HONORS&AWARDS
Meigs Teaching Professors
Three faculty members were named Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professors. The professorship is the university’s highest recognition for instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Meigs Professors receive a permanent salary increase of $6,000 and a one-year discretionary fund of $1,000.
Gayle Andrews Professor Department of Educational Theory and Practice
Mary Frances Early College of Education
Gayle Andrews believes that education is a transformative force — a means of fostering critical thinking and personal growth.
To create that transformation, Andrews works to build a learning environment that is both challenging and supportive. She ensures that students are not just passive learners but active participants.
For example, in both her undergraduate and graduate courses, Andrews incorporates service-learning experiences that connect the classroom with real-world challenges in local schools. This approach encourages students to see the intersection of content and context, applying academic theories to practical, community-based problems. Additionally, she helped create the middle grades M.Ed. online program and established multiple Double Dawg pathways connected to middle grades education.
“The ripple effect of her passion, mentorship and research is profound. She continues to connect with her students in ways that rejuvenate and restore the desire to grow and learn,” one former student wrote. “Dr. Gayle Andrews is not just a remarkable teacher but also embodies the very spirit of what it means to be an educator.”
Andrews is noted for her mentorship. She has served on more than 30 doctoral student committees and advised hundreds of master’s and education specialist students.
Her research lies in middle grades pedagogy and teacher education, and she’s led nearly 100 presentations with current and former students, received several grants, and authored multiple publications. She’s also a leader in her field and was recently honored as a Legacy Circle inductee by the Association for Middle Level Education Foundation, which is its highest recognition.
Andrews has also received multiple honors at the university. She has earned the Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and served as a Lilly Teaching Fellow and as a UGA Lilly Teaching Fellowship Mentor for multiple terms. She was awarded a Senior Teaching Fellowship for the 20232024 academic year. Andrews is also a member of the UGA Teaching Academy and has served on the University Council.
Walter Schmidt Professor
Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Walter Schmidt aims to provide the highest level of professional and impactful instruction in each of his courses.
To do that, he uses approachable and comprehensible methods to teach difficult concepts, fosters a positive learning environment for every student at every academic level, and supports student success within and beyond the classroom.
One approachable method Schmidt uses to aid student learning is to preview exam questions that require independent reading and research. He fosters a positive learning environment by emailing brief notes of encouragement to students after each major assessment. He promotes student success by helping them prepare for professional tests like the MCAT and developing useful resources like a series of onboarding activities so that they become familiar with lab layouts and techniques and a research report writing guide.
“Dr. Schmidt’s commitment to his students extends beyond educating on core concepts but serves to develop his students to stand on their own and believe in their innate ability to strive for more,” one former student wrote.
Schmidt played a key role in the development of the university’s Integrated Life Sciences (ILS) program. He served as its inaugural graduate coordinator, with an initial cohort of eight to 10 students per year. Schmidt developed the basic architecture of ILS that has grown to support a cohort of over 65 students per year, 16 departments, nine institutes/centers and six colleges, along with the basic ILS curriculum. The flexibility afforded students the ability to interact with traditionally unlinked disciplines, and the integration of departments represents an early example of cross-disciplinary research at UGA.
Schmidt, who is a Georgia Cancer Coalition Scholar, has served on more than 30 graduate dissertation committees and mentored more than 70 undergraduates. He has published more than 40 peer-reviewed manuscripts and received more than $4.5 million in grant funding.
Additionally, Schmidt has received the Excellence in Undergraduate Research Mentoring Faculty Award twice, as well as the First-Year Seminar Outstanding Instructor Award. He’s also received the UGA Career Center’s Student Career Success Influence Award nine times.
Maggie Snyder
Professor Hugh Hodgson School of Music Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Maggie Snyder hopes that her viola students pass their musical experiences on to others.
Her goal in teaching is to ensure her students can play fundamentals, thrive in the real world and teach themselves as they continue beyond college. She wants her students to leave her studio with the confidence and ability to become their own motivators and instructors.
To do that, Snyder regularly seeks out innovative teaching techniques. She has developed new courses that she teaches beyond her full teaching load to broaden student experience, expertise and real-life work preparedness.
As an example, Snyder developed a GradFirst Seminar that not only prepares first-semester graduate students to better engage in their research and curricular pursuits, but also prepares them for professional life with curation of their dossier of application and audition materials for the performing musician. The class also includes a unit on grant-writing to sustain their research projects beyond the classroom.
“Professor Snyder is at the forefront of innovative teaching practices and expanding the traditional musical canon,” one former student wrote. “Outside of the classroom, she continues to promote student success and ensures that every student who passes through the viola studio is prepared for a career as a performer, educator, therapist, academic and countless other fields outside of music.”
Snyder also looks for opportunities to collaborate. One example is her curation of a multi-disciplinary and multidepartmental residency of celebrated composer/violist Kenji Bunch in 2023. Funded by a mini-residency grant from the Willson Center, the five-day residency involved the Department of Dance, UGA Symphony Orchestra and the School of Music’s composition area, chamber music, and all string students.
Snyder’s work has been recognized with the Sandy Beaver Teaching Excellence Award and a Creative Research Medal.
“Professor Snyder is an inspiration to her students and colleagues and consistently goes above and beyond in her efforts to support each student and the school with her
Read more about Phillip Brannen and other public service and outreach award recipients on Page 9.
Russell Awards
Three UGA faculty members received a Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Russell Awards recognize outstandi faculty early in their academic careers. Award recipients receive $10,000. The Richard B. Russell Foundation in Atlanta support
will constantly strive to innovate and work to improve the educational outcomes for undergraduate students.”
One course Read continually strives to innovate is Media Strategy and Activation. The purpose of this course is to work through the process of creating a media plan, introducing students to a side of advertising that they may not have known existed.
She first redesigned the course through the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Active Learning Summer Institute in 2021. In subsequent redesigns, she gamified the media ratings math so that students compete to solve problems
“Dr. Glenna Read embodies the qualities of an exemplary educator — expertise, dedication and genuine concern for
Strauss takes an active learning approach to teaching his students. He has taught and redesigned three of the four core
An example is Strauss’ flagship course, Population and Community Ecology. He’s implemented a partially-flipped classroom with scaffolding problem sets to develop computer coding and data analysis skills, the “jigsaw” method for paper discussions, and individual white boards for students to derive equations and sketch graphs during in-class activities, among other active learning methods. He also designed and implemented a laboratory section for this course that provides students with additional experience collecting, analyzing and interpreting ecological data.
Strauss also thoroughly redesigned his Freshwater Ecosystems course and lab by incorporating a three-week wet lab and data analysis learning module and replacing traditional exams with synthesis writing assessments. He also added a lab and data analysis learning module to his Population
University Professors
University Professors receive a permanent salary increase of $10,000 and yearly academic support of $5,000.
Nominations from the deans of UGA’s schools and colleges are reviewed by a committee, which makes a recommendation to the provost.
K. Paige Carmichael
Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor Department of Pathology College of Veterinary Medicine
K. Paige Carmichael has a passion for taking complex topics and distilling them into simple learning blocks for her students.
For more than 20 years, Carmichael has been the course coordinator for the core pathology course taught to second-year veterinary students. She teaches this course using a flipped classroom method, where students study the required ma terials on their own time and come to class ready to use their newfound information in problem solving.
After many years of teaching professional students, Carmichael shifted her focus to undergraduate education.
She began by teaching a Franklin Freshman seminar, then a First-Year Odyssey course, and subsequently developed one of the first undergraduate classes taught at the College of Veterinary Medicine. Introduction to Disease provides a basic overview of the mechanisms of mammalian disease and has become popular with pre-health majors. Carmichael developed and serves as the director of the university’s Undergraduate Certificate in One Health, which brings together the shared features of human, animal
Jessica Kissinger
Distinguished Research Professor Department of Genetics Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Jessica Kissinger sees herself as a part of a tapestry representing the fabric of UGA.
She is one thread, but also one of many weavers focused on both the local pattern and the larger tapestry image.
Kissinger was a founding member of the Institute of Bioinformatics (IOB), helping weave together life sciences and computing. She led the institute from 2011 to 2019, bringing in eight new faculty members.
