Dishman cites the Federal Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans for those looking to watch their cardiorespiratory fitness. “It says that adults should get 150 minutes of moderate physical activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity per week,” he said. “Examples include brisk walking for moderate activity and jogging, biking and swimming for vigorous activity.” If adults adhere to the standard guidelines of exercise, they’ll likely maintain cardiorespiratory fitness through middle age. “Staying active won’t cure sleep complaints, but it will reduce the odds of them,” Dishman said. “The more active you stay, the better off you’ll be.” T h e s t u d y, “ D e c l i n e i n Cardiorespiratory Fitness and Odds of Incident Sleep Complaints,” was supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health. Co-authors include Steven N. Blair and Xuemei Sui of the University of South Carolina, Timothy S. Church of the Pennington Biomedical Research Center and Shawn D. Youngstedt and Christopher E. Kline of the University of Pittsburgh.
Savannah river ecology laboratory
Research team to measure impact of Chernobyl on wildlife By Vicky L. Sutton-Jackson vsutton-j@uga.edu
The 1986 failure of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant spewed massive amounts of radioactive material into the environment, contaminating large swaths of land in Belarus, Russia and Ukraine. Nearly 30 years later, scientists still are working to evaluate the long-term effects of the disaster. Now, a team of researchers from UGA’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory is working within the 30-kilometer exclusion zone surrounding the former power station where they are using new technologies to assess the effects of radiation exposure on free-ranging wildlife living near the now dormant reactor. Associate research scientists Stacey
Lance and James Beasley as well as postdoctoral research associate Mike Bryne and UGA graduate students Cara Love and Sarah Webster will use the latest technology to obtain radiation exposure rates on free-ranging wildlife in the zone. Existing models for evaluating radiation in wildlife are based on the unreasonable assumption that animals receive a constant steady level of exposure, Lance said. In reality, radiative contaminants are not uniformly distributed within a landscape. “Thus the amount of radiation animals are exposed to can vary substantially as they move among habitats within their home range,” Beasley said. The larger the home range of an animal, the greater the variation in
radiation exposure. The group will spend up to nine weeks monitoring the health of wildlife and gathering data from a device that combines two forms of existing technology: a dosimeter, used to measure radiation dose rates, and a GPS tracking system for large animals. The two technologies are integrated to form a new monitoring device in a collar that is placed on wildlife. The researchers also are using remote cameras and scat surveys to estimate densities of carnivore species (including gray wolf, raccoon dogs and lynx) found within the zone. “Collectively, this research should greatly improve our knowledge of the range and variability in exposure that free-ranging wildlife experience in contaminated environments,” Lance said.
On the eve of the election, longtime federal government official Powell A. Moore will discuss “Washington Insights Over Half a Century: Midterm Elections in the Sixth Year of a Two-Term Presidency” Nov. 3 at 3:30 p.m. in Room 271 of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. The lecture will consider whether the Democrats will maintain control of the U.S. Senate or if control will shift to the Republican Party. Co-sponsored by the School of Public and International Affairs, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, the lecture is open free to the public. A UGA alumnus, Moore most recently served as representative of the U.S. secretary of defense to the Organization for Security and Cooperation (2006-2009). Active in public policy affairs in Washington, D.C., for more than 40 years, Moore also has served as assistant secretary of state for legislative affairs under President Ronald Reagan; on the White House staff under Presidents Nixon, Ford and Reagan; and as chief of staff for Sen. Fred Thompson of Tennessee.
UNC professor to deliver Ramsey Lecture
Kevin Guskiewicz, a faculty member at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, will give the 2014 Bernard R. Ramsey Lecture Nov. 5 at 7 p.m. in the theatre and atrium of the Tate Student Center. Open free to the public, the lecture will be followed by a reception at 8:30 p.m. The founding director of UNC’s Matthew Gfeller Sport-Related Traumatic Brain Injury Research Center, Guskiewicz will discuss “Making Sport Safer Through Innovative Science.” A 2011 recipient of a MacArthur Foundation Genius Award for his work on sport concussion, Guskiewicz also is director of UNC’s Center for the Study of Retired Athletes. The Ramsey Lecture series is sponsored by the College of Education.
Poet to give reading at Lyndon House
The Georgia Review will host a Georgia Poetry Circuit reading by internationally acclaimed poet, translator and editor Sholeh Wolpé Nov. 7 at 7 p.m. at the Lyndon House Arts Center. The event, which is open free to the public, is part of UGA’s Spotlight on the Arts festival. Wolpé was born in Iran and spent her teen years in Trinidad and the U.K. before settling in the U.S. She is the recipient of a 2013 Midwest Book Award and the 2010 Lois Roth Persian Translation Prize. Her eight books include her most recent collection, Keeping Time with Blue Hyacinths. Wolpé will visit Athens as one of the stops on her statewide Georgia Poetry Circuit tour.
Lecturer to discuss wartime women
Paula R. Backscheider, the Philpott-Stevens Eminent Scholar at Auburn University, will deliver a lecture focusing on the representations of women during wartime. “Crisis Texts: Staging the Wartime Woman” is part of the Georgia Colloquium in 18th- and 19th-Century British Literature. Open free to the public, the lecture will be held Nov. 11 at 4:30 p.m. in Room 265 of Park Hall. The lasting, iconic images of many wars are of women. Throughout history, including today, women are captives, hostages, casualties, fighters and objects of propaganda. Offering a brief tour of some of the women who are “crisis texts” created in the 18th century, Backscheider’s talk will identify some resonant examples and core similarities that continue into the present. Backscheider specializes in Restoration and 18th-century literature, feminist criticism and cultural studies. The lecture is supported by the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts and the Franklin College of Arts and Science’s English department’s Rodney Baine Lecture Fund.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE STATEMENT Columns (USPS 020-024) is published weekly during the academic year and biweekly during the summer for the faculty and staff of the University of Georgia by the UGA News Service. Periodicals postage is paid in Athens, Georgia. Postmaster: Send off-campus address changes to Columns, UGA News Service, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Athens, GA 30602-1999.
