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University Theatre to put on seven performances of ‘Sweeney Todd’ this month
April 11, 2016
Vol. 43, No. 32
www.columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
4&5
UGA will celebrate faculty, student, staff and alumni successes By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
Andrew Davis Tucker
From left, chemistry associate professor Jason Locklin; textiles, merchandising, and interiors associate professor Suraj Sharma; Vice President for Research David Lee; and chemistry professor Sergiy Minko have worked together in UGA’s part of a national public-private partnership to accelerate the widespread commercialization of highly functional, advanced fibers and textiles for the defense and commercial markets.
Fabric revolution
UGA is part of new public-private partnership to transform fiber materials, manufacturing By Terry Marie Hastings thasting@uga.edu
UGA is a partner in a new national public-private consortium to revolutionize the fiber and textiles industry through commercialization of highly functional, advanced fibers and textiles for the defense and commercial markets. The partnership, called Advanced Functional Fabrics of America was announced April 1 by the Department of Defense. The AFFOA partnership builds on recent breakthroughs in fiber materials and manufacturing processes that will soon allow scientists to design and manufacture fabrics that see, hear, sense, communicate, store and convert energy, regulate temperature, monitor health and change color. The announcement of the
consortium followed a competitive nationwide bid process for a national manufacturing institute that is part of the National Network for Manufacturing Innovation announced by the federal government in 2012 to advance manufacturing leadership and job creation in the U.S. “The University of Georgia is proud to play a role in transforming fiber and textile manufacturing in America through our involvement in the AFFOA initiative,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Participation in this outstanding public-private partnership is aligned perfectly with our heritage as a land-grant university and our strong commitment to advance economic development in the 21st century.” Members of the consortium include Fortune 500 companies such as Corning, DuPont, Nike and Intel
as well as small and medium-sized companies spanning the electronics, materials, apparel, transportation, fashion, defense, medical and consumer goods manufacturing sectors. It also includes leaders of the fabric industry, such as Inman Mills, and leading research universities MIT, Cornell University, Drexel University, the University of Michigan, the University of California, Davis and the University of Texas at Austin. The AFFOA mission is to transform traditional fibers, yarns and textiles manufacturing into a highly sophisticated functional system that will ensure America remains at the leading edge of fiber science. It brings together Fortune 500 companies, universities, fiber and textiles manufacturing facilities, state workforce development programs and federal See PARTNERSHIP on page 8
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
UGA will celebrate the successes of its students, faculty, staff and alumni in a series of events during Honors Week, April 11-15. Honors Week at UGA dates back to the 1930s, when then-Chancellor S.V. Sanford set aside a day to recognize exemplary students. The event was expanded to a full week in 2011 to include events recognizing faculty, staff and alumni.
“Honors Week is a celebration of the innumerable ways that our faculty, staff, students and alumni help make the University of Georgia such a vibrant academic community,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. In addition to several invitation-only events, Honors Week activities include the Public Service and Outreach Meeting and Awards Luncheon and the
See HONORS on page 8
SOUTHEASTERN CONFERENCE
Music professor receives SEC Faculty Achievement Award By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
Milton Masciadri, Distinguished University Professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Hugh Hodgson School of Music, has been named UGA’s recipient of the 2016 Southeastern Conference Faculty Achievement Award. The award, which is administered by provosts at the 14 universities in the SEC, recognizes professors with outstanding records in teaching and scholarship who serve as role models for other faculty and students. Winners receive a $5,000 honorarium. “Dr. Masciadri has inspired students and audiences here on campus as well as in nearly two dozen countries on four continents,”
said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. “His extraordinary instruction and performances Milton Masciadri build bridges of understanding through the universal language of music and highlight the global impact of the arts.” Born in Montevideo, Uruguay, Masciadri is a third-generation double bass player who began his professional performance career at age 17. He joined the UGA faculty in 1984 and was the first professor in the fine arts to be named a University Professor in 62 years
See AWARD on page 8
GRADUATE SCHOOL
Honors students receive Goldwater Scholarships 17 students, alumni offered By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
UGA Honors students Catherine “Cali” Callaway and Morrison Nolan have received 2016 Barry M. Goldwater Scholarships, a premier academic award for undergraduate students pursuing careers in science, mathematics and engineering. The scholarship, which awards up to $7,500 toward the cost of tuition, fees, books and room and board, recognizes exceptional sophomores and juniors across the nation. Since 1995, 51 UGA students have received the award. “Our students’ continued success in the Goldwater competition speaks volumes about the quality
Catherine Callaway
Morrison Nolan
of education that UGA provides in the STEM disciplines,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Cali and Morrison represent the broad range of scientific interests that students can pursue at UGA, and their achievement demonstrates the value of intensive research experiences at the undergraduate level.” Both students are recipients of
the Foundation Fellowship, UGA’s premier undergraduate scholarship program through the Honors Program. Both are pursuing degrees from UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Callaway is majoring in biology with a concentration in neuroscience and pursuing a combined master’s degree in artificial intelligence. She aims to earn a doctorate and a medical degree and to pursue a career conducting research in regenerative bioscience. Callaway has spent extensive time in a laboratory through UGA’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, working with Georgia Research Alliance Eminent See GOLDWATER on page 8
NSF research fellowships
By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu
A record number of UGA students and alumni have been offered National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships this year. These highly competitive awards recognize and support outstanding graduate students in science, technology, engineering and mathematics disciplines. Seventeen UGA students and alumni were among the 2,000 fellows selected from nearly 17,000 applicants nationwide for the 2016 competition. “I am pleased that UGA
students and alumni once again have achieved a record level of success in this prestigious national competition,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “Research is an essential part of graduate education; the research projects our students engage in through their graduate programs address some of the world’s most significant problems while preparing our students to be leaders in their fields.” UGA’s 2016 NSF fellows and their fields of study are: Lydia Babcock-Adams, oceanography; Grover James Brown, ecology; Jennifer Lynn Cyr, ecology;
See FELLOWSHIPS on page 8
2 April 11, 2016 columns.uga.edu
Around academe
Faculty survey: Undergraduate students lack critical research skills
Over half of the professors recently surveyed in a national poll said that undergraduate students arrive at college underprepared to sift through and evaluate scholarly information, and that libraries play a more crucial role than ever in curbing the trend. The Ithaka S+R faculty survey showed a 7 percent increase in professors who “strongly agree” that their students don’t possess proper research skills. The data, collected last fall from scholars at four-year universities, also showed that most faculty are prepared to publish in free and open access online journals. The survey is conducted every three years.