Now, the institute spans four colleges and has more than 45 graduate students. This institute unifies the pursuit of genomics and bioinformatics on the UGA campus and provides graduate training in this area that is a unique mix of bioinformatics, computational biology and genome science. The graduate students are embedded in laboratories that do both the bioinformatics and the bench science.
Kissinger continues to innovate in the classroom, too. She has created several new classes, each of which bring computing and data management to audiences that normally do not use these approaches. They include a data management class for Integrated
See CARMICHAEL on page 12 See KISSINGER on page 12
Regents’ Professors
Two University of Georgia faculty members have been named Regents’ Professors in recognition of their innovative and pace-setting research. The honor is the highest professorial recognition bestowed by the University System of Georgia Board of Regents.
Andrew Herod
Distinguished Research Professor Department of Geography
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Andrew Herod describes himself as a human geographer and political economist who’s inter ested in how economic landscapes are made. He is widely considered the world’s foremost expert in the field of labor geography, which he helped create in the 1990s.
“It is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Herod has been one of the most important voices of his generation in the broad interdiscipline that is human geography,” said Jamie Peck, Distinguished University Scholar and professor of geography at the University of British Columbia. “There are not many who can lay claim to the formation and shaping of an entirely new subfield in their home discipline.”
Herod’s research projects have ranged from exploring how U.S. dock workers adapted to technological innovations in the 1950s, noting how Western labor unions worked with their counterparts in Central and Eastern Europe in the 1990s to help rebuild the region’s economies, and studying the impact of COVID-19 on labor markets. His most recent book, “Industry 4.0 and the Future of Work,” was published in 2024. In the book, Herod and his co-authors examine the changing nature of work, the increasing production of waste and the interdependence of these factors in a circular economy.
M. Stephen Trent
UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor Department of Infectious Diseases College of Veterinary Medicine
In 2023, Herod was awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship, presented annually by the is recognized internationally as a leading researcher in bacterial cell surfaces and cell envelope biology. His findings are critical to scientists’ understanding of antibiotic resistance and impact the development of novel antibiotics and vaccines and the treatment of infectious diseases.
See HEROD on page 12
One of the main focuses of Trent’s lab is how bacteria become resistant to antibiotics, including “last resort” medicines used to fight bacteria when nothing else will work. Among other discoveries, his lab has identified mechanisms that bacteria employ to modify their surface to enhance their survival in diverse environments and to protect themselves from attack from the human immune system.
“Dr. Trent’s discoveries have not only contributed critical new knowledge, but also have profound implications for the treatment of infectious disease,” said Tracy Palmer, a professor of microbiology at Newcastle University in the United Kingdom and Fellow of both the Royal Society and the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Trent’s research has attracted more than $30 million in external funding from organizations including the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. His work has addressed significant gaps in scientists’ understanding of bacterial physiology and led to more than 130 published studies in leading scientific journals.
Excellence in Teaching Awards
The University of Georgia Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes exemplary instruction by teaching faculty at the University of Georgia. These teachers show strong commitment to UGA’s teaching mission, and the award recognizes the corps of teaching faculty that dedicate their time primarily to outstanding teaching endeavors, in and out of the classroom.
Maryann Gallagher Department of International Affairs
School of Public and International Affairs
See TRENT on page 12
Reiff Award
The Richard Reiff Award for Campus Internationalization, given annually by the Office of Global Engagement, recognizes full-time faculty members who have made exceptional contributions to global education at the University of Georgia.
Allison Hale School of Law
Sonia
Hernandez
Maryann Gallagher believes that engaged students learn more.
“In each of my courses, I strive to create an active-learning environment where students are challenged, scholarship is valued and critiqued, and theories are applied to current politics,” she said. “While the content of courses may differ, my objectives always include developing students’ analytical and critical thinking skills, improving their writing and verbal communication skills, and raising their awareness of the relationship between their personal decisions and international politics.”
Gallagher has cultivated new ways of engaging students since she joined the School of Public and International Affairs in 2014. In all her classes, she encourages curiosity and a willingness to share and learn from others.
One particular way she engages students is through research. She has mentored 27 students’ independent research projects through UGA’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities (CURO) and spearheaded the launch of the SPIA Undergraduate Research Colloquium in 2019. Annually, the colloquium routinely features more than 75 research papers, poster sessions and panels.
Allison Hale teaches her students the way she would want to be taught if she were in their place.
“For me, that means giving them the tools they need to master the skills they have to master, instilling in them the confidence that they can do it, and treating them like I’d want to be treated if I were in their shoes,” she said. “I still clearly remember what it felt like to be a first-year law student, and that — more than anything else — has always driven how I teach and guide and relate to my students.”
That desire to help the law school’s newest students shows in her involvement with Early Start, a pre-orientation program designed to give students tools to help them manage the demands they are about to face. Hale has taught in the program since it began in 1994. Additionally, she teaches a popular series of workshops called “OneL” which she created to help students adapt to the unique academic demands of law school.
Her focus also extends to the Master in the Study of Law (MSL) students she teaches and advises. She infuses her MSL courses with content that, in addition to the substantive material, helps those students adjust to law study. Hale has taught Legal Writing since joining the faculty
Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professor Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources Department of Population Health College of Veterinary Medicine
Sonia Hernandez understands why global educational opportunities are so important.
“My discipline — the intersection of One Health and conservation — requires a global perspective,” she said. “I want the same for my students — experiences abroad that allow them to grow personally, develop problem-solving skills with unexpected situations and gain an understanding of the nuances of conservation and One Health.”
To help her students broaden their perspectives, she encourages them to develop cultural awareness, instills strong ethical guidelines for conducting research and work abroad that emphasizes collaboration with local
PERIODICALS POSTAGE STATEMENT
RESEARCH Distinguished Research Professors
The title of Distinguished Research Professor recognizes senior faculty members who are internationally recognized for their innovative body of work and its transformational impact on the field. The Professorship is awarded to individuals working at the very top of their discipline, who are recognized as preeminent leaders in their fields of study.
how long-distance migration reduces infection risk through migratory escape and culling, reshaping ecological understanding of host-pathogen interactions. Altizer’s interdisciplinary approach integrates field studies, citizen science and mathematical modeling, revealing how climate change, resource provisioning and habitat fragmentation influence disease spread. With more than 120 peer-reviewed publications, including in top scientific journals Science and Nature, her research has been cited more than 22,000 times. She has received funding for her research since 2002 and secured more than $7 million in grants. A Fellow of the Ecological Society of America and American Association for the Advancement of Science, Altizer has also served as interim dean and leads impactful outreach through Project Monarch Health, engaging volunteers in large-scale disease monitoring.
Barbara McCaskill
Luis Correa-Díaz, professor of Spanish in the Franklin College Department of Romance Languages, is a pioneering scholar and poet whose work has transformed Latin American literary studies, digital humanities and cultural theory. His research bridges classical and contemporary literature, with groundbreaking contributions to the study of digital poetics and artificial intelligence in literature. His monograph “Novissima Verba” and co-edited volume “Latin America Digital Poetics” explore how digital technologies and artificial intelligence are reshaping literary production and interpretation. Elected to the Academia Chilena de la Lengua and Spain’s Real Academia de Córdoba, Correa-Díaz is internationally recognized for his scholarship on Cervantes, Ercilla, Latin American poetry and literature’s role in human rights discourse. He has authored more than 20 poetry collections, 12 scholarly books and numerous journal articles, influencing generations of students and scholars worldwide. His interdisciplinary and multilingual research continues to push the boundaries of literary studies in the digital age.
professor in the Franklin College Department of English and associate aca demic director of the Will son Center for Humanities and Arts, is a leading scholar of African Ameri can literature whose work has reshaped understand ing of Black literary history and public humanities. Her research has been pivotal in recovering the lives and writings of historical Black figures, particularly William and Ellen Craft, whose daring escape from slavery in Georgia she ex amined in “Love, Libera tion, and Escaping Slavery” and her critical edition of “Running a Thousand Miles for Freedom.” McCaskill has secured more than $2 million in external funding, co-leads the Willson Center’s Mellon Foundation-funded project “Culture and Community at the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District” and developed public-facing resources such as the award-winning Civil Rights Digital Library. Her research has been featured in high-impact journals, podcasts and national media. Through her scholarship and public engagement, she continues to illuminate African American literary and historical legacies.