For a complete listing of events 7 8 5 at the University of Georgia, check the Master Calendar on the Web (calendar.uga.edu/). I
The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified. Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.
UGAGUIDE
Georgia Museum of Art to present ‘Music on Film’ series
EXHIBITIONS
Jiman Choi: Traces of Silence. Through Nov. 6. Gallery 307, Lamar Dodd School of Art. 773-965-1689, kgeha@uga.edu.
Landscapes of the Hereafter: Three Historic Cemeteries in Athens, Ga. Through Nov. 7. Circle Gallery.
By Eva Chamberlain etcuga@uga.edu
The Georgia Museum of Art will present the “Music on Film” series in conjunction with the exhibitions Boxers and Backbeats: Tomata du Plenty and the West Coast Punk Scene and The . . . of E6, part of Athens Celebrates Elephant 6. Open free to the public, all films will begin at 7 p.m. in the museum’s M. Smith Griffith Auditorium. On Nov. 6, the museum will present The Past is a Grotesque Animal, a 2014 documentary that presents a personal portrait of Kevin Barnes, frontman of the Athens-based band of Montreal. The film looks at Barnes and his pursuit of making transcendent music and how that pursuit drives him to value art over human relationships. The film follows Barnes’ struggle with family and bandmates as he is forced to reconsider the future of the band. Fans of the indie pop band pledged $100,000 to fund the film’s production through a Kickstarter campaign. On Nov. 20, the 1986 film Population: 1 will be shown. The punk rock musical stars Tomata du Plenty, singer of the 1970s band The Screamers, as the sole survivor of a nuclear apocalypse. To send off the world’s last empire, du Plenty gives a twisted one-man history lesson that eerily anticipates both the future music video era and present-day world conflicts.The film features members of Los Lobos, Vampira, Fluxus artist Al Hansen and his Grammy-winning grandson Beck, among many other artists. Lynn Boland, the Pierre Daura Curator of European Art at the museum, will lead a gallery talk of both related exhibitions before the screening of The Past is a Grotesque Animal on Nov. 6 at 5:30 p.m.
XL. Through Nov. 16. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu. Wild Flowers, Wild Places. Through Nov. 23. Visitor Center and Conservatory, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu. An Archaeologist’s Eye: The Parthenon Drawings of Katherine A. Schwab. Through Dec. 7. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu. Kathleen Battle will perform Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. She will be joined by UGA’s Hodgson Singers and choir members from area churches.
Performing Arts Center to present Kathleen Battle By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present soprano Kathleen Battle Nov. 9 at 3 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The five-time Grammy winner will perform The Underground Railroad, a program of spirituals and hymns celebrating the roots of AfricanAmerican freedom. She will be joined by UGA’s Hodgson Singers and choir members from Hill Chapel Baptist Church, Timothy Baptist Church and Ebenezer Baptist Church, West. Tickets for the concert are $50-$75 with discounts for UGA students.They can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400. The Washington Post has called Battle’s voice “without qualification,
one of the very few most beautiful in the world.” She has performed leading roles with opera companies throughout the world. For her Covent Garden debut as Zerbinetta in Ariadne auf Naxos, she became the first American to be honored with a Laurence Olivier Award for best performance in a new opera production. Battle has performed for presidents and dignitaries and has made television appearances as an ambassador for classical music. Her performance on the PBS broadcast of the Metropolitan Opera’s 1991 season opening gala won her an EmmyAward for outstanding individual achievement in a classical program. The concert is part of Spotlight on the Arts at UGA, a nine-day celebration of the arts. For more information, visit arts.uga.edu.
Saxophone Extravaganza to be held Nov. 8 By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Saxophone Extravaganza Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The concert is part of the Saturday Morning Club series designed for children ages 4 through 12, their parents and grandparents. The Saxophone Extravaganza will feature student performers from the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of
Music in a concert celebrating the 200th birthday of Adolphe Sax, the Belgian musical instrument designer who invented the saxophone. Tickets for the concert are $6 for children and $10 for adults. They can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400. The Saturday Morning Club Saxophone Extravaganza is part of Spotlight on the Arts at UGA, a nineday celebration of the arts. For more information, visit arts.uga.edu.
Charles Adron Farris III
aaronlk@uga.edu
By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The Performing Arts Center will present Red Priest on the Noontime Concert Series Nov. 11 at the Chapel. The concert is open free to UGA faculty, staff and students. Red Priest is a unique Baroque quartet that has been compared in the press to the Rolling Stones, Jackson Pollock, the Marx Brothers and Cirque du Soliel. The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette said, “Any group that can make you rethink a masterpiece and also make it fun is rare indeed.”
The Noontime Concert Series is a new program created by the Performing Arts Center for UGA employees and students. Each concert will feature musicians who are in Athens to perform for the classical music series at the Performing Arts Center as well as performers from UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music. The concerts begin at noon and last approximately 50 minutes. They are designed to encourage colleagues and students from across campus to come together and enjoy music during their lunch hour.
Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s Master Calendar, maintained by University Public Affairs. Notices are published here as space permits, with priority given to items of multidisciplinary interest. The Master Calendar is available on the Web at calendar.uga.edu/.
The ... of E6, part of Athens Celebrates Elephant Six. Through Jan. 4. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu.
University Theatre will present The Great Gatsby Nov. 6-8 and Nov. 12-14 at 8 p.m. with matinee performances Nov. 9 and 16 at 2:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre. Adapted for the stage by Simon Levy from F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic novel, the University Theatre production will be directed by T. Anthony Marotta, an assistant professor in the theatre and film studies department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Tickets are $16, $12 for students. They can be purchased at www. drama.uga.edu/box-office, by phone at 706-542-4400 or in person at the Performing Arts Center box office or Tate Student Center ticket window. A self-made millionaire and the socialite he loves personify the Jazz Age in this new adaptation of Fitzgerald’s famous novel of glamour, greed and excess. Well bred but of modest means, Nick Carraway journeys into the world of Long Island’s idle rich during the Roaring ’20s and encounters the titular self-made millionaire Gatsby, who is yearning for Nick’s aristocratic—and already married— cousin Daisy.
fall Recital The UGA Tuba-Euphonium Ensemble. 3:35 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, musicpr@uga.edu. Lecture “Alternative Modernities: Mapping Modernism from the Margins,” E.V. Ramakrishnan, Central University of Gujarat. Part of the Franklin College International Faculty Exchange. 5 p.m. S150 Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-2185, srosenb@uga.edu.