NASA funds ASU science program
Arizona State University announced it received a grant from the National Aeronautics and Space Administration to fund a digital science course expansion. The $10 million grant will build upon ASU professor Ariel Anbar’s experimental online classes that introduced nonscience students to life, space and climate sciences through an adaptive learning platform. “The aim is to help learners become problem solvers capable of exploring the unknown, rather than just mastering what is already known,” Anbar said. “It is learning science as process and as a universe of questions rather than as a dusty collection of facts.”
Plan your garden ahead of time to ensure a successful harvest
News to Use
For gardens, a little planning ahead of time goes a long way. Gardeners get excited about their spring vegetable gardens this time of year, but for the best results, you need to put some thought into planning a garden before you start digging in the dirt. The first step to planning a garden is figuring out how much space you have available. You also need to know how much time you’re willing to devote to care for your plants and what kinds of vegetables you want to grow. Next, you need to determine where to place your garden. Most vegetables need lots of sunlight and well-drained, fertile soil, but you also want the garden to be close to your home so that it’s easily accessible. Scout out a few different locations. You will want to draw a detailed map of your garden, listing the overall dimensions of the plot and the number, width and length of rows of plants as you are planning. Write down each plant’s location with the kind of vegetable it will produce. Plant perennials to one side of the garden so they don’t interfere with other garden activity. You should plant tall crops to the north or west side of the garden so they don’t block out light for lower-growing vegetables.
Source: UGA Cooperative Extension
USB SOLAR CHARGING STATION AT HERTY FIELD CAN CHARGE
TO 75 TO 150 DEVICES A DAY
Read more about the university’s work involving sustainability at discover.uga.edu
MARY FRANCES EARLY LECTURE
Speaker calls for measurable goals to achieve inclusion in higher ed By Aaron Hale
aahale@uga.edu
UGA and for that matter higher education across America have made huge strides toward inclusion and diversity since Mary Frances Early earned her master’s degree in 1962, becoming the first African-American to receive a UGA degree. Johnetta B. Cole, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the first African-American woman to serve as president of Spelman College, challenged UGA and others institutions to work even harder to promote inclusion and allow a more diverse group of voices in decision making. “If there isn’t room enough for everyone at the table,” Cole said, “then we must figure out how to build a bigger table.” Cole spoke at the 16th annual Mary Frances Early Lecture in Mahler Hall at the UGA Center for Continuing Education. The lecture was sponsored by the Graduate School, the Graduate and Professional Scholars and the Office of Institutional Diversity. Early was in attendance at the event. Cole began the lecture by acknowledging that her story was not unlike Early’s. Born the same year, Cole and Early grew up in Georgia during an age of legal segregation; both started college in their mid-teens and lost fathers at an early age. And, Cole said, “each of us found our own little way to make a contribution to the ongoing struggle for equality and human rights.” That struggle continues today. Cole called education one of the “single, most valuable tools” for improving individual lives and society as a whole. Making higher education
Dorothy Kozlowski
Johnetta B. Cole, director of the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art and the first African-American woman to serve as president of Spelman College, urged institutions of higher education to work even harder to promote inclusion and diversity.
as diverse as our nation isn’t just the right thing to do, it also is pedagogically sound, according to Cole. “Universities and colleges cannot do their work, they cannot prepare students for the diverse, complex and technologically on-fire world, without having diverse students, staff, faculty, boards of trustees, administrators, and curricular and extracurricular activities that reflect how our universities should be, our nation still strives to be and our world already is,” she said. In making her case for inclusion and diversity in higher education, Cole pointed to statistics that show progress in diversity but still a large gap in areas of student retention, faculty hiring and administration makeup. “It’s not enough to bring to college and universities students from
EITS, UNIVERSITY HOUSING
underrepresented communities; we have to support and incentivize achievement to graduate,” she said. Institutions of higher education also need to “look inward with honesty” at diversity in faculty and administration hiring. To move forward, she said, universities need to invest funds and set measurable goals for improvement. At the end of the lecture, Early was invited to the podium to offer her thoughts. Looking into the audience at the diverse faces who had come to the lecture, she closed the program with a sense of optimism. “As you look at the signs of spring and see the beautiful colors, notice that they aren’t all the same color,” she said. “They are a variety of colors, and that’s what we are.”
CAES
EITS begins piloting new wireless International Agriculture Day improvements in residence halls to be held April 19 By Kerri Testement kerriuga@uga.edu
Russell Hall residents returned to campus after spring break and found a welcome surprise—faster Wi-Fi—and similar enhancements are coming to additional residence halls in the coming months. Technicians with Enterprise Information Technology Services installed more than 300 wireless access points throughout Russell Hall over spring break. The pilot came after EITS began reviewing student feedback from various sources, including help desk tickets, that signaled inconsistent wireless service in the residence halls. Working with University Housing, EITS conducted a survey in January asking all students living in the residence halls to give feedback about PAWS-Secure wireless in their residence hall. Almost 40 percent of residents completed the survey. Based on results, Russell Hall was selected as the best option for a pilot. “The exceptional response rate from students gave us the leverage to move quickly to produce a technical plan to make significant wireless enhancements in the residence halls,” said Timothy M. Chester, vice president for information technology. Once students returned from spring break, EITS sent a follow-up survey to Russell Hall residents asking for their experience with the wireless
ON THE WEB
For more information about wireless coverage on campus, visit wifi.uga.edu . i mprovementsinthebuilding.Thenearly 1,000 students who live in Russell Hall have reported a significant uptick in reliable wireless service. “The upgrade of wireless access for residents of Russell Hall has been an extremely positive and well-received enhancement to the students’ residential experience. Students seem to be very pleased from early reports,” said Gerard J. Kowalski, executive director of University Housing. “We are delighted to collaborate with EITS to support students’ academic success.” EITS and University Housing are now laying out plans for wireless improvements at additional residence halls. During the summer and fall semesters, EITS anticipates installing an estimated 1,500 additional wireless access points throughout University Housing. Like many other universities across the U.S., UGA has experienced a surge in the number of wireless devices on campus. In November 2015, there were 53,000 devices accessing PAWS-Secure wireless on campus. By March, that figure was nearing 70,000 devices on the wireless network. The wireless improvements in the residence halls are being funded by the Student Technology Fee.