Natarajan Kannan, professor in the Institute of Bioinformatics and the Franklin College Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, is a leader in molecular evolution, computational biology and protein bioinformatics. His research has transformed the understanding of how complex signaling systems evolve at the molecular level. By combining computational and experimental approaches, he has mapped the origin and evolution of biomedically important signaling proteins such as protein kinases and glycosyltransferases, uncovering novel regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic targets. Kannan is a Georgia Cancer Coalition Scholar, and his work has led to more than 100 peer-reviewed publications, including top scientific journals such as Nature Communications, PNAS and Science Signaling, and has been cited more than 8,000 times. His $10 million in research funding includes major grants from NIH, NSF and the American Cancer Society. He has also developed open-source bioinformatics tools widely used by the scientific community. Kannan’s interdisciplinary research continues to shape biomedical sciences and advance innovations in computational and AI/ ML technologies.
development, attracting global interest in combatting diarrheal diseases and antimicrobial resistance. A Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology and the National Academy of Inventors, Szymanski’s pioneering research continues to advance vaccine innovation and microbial pathogenesis.
& AWARDS
Creative Research Medals
The university established the Creative Research Medals in 1980 to recognize a distinct and exceptional research or creative project, performed by a mid-career faculty member, with extraordinary impact and significance to the field of study.
Elizabeth Brisbois
associate professor and Distinguished Faculty Fellow in the College of Engineering, is being rec ognized for her pioneer ing work on light-based nitric oxide (NO) release technology for medical devices. Her research team developed a wearable fiber optic device that uses pho toactive NO donor chem istry to deliver controlled antimicrobial NO therapy. This breakthrough has significant potential to prevent infections in cath eters and wound dressings, addressing a major clinical challenge in health care by reducing complications and improving patient outcomes. Her findings, featured on the cover of the Journal of Controlled Release, led to a $2 million NIH R01 grant to further develop and advance to preclinical testing. Brisbois has secured more than $12 million in research funding, has more than 20 issued or pending patents, and co-founded Nytricx Inc. to commercialize biomedical technologies. A Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors, she has also received multiple national awards recognizing her impact on biomaterials research and translational medicine.
, professor in the Franklin College Department of Psychology, led a landmark randomized controlled trial investigating the impact of a responsive parenting intervention on health outcomes among first-time Black mothers and their infants.The study, conducted in collaboration with UGA’s Center for Family Research and Augusta University Medical Center, examined how structured home visits in the early postpartum period influenced infant sleep, maternal wellbeing and child health. Lavner’s findings, published in JAMA Network Open and other high-impact journals, demonstrated that the intervention increased infants’ nighttime sleep by 40 minutes and 24-hour sleep duration by 73 minutes — critical improvements given longstanding sleep disparities. Additional research linked the intervention to healthier infant weight trajectories, enhanced maternal sleep and reduced maternal depressive symptoms. Lavner has helped secure more than $12 million in grant funding and published nearly 100 peer-reviewed articles. His work highlights the importance of culturally tailored parenting interventions in addressing health inequities and promoting family well-being.
Krista Capps associate professor in the Odum School of Ecology and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, has led groundbreaking re search on global carbon cycling in rivers. As part of a landmark study pub lished in Science, Capps and colleagues conducted an experiment across 514 streams on six conti nents to measure organic matter decomposition. The team used a stan dardized assay to assess microbial activity, generat ing the first global-scale model of riverine carbon breakdown and identify ing key environmental drivers. This research showed that accelerated decomposition rates were linked to regions domi nated by human activities, such as urbanization and agriculture, potentially altering aquatic food webs and increasing carbon release into the atmosphere. Capps and co-authors used machine learning to develop a model explaining 70% of the variance in prior decomposition rates and created a predictive tool for environmental forecasting. A recipient of the NSF CAREER Award, she continues to advance freshwater ecology with globally impactful research on ecosystem resilience.
, associate professor in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and the Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies, explores the cultural politics of Indian dance in transnational contexts. Her book, “The Dancer’s Voice: Performance and Womanhood in Transnational India” (Duke University Press, 2023), examines how South Indian classical dance shapes narratives of caste, race and migration. Combining ethnographic research and historical analysis, Putcha demonstrates how the figure of the Indian dancing woman reinforces social hierarchies while also serving as a site of resistance. The book has received widespread acclaim for its interdisciplinary approach, engaging ethnomusicology, performance studies and postcolonial theory. Recognized with the 2024 de la Torre Bueno First Book Award from the Dance Studies Association and the 2025 Bernard S. Cohn First Book Award from the Association for Asian Studies, it has been reviewed in leading academic journals. Through this work, Putcha offers a critical rethinking of how performers cultivate citizenship in India and its diasporas.
Timothy Yang, associate professor in the Franklin College Department of History, explores the intersection of business, medicine and empire in the making of modern East Asia and Japan. His book, “A Medicated Empire: The Pharmaceutical Industry and Modern Japan” (Cornell University Press, 2021), is a micro-history of how a multinational drug company, Hoshi Pharmaceuticals, expanded alongside Japan’s imperial ambitions, using state connections to dominate colonial markets. Through extensive archival research, Yang reveals how the company capitalized on imperial policies, marketing medicines in colonies while adhering to domestic narcotic bans, shaping both commercial and medical landscapes across the world. Widely praised for its innovative approach, the book won the Hagley Book Prize for best book in business history and has received glowing reviews in leading academic journals. Yang’s work bridges the history of science, economic history and colonial studies. As director of UGA’s Center for Asian Studies, he continues to advance interdisciplinary scholarship across Asia and beyond.
Creative Research Awards
These awards recognize established investigators whose overall scholarly body of work has had a major impact on the field of study and has established the investigator’s international reputation as a leader in the field.
Lamar Dodd
Scott Merkle, professor of forest biology in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, is a leading researcher in forest tree biotechnology. A major focus of his work has been the conservation and restoration of the American chestnut, a once-dominant species nearly eradicated by chestnut blight. His lab was the first to develop a somatic embryogenesis system for the species, enabling large-scale propagation and genetic transformation efforts aimed at producing blight-resistant trees. His work has supported broader restoration initiatives, including collaborations with The American Chestnut Foundation and the Forest Health Initiative. Merkle has applied similar biotechnological approaches to other threatened species, such as hemlocks and ash trees, and has contributed to phytoremediation research using geneti cally engineered trees to detoxify contaminated soils. His extensive research, spanning in vitro propagation, conservation and genetic engineering, continues to inform efforts in forestry and environmental restoration.
Albert Christ-Janer Creative Research Award
Rielle Navitski associate professor in the Franklin College Depart ment of Theatre and Film Studies, is a leading scholar in Latin American film and media studies. Her research explores the intersections of cinema and transnational exchange, challenging con ventional narratives in film history. She has authored two influential monographs: “Public Spectacles of Vio lence,” which examines sensational cinema and journalism in early 20thcentury Mexico and Brazil, and “Transatlantic Cine philia,” which investigates networks of film culture between Latin America and France during the mid-20th century. Navitski’s scholarship, based on extensive archival research across multiple countries, has reshaped understandings of Latin American film’s role in global media history. She has also co-edited an open-access textbook on Latinx media and an anthology titled “Cosmopolitan Film Cultures in Latin America, 1896-1960.” Recognized with prestigious fellowships and awards, Navitski’s work continues to advance the fields of film history, cultural studies and Latin American studies, making a lasting impact on the discipline.