UGA Hockey vs. Georgia Tech. $7-$25. 7 p.m. Classic Center, 300 N. Thomas St.
Emilio Pucci in America. Through Feb. 1. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu. Food, Power and Politics: The Story of School Lunch. Through May 15. Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Terra Verte. Through May 31. Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden, Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 3 Lecture “Washington Insights Over Half a Century: Midterm Elections in the Sixth Year of a Two-Term Presidency,” Powell A. Moore. 3:30 p.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-542-9661, dbrazzel@uga.edu. (See Digest, page 3).
Opera Theatre Hansel and Gretel. Also to be performed Nov. 6-7. $18; $5 with a UGA student ID. 7:30 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752, musicpr@uga.edu. Guest Lecture “Animal Experimentation and the Law,” Ryan Merkley, associate director of research policy for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and Mark Kennedy, director of legal affairs for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. 7:30 p.m. 148 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796, sos@uga.edu.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 6
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4
“The Great Gatsby” will be performed Nov. 6-8 and Nov. 12-14 at 8 p.m., with matinee performances Nov. 9 and 16 at 2:30 p.m.
Staff Council meeting Guest speaker: Tim Chester, UGA vice president for information technology. 2:30 p.m. 250 Miller Learning Center.
Ramsey Lecture “Making Sport Safer Through Innovative Science,” Kevin Guskiewicz, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. Reception to follow. 7 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre. 706-542-4230. (See Digest, page 3).
Recital Pianist Javier Perianes. $28. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400, ugaarts@uga.edu.
By Aaron Kelly
Nov. 11 Noontime Concert Series to feature Red Priest performance
Boxers and Backbeats: Tomata du Plenty and the West Coast Punk Scene. Through Jan. 4. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu.
Recital The Verismo Trio. 5 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, musicpr@uga.edu.
University Theatre to present ‘The Great Gatsby’ during UGA’s Spotlight on the Arts
Red Priest will perform Nov. 11 at noon in the Chapel. The performance is part of the Noontime Concert Series.
Vince Dooley: A Retrospective, 1954-1988. Through Dec. 15. Special collections libraries. 706-542-7123, hasty@uga.edu.
Ecology/ICON Conservation Seminar “Forest Mosaics, Governance and REDD (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation): Carbon Complexities,” Julie Velasquez Runk, anthropology. 1:25 p.m. Ecology building auditorium. 706-542-7247, bethgav@uga.edu.
Workshop “Creating Inclusive Classroom Environments: Exploring Student Demographics in the Context of Pedagogy.” Chris Linder. 1 p.m. Instructional Plaza. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu.
Scholarship Reception The Disability Resource Center and its guests will recognize the 2014 recipients of scholarships for students with disabilities. 3:30 p.m. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center. 706-542-8719, molli@uga.edu. Author Talk “DARKROOM: A Graphic Memoir on Immigration and Race,” Lila Quintero Weaver. Weaver is the author of the award-winning graphic novel Darkroom: A Memoir in Black and White. 5 p.m. 171 Park Hall. bmccaski@uga.edu. fall Concert The UGA Jazz Band. 6 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, musicpr@uga.edu.
Ecology Seminar “Community Structure and Ecological Specialization in Plant-Ant Interactions,” Paola Barriga, a visiting postdoctoral Fellow in the Odum School of Ecology. 4 p.m. Ecology building auditorium. 706-542-7247, bethgav@uga.edu. Lecture “Narratives of Memory: Representations of the Other in Postcolonial Indian Fiction,” E.V. Ramakrishnan, Central University of Gujarat. Part of the Franklin College International Faculty Exchange. 4 p.m. 147 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-1261, santesso@uga.edu. Visiting Artist/Scholar Lecture Janice Kerbel. 5:30 p.m. S151 Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-0116, michelleegas@uga.edu. Class “Medicinal Salves and Lotions.” $30. 6 p.m. Visitor Center’s Classroom 2, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 5 Workshop “Preparing Your Data Management Plans with DMP Tool.” 9 a.m. 348 Miller Learning Center. This workshop also will be offered from 1-3 p.m. in Room 175 of the Coverdell Center. 706-542-6643, mariann@uga.edu. Vice President for Instruction Finalist Presentation A presentation by Rahul Shrivastav, a professor and chair of the department of communicative sciences and disorders at Michigan State University. 9:30 a.m. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center.
Lecture “War and Global Environmental Change,” James W. Porter, Odum School of Ecology. Part of the Anthropocene Lecture Series. 7 p.m. Chapel. 706-542-1693, biomngr@uga.edu. Men’s Basketball Exhibition game vs. Georgia Southwestern. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum. 706-542-1231. Film** The Birds (1963). $2; $1 for students with valid UGACards. 8 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre. Part of Alfred Hitchcock Film Festival. 706-542-6396.
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 7 Men’s Tennis Bulldog Scramble Through Nov. 9. Dan Magill Tennis Complex. 706-542-1621. Film** North by Northwest (1959). $2; $1 for students with valid UGACards. To be shown at 3, 6 and 9 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre. Part of Alfred Hitchcock Film Festival. 706-542-6396.
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journalism building. wsmith78@uga.edu. (See story, page 2).
in the arts conducted by graduate students at UGA.
Lecture “Y’all Wear Dresses to Football Games? The Performance of Femininity on Game Day in the SEC,” Mardi Schmeichel, Chris Linder and Stacey Kerr. Part of the Women’s Studies Friday Speaker Series. 12:20 p.m. 250 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-2846, tlhat@uga.edu.
DJs in the Dining Hall** 6 p.m., Snelling Dining Hall with WUOG disc jockey Sean Polite.