By Denise H. Horton
denisehhorton@gmail.com
Ann M. Steensland, deputy director for the Global Harvest Initiative, will deliver the keynote address at the sixth annual International Agriculture Day reception. The event will be held April 19 at 3:30 p.m. at the Georgia Museum of Art. Hosted by the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Office of Global Programs, the talk and reception are open free to the public. S t e e n s l a n d ’s talk, “Building Sustainable BreadbasAnn Steensland kets: The Time is Now,” draws on her work as the leader for GHI’s policy work on agricultural development and nutrition. In this role, she served as a representative at the negotiations for the Second International Conference on Nutrition, co-sponsored by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization and the World Health Organization. Steensland also is co-author of the 2015 Global Agricultural Productivity Report, in which she wrote about agricultural productivity in Zambia. For more information, visit http:// www.global.uga.edu/International AgricultureDay.
RESEARCH NEWS
columns.uga.edu April 11, 2016
3
Digest Researcher to give talk on HIV vaccines
UGA’s Voices from the Vanguard 2016 series concludes April 12 as Sarah J. Schlesinger tells how novel cells that were first spotted under a microscope in the 1970s have since been recognized as sentinels, sensors and “conductors of the immune symphony.” That’s how the 2011 Nobel Prize committee described dendritic cells, which have enabled a wealth of insights into the development of drugs and vaccines, including those aimed at preventing AIDS. Open free to the public, “Dendritic Cells, HIV Vaccines and the Nobel Prize: An Amazing Adventure,” will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Schlesinger, an associate professor of clinical investigation at Rockefeller University, has worked with dendritic cells since she was a 17-year-old high school student. For this lecture, she will draw on more than 30 years of research and expertise in the use of dendritic cells to develop new therapies for diseases ranging from cancer to HIV. Billy Howard
Ted Ross, director of UGA’s Center for Vaccines and Immunology and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Infectious Diseases in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is working with other UGA researchers and Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, on a vaccine that protects against multiple strains of both seasonal and pandemic H1N1 influenza in mouse models.
‘Cross-protective’ UGA, Sanofi Pasteur develop new vaccine for H1N1 influenza
By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu
UGA researchers and Sanofi Pasteur, the vaccines division of Sanofi, announced recently the development of a vaccine that protects against multiple strains of both seasonal and pandemic H1N1 influenza in mouse models. They published their findings in the Journal of Virology. Researchers from UGA and Sanofi Pasteur, which has a research and development collaboration agreement with UGA, presented their data March 30 at the World Vaccine Congress US 2016 in Washington, D.C. “One of the problems with current influenza vaccines is that we have to make predictions about which virus strains will be most prevalent every year and build our vaccines around those predictions,” said Ted Ross, director of UGA’s Center for Vaccines and Immunology and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Infectious Diseases in the
College of Veterinary Medicine. “What we have developed is a vaccine that protects against multiple different strains of H1N1 virus at once, so we might be able to one day replace the current standard of care with this more broadly crossprotective vaccine.” The H1N1 influenza virus caused a worldwide pandemic in 2009. When it was first detected, it was called swine flu because the virus was similar to those found in pigs, but the virus now circulates as a seasonal form of influenza. Using a technique called Computationally Optimized Broadly Reactive Antigen, or COBRA, UGA researchers Donald Carter, Christopher Darby and Bradford Lefoley, along with Ross, created nine prototype synthetic compound vaccines constructed using genetic sequences from multiple influenza virus strains. The COBRA vaccines were designed to recognize H1N1 viruses isolated within the last 100 years, but many of
the experimental vaccines produced immunity against influenza strains not included in the design. This means that scientists may be able to produce a vaccine that not only protects against recognized seasonal and pandemic influenza strains but also strains that have yet to be discovered. Because this vaccine is generated from the genetic sequences of multiple flu viruses, it may protect against many strains over several years, Ross said. That would also allow for year-round manufacturing of the vaccine because scientists would not have to halt production every year to identify the most prevalent strains. This research is part of a broader effort to create a universal influenza vaccine, which would protect against all strains of the virus. “We still have some work to do before we get a truly universal flu vaccine,” Ross said. “But the COBRA vaccine we’ve developed for H1N1 virus subtypes is a major step in the right direction.”
COLLEGE OF PHARMACY
UGA researchers create new therapeutic for prostate cancer By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu
UGA researchers have created a new therapeutic for prostate cancer that has shown great efficacy in mouse models of the disease. They published their findings recently in the journal Nanomedicine: Nanotechnology, Biology and Medicine. The treatment is designed to inhibit the activity of a protein called PAK-1, which contributes to the development of highly invasive prostate cancer cells. Aside from non-melanoma skin cancer, prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It is also one of the leading causes of cancer death among men of all races. “PAK-1 is kind of like an on/ off switch,” said study co-author
Somanath Shenoy, an associate professor in UGA’s College of Pharmacy. “When it turns on, it makes cancerous cells turn into metastatic cells that spread throughout the body.” With the help of Brian Cummings, an associate professor in UGA’s College of Pharmacy, the researchers developed a way to package and administer a small molecule called IPA-3, which limits the activity of PAK-1 proteins. They enveloped the IPA-3 molecule in a bubble-like structure called a liposome and injected it intravenously. The liposome shell surrounding IPA-3 ensures that it is not metabolized by the body too quickly, allowing the inhibitor enough time to disrupt the PAK-1 protein. The researchers found that this molecule significantly slowed the progression of cancer in mice, and it also forced the cancerous cells to undergo
apoptosis, a kind of programmed cell death. “When we first began these experiments, we injected IPA-3 directly into the bloodstream, but it was absorbed so quickly that we had to administer the treatment seven days a week for it to be effective,” Shenoy said. “But the liposome that Dr. Cummings created makes the IPA-3 much more stable, and it reduced the treatment regimen to only twice a week.” The preliminary results suggest that IPA-3 might be a viable treatment for prostate cancer in humans, but Shenoy cautions that much work must be done before human clinical trials can begin. “The results of our experiments are promising, and we hope to move toward clinical trials soon,” he said, “but we must figure out what side effects this treatment may have before we can think about using it in humans.”