Regents’ Professor and UGA Athletic Association Professor in Ecology and Infectious Diseases in the Odum School of Ecology and College of Veterinary Medicine, studies the ecology of infectious diseases. Since joining UGA in 2015, he has established an internationally recognized body of work focused on population dynamics, host-pathogen interactions and the mathematical modeling of diseases. His research has provided critical insights into disease transmission, vaccination strategies and epidemic forecasting, influencing global public health policy. Rohani serves as deputy director of the Center for Influenza Disease and Emergence Research (CIDER), a National Institutes of Health-funded initiative advancing the understanding of influenza and emerging pathogens. He has authored more than 160 peer-reviewed publications and co-authored a widely cited book on infectious disease modeling. A Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and the Ecological Society of America, Rohani’s expertise has been sought by the World Health Organization and the Institute of Medicine.
WenZhan Song, the Georgia Power Mickey A. Brown Professor in the College of Engineering, is a leading researcher in sensor networks, cyber-physical systems and security. His work integrates artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT) to enhance infrastructure security, energy resilience and health care technologies. He has pioneered breakthrough IoT innovations that enable real-time, non-intrusive health and activity monitoring for humans, animals, machines and infrastructures. His research in cyber-physical security has led to advanced systems that fuse cyber and physical signals to detect and mitigate threats to smart grids and industrial systems. He has also developed zero-trust IoT data infrastructure to ensure secure, reliable and privacy-preserving data storage and sharing. Many of his smart IoT technologies have been adopted in real-world settings. As director of UGA’s Center for Cyber-Physical Systems, he leads interdisciplinary initiatives that drive innovation and industry partnerships. His contributions have earned him numerous accolades, including the IEEE Mark Weiser Award.
Gregory Strauss, Franklin Professor of Psychology in the Franklin College Department of Psychology, is an internationally recognized leader in schizophrenia research, specializing in the study of negative symptoms — deficits in motivation, pleasure and social engagement that significantly impact quality of life. His work has reshaped the conceptualization, measurement and treatment of these symptoms, establishing him as a major force in the field. Strauss directs the Clinical Affective Neuroscience (CAN) Laboratory and the Georgia Psychiatric Risk Evaluation Program (G-PREP), where his team develops innovative assessment tools and targeted interventions for individuals at risk for psychotic disorders. His research has been cited more than 13,000 times, and he has secured more than $85 million in grant funding. With more than 230 publications, numerous invited talks and high-impact awards — including the Rising Star Award from the Schizophrenia International Research Society — Strauss continues to advance the understanding and treatment of schizophrenia’s most challenging symptoms.
Lamar Dodd Creative Research Award
Creative Research Award
William A. Owens Creative Research Award
Early Career Scholar Awards
Established by the UGA Research Foundation, these awards recognize junior faculty whose research, creative and scholarly achievements indicate a trajectory toward an exceptional, sustained research career and an imminent rise to international stature in their field of study.
Yilang Peng, assistant professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences’ financial planning, housing and consumer economics department, is a rising leader in computational social science, investigating how digital technologies shape consumer behavior, strategic communication and the spread of misinformation. His research integrates computer vision, machine learning and social science methodologies to analyze visual misinformation and its impact on public perception. His work has appeared in top-tier journals such as Journal of Communication, Political Communication and New Media & Society, earning more than 820 citations and multiple awards from the International and National Communication Associations. Peng co-founded the Computational Multimodal Communication Lab, advancing interdisciplinary research on digital media. With a $500,000 grant, he explores how visual misinformation influences credibility perceptions, informing strategies for combating disinformation. His work has been featured in Forbes, The Washington Post and on ABC, highlighting its real-world relevance.As his research continues to expand, Peng is poised to shape the future of computational media analysis and digital communication studies.
College of Veterinary Medicine’s population health depart ment, is advancing wildlife disease research through a One Health approach that integrates ecology, epidemiology and parasitology. His work focuses on zoonotic parasite transmission, vectors and the surveillance of pathogens in wildlife. His research has provided critical insights into how environmental and wildlife factors contribute to the persistence of parasitic diseases, influencing both public health and conservation strategies. Cleveland has published 34 peer-reviewed articles since 2020, with 14 as first or corresponding author, and has secured more than $1.4 million in research funding as principal investigator. He has mentored numerous graduate, undergraduate and veterinary students, contributing to workforce development in wildlife health. A leader in his field, he has held presidential roles in professional societies, organized international research workshops and serves as associate editor for the Journal of Wildlife Diseases, positioning him for continued impact in wildlife disease ecology and global health.
, assistant professor in the Franklin College Department of Chemistry, is advancing bioanalytical chemistry through innovative applications of mass spectrometry. Her research integrates ion mobility-mass spectrometry (IM-MS) with multi-omics approaches to investigate antibiotic resistance at the molecular level. By developing high-throughput analytical techniques, Hines is uncovering how bacterial lipid composition influences resistance mechanisms, offering new insights for diagnostics and therapeutics. Her work has earned national recognition, including the American Society for Mass Spectrometry Research Award and designation as a Rising Star in Measurement Science by the American Chemical Society. She has published more than 35 peerreviewed articles, secured a $2.3 million NIH R01 grant and contributed as a co-investigator on multiple projects. With ongoing research into host-pathogen lipid interactions and translational applications in clinical microbiology, Hines is poised to make lasting contributions to analytical chemistry and infectious disease research.
, assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s infectious diseases department, is integrating molecular biology, immunology and vaccine development to develop new therapies needed to treat and prevent malaria. His work addresses some of the biggest challenges in the field by studying Plasmodium vivax dormancy in the liver, investigating why malaria infections fail to generate long-lived immune responses and leading the preclinical testing of an innovative vaccine strategy that counteracts the parasite’s ability to inhibit development of long-lived immunity. Through these studies, his lab has overcome one of malaria’s greatest challenges: the inability to genetically manipulate P. vivax in the lab, developing novel techniques to introduce genetic modifications into P. vivax and opening new avenues for biology and vaccinology. Joyner has secured more than $7.3 million in research funding, authored 30 peer-reviewed publications and been invited to share his work at major international conferences. His work is shaping the future of malaria treatment and eradication strategies.
Matthew Bilskie, assistant professor in the College of Engineering, is advancing the field of coastal resilience through innovative modeling of storm surge, flood risk and nature-based infrastructure. As head of the college’s Coastal Ocean Analysis and Simulation Team and an affiliate of the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems, he develops highresolution hydrodynamic models that inform risk reduction strategies for vulnerable coastal communities. Bilskie’s research integrates engineering, computer science and natural resource economics, providing critical insights into how tidal dynamics, sea-level rise and climate change impact coastal flooding. His collaborations with the U.S. Marine Corps, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have led to real-world applications, including flood mitigation planning for military installations. With more than $32 million in research funding, 53 peer-reviewed publications and leadership in interdisciplinary resilience efforts, Bilskie is at the forefront of shaping coastal adaptation strategies. His work continues to influence both policy and engineering solutions for climate resilience.
Joseph Kellner, assistant professor in the Franklin College Department of History, is a historian of the Soviet Union whose research examines the intersection of ideology, belief and historical change. His forthcoming book, “The Spirit of Socialism: Culture and Belief at the Soviet Collapse” (Cornell University Press, June 2025), offers a groundbreaking analysis of the Soviet Union’s collapse, focused on a flourishing of new and radical worldviews that defined the period’s culture. Based on extensive oral history interviews, the book reappraises late Soviet culture and the Soviet legacy in post-Soviet Russia. Kellner is also co-editor of “Red Against Empire: Bolshevik Historians and the Anti-colonial Critique” (University of Toronto Press, expected 2026), which recovers and interprets early Soviet anti-colonial scholarship. A recipient of the Willson Center Research Fellowship and the Virginia Mary Macagnoni Prize for Innovative Research, Kellner is making significant contributions to scholarly debates on Soviet history, cultural identity and intellectual history.
Fred C. Davison ECS Award
Michael F. Adams ECS Award
2025 HONORS & AWARDS
INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH AWARD
The Radioactive Wildlife Team laboration spanning the United States, Japan and Norway, is transforming scientific understanding of how nuclear accidents impact ecosystems. Working in Chernobyl, Fukushima and other radiologically contaminated land scapes, the team has challenged long-held assumptions about wildlife health in these environments, sparking global discussions on conservation and radiological risk assessment.