Geography Colloquium “State of the Climate: Science, Data and Monitoring,” Deke Arndt, climate monitoring branch chief at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Climatic Data Center. 3:15 p.m. 200C Geography and Geology. 706-542-2856. Documentary Screening A screening of Iron Horse followed by a discussion and reception. 4 p.m. Special collections libraries auditorium. 706-542-3879, lnessel@uga.edu. Poetry Reading* Sholeh Wolpé, an Iranian-born poet, translator and editor will read from her work. 7 p.m. Lyndon House Arts Center, 293 Hoyt St. 706-542-0397, davidi@uga.edu. (See Digest, page 3).
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 8 Film** Rear Window (1954). $2; $1 for students with valid UGACards. 3, 6 and 9 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre. Part of Alfred Hitchcock Film Festival. 706-542-6396. Instrumental Petting Zoo* Participants will explore which instrument fits them best at the UGA Community Music School Petting Zoo. 10 a.m. Band Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 706-542-2894, ugacms@uga.edu. Concert* ** Spotlight • Slingshot concert featuring five local and national acts, many including UGA graduates and attendees. 4 p.m., College Square.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 9 Film** Vertigo (1958). $2; $1 for students with valid UGACards. 3, 6 and 9 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre. Part of Alfred Hitchcock Film Festival. 706-542-6396. UGA Hockey vs. U.S. Armed Forces. $7-$25. 1:30 p.m. Classic Center, 300 N. Thomas St. pre-Induction events* Georgia Writers Hall of Fame inductee Mary Hood will read from selected works at 2 p.m. At 4 p.m., Hood and playwright Alfred Uhry, also an inductee, will participate in a panel discussion. At 7:30 p.m. UGA’s theatre and film studies department will present a staged reading of Uhry’s Tony Awardwinning play The Last Night of Ballyhoo. An exhibit honoring the authors also will be on display. Special collections libraries auditorium. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu. Volleyball vs. Arkansas. 2 p.m. Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-1621.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 10 Vice President for Instruction Finalist Presentation Presentation by Robin Wright, candidate for UGA vice president for instruction. Wright is a professor and head of the department of biology teaching and learning and senior associate dean for undergraduate initiatives at the University of Minnesota. 9:30 a.m. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center. Experience UGA Field Trip** 10 a.m Stegeman Coliseum. As part of the Experience UGA field trip, students in Emily Sahakian’s Community-Based Theatre class will introduce 10th-grade students to theater for social change.
Speech and Hearing Screenings 9 a.m. 593 Aderhold Hall. 706-542-4598. (See News to Use, page 2).
Induction Ceremony* The annual induction of new members of the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, based at UGA Libraries, will be held for Mary Hood, Alfred Uhry and the late Olive Ann Burns. An exhibit honoring the authors also will be on display. 10 a.m. Special collections libraries auditorium. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu.
Friends First Friday RSVP to 706-542-9353 by Nov. 5. $12. 9 a.m. Visitor Center’s Gardenside Room, State Botanical Garden. mmccoy1@uga.edu.
Guest Lecture “Beckett’s Crossing,” Nels Pearson, Fairfield University. 3 p.m. 148 Miller Learning Center. wsmith78@uga.edu.
Guest Lecture “That’s Outrageous! Why the Internet Makes Us Mad All the Time—and Why That Might Be a Good Thing,” David Daley, editor-inchief of Salon.com. 10:10 a.m. Studio 1,
Scholarship competition** 4 minutes 33 seconds: 5 p.m., Chapel. The event, which will award two prizes of $433 each, will give the campus community insight into the scholarship and research
To submit a listing for the master calendar and columns Post event information first to the Master Calendar website (calendar.uga.edu/). Listings for Columns are taken from the Master Calendar 12 days before the publication date. Events not posted by then may not be printed in Columns.
columns.uga.edu Nov. 3, 2014
Any additional information about the event may be sent directly to Columns. Email is preferred (columns@uga.edu), but materials can be mailed to Columns, News Service, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Campus Mail 1999.
Short Play Readings** 7 p.m., 201 Fine Arts Building. Athens Playwrights’ Workshop will present 10-minute play readings for the Spotlight on the Arts festival. JohnPatrickBray@yahoo. com. Preferred Parking Comedy Tour** $5; free for students with valid UGACards. 7 p.m., Tate Theatre. Documentary Screening COWSPIRACY: The Sustainability Secret. 7 p.m. 171 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796, sos@uga.edu. Poetry Reading* Irish stage, film and television actor Barry McGovern will give a reading from the poetry and prose of Samuel Beckett in a special appearance sponsored by the Consulate General of Ireland in Atlanta. 8 p.m. Ciné, 234 W. Hancock Ave. wsmith78@uga.edu. (See story, page 2). Thalian BlackFriars** Through Nov. 11. 8 p.m., Cellar Theatre, Fine Arts building. The student-run theatrical company will perform Fright Night, two one-act shows featuring the classic stories of Dracula and Frankenstein.