Nobel Peace Prize co-recipient to speak
Kathleen Galvin, a co-recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, will speak April 14 at 5:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Open free to the public, her keynote address, “Global Environmental Change: Research and Engagement for Resilience,” will begin the annual conference of the Society for Economic Anthropology. An anthropology professor at Colorado State University, Galvin is a member of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, which shared the Nobel Peace Prize with former U.S. Vice President Al Gore in 2007. She also is a member of the National Academy of Science/National Research Council’s Human Dimensions of Global Change group. Much of her research explores biocultural and human-ecological aspects of African pastoralism including land use, conservation, climate variability and decision-making under uncertainty.
Special collections libraries to host biannual reception for spring exhibits
The Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries at UGA will host its biannual reception celebrating new exhibits April 14 at 5:30 p.m. Open free to the public, the event will include live music from local band Hog-Eyed Handle Man, a custom print station operated by Double Dutch Press, light refreshments and gallery tours. Exhibitions highlighted are The Greatest Bulldog of Them All: Dan McGill; Seeing Georgia: Changing Visions of Tourism in the Modern South; Selections from the Disability History Archive; John Abbot, Early Georgia’s Naturalist Artist; Celebrating 75 years of Excellence: The George Foster Peabody Awards; and Olympic Legacy.
Robotics teams will gather at UGA for FIRST state championship competition
The UGA College of Engineering will host the 2016 FIRST Robotics Peachtree District State Championship April 14-16 at Stegeman Coliseum. Approximately 1,200 students representing 45 teams will participate in the competition that’s billed as a “varsity sport for the mind.” The event is part of the annual For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology, or FIRST, family of robotics competitions. FIRST is a nonprofit organization that works to inspire young people to become scientists and engineers. More than 400,000 students in 89 countries participate in FIRST Robotics competitions, according to the organization. FIRST competitions are high-energy events surrounded by a game-day frenzy as teams of robots square off in front of thousands of cheering fans. The organization announces a new robotics challenge each January. Students, mentored by professional engineers and educators, have six weeks to build a robot from a common kit of parts. They work with hundreds of components, including programmable radio controllers, motors, electrical circuitry and mechanical parts.
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
columns.uga.edu April 11, 2016
UGA British Brass Band closes season for scholarship series
Performing Arts Center to present Canadian Brass
SWEENEY TODD
By Clarke Schwabe
By Bobby Tyler
By Dina Canup
btyler@uga.edu
ccschwabe@uga.edu
The final concert in the 2015-2016 Second Thursday Scholarship Series puts one of the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s newest and most active ensembles on display, the UGA British Brass Band, in Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall on April 14 at 7:30 p.m. The program, dubbed “Rhapsody in Brass,” aims to showcase the collective and individual strengths of the band by pairing brass band standards with solo features. Tickets are $18, $5 with a UGA student ID and are available at pac.uga.edu, by calling 706-542-4400 or by visiting the Performing Arts Center box office. The ensemble, UGA’s newest brass and percussion ensemble, sets itself apart with a different, more dynamic sound that originates from the instruments’ unique construction. The group has worked hard to establish a name for itself, with notable recent performances at last year’s UGA Holiday Concert, the Performing Arts Center’s Saturday Morning Club and the Chick-fil-A corporate headquarters’ Christmas open house.
dinac@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Canadian Brass April 13 at 8 p.m. in Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. The Canadian Brass performance replaces the April 10 James Galway concert, which was canceled. Tickets previously purchased for that performance will be good for the Canadian Brass. Tickets for the Canadian Brass concert are $25$50 and are discounted for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac. uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400. The Canadian Brass began performing in 1970 with an eclectic repertoire of classical works, ragtime, Dixieland and jazz. “These are the men who put brass music on the map,” wrote the Washington Post. Through 45 years of touring, the Canadian Brass has earned an international fan base from Australia to Russia to the Middle East.The group was the first brass ensemble from the West to perform in the People’s Republic of China as well as the first to play at Carnegie Hall.
Music and murder are on the menu for University Theatre’s final production of the season: Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street, by Stephen Sondheim and Hugh Wheeler, directed by George Contini. Performances will be in the Fine Arts Theatre April 14-15, 20-23 at 8 p.m. and April 17 and 24 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $16, $12 for students, and can be purchased at drama.uga.edu/box-office, by phone at 706-542-4400, or in person at the Performing Arts Center or Tate Student Center box office. Since winning eight Tony Awards in 1979, Sweeney Todd has shocked, awed and delighted audiences. This dark and grisly comedy, set in 19th-century London, tells the story of a barber who exacts revenge on the judge and the town that unjustly exiled him by murdering his customers—and using them as the secret ingredient for meat pies created by his co-conspirator Mrs. Lovett. The story that introduced the character of Sweeney Todd originally appeared as a penny dreadful, a type of
Cherokee Basketry: Woven Culture. Through April 17. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817, hazbrown@uga.edu Portraits of the Working Class: Trees. Through May 1. Visitor Center’s Greatroom, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014, connicot@uga.edu Master of Fine Arts Degree Candidates. Through May 1. The annual exit show for the graduating master of fine arts students at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Georgia Museum of Art. hazbrown@uga.edu David Ligare: California Classicist. Through May 8. Georgia Museum of Art. hazbrown@uga.edu. Frank Hartley Anderson: Forging the Southern Printmakers Society. Through June 19. Georgia Museum of Art. Refining Realities. Through June 19. Georgia Museum of Art. Seeing Georgia: Changing Visions of Tourism in the Modern South. Through July 30. Special collections libraries. 706-542-5788, jhebbard@uga.edu