James Beasley, Terrell Distinguished Professor of Wildlife Management in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural
See BEASLEY on page 12
INVENTOR OF THE YEAR
Kelly Dawe
guished Research Profes sor and UGA Athletic Association Professor in the Franklin College departments of plant biology and genetics, has revolutionized maize breeding through a novel haploid induction system. His patented technology enables the efficient pro duction of haploid maize plants — plants with a single set of chromosomes instead of the usual two — allowing breeders to develop pure, genetically stable crop lines in half the time of traditional methods. This innovation dramatically enhances the precision and speed of plant breeding, with significant implications for global agriculture. An international agricultural company licensed Dawe’s technology for worldwide use, integrating it into high-efficiency crop improvement programs. In collaboration with this company, Dawe and the UGA Research Foundation have filed 24 utility patent applications internationally, with one issued to date. Since the exclusive
See DAWE on page 12
RESEARCH COMMUNICATIONS AWARD
Georgia Athletic Asso ciation Distinguished Professor of Environ mental Engineering in the College of En gineering, is a globally recognized researcher and communicator specializing in plastic pollution and materials management. Her unique ability to blend scientific rigor with effective communication has elevated public understanding and policy action on environmental sustainability worldwide. Jambeck’s groundbreaking studies, including the 2015 revelation that 8 million metric tons of plastic waste enter the Earth’s oceans annually, have been extensively covered by major outlets such as NPR, BBC, The New York Times and National Geographic. Her publications have been cited over 37,000 times, ranking among the top in their fields, and her work has been instrumental in United Nations treaty negotiations, global policy workshops and the creation of circular
ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR
Prashant Doshi, professor in the School of Comput ing, is transforming artificial intelligence research into real-world applications through his work on humanrobot collaboration and inverse reinforcement learning. His research has broad implications across industries, including agriculture, where he is developing AI-driven collaborative robots (cobots) designed to streamline pro duce processing operations. To bring this technology to market, Doshi co-founded InversAI, a company focused on commercializing AI-powered automation. Under his leadership, the company secured grants from the Georgia Research Alliance and NSF Small Business Technology
REGENTS’ ENTREPRENEURS
Hitesh Handa associate professor and Distinguished Faculty Fellow in the College of Engineering, is an inno vator in biomedical de vice coatings, developing nitric oxide (NO)-based surfaces that prevent infection and thrombo sis. His work has led to eight issued patents and 26 pending applications, with technologies exclusively licensed to Nytricx Inc., a company he co-founded. Nytricx is advancing NO-releasing medical devices, including vascular and urinary catheters and wound dressings. These innovations address hospital-acquired infections and implant failures, improving patient care and reducing health care costs. In the past two years, his ventures have secured more than $5 million in funding to accelerate commercialization. A Senior Member of the National Academy of Inventors, Handa is a key figure in Georgia’s growing biomedical sector, fostering industry partnerships, mentoring faculty entrepreneurs and bridging academic research with clinical application.
TEAM IMPACT AWARD
The Biointerface Translation and Engineering Center (BTEC), an interdisciplinary research initiative spanning the College of Engineering, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Veterinary Medicine, is at the forefront of transforming biomedical research through innovation in advanced biomaterials for medical devices. Addressing critical clinical challenges such as thrombosis, infection and antimicrobial resistance, BTEC’s work spans a range of applications including vascular catheters, wound dressings, implantable sensors and extracorporeal life-support systems. The team has secured more than $12 million in competitive federal research grants, and their collaborative efforts have resulted in more than 35 patent filings, numerous high-impact publications and significant mentorship of students across multiple disciplines. By integrating materials science, microbiology and clinical research, BTEC is pioneering next-generation medical technologies poised to enhance patient outcomes globally.
Ron Orlando professor in the Com plex Carbohydrate Research Center and the Franklin College departments of bio chemistry and mo lecular biology and chemistry, has built a distinguished career translating glycobiol ogy and proteomics research into commercial innovation. He has founded three companies — BioInquire, GlycoScientific and PhotoChem/ GenNext Technologies — all based on technologies developed at UGA, securing more than $17 million in funding to support their growth. His company BioInquire developed ProteoIQ, a leading software tool for proteomics data analysis, which was later acquired by NuSep for $3.6 million, helping relocate the company’s North American headquarters to Athens. GlycoScientific, specializing in novel research reagents, has produced more than 100 products, while PhotoChem/GenNext has launched two biopharmaceutical analytical devices. A Senior
NON-TENURE TRACK FACULTY RESEARCH EXCELLENCE AWARDS
nity Resilience Program, a multidisciplinary initiative that strengthens military installations and surrounding communities through data-driven planning and policy strategies. His work has secured more than $7.6 million in funded projects and has been instrumental in developing two 10-year Intergovernmental Support Agreements with the U.S.Army, totaling more than $100 million in authorized funding. Pippin’s applied research has shaped policies on transportation networks, wastewater infrastructure and flood resilience, influencing federal and state decision-making. His peer-reviewed publications, law review articles and national presentations have earned recognition from the National Academy of Sciences and the U.S.
Jennifer Thompson associate research scientist in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sci ences, is a leader in research on the social sustainability of agriculture and food systems. Her interdisciplinary and community-engaged scholar ship advances knowledge and practice on the human dimen sions of climate-smart agriculture, community food systems and food systems education. Over her career, Thompson has secured funding on projects totaling over $105 million, including $7.5 million to UGA and over $3 million directly supporting her lab. As the lead social scientist on major USDA-funded sustainable agricultural projects, Thompson’s commitment to farmer engagement is producing unique insights that inform policy and outreach. An internationally recognized scholar, she has conducted research in France, Norway, Spain and across the United States, publishing in top-tier journals. As a research mentor and past president of the Society for the Anthropology of Food and Nutrition, Thompson fosters the future of sustainable agriculture and food systems scholarship.
Shown, from left, are Vincent Starai, Chad Schmiedt, Elizabeth Brisbois, Hitesh Handa and Ben Brainard.
Walter Barnard Hill Fellow PUBLIC SERVICE & OUTREACH
Comparable to a distinguished professorship, the Walter Barnard Hill Fellow Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach is UGA’s highest award in public service and outreach.
Phillip M. Brannen
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Phillip Brannen is a professor and Extension specialist in the plant pathology department in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. He collaborates with UGA Cooperative Extension agents and fruit producers across Georgia to reduce the impacts of disease and climate on the state’s vital crops.
Georgia’s fruit markets generate $622 million in direct sales, with many linked to agritourism, enhancing their economic value. Vineyards and wineries alone contribute $5.3 billion to the state economy, supporting around 40,000 jobs.
As UGA Cooperative Extension’s fruit pathologist, Brannen specializes in integrated pest management and technology transfer to help commercial fruit producers boost efficiency, productivity and profitability. His research
has secured $2.4 million in grants and donations, including fungicides, along with support from the CAES Research and Education Center.
Over nearly 25 years at UGA, Brannen has tackled some of the most pressing challenges to crop sustainability. He has provided solutions for threats like powdery and downy mildews in wine grapes, Exobasidium leaf and fruit spot in blueberries and phony peach disease, a bacterial infection causing premature tree decline. These successes are a result of his research and close collaboration with growers.
In addition to his research and Extension work, Brannen teaches, fulfilling the land-grant institution’s mission of teaching, research and outreach. His graduate students participate in his research and Extension activities, contributing to presentations and publications. He teaches courses like Viticulture and Enology in Cortona, Italy; the Integrated Pest Management course; and the Field Pathology course. In 2022, Brannen was inducted into the Integrated Pest Management Hall of Fame, receiving a lifetime achievement award, and he was honored with the Hill Award in 2016.
Walter Barnard Hill Award
Three faculty members and service professionals are 2024-25 recipients of the Walter Barnard Hill Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach. The award recognizes their contributions to the improvement of the quality of life in Georgia and beyond.
Jacob Price is a senior public service associate and Lowndes County Extension coordinator with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. In this role, Price has played a pivotal role in introducing cold hardy citrus to Georgia, generating $40.7 million in new income for south Georgia communities.
Kaitlin Messich is a public service associate at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, where she uses her background in fine arts and design to enhance both print and digital materials promoting the institute’s programs and fostering economic development.