Coming Up Experience UGA 10th-Grade Field Trip** Nov. 11. 10 a.m. Stegeman Coliseum. Concert** Nov. 12. SCREAM, the Students Composers for the Research of Electronic and ElectroAcoustic Music, will present a concert of graduate students’ music. 6 p.m., Dancz Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. DJs in the Dining Hall** Nov. 12. 6 p.m., Snelling Dining Hall with WUOG disc jockey Trevor Adams. Collegetown Gospel Choir** Nov. 12. 7 p.m., Location to be announced. Film** Nov. 12. The Muslims Are Coming! $5; free for students with valid UGACards. 7 p.m, Tate Student Center Theatre. The film follows the travels of a group of MuslimAmerican comedians as they visit big cities and small towns to combat what they call “Islamophobia.” UGA’s Children’s Theatre Troupe** Nov. 13. 10 a.m. Caity Johnson’s play: Parrot: A Folktale. Join Mirabella as she defeats evil witches and wizards, saves princesses and princes, learns magic spells, escapes from dark dungeons and soars through the skies. “Conduct Us”** Nov. 13. Noon. This is for those who have ever wondered what a conductor of a musical ensemble does or ever wanted to give it a try. The internationally acclaimed Hodgson Wind Ensemble is at the ready and waiting for participants. They will provide the music; participants will provide the inspiration. solo performance** Nov. 13. Singer-songwriter Kimberly Simpson will perform a set of original compositions. 1:30 p.m. Tate Student Center Plaza. Improv Athens** Nov. 13. Improv Athens, an improvisational comedy group based out of UGA, will perform an hour of improv, ranging from short form Whose-Line-Is-It-Anyway-type games to more lengthy long form improv comedy scenes. 2:30 p.m. Tate Student Center Plaza. Black Theatrical Ensemble** Nov. 13. A performing arts student group. 3:30 p.m. Tate Student Center Plaza. Next Act** Nov. 13. A performing arts student group. 4 p.m. Tate Student Center Plaza. Saxophone Studio Flash Mob** Nov. 14. 1:25 p.m. East Campus, Ramsey, Georgia Museum of Art. Live music in unexpected places and performers emerging from behind walls and staircases. conniefrigo@gmail.com. *A 2014 Spotlight on the Arts event **A 2014 Student Spotlight on the Arts event
Next columns deadlines Nov. 5 (for Nov. 17 issue) Nov. 12 (for Dec. 1 issue) Nov. 19 (for Dec. 8 issue)
6 Nov. 3, 2014 columns.uga.edu
campus closeup
Powered performer
A Huffington Post article about the different uses of robots featured the work of David Saltz, head of Franklin College’s theatre and film studies department. In 2012, Saltz worked with Chi Thai, an associate professor in the College of Engineering, to present Commedia Robotica, a performance that starred a foot-tall robot named Zeeb Zob. According to the article, the robot had been trained to perform Commedia dell’arte, a highly stylized form of classical Italian theater. “Our goal was to teach the robot to be a good actor,” Saltz said. The article mentioned that Saltz and others are working on a new generation of robots that will have the ability to perform autonomously and learn from interactions. “Acting is reacting,” Saltz was quoted as saying. “For me, the holy grail is to create robots that respond dynamically to their environment.”
Interning income
Lee Becker, a professor of journalism at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and director of the college’s James M. Cox Jr. Center for International Mass Communication Training and Research, spoke about internships in an article published in The Economist. Becker, who earned money working at the Kentucky Post and the Wichita Eagle-Beacon in the 1960s, said there was a presumption they were going to get paid. He said that isn’t always the case now. “These days, no one is going to pay if they don’t have to,” Becker said.
Trial-ing times
Ron Carlson, holder of the Fuller E. Callaway Chair of Law Emeritus at the School of Law, told CBS News he hopes the trial involving Atlanta Public School educators indicted in a school cheating scandal will bring some clarity to the situation. Carlson said he suspects some of the defendants will argue former district superintendent Beverly Hall is responsible. “The main question is will the jury buy that?” Carlson said. “If there are a number of acquittals based on the defense that the superintendent made us do this, things will remain clouded for a while.”
Voter changes
Charles S. Bullock, the Richard B. Russell Professor of Political Science in the School of Public and International Affairs, was quoted in a Washington Post article discussing issues that have risen ahead of the Nov. 4 election. The article referenced the number of new voters registered to vote during this cycle and discussed how an increased minority turnout in November could tip the scale in the gubernatorial race between Gov. Nathan Deal and Jason Carter as well as the U.S. Senate race between David Perdue and Michelle Nunn. “When you talk to Republican campaign operatives, yeah, they’re quite worried” about the impact of growth in minority turnout, Bullock told the newspaper. “They know the Georgia electorate isn’t going to become whiter.” Bullock also said controversies surrounding voter registration and voter rolls could benefit both parties. “An awful lot of this is to mobilize the base,” he said.
Paul Efland
Wendy Glenn, a senior parking monitor for Parking Services, talks with a driver exiting the South Campus parking deck. Glenn received the Staff Member of the Year Award at the annual International Parking Institute Conference and Expo.
Face time: Parking monitor focuses on making positive impressions By Matt Chambers mattdc@uga.edu
For many, Wendy Glenn is the first and last person they see on campus. As a senior parking monitor at the South Campus parking deck, Glenn interacts with hundreds of faculty, staff, students, parents and visitors each week. “I’m always trying to give a positive impression of the university, of Athens and of Parking Services so that when you go away, you go away with a pleasant memory of your experience here,” Glenn said. “And it’s not just me, but all parking monitors are ambassadors.” Glenn’s reputation as an ambassador grew earlier this year when she received the Staff Member of the Year Award at the annual International Parking Institute Conference and Expo. The award is given each year to a member of the parking industry who exemplifies professionalism and outstanding customer service by going above and beyond the duties in his or her job description. “Since it is truly an international award, it was kind of overwhelming to think that out of everyone who was nominated, I won,” said Glenn, who traveled to Texas to attend the conference and accept the award. “To know that I was chosen from all those wonderfully qualified people was just so exciting.” In addition to the interna-
tional award, Glenn was named the 2014 Parking Association of Georgia’s Staff Member of the Year. That award is given to the parking employee who has most contributed to the citizens of Georgia in the last year. Glenn, a Macon native and UGA alumna, started working at UGA more than three years ago after having worked in retail management and customer service. Those experiences carry over today. Glenn attributes her success at providing quality customer service to a desire to make connections with those with whom she interacts. “We have the (residence halls) behind us at South Deck, so we’ve got residents who park with us, there’s also faculty and staff, students who pay to park, conference attendees and others,” she said. “No matter who it is, I want to put them at ease and establish a relationship.” Glenn said she tailors her interactions based on each person. For repeat visitors attending an annual conference, she’ll ask how things have been going since she saw them last. For those taking training courses on campus, she’ll discuss what they’ve learned. For parents of students, Glenn plays an even more comforting role. “I establish a relationship so that the parents look for me and the kids know they can come to me for whatever they need,” she said. “Hopefully, it makes
Facts Wendy Glenn Senior Parking Monitor Parking Services Finance and Administration Division B.B.A., Business Administration, UGA, 1981 At UGA: Three years
them realize that, even in this big place, there’s somebody here who cares.” Outside of her regular role, Glenn also serves as the co-leader of the Integrated Processes Team, a special projects team that supports Parking Services management’s strategic plan. She also is involved in Parking Services’ special events and is a member of the Finance and Administration Recognition Committee. “It’s been wonderful to be part of the team that is Parking Services,” Glenn said. “I love that we all support and look out for each other.” Whether she’s working special events such as football and basketball games or repainting railings in a parking deck, Glenn said her focus stays on providing great customer service. “If you break it all down, that’s what this position is, customer service,” she said. “That’s what we’re here for; we’re here to serve the students and anyone else who comes to campus.”