MONDAY, APRIL 11 BLOOD DRIVE 9 a.m. Stegeman Coliseum. GUEST PRESENTATION SPIA and the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication will host a visit UGA alumnus Todd Pittman. An Associated Press foreign correspondent currently spending the year at Harvard University as a Nieman Scholar, Pittman has had assignments in Bangkok, Baghdad, Kabul and Beirut as well as locations in West Africa and Southeast Asia. Pittman’s brief presentations will be followed by a question-and-answer session. 10:30 a.m. in 202 Moore College and 1:30 p.m. in Peyton Anderson Forum, Grady College. johnson@uga.edu PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH AWARDS LUNCHEON* The Public Service and Outreach Annual Meeting and Luncheon celebrates the work of faculty and staff during the past year. $38. Noon. Magnolia Ballroom, Georgia Center. 706-542-6045, saallen@uga.edu UGA: THE HERITAGE OF SPORT A program celebrating the heritage of sport at UGA looking at the impact of sport on the university, students, faculty, alumni and friends. 4 p.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-4706, jreap@uga.edu FACULTY RECOGNITION BANQUET* A recognition banquet for faculty members at UGA. By invitation only. Reception begins at 5:30 p.m., and the dinner begins at 6:30 p.m. Mahler Hall, Georgia Center. staciaf@uga.edu CONCERT The UGA Symphonic Band, led by Michael Robinson, the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s director of athletic bands, performs its final concert of the spring. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu CONCERT The UGA Opera Theatre at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music
will bring scenes from some of the world’s most famous operas to the stage. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu
TUESDAY, APRIL 12 PRESIDENTIAL HONORS WEEK LUNCHEON* By invitation only. 11:30 a.m. President’s House. LECTURE Naomi Norman, associate vice president of instruction, will present “It’s All About the Journey: From the FYO to Experiential Learning at UGA” as part of the Center for Teaching and Learning’s Award Winning Faculty Series. 1 p.m. Reading Room, Miller Learning Center. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu TUESDAY TOUR 2 p.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Energy Ecology: Trophic-dynamic Balance and Human Domination,” John Schramski, an associate professor in the UGA College of Engineering. Reception precedes seminar in lobby. 4 p.m. Ecology building auditorium. 706-542-7247, bethgav@uga.edu VISITING ARTIST/SCHOLAR LECTURE Jeannine Falino is an independent curator and museum consultant. She has curated exhibitions, lectured, presented workshops and written extensively on American decorative arts from the colonial era to the present. She specializes in metalwork, jewelry, modern decorative arts, craft and design. 5:30 p.m. S151 Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-0116, michelleegas@uga.edu VOICES FROM THE VANGUARD The UGA Voices from the Vanguard 2016 series concludes as Sarah J. Schlesinger tells how novel cells that were first spotted under a microscope in the 1970s have since been recognized as sentinels, sensors and “conductors of the immune symphony.” That’s how the 2011 Nobel Prize committee described dendritic cells, which have enabled a wealth of insights into the development of drugs and vaccines, including those aimed at preventing AIDS. Schlesinger’s presentation is titled “Dendritic Cells, HIV Vaccines and the Nobel Prize: An Amazing Adventure.” 5:30 p.m. Chapel. 706-542-1210, pthomas@uga.edu (See Digest, page 3). ESPANAENCORTO: SPANISH SHORT FILMS EspanaEnCorto is a free, two-day short film festival that will offer an inside look at current short films directed by up-andcoming Spanish filmmakers. These films come from different regions of Spain and showcase a unique perspective into the languages, cultures and current topics in Spanish cinema. Each short includes subtitles. Both nights of the film festival will feature a discussion moderator to contextualize the shorts. Light refreshments served before showings. Also April 13. 7 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu CONCERT Founded in 1997 by Baroque scholar and harpsichordist Andrea Marcon, the Venice Baroque Orchestra is recognized as one of the world’s premier ensembles devoted to period instrument performance. $25-$45. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400.
Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s Master Calendar, maintained by Marketing & Communications. 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
ROSANNE CASH
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE BRASS
EXHIBITIONS
4&5
WEDNESDAY, APRIL 13 WORKSHOP “Tailored Student Surveys for Instructional Uses: Using Qualtrics to Create Course Specific Student Surveys.” 2 p.m. 250 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-9900, jclaxton@uga.edu HONORS PROGRAM GRADUATION BANQUET* A graduation banquet for Honors Program students. 6 p.m. Athena Ballroom, Classic Center. 706-583-0698, dotemann@uga.edu CONCERT Three horn quartets from the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music will put the talent of their studio on display. 6 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu CONCERT Canadian Brass. $25-$50. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. (See story, above).
THURSDAY, APRIL 14 2016 THANK A DONOR DAY Students will have the opportunity to write thank you notes and share messages of gratitude with UGA donors. 9 a.m. Tate Student Center plaza. jddotson@uga.edu BLOOD DRIVE 11 a.m. Veterinary Medical Center. BARBARA METHVIN LECTURE The fourth annual Barbara Methvin Lecture will be given by Lloyd Pratt, a professor at Oxford University. Pratt’s topic is “A Woman Reading Emerson in the American South.” Pratt is an expert on Southern and African-American literature and is the author of The Strangers Book: The Human of African American Literature and Archives of American Time: Literature and Modernity in the Nineteenth Century. 4 p.m. 265 Park Hall. 706-542-8952. GUEST LECTURE “Global Environmental Change: Research and Engagement for Resilience,” Kathleen Galvin, a co-recipient of the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize. 5:30 p.m. Chapel. (See Digest, page 3). MFA SPEAKS In these talks, this year’s MFA candidates will each have 3 minutes to give attendees a glimpse into their work. They then take to the galleries to engage directly with visitors. 5:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu
By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present Rosanne Cash April 16 at 8:30 p.m. in Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall.The acclaimed singer-songwriter will perform music from her Grammy-winning CD, The River & The Thread. Cash will be joined by her collaborator and husband, guitarist John Leventhal. Tickets for the concert are $25-$50 and are discounted for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400. In 2015, Cash was honored with three Grammy Awards for The River & The Thread. Cash has charted 21 top 40 country singles, including 11 No. 1s. She has released 16 albums and published four books.
and retired New York Philharmonic principal trumpet Philip Smith, will bring the 2015-2016 Second Thursday Series to a close. $18; $5 with a UGACard. 7:30 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, musicpr@uga.edu (See story, top left).
her music crosses many lines, including folk, pop, rock and blues. $25-$50. 8:30 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. (See story, above).
PERFORMANCE Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street. To be performed April 14-15, 20-23 at 8 p.m.; April 17 and 24 at 2:30 p.m. $16; $12 for students. 8 p.m. Fine Arts Theatre, Fine Arts Building. 706-542-4400. (See story, top right).
BASEBALL vs. South Carolina. $5-$8. 1 p.m. Foley Field. 706-542-1231.