Sam Perren serves as the operations coordinator for the Archway Partnership, a division of Public Service and Outreach. Since joining UGA in 2017, Perren has led initiatives that have significantly impacted Georgia and expanded the university’s service mission.
In 2013, Price initiated cold hardy citrus production with a meeting in Valdosta, introducing it as an alternative crop. Demand quickly outpaced supply, and by 2024, citrus production in the state expanded to 4,385 acres, with mandarins, oranges and grapefruits now being sold in major grocery chains like Winn-Dixie, Publix and Whole Foods. Prior to 2013, only seven scattered acres of citrus
See PRICE on page 12
Messich began her career with Public Service and Outreach as a graduate assistant at the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development. There, she created renderings for downtown strategic plans developed by Fanning faculty for communities statewide. While pursuing her Master of Historic Preservation and Master of Fine Arts, Messich continued to support downtown planning efforts at the Institute of Government, which runs the Georgia
See MESSICH on page 12
ENGAGED SCHOLAR
Initially hired to oversee unit-wide projects, Perren quickly established himself as an expert in rural community development. He served as an Archway Professional Generalist for Pulaski County, then as an Archway Professional in Thomson-McDuffie County, and now holds a senior leadership role in the Athens office.
One of his early accomplishments was collaborating with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government to create a
See PERREN on page 12
The Engaged Scholar Award recognizes a tenured associate or full professor who has made significant career-spanning contributions to the University of Georgia’s public service mission through scholarship, service-learning opportunities for students and campus leadership. The awardee receives a $5,000 faculty development grant to sustain current engaged scholar endeavors or to develop new ones.
Jenay M. Beer
Associate
Professor College
of Public Health School of Social Work
Jenay Beer is an associate professor at the University of Georgia Institute of Gerontology, with joint appointments in the College of Public Health and the School of Social Work.
As co-director of the Cognitive Aging Research and Education (CARE) Center, Beer leads a team that works across rural Georgia
to support individuals with dementia and their caregivers, helping them navigate the challenges of living with this incurable condition.
Beer joined UGA in 2017 with expertise in designing technology, equipment and environments for older adults, particularly those with dementia. She quickly recognized the public health challenges faced by Georgia, a predominantly rural state with low health and technology literacy.
To address these issues, Beer collaborated with a fellow faculty member to form an interdisciplinary team that launched the CARE Center, which redefined how dementia is perceived.
Located on UGA’s Health Sciences Campus in Athens, the CARE Center serves as a hub for dementia education, research and support. Beer and her team work with health care providers and researchers to offer dementia risk reduction education, conduct cutting-edge research and provide support for dementia patients and their families.
CARE Center teams, comprised of UGA faculty and staff from public health, social work, the Archway Partnership and Cooperative Extension, began holding listening sessions, clinics and support groups in rural counties. In addition to overseeing the program, Beer has remained
See BEER on page 12
Kaitlin Messich
Sam Perren
INSTRUCTION
Creative Teaching Awards
The Creative Teaching Awards are presented annually on behalf of the Office of Instruction to faculty who have demonstrated exceptional creativity in using either an innovative technology or pedagogy that extends learning beyond the traditional classroom or for their creative course design or implementation of subject matter that improves student learning outcomes in their courses.
Alison
School of Chemical, Materials, and Biomedical Engineering College of Engineering
Alison Banka has received the Creative Teaching Award for her work in BCHE3520: Mass Transfer and Rate Phenomena. After facilitating a focus group of previous BCHE3520 students, Banka redesigned the course’s format and grading system, flipping the historically difficult core class so students could spend more time doing as opposed to listening. New material was introduced prior to class via pre-class readings and lecture videos, and time in class was spent engaging in full-class activities to correct common misconceptions and work through practice problems in groups. Banka also implemented a standards-based grading system, which allowed her to give students weekly feedback to identify areas of struggle so they could make useful adjustments. These changes have led to decreased stress levels during finals season and a better understanding of the materials.
ANDREWS from page 1
Anthony Hawkins
Karen Wells has received the Creative Teaching Award for her successful implementation of weekly Classroom Assessment Techniques (CATs) in VPHY3100: Elements of Physiology and VPHY3107: Integrative Concepts in Physiology. With assistance from co-instructors Dax Ovid and Paul Eubig,Wells taught more than 600 students using these CATs: On Muddy Mondays, students worked on clarifying the muddiest points from the previous week; on Working Wednesdays, they completed in-class worksheets; and on Freaky Fridays, they reviewed the most-missed quiz questions. This structure allowed students to practice repetition and recall through lowstakes assessments and clarify to instructors which physiological concepts required additional in-class review or practice. Since the introduction of weekly CATs, grade averages on exams increased an entire grade level.
“Dr. Andrews’ teaching epitomizes excellence in every conceivable way, and she is highly regarded by students. Dr. Andrews provides the space for students to take risks and to extend their thinking to action,” one colleague wrote. “Exceptional teachers like Dr. Andrews lead by example, motivate learning, offer choices, give freedom of expression and, most importantly, inspire minds to dream.”
Frye has taught 13 undergraduate courses at UGA. One of those is a course he developed that provides an overview of the ethical questions surrounding the market as a way of organizing economic life and what role the state plays in managing both the market and businesses.
“The power of Dr. Frye’s pedagogical approach is in his ability to connect political theory, a daunting and abstract topic for many political science students, to real-world applications,” one former student wrote.
That approach has already earned Frye the SPIA Excellence in Teaching Award.
“He is a teacher’s teacher who fosters learning through structured argumentation and logic — an effective approach that his students will remember for the rest of their lives,” one colleague wrote.
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Department of Microbiology
Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Julie Grainy and Elizabeth Ottesen have received the Creative Teaching Award for their work redesigning the learning objectives and approaches to teaching MIBO3510L: Introduction to Microbiology Laboratory Part II. During the redesign, which began in 2021, they developed multiple new laboratory activities, including a major project on antimicrobial resistant bacteria in the environment that incorporates active research being conducted by Ottesen and collaborators. As part of this work, they wrote a course-specific laboratory manual and provided it to students as a free PDF. In addition, they now use a flipped classroom model that allows active learning strategies to be used during class time, a model that the majority of students said was beneficial to their learning.
SNYDER
“Professor Schmidt’s efforts go far beyond what I am able to convey here,” one colleague wrote. “I have not found a more consistent and impactful advocate for our undergraduate and graduate programs within our department or institution at large. These efforts demonstrate exceptional innovation and impact in education at the University of Georgia.”
READ from page 2
her students’ growth and success,” one former student wrote. “Her impact on her students extends far beyond the classroom, leaving a lasting impression that shapes their academic and professional trajectories.”
Read has published and presented her research with undergraduate co-authors. Additionally, she has served as a CURO mentor for several students, encouraging research conducted by undergraduates.
Read is also the founder and director of the college’s Brain, Body, and Media (BBAM) Lab. The lab supports research, often conducted by undergraduate researchers under Read’s supervision, that examines psychophysiological responses to media and messages. In the lab, researchers can attach sensors to subjects to track how they respond to audio and visual stimuli.
“She goes above and beyond to ensure that her courses provide the best and most engaging educational experiences for undergraduate students possible,” one colleague wrote.
Department of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy College of Pharmacy
Anthony Hawkins has received the Creative Teaching Award for his work in PHRM5370: Critical Care Pharmacy and PHRM5880: Pharmacotherapy. Through a UGA Learning Technologies Grant, Hawkins and his team designed, developed and implemented the Random Patient Generator (RPG) to enhance students’ clinical reasoning and decision-making skills. The RPG serves as a case-library tool that generates patient scenarios in real-time, allowing faculty to model decision-making and engage students in active learning exercises. This innovation addresses the limitations of traditional static case studies by providing a scalable and interactive approach to teaching complex clinical problem-solving.This approach helps demystify the decision-making process, showing how pharmacists prioritize key clinical information and adapt to patient scenarios.
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passion and zest for people, music-making and the art of teaching,” one colleague wrote. “She stands apart from and above many in her profession in her ability to both perform and teach at the highest levels, while always meeting students where they are and constantly reevaluating and creatively rethinking how she and her students will serve the art form in a changing world.”