terry college of business
University mourns passing of Terry College faculty member Gregory A. Trandel, an associate professor of economics in the Terry College of Business, died Oct. 21. He was 52. A native of Chicago, Trandel received a bachelor’s degree in economics from the University of Illinois in Urbana-Champaign in 1984, where he played the trombone in the marching band. He earned a doctorate in economics from Princeton University in 1992. A faculty member at UGA since 1989, he was honored with the Swift Award for Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching. He recently celebrated his 25th year of teaching at the university, where he taught courses on microeconomics, public finance and game theory.
Trandel is survived by his wife, M argaret Jean Trandel; daught e r, E l i z a b e t h Treacy Trandel; sons, Philip James Trandel and Luke Edward Trandel; and mother, Lois Schwerdtfeger. Gregory Trandel A lifelong Chicago Cubs fan, Trandel participated for many years in Athens Little League as a coach, treasurer and enthusiastic parent supporting both of his sons on the field. He was actively involved in Clarke
County public schools for 20 years, supporting Philip on the Clarke Central Gladiators baseball team and M argaret as a teacher in the school district. Trandel will be remembered by his family and friends as a devoted fan of the local music scene, frequently attending shows in downtown Athens. He was also a trivia enthusiast, attending trivia nights with friends and volunteering his time reading questions at high school academic tournaments. The family welcomed friends on Nov. 2 at Ciné in downtown Athens. A private memorial service will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Trandel’s memory to AIDS Athens or Ciné.
Student Profile
columns.uga.edu Nov. 3, 2014
A head start
CAES
Georgia agricultural leadership program graduates first class
First-year student comes to UGA with accomplished environmental résumé
By J. Merritt Melancon jmerritt@uga.edu
By Aaron Hale
aahale@uga.edu
Many students enroll at UGA dreaming of making a difference and becoming leaders. Charles Orgbon III, a first-year student from Dacula, got a head start—beginning classes in the fall already having founded an environmental nonprofit with a global reach, written op-ed columns for The Huffington Post and been recognized with a BET 365Black Award. Orgbon, founder and CEO of the youth environmental group Greening Forward, found his calling as an environmentalist during a fifth-grade school assignment. As a required service project, he organized efforts to pick up litter at his school. Troubled by the trash people thoughtlessly left behind for others to clean up, he wanted to do something about it. “It turned into a passion,” Orgbon said. He started a student club for beautification projects and began blogging about environmentalism. Those undertakings turned into Greening Forward, an organization that now partners with young people around the world to provide environmental curriculum resources, grant programs and mentorship opportunities. “We fund and train young people to lead environmental service projects in their communities,” Orgbon said. Greening Forward has supported youth-led programs for such efforts as recycling, composting, planting trees and installing rain barrels. During a TEDx presentation in Atlanta last year, Orgbon told his audience, “My belief is simple: If you give young people the resources and tools they need, they can create community change.” In his role as CEO and chief fundraiser, Orgbon has helped lead negotiations to partner with major corporations, foundations and other nonprofits to further the cause for environmentalism.
weekly reader
Jasper Johns: Phaidon Focus By Isabelle Loring Wallace Phaidon $22.95
Courtney Rosen
Charles Orgbon III, a first-year student from Dacula, founded an environmental nonprofit with a global reach, wrote op-ed columns for “The Huffington Post” and was recognized with a BET 365Black Award.
Greening Forward has partnered with Wells Fargo, Ben and Jerry’s, State Farm, Levi’s and musician Jack Johnson. Since 2009, the organization raised more than $150,000 for its initiatives. Orgbon said one of the most surreal moments during his efforts was getting a kiss from R&B legend Gladys Knight when he received the BET 365Black Award in 2013. Out of a desire to further his education while continuing his leadership at the nonprofit, Orgbon chose to earn his degree at UGA. He is studying environmental economics and management in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Orgbon first was introduced to UGA in high school through the
Book surveys career of influential artist
Jasper Johns is widely accepted as one of the most significant and influential artists to emerge in America in the post-war period. Johns was at the heart of a generation of American artists who helped to shape 20th-century art, paving the way for many of the major movements—from pop art to conceptualism—that followed. Jasper Johns: Phaidon Focus, written by Isabelle Loring Wallace, an associate professor of contemporary art in UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art, spans the artist’s prolific career from the early flag and target paintings—which were central to establishing his reputation as a major young artist in the mid-1950s and have since become icons of 20th century art—to the compelling compositions of the recent Catenary series.
Young Scholar Internship Program, through CAES. He stayed at Myers Hall for a few weeks and enjoyed the campus life. “UGA started to feel like home,” he said. He is the 2014 recipient of the Black Alumni Scholarship, which is sponsored by the Alumni Association and given to a first-year student who exhibits dedication to racial equality. Orgbon plans to continue his environmental work through his education at UGA, but he’s found other interests on campus, too. The self-described “history geek” spends free time looking over documents at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.
“That has nothing to do with my major, but for fun I will spend hours in that library,” Orgbon said. He has been doing independent research on Charlayne HunterGault and the late Hamilton Holmes, the first African-American students to enroll at UGA. He credits his interest in that research to the Office of Institutional Diversity, where he is a student worker. Orgbon said he is fascinated by what Hunter-Gault, Holmes and others endured to help pave the road for African-American students to attend UGA. If his achievements so far are any indication, Orgbon could be well on his way to paving a new road for young people to follow in environmental advocacy.