FRIDAY, APRIL 15 ACADEMIC PROFESSIONAL SECURITY SERIES ON CYBERCRIME This is an Academic Professional Security Series on the rise of cybercrime and how it is changing the way crime is committed. Hosted by the Office of Emergency Preparedness. 10:30 a.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-542-5845, prepare@uga.edu 2016 ALUMNI AWARDS* The UGA Alumni Association will present the Young Alumni Award, Faculty Service Award, Friend of UGA Award and Alumni Merit Awards to recognize those individuals who—through their service, contributions and accomplishments—bring distinction and honor to UGA, the state, nation and world. $40. 11 a.m. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center. 706-524-2251, alumni@uga.edu NEEL REID LECTURE “Tradition in Transition.” UGA alumnus Ben Page’s talk will focus on design inspired by the Country Place Era. Page is a landscape architect whose work is inspired by his rural upbringing in Tennessee. 2 p.m. 125 Jackson Street building. 706-542-4727, jlmesser@uga.edu POETRY READING The Georgia Review and the Georgia Poetry Circuit will present a reading by Andrea Hollander. 7 p.m. The Globe, 199 N. Lumpkin St. lagsolo@uga.edu BASEBALL vs. South Carolina. $5-$8. 7 p.m. Foley Field. 706-542-1231. PERFORMANCE The UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s African American Choral Ensemble will bring the rich traditions of AfricanAmerican choral music to life in its final performance of the spring. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu
SPRING EXHIBITS RECEPTION The Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries will host its biannual reception celebrating new exhibitions. The event will include live music from local band Hog-Eyed Man; a custom print station operated by Double Dutch Press; light refreshments and gallery tours. RSVP to lnessel@uga.edu or 706-542-3879. 5:30 p.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu (See Digest, page 3).
SOFTBALL vs. Tennessee. 1 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium. 706-542-1621.
RESEARCH AWARDS BANQUET* A reception will precede the banquet at 5:30 p.m. 6:30 p.m. Mahler Hall, Georgia Center.
FOOTBALL G-DAY GAME To be televised on ESPNU. 4 p.m. Sanford Stadium. 706-542-1621.
SECOND THURSDAY CONCERT SERIES The UGA British Brass Band, under the direction of professor
PERFORMANCE Although Rosanne Cash is often thought of as a country artist,
SATURDAY, APRIL 16
BASEBALL vs. South Carolina. $5-$8. 2 p.m. Foley Field. 706-542-1231.
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.
19th-century cheap British fiction publication with lurid and sensational subject matter. It appealed to young men looking for a quick melodramatic thrill in pre-industrial London. Director Contini, an associate professor in the theatre and film studies department, said that the story has been captivating audiences over the past 200 years. “We’ve all fantasized about revenge on those who have wronged us,” he said. “But Sweeney and Mrs. Lovett go the extra mile and become demonic eco-warriors urging us to ‘Eat Locals.’ ”
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.
SUNDAY, APRIL 17
SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT TOUR Led by docents. 3 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu SOFTBALL vs. Tennessee. 7 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium. 706-542-1621.
MONDAY, APRIL 18 BLOOD DRIVE 11 a.m. Reception Hall, Tate Student Center. WORKSHOP “Collecting and Analyzing Qualitative Data.” 1 p.m. 372 Miller Learning Center. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu BLOOD DRIVE 2 p.m. Myers Hall. SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS SEMINAR SERIES LECTURE USDA National Needs Fellows students will present their interdisciplinary research topics. 3:30 p.m. 103 Conner Hall. 706-542-8084, sustainag@uga.edu EDITH HOUSE LECTURE The Edith House Lecture Series brings outstanding female legal scholars and practitioners to Athens. This year’s speaker will be Rep. Stacey Godfrey Evans of the Georgia House of Representatives, who will be giving a speech titled “The Voice of a Woman Lawyer: Why it Matters and How to Use it.” 3:30 p.m. Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom, Hirsch Hall. FILM SCREENING Wilbanks CEASE Clinic will present a screening of the documentary Pursuit of Truth, which is about adult survivors of child sexual abuse seeking justice. A question-and-answer session with filmmakers will be held after screening. Food will be provided. RSVP to ehether@uga.edu 5 p.m. Classroom F, Hirsch Hall. SOFTBALL vs. Tennessee. 7 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium. 706-542-1621.
COMING UP INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE DAY April 19. International Agriculture Day is an event for faculty, staff and students to celebrate the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ international involvement and achievements. Guest speaker Ann Steensland from Global Harvest Initiative will give the keynote address. The Ag Abroad photo contest voting, student awards and light refreshments will be available. 3:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1073, ogp@uga.edu (See story, page 2). * PART OF HONORS WEEK (See story, page 1).
NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES April 13 (for April 25 issue) April 20 (for May 2 issue) May 11 (for May 23 issue)
6 April 11, 2016 columns.uga.edu
Carolina Acosta-Alzuru, a faculty member in UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, is the 2015 winner of the Charles E. Scripps Journalism and Mass Communication Teacher of the Year Award, presented by the Scripps Howard Foundation. An associate professor of public relations in the advertising and public relations department, Acosta-Alzuru will be honored with a $10,000 prize Aug. 4 in cooperation with the Association Carolina for Education in Journalism and Acosta-Alzuru Mass Communication during the keynote session of its annual conference, held this year in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Acosta-Alzuru teaches public relations, graphic communication and cultural studies. She teaches both an Honors seminar in Spanish and an undergraduate course—in English—about telenovelas, culture and society. Dr. Jean Chin, executive director of the University Health Center, was bestowed a fellowship by the American College Health Association. The ACHA Fellows organization was established in 1967 to recognize those members who have given outstanding service to the association and have demonstrated superior professional stature and performance in the college health field. A tireless servant and advocate for ACHA and the Southern Jean Chin College Health Association, Chin has served on the SCHA’s executive board as vice president (2009-2010), president-elect (2010-2011), president (2011-2012) , immediate past president (2012-2013; 2014-present) and sergeant at arms (2013-2014). She also served on the ACHA board of directors from 2013-2015 as a member-at-large, and she currently chairs the Guidelines for a Comprehensive College Health Program Task Force. Michelle Cook, associate provost and chief diversity officer at UGA, was selected to serve on the National Advisory Council for the National Conference on Race and Ethnicity in Higher Education or NCORE. NCORE constitutes the leading and most comprehensive national forum on issues of race and ethnicity in American higher education. The conference focuses on the complex task of creating and sustaining comprehensive institutional change designed to improve racial and ethnic relations on campus and to expand opportunities for educational access and success by culturally diverse, traditionally underrepresented populations. The Atlanta Tipoff Club named Andy Landers, former head coach of UGA’s women’s basketball team, its 2016 Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Women’s Basketball. He joins University of Louisville coach Denny Crum, who was named the 2016 Naismith Outstanding Contributor to Men’s Basketball. Landers built the women’s basketball program at UGA into one of the top programs in the nation. During his 36 seasons as head coach, he led his teams to 31 NCAA tournaments, five Final Four appearances, 17 top-10 finishes, seven SEC titles and four SEC tournament championships. What’s more, every four-year letter winner who played for Landers graduated with a degree from UGA. Thirty-nine of his former players went on to play professionally, with 25 of those playing in the WNBA. Voted on by the Atlanta Tipoff Club’s board of directors, Landers and Crum will be honored this fall. Kudos recognizes special contributions of staff, faculty and administrators in teaching, research and service. News items are limited to election into office of state, regional, national and international societies; major awards and prizes; and similarly notable accomplishments.