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Biology of Infectious Disease course.
Those efforts are just part of the reason Strauss was named a Lilly Teaching Fellow and received an Outstanding Teaching Faculty Award from the Odum School of Ecology.
“Dr. Strauss clearly cares about the well-being of his students, and his passion for the material was also evident. He did a very good job of showing how what we were learning is relevant to many aspects of ecology and even everyday life,” one former student wrote.
Strauss’ dedication to mentorship outside the classroom also shows. In the four years that he has been at UGA, 10 of his undergraduate mentees have received CURO research awards.
“It is clear that Dr. Strauss deeply values teaching and training students and that he builds a sense of mutual respect between himself and students in his research lab and classes,” one colleague wrote.
Banka
Julie Grainy and Elizabeth Ottesen
FRYE from page 2
STRAUSS
HONORS & AWARDS
Service-Learning Excellence Awards Innovation in AI Teaching Award
Three University of Georgia faculty members have been recognized by the Office of Service-Learning with 2025’s Service-Learning Excellence Awards. These awards recognize faculty for outstanding service-learning instruction and advancing service-learning scholarship. Since 2011, more than 35 UGA faculty have received these awards. The Innovation in AI Teaching Award recognizes UGA faculty whose exceptional contributions to the integration of artificial intelligence in teaching and learning have had a profound impact on a course, program, the university, or the larger academic community. This award, presented by the Office of Instruction, aims to celebrate outstanding faculty who have demonstrated creativity and innovation in leveraging AI technologies to enhance student learning outcomes and academic success.
Melissa Scott Kozak Department of Human Development
College of Family and Consumer Sciences
Melissa Kozak, principal lecturer and undergraduate program director with the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, provides her students with collaborative experiences that directly benefit families across Georgia.
In Family Life Education Methodology Service-Learning, Kozak’s students connect with UGA Cooperative Extension specialists, local 4-H agents and other community stakeholders to address complex family issues, from health and relationship challenges to financial insecurity. Kozak’s students partner with Family Life Education professionals to understand the context of these issues, contribute to community projects and help develop resources that directly support families across Georgia.
A former student wrote: “This was one of the most challenging classes I have taken here at Georgia, but it is the class I am most proud of and feel like I gained the most from.”
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Additionally, Gallagher leads the Center for International Trade and Security’s Richard B. Russell Security Leadership Program, a selective, yearlong learning community and pre-professional program for undergraduate students interested in careers in national and international security. She works closely with the students in each cohort as their instructor for the program’s foundational courses and mentors students, even long after they’ve graduated from UGA.
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in 1992. She fosters an atmosphere in her classroom that, unlike most of their doctrinal law classes, encourages students to relax a bit and ask questions, and she provides lots of examples and individualized feedback. She includes exercises and methods that resonate with different types of students, like demonstrating charting techniques for visual learners and having kinesthetic learners put a cut-up,
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communities and professionals, and fosters environments where they can practice key soft skills like teamwork and adaptability.
Hernandez is a trained wildlife veterinarian and has a joint appointment in the College of Veterinary Medicine’s population health department. She developed a class in conservation medicine and biology — the first and only regularly offered course of its kind in the country. This monthlong
Kerry Steinberg Department of Romance Languages
Franklin College of Arts and
Sciences
Kerry Steinberg, lecturer of Spanish with the Department of Romance Languages in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, inspires her students by immersing them in the local Latinx community as well as through study-abroad service-learning programs.
Over the last 10 years, hundreds of UGA students have applied their Spanish knowledge to support tutoring and mentoring programs through Steinberg’s Spanish Practicum in Service-Learning, gaining a greater understanding of language and Latinx culture. In partnership with local schools and non-profits, her students gain first-hand experience communicating with and supporting people in the community.
One of Steinberg’s students recently commented in a class evaluation: “I loved this course and the opportunity it gave me to use my Spanish language skills in a realworld context. It was extremely beneficial in giving me the opportunity to volunteer with the Athens Latinx population and was great experience for my future career goals.”
Gallagher seeks out learning opportunities for herself, too, all to help her create a strong learning environment. She has participated in the university’s Active Learning Summer Institute and the Generative AI for Teaching workshop and received a SPIA Active Learning Grant to participate in additional training.
“Whether asking us to connect current events to the day’s content or questioning us about our simulation-based experiential
physical copy of a legal analysis in the correct order.
In addition, to mimic the real-world scenario many students will face in their summer jobs, she requires individual conferences where she plays the role of a busy law firm partner and the student plays the associate reporting on their research and analysis.
“Professor Hale is a treasure of a
study abroad course allows interdisciplinary collaboration among undergraduate, graduate and veterinary students and is heavily based on experiential learning with daily lectures to support the activities.
Additionally, Hernandez works with the Odum School of Ecology on some of its international programs, like the Tropical Ecology Maymester and a field ornithology course that is part of the school’s Tropical
Eric S. Zeemering
Department of Public Administration and Policy School of Public and International Affairs
Eric Zeemering, MPA director and associate professor with the Department of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public and International Affairs, provides his students with experience working on projects with local governments across Georgia.
In Zeemering’s Local Government Practicum, MPA students have the chance to work with city officials and assist with projects, developing skills in collecting and presenting data and submitting proposals to local governments. Zeemering connects with a new city to support pressing needs, and his students have gained professional experience while contributing to community projects in Valdosta, Lyons, Newnan and Waynesboro.
Following Zeemering’s class project in 2023, Hasco Craver, assistant city manager of the City of Newnan, wrote: “The City of Newnan is better-equipped and more aware of certain housing conditions and potential programmatic solutions because of the work of Dr. Zeemering and his students.”
learning, she creates the most engaging classroom environment I had at UGA,” one former student wrote.
Gallagher’s fellow faculty members also appreciate her efforts to improve her students’ academic experience at the university.
“Dr. Gallagher’s ‘secret sauce’ as a pedagogue is to reflect and to revise — all for the sake of continual improvement,” one colleague wrote.
professor — one who is an expert in her field but also genuinely cares about her students’ academic success and personal well-being,” a former student wrote.
Those efforts have not gone unnoticed by Hale’s fellow faculty members.
“She learns new things so she can teach in new ways, and she does it all with grace and good cheer,” noted one colleague.
Ecology Fall Semester Abroad Program.
“Dr. Hernandez fosters curiosity, critical thinking, creativity and initiative in her students by challenging us to engage with real-world problems and empowering us to develop holistic solutions,” one former student wrote.
In 2021, Hernandez represented UGA at the University of Complutense (UCM) in Madrid, Spain, as a Fulbright Scholar where
Kimberly Lyle
Lamar Dodd School of Art Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Kimberly Lyle has received the Innovation in AI Teaching Award for her work in ARST4915/6915: Natural Intelligence as a part of the Thematic Inquiry series. The course explores the intersection of creative practice, artificial intelligence and the natural world, engaging students in a critical and balanced exploration of generative AI by combining hands-on experimentation with ethical inquiry and interdisciplinary learning.
Through playful misuse of AI tools, students revealed the biases and limitations of AI, such as the anthropocentric design of AI voice models that struggled to process bird songs. They also trained custom image generators to address gaps in AI databases, improving representations of endangered species through coding and fine-tuning techniques and creating output that simulates nonhuman visual perspectives (such as a snail’s near-sighted, black-and-white vision).
The curriculum emphasized AI’s role as a collaborator rather than a replacement in artistic workflows, guiding students through projects that transformed handdrawn ecological concepts into refined 3D models. The students also participated in experiential learning at UGArden, where they observed plant and animal systems and conversed with resident experts, further informing their AI-driven projects. The course empowered students to use AI critically and effectively while preparing them for innovative careers and research that addresses real-world challenges.
she taught several lectures for both graduate and undergraduate students in zoology. As a result, she created opportunities for UGA students to study in Spain and for UCM students to study at the University of Georgia.
“This integration of scholarship and teaching clearly inspires students and challenges them to achieve new heights that they may never have envisioned before interacting with Dr. Hernandez,” one colleague wrote.