After spending two years learning about Georgia’s largest industry and developing leadership skills, the inaugural class of Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry has graduated from the program. College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty launched Advancing Georgia’s Leaders in Agriculture and Forestry, or AGL, in 2012. The program is designed to educate and empower Georgia’s agricultural and natural resource industry leaders to become effective advocates for the largest economic drivers in Georgia—the state’s agricultural and forestry industries. Thirteen industry leaders spent the last two years touring farms and processing plants, traveling throughout the state and across the nation. They also spent two weeks in India learning about Georgia agriculture’s role in the global economy. “This class has shared in a journey that has covered many counties in Georgia, multiple states and a foreign country,” said Elliot Marsh, a precision agriculture coordinator at Southern States Cooperative and the AGL advisory board chairman. “These graduates already are making an impact in our communities and the state of Georgia. I believe that their experiences will play a tremendous role in Georgia’s agriculture community for many years to come.” Graduates of the first AGL class include Mark Risse, the UGA Georgia Power Professor of Water Resources and director of the UGA Marine Extension Service; Brent Allen, UGA Extension in Washington County; Brandon Ashley, Georgia Farm Bureau Federation; Sarah Cook, Center of Innovation for Agribusiness; Steven Gibson, CAES Business Office; Jennifer Harris, White Oak Pastures; Jutt Howard, North Georgia Turf; Jesse Johnson, Southern Land Exchange; Duane Myers, Kroger; Tate Izlar O’Rouke, U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s Office; Amanda Tedrow, UGA Extension in Clarke County; Rebecca Thomas, UGA Extension in Chattooga County; and Derick Wooten, Rocky Hammock Farms.
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Cybersights
Columns is available to the campus community by subscription for an annual fee of $20 (second-class delivery) or $40 (first-class delivery). Faculty and staff members with a disability may call 706-542-8017 for assistance in obtaining this publication in an alternate format. Columns staff can be reached at 706-542-8017 or columns@uga.edu
Editor Juliett Dinkins Art Director Kris Barratt
Safe and Secure report online
Photo Editor Paul Efland
http://safeandsecure.uga.edu/index.html UGA’s annual security report is now available. The report is required by federal law and contains policy statements and crime statistics for the university. The statements address the school’s policies, procedures and programs concerning safety and security. Three years of statistics are included for certain types of crimes
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Senior Reporter Aaron Hale
that were reported to have occurred on campus, in or on off-campus buildings or property owned or controlled by the university and on public property within or immediately adjacent to the campus. A paper copy of the report also may be requested from the Division of Public Affairs by calling 706-542-8090.
Reporter Matt Chambers The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. The University of Georgia is a unit of the University System of Georgia. I
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8 Nov. 3, 2014 columns.uga.edu
GRANT from page 1
Paul Efland
DIGGING IN—Crews working on the future site of the 122,500-square-foot Science Learning
Center recently completed four weeks of rock blasting for the project. The center’s 33 instructional labs will be designed specifically for interactive learning in core undergraduate science courses. The facility will contain two 280-seat lecture halls and two 72-seat SCALE-UP classrooms.
STURGEON
from page 1
Service listed them as an endangered species in 2012, but that decision has been controversial and unpopular, Peterson said, because of the strict rules in place that commercial fisheries must follow if one is accidentally caught in a net and because of the detailed management plans state agencies must enact to deal with situations involving the Atlantic sturgeon bycatch. The imperiled fish are found along the East Coast as far as Canada, but only those populations south of Maine are considered endangered. Peterson’s project will focus on the Ogeechee, Satilla and Altamaha rivers because these three Georgia waterways are considered the “barometer of recovery,” Peterson said. The project has three primary objectives, the first of which is to find out how many sturgeon are being born in the Ogeechee and Satilla rivers. Populations in these two rivers have been particularly low, while those in the Altamaha River appear to have recovered. Peterson also will compare the quality of juvenile nursery habitats in the Ogeechee and Satilla rivers to those of the Altamaha River. The Altamaha River population has had a tremendous resurgence in recent years, growing from less than a thousand of these young juveniles in 2004 to nearly 7,000 in 2012. By
comparing how the year-old sturgeon in the Ogeechee and Satilla rivers are doing with those in the Altamaha River, Peterson can determine if there is something about the nursery habitats in those other rivers that could be limiting recovery of their population. Peterson plans to tag some of the year-old sturgeon he catches with acoustic “pingers” that will allow his team to track where they go, when they go there and for how long. One of the most complex parts of the project involves DNA “fingerprinting” of the sturgeon. Peterson’s project plans to take samples from juvenile sturgeon before they leave their natal rivers to help correct these potential errors in the genetic database. Ultimately, Peterson said, the results of this project should help improve the quality of the genetic database for the species. Peterson is working on the project with Isaac Wirgin, an associate professor in the Department of Environmental Medicine at the New York University School of Medicine. Peterson will receive $466,687 from the National Marine Fisheries Service for the study in partnership with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and will subcontract to Wirgin for $87,744 to conduct the DNA analyses.
Bulletin Board Cook’s Holiday tickets
Tickets for Food Services’ Cook’s Holiday are now available online. Tickets are $16.95 for adults and $8.50 for children age 12 and younger. Children age 5 and younger will be admitted free. This year’s event, which has a “whimsical holiday” theme, will be held Dec. 17-19 at the Village Summit in the Joe Frank Harris Commons. It will include lunch and dinner buffets. The lunch buffet will be held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 17-18 and Dec. 19 from 11 a.m to 1:30 p.m. A limited number of reservations will be accepted for 11 a.m. lunch buffet seatings; these reservations also may be made online now. The dinner buffet will be held Dec. 17 from 5:30-7:30 p.m. Tickets for the dinner buffet, which are now on sale, are limited and should be purchased in advance because they may not be sold at the door. Complimentary parking for the lunch and dinner buffets will be available at the East Campus parking deck. Additional information, including the menu, is at http://t.uga.edu/mp.
University Woman’s Club
The University Woman’s Club will meet Nov. 11 at 11 a.m. at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, which is located
at 800 W. Lake Drive. Guest speaker for the meeting will be Monica Kaufman Pearson, who will give a talk titled “Re-wired and Not Retired and the Benefits.” A former news anchor at WSB-TV station in Atlanta, Pearson received her master’s degree from UGA in August. She will share interesting, pertinent thoughts and reflections of her 37 years at WSB-TV and her 45 years in the news business.