CAMPUS CLOSEUP
Dorothy Kozlowski
Emily Ancinec, right, coordinator for student organizations, sees student organizations as an important aspect of college because students voluntarily choose to get involved. “It’s self-identification with an added investment,” she said.
Coordinator for student organizations gives students tools to help them thrive By Erica Hensley
erica.hensley25@uga.edu
Emily Ancinec is a self-proclaimed nerd and avid reader, and she’s always looking to soak up new experiences. The Michigan native, who also lived in Ohio and Texas, never thought she would find herself in the Deep South—much less loving it—but the coordinator of student organizations at UGA says Athens and the university are easy to love. It was UGA’s reputation that brought her here a year and a half ago, but students’ passion and creativity kept her here, she said. “The work that our student organizations do is fascinating to me, and I’m always surprised in a good way by what they are doing,” Ancinec said. Work done by UGA student organizations like Karma Coffee, a group that offers cups of coffee in exchange for people agreeing to do good deeds, and I Am Enough, which empowers local teenage girls to meet their potential, inspires Ancinec on a daily basis. Helping students think critically about their ambitions humbles Ancinec. “I hope I’m helping students by just getting them to think and to have conversations,” she said. Ancinec’s official duty is to ensure students have access to the resources they need to make their organizations thrive. She oversees organization registration and policy compliance. She also plans and executes the annual Georgia Collegiate Leadership Conference and Student Organization Achievement and Recognition Awards. Ancinec sees student organizations as an important aspect of college because students voluntarily choose to
get involved. “It’s self-identification with an added investment,” she said. Ancinec describes her role within the Division of Student Affairs as a multifaceted balance of administrative management and customer service for more than 770 student organizations. “There are a lot of plates spinning up in the air at the same time, so I make sure they’re moving in the right direction and that we’re doing what’s best for the students,” Ancinec said. Ancinec’s passion for access and engagement extends past her career. Both her love of literature and education are vital components to a big part of what drives her—volunteerism. Ancinec volunteers every Wednesday at the Athens branch of Learning Ally, a national nonprofit that records audiobooks for students who are blind, dyslexic or visually impaired. One of many positions within the organization, Ancinec is a reader. She reads aloud and records audio versions of anything from a fourth-grade-level geography book to a college science textbook. “I think we tend to forget what it truly means to not have access, especially if we can be blinded by our own privilege,” she said. “Learning Ally is important because the more engaged and educated we are as a society and the more readers we have, the better off we are.” Learning Ally relies on readers across the nation to remove the barrier that learning disabilities can have on students. The organization works with parents and educators to provide student access to versions of required textbooks that work best for the way they learn. Those without a learning disability
FACTS
Emily Ancinec
Coordinator for Student Organizations Division of Student Affairs M.S., Student Affairs Administration in Higher Education, Texas A&M University, 2014 B.A., Political Science, Bowling Green State University, 2012 At UGA: 11/2 years
often forget that they get to choose whether to engage with learning materials, she said. “There are students for whom that’s not an option because they simply can’t comprehend or aren’t able to access the resources that are there,” Ancinec said. “So it’s nice to be able to say I’m helping even in a small way.” Learning Ally is currently in the midst of its annual fundraiser, and each volunteer leads an individual campaign. Ancinec said it costs the organization about $750 to record one audiobook. She is hoping that instead of giving gifts for her upcoming birthday, people donate to the cause for which she cares so deeply. For Ancinec, volunteerism comes naturally and derives from the same part of her that drives her to help students discover their own passions. Providing access to others is just as much a part of her as her favorite novels and fiery red curls. “I enjoy working with the students because I think college is a very important time for people to figure out who they are and create a good foundation for the rest of their careers and lives,” she said.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS Members of promotion, tenure review committees announced In accordance with UGA Guidelines for Appointment, Promotion and Tenure, the membership of the University Review Committees are being announced. University Review Committee members for 2015-2016 are: • Fine and Applied Arts—Jean Kidula, Alisa Luxenberg, Sandy Martin, Ron Miller, John Morrow, Mark Reinberger and David Zerkel (chair). • Health and Clinical Sciences— Cathy Brown, Shiyou Chen, Marsha Davis, David Hurley (chair), Holly Kaplan (clinical), Michele Lease, Erin Lipp and Matthew Perri. • Humanities—Francis B. Assaf, Frank
R. Harrison (chair), Jared Klein, John Lowe, Bob A. Pratt, Margaret Quesada, Tim B. Raser and Hyangsoon Yi. • Life Sciences—Michael Adang, Mark Harrison, Allen Moore (chair), Kelley Moremen, Silvia Moreno, Jim Porter, Eric Stabb and Jeanna Wilson. • Physical Sciences—Hamid Arabnia, Douglas E. Crowe (chair), William Dennis, Tim Grey, Ramana Pidaparti, T.N. Sriram and Sally Walker. • Social and Behavioral Sciences— Barbara Biesecker, Jamie Carson, William Finlay, Erv Garrison (chair), John Grable, Nik Heynen, Joshua Miller and Linda Renzulli.