HALE
GALLAGHER
HERNANDEZ
March 31, 2025 news.uga.edu/columns
BEASLEY from page 8
Resources and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, has worked alongside colleagues Thomas Hinton (Fukushima University, Japan), Ole Christian Lind (Norwegian University of Life Sciences) and Kenji Nanba (Fukushima University, Japan) to develop GPS-dosimetry collars, a pioneering tool for tracking radiation exposure in free-ranging animals to improve wildlife health studies and risk assessments. Now deployed in Belarus, Japan, Norway, Sweden and the United States, their research has been recognized by the International Atomic Energy Agency and has influenced global radioecological studies, conservation strategies and public discourse.
DOSHI from page 8
Transfer, funding the first application of AI-driven cobots in onion sorting and enabling onsite trials of the technology in Georgia’s onion processing sheds. By bridging academic research and industry, Doshi exemplifies the successful transition of university-based innovation into practical, scalable technologies. His work continues to push the boundaries of AI-driven robotics, shaping the future of intelligent automation and expanding its role in commercial and industrial settings.
DAWE from page 8
license agreement was signed in 2021, the technology has generated nearly $1.5 million in licensing revenue. Dawe’s work exemplifies the transformative impact of molecular genetics on commercial agriculture and food security.
ORLANDO from page 8
Member of the National Academy of Inventors, Orlando continues to bridge academic research and industry, developing technologies that advance applications of glycoscience and biopharmaceutical analytics.
JAMBECK from page 8
economy frameworks through her Circularity Assessment Protocol. As the creator of the Marine Debris Tracker app, Jambeck has facilitated global citizen science efforts, leading to extensive data collection in 100 countries. In 2022, Jambeck was awarded a coveted “Genius Grant” from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and she was named the 2024 SEC Professor of the Year.
PIPPIN from page 8
Department of Defense. A recipient of the Walter Barnard Hill Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach, Pippin continues to advance impactful solutions for resilient communities.
MESSICH from page 9
Downtown Renaissance Partnership in collaboration with the Georgia Municipal Association and the Georgia Cities Foundation. She was so integral to the partnership that she was hired to establish the first community planning and design studio at the institute.
In 2018, Messich launched the institute’s first branding program, guiding communities to create brand identities and strategies for attracting investment. Her work in Hawkinsville led to a revitalization plan that secured $500,000 from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources and $4.5 million for downtown streetscape improvements. Since 2019, Messich has assisted 16 communities with their branding strategies.
CARMICHAEL from page 2
and environmental health. To date, she has created three new undergraduate courses for this program.
“She has established herself not only as an accomplished educator and researcher but also as a dear colleague and friend to many. Her ability to connect with students, faculty and staff on a personal level is a testament to her commitment to building a strong and supportive university community,” one colleague wrote.
Her service to the university goes beyond her college. Carmichael has served on the University of Georgia Athletic Association’s Board of Directors, as well as the University
KISSINGER from page 2
Life Sciences graduate students and a scientific rigor and reproducibility class for genetics students.
“She deserves to be recognized for her research accomplishments, leadership in bioinformatics at UGA and internationally, and her training of the next generation of evolutionary scientists in biological databases and their tools,” a colleague wrote. “She has trained a new generation worldwide in the use of these bioinformatics tools.”
Her service to the university extends beyond the classroom. Kissinger has been a member of the Goldwater Selection Committee since 2015 and was a member of the
HEROD from page 3
John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation to scientists, writers, scholars and artists “who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.”
Herod has published 12 books and more than 100 refereed journal articles, several of which have won national and international awards. ScholarGPS, a leading online research information and analysis platform, lists Herod among the top 0.5% of scholars cited worldwide.
“There’s been virtually no published research essay on questions of geography, employment and economic restructuring published by an Anglophone geographer over the last 20-plus years that does not cite or draw substantively upon his research,” said Noel Castree, a professor and associate dean for research at the University of Technology Sydney.
PRICE from page 9
were cultivated in Georgia.
Price’s efforts led to the establishment of four USDAcertified citrus nurseries and three citrus packing houses, demonstrating the sustainability of the industry in Georgia. He also played a key role in founding the Georgia Citrus Growers Association and the Citrus Commodity Commission. In 2023, the state General Assembly allocated funds to hire a citrus specialist and a citrus breeder, further advancing the industry.
In addition to his work with citrus, Price collaborates with the UGA Small Business Development Center to assist new citrus growers with business planning. As the Lowndes County Extension coordinator, he also raises funds for local 4-H programs and donates citrus to community organizations like Second Harvest of South Georgia and the Valdosta School Nutrition Program.
BEER from page 9
committed to projects at the local level, serving as the center’s lead liaison to McDuffie and Washington counties, two Archway Partnership communities.
2025 HONORS & AWARDS
Promotion and Tenure Committee, the Provost’s Advisory Committee and the President’s Faculty Advisory Committee, among others. She is currently the co-director of the Teaching Academy Fellows Program.
Carmichael has been honored with the Faculty Service Award and has served as a Service Learning Fellow, Aspire Fellow, Senior Teaching Fellow and Lilly Teaching Fellow.
“During my 30 years at UGA, I’ve had an incredible journey fueled by passion, dedication and a firm belief in the transformative power of education,” Carmichael said.
Provost’s Working Group on Centers and Institutes. She was a member of the USG Health Informatics Alliance and is currently on the UGA Data Management Advisory Council and subcommittee. Additionally, she served as both an SEC and Women’s Leadership Faculty Fellow.
Kissinger is a Fulbright U.S. Scholar and has received several grants to continue her research and has more than 150 publications.
“I believe I have played a critical and innovative role, with the support and assistance of many, in shaping the research, resources and educational tapestry at UGA,” Kissinger said.
TRENT from page 3
Additionally, his research has led to several patents and licensing agreements, highlighting his ability to translate laboratory discoveries into clinical applications that promise to improve patient health.
Trent’s honors include the Zoetis Award for Research Excellence, presented by the American Veterinary Medical Association, and UGA’s Lamar Dodd Creative Research Award. He was elected a Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science in 2023 and a Fellow of the American Academy of Microbiology in 2014.
“Many microbiologists often focus on a single organism their entire career, but Stephen decided early on to take a more systems-based approach to investigating diverse bacteria, increasing the relevance of his work,” said Lisa K. Nolan, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor and dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “The rigorous nature and scale of his approach to the scientific question at hand has allowed him to tackle highly complex and novel questions in depth.”
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method for evaluating the economic impact of Archway’s community programs. This work enabled Archway to demonstrate a return on investment exceeding $30 million for Georgia’s communities over the past eight years.
In 2022, with help from the UGA Federal Relations Team, Archway submitted a $300,000 funding request to Congress for workforce development initiatives in Archway communities. Perren, who had been promoted to Archway Operations Coordinator, created a historic report of the partnership’s workforce efforts across the state, and a description of each location and project. This led to a $3 million grant from the Department of Labor — the maximum allowed — that will fund workforce planning and support rural development projects in Archway communities.
In 2024, Messich was appointed the first art director for the Institute of Government, recognizing her leadership and mentorship of the design team and students.
By educating communities, training health care providers and first responders, and developing curricula, Beer and her team bridge the gap between UGA’s public health
missions and the pressing public issue of dementia. Her efforts to implement telehealth services and digital health materials demonstrate a commitment to maximizing state resources and producing tangible, long-term impacts, in line with the university’s culture and stewardship of public investment.
“This week, we celebrate UGA’s renowned faculty, who are making an extraordinary impact on our institution and the world through their teaching and scholarship; our outstanding staff, who are helping the university fulfill its vital land-grant and sea-grant mission; our hardworking students, who are learning to be the next generation of leaders in their fields; and our devoted alumni, whose unrivaled loyalty and generosity are propelling us to new heights of excellence. Thank you all for strengthening the University of Georgia and our home state.”
—President Jere W. Morehead
ABOUT COLUMNS
Editor • Krista Richmond
Art Director • Lindsay Bland Robinson
or taken by Andrew Davis Tucker, Dorothy Kozlowski, Chamberlain Smith and Peter Frey.