Technology presentation
Timothy M. Chester, vice president for information technology, will give his annual State of Technology at UGA presentation Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. in Room K-L of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education. UGA students, faculty and staff may attend the event and ask questions about technology services at UGA. Topics in the presentation will include technology trends at UGA and how IT-related initiatives are impacting students, faculty and staff at the university. Reservations are not required to attend. For more information, contact Kerri Testement at kerriuga@uga.edu.
Diversity award nominations
The Graduate School is accepting
need to close the gap in this area of research.” Zhong and her team will develop a suite of statistical models to broaden the understanding of how epigenetic patterns are established and maintained during normal development and under different environmental conditions. Large amounts of epigenetic and genomic data routinely are collected, processed and
stored. Statisticians like Zhong look for ways to make the data tell the story. The project is designed to bring fundamental advances in DNA methylation analysis and help develop and refine technology for rapid identification of gene regulation related to DNA methylation sites; it also could help prototype an epigenetic chip for human intervention of certain diseases.
GRADUaTES from page 1
spotlight from page 1
Project Team. He also is a technical lead for the Defense Advanced Research Project Agency’s PHOENIX program. “We are excited to welcome Roger Hunter back to campus,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “His extensive and distinguished service to this country and to the world’s scientific community provides an important example of the opportunities and responsibilities conveyed by a degree from the University of Georgia. Our graduating seniors will benefit greatly from his message.” Previously, Hunter served almost six years as the project manager for the Kepler Mission, NASA’s first mission capable of finding Earth-size planets around other stars in the Milky Way galaxy. The scientific objective of Kepler is to determine the frequency of earth-size inhabitable planets in our galaxy. The graduate ceremony will include a Commencement address from Robinson. Over the past 25 years, Robinson and his research team have published a series of fundamental findings that have reshaped how scientists view chemical bonding in many inorganic compounds. Robinson joined the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences faculty in 1995 and was named Distinguished Research Professor in 2000, Franklin Professor in 2005 and UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor in 2013. He teaches a range of courses in chemistry, including large introductory chemistry classes, upper-division inorganic chemistry courses and graduate-level seminars. He has taught several First-Year Odyssey Seminars and has supervised more than 30 undergraduates conducting research in his lab. He has served as major professor for 15 doctorallevel students and sponsored a number of post-doctoral fellows. The ceremonies will be broadcast at http://www.ctl.uga.edu/ctlcable.
have 4 minutes, 33 seconds to explain their research. Two prizes of $433 will be awarded during the competition, scheduled for Nov. 10 at 5 p.m. in the Chapel. Students in the Music Business Program from the Terry College of Business are heavily involved in the production and promotion of the Spotlight • Slingshot Concert on College Square. The Nov. 8 concert features an orchestrated performance of Memphis band Big Star’s legendary “Third” album, with an all-star lineup featuring original Big Star drummer Jody Stephens, Mike Mills of R.E.M., Chris Stamey of the dB’s, Mitch Easter of Let’s Active, Pat Sansone of Wilco and Ken Stringfellow and Jon Auer, both of Big Star and The Posies, along with student musicians. “There is a lot of talent and a rich culture of the arts here at UGA. It’s great to be able to showcase that,” said Katie Gregg, a graduate student pursuing a Master of Fine Arts degree in dramatic media in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, who has organized the Student Spotlight schedule. Even as a student in the theatre and film studies department, Gregg said she was surprised to discover the wealth and breadth of student organizations focused on the arts, and she is excited to reveal their talent to the student body this November. While Student Spotlight events will be held throughout the nine-day festival, many of the performances will be staged Nov. 13 during a “main event” at the Tate Student Center Plaza. That day, students can take a break between classes to watch improv skits, watch actors perform scenes and listen to a singer-songwriter perform original compositions. Students also have a chance to take the conductor’s baton for the Hodgson Wind Ensemble. Student Spotlight events are listed on pages 4 and 5 of the UGA Guide.
TEACHERS from page 1 nominations for three diversity awards: the Graduate School Faculty Diversity Award, the Graduate School Diversity Engagement Award and the Diversity Research Scholarship for Graduate Students Award. The deadline for submitting nominations online is Nov. 21 at 5 p.m. Information about each award and the nomination process is online at http://t.uga.edu/10E.
Holiday poinsettias
Students in the UGA chapter of Pi Alpha Xi, a horticultural honors society, are selling holiday poinsettias. The poinsettias, which are $10 each, are from a crop managed and grown by the students as an annual fundraiser under the guidance of Paul Thomas, a professor of horticulture in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. The plants can be ordered via email at pialphaxitau@gmail.com. They can be picked up Dec. 6 at University Greenhouse #13, 111 Riverbend Road. Pi Alpha Xi promotes leadership, fellowship and the enrichment of life through plants. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.
the next generation of science education graduates. “The teachers selected for the program are highly qualified and recognized for their excellence in science or mathematics teaching in Thailand,” she said. During their stay, every one of the mathematics and science department’s faculty conducted workshops on recent trends in science education. There is a push in Thailand to improve students’ performance in science, technology, engineering and mathematics courses. Many in the group said they will have 40 or 50 students in one classroom, making experiments and hands-on lessons difficult. While visiting the East Jackson school, the teachers expressed awe while observing a world history class where fewer than two dozen students quietly worked on a world religions project. “Because of the number of students in the class, you can do different activities than most of the classes in Thailand,” said Sita Dara, a mathematics teacher with 10 years of experience. She said she was interested to see the ways American teachers work with their classes and hoped to learn ideas to help her students study more effectively. Fellow teacher Thance Junnang, who recently started teaching chemistry, also expressed concern about his students’ studying habits. “I teach nice students,” he said. “They are smart, but many definitely don’t want to learn science.” Arnold, who works with the Thai government on professional development for teachers, said UGA was one of three host sites for the program. Other groups of teachers visited Michigan State University and SUNY-Cortland.