• Professional and Applied Studies [A]—Paige Carmichael, John Dayton, Mary Ann Johnson (chair), Elena Karahanna, Harold Mulherin, Stacey Neuharth-Pritchett and Doug Peterson. • Professional and Applied Studies [B]—Martha “Marty” Carr, Karen Cornell, Michael Chamberlain, Julian Cook, David Mustard, Bryan Reber and Betsy Vonk (chair). • Professional and Applied Studies [C]—Janice Hume, Rusty May (clinical), Trena Paulus, Todd Rasmussen (chair), Susan Sanchez, Art Snow, Paul Thomas and K.A.S. Wickrama.
DISCOVER UGA: SUSTAINABILITY
columns.uga.edu April 11, 2016
Cruisin’ across campus
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Office of Sustainability ramps up on-campus bicycle sharing program
By Stephanie Schupska schupska@uga.edu
The bike seat is being stubborn, so Sahana Srivatsan pops her hand harder on the saddle until it budges. The Bulldog Bike she is borrowing is technically a little too big for her, but with an easily adjustable seat, it can fit almost anyone. She planned it that way. Srivatsan, a fourth-year international affairs major and arts minor, was a major force behind the revamped Bulldog Bikes program. As an intern with the Office of Sustainability, she transitioned the program from clunky but solidly made red bikes housed at hard-to-reach places across campus to black Trek hybrids complete with gears and handlebar brakes that students, faculty and staff can check out at the main library and science library. She didn’t need a bike when she restarted the program. In fact, before hopping on a Bulldog Bike for a video interview, she whizzed up to the bike rack bordering UGA’s main library on a blue and white Trek road bicycle she’s borrowed semi-permanently from her roommate. Her mountain bike is a little too heavy for regular commuting to and from campus. What she did need was company. “I wanted my friends to ride bikes with me,” she said. “It’s really encouraging to see people riding more and enjoying the program the way it should be enjoyed.” Bulldog Bikes, run through the UGA Office of Sustainability in collaboration with UGA Libraries, currently has 10 bikes in its fleet of two-wheeled vehicles and about 10 more ready to deploy at a third on-campus location. “The main thing about Bulldog Bikes is that it makes it accessible to ride a bike on campus,” said Corey Klawunder, a fourthyear environmental engineering major and the Office of Sustainability’s Complete Streets intern. “It shows people that they have transportation options. They don’t have to choose a car to get to wherever they are going. And not only does that contribute to your traditional sustainability, it also gets people outside and exercising.” Bulldog Bikes allows UGA students and employees to check out and return bikes at no cost to the individual, as long as the bikes are returned to one of the two locations before closing time and without any major damages. When there are damages—either major or minor—Jon Skaggs steps in to take a look.
Photos by Stephanie Schupska
Corey Klawunder, a fourth-year environmental engineering major and the Office of Sustainability’s Complete Streets intern, said that he really likes “that Bulldog Bikes program was started by students—it was a student-led initiative in the beginning—and UGA responded.”
Sahana Srivatsan takes a spin around North Campus on Bulldog Bike No. 18. A fourth-year student, she helped revamp the bike sharing program as a sophomore.
As the resident student bike mechanic and a fourth-year ecology major, he does most of the program’s minor repairs in the field. Today, he’s unwrapping his red tool bag to correct a minor brake issue, always a concern when the hills of Athens are involved. “It’s exciting to see students riding the bikes that I’ve been working on,” Skaggs said. “I’ve ridden bikes all my life, and it’s cool to see people discovering them for the first time. It’s cool to be part of a program that gives back and gives students access to that joy and that fun and that utility that I find in bikes.” Bigger repairs are hauled back to a makeshift UGA bike workshop, tucked in a corner of the massive warehouse known as Chicopee. The complex contains the various departments of the Facilities Management Division along with several other UGA offices. In the building that time almost forgot—parts of Chicopee were constructed in 1862 and updated randomly throughout the years—Jason Perry cleans a freewheel before installing it on its new rear-wheel home. Perry has been a program coordinator in the Office of Sustainability since 2014 and has managed the BikeAthens Bike Recycling Program since 2008. It was in this capacity—and as a research engineer in the UGA College of Engineering—that he
use and sometimes they need some extensive work to keep them in shape.” Bulldog Bikes is a bike-share program that was initially student-driven, according to Perry. “There’s always been a lot of student projects around the idea of bike sharing— from engineering to art students—and the university listened to them,” he said. The program was started with a campus sustainability grant in 2011. Sheena Zhang was a senior at UGA when she proposed the project. The red utility bikes originally purchased for the program were too heavy for pedaling uphill, and now staff members who work in the Facilities Management Division use them to get around the flat, 175-yard warehouse more quickly. In the upcoming years, Perry is optimistic the Bulldog Bikes program will continue to grow. “Bulldog Bikes currently is a universitybased program and is fairly small, but we would ideally like to expand into AthensClarke County through a town-and-gown partnership to develop a bike sharing system similar to those in other cities,” Perry said, “a robust network that expands far beyond what we’re doing right now.” Read more about the university’s sustainability efforts at www.discover.uga.edu.
WEEKLY READER
Novel addresses plight of working class
Bluestone By Carl J. Vipperman CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform $11.50
Brothers Joe and Larry Collier had a happy farm childhood, surrounded by the natural beauty of the West Virginia mountains. Thrown into a challenging series of events after the death of their father, the young siblings eventually make a new life for themselves by joining the ranks of the region’s thriving coal industry. But as the Collier brothers arrive at the mines, so does the union movement, armed with demands for fair pay and safe working conditions, sparking a growing desire for change—with unexpected and often destructive results. Bluestone is a historical tale about the endurance of the human spirit and the indestructible bond between brothers. The novel was written by the late Carl J. Vipperman, a UGA alumnus and professor emeritus of history.
met Srivatsan in 2013. They were at a bike conference, and she needed an advisor for the grant she was about to apply for. “The whole of my sophomore year, we just worked on getting these new bikes with $5,000 in grant money and also creating an easier checkout system,” she said. “And that didn’t actually come until the next year when the program piloted. We came up with this idea that we would use library barcodes—it’s like checking out a book, but checking out a bike. “Here we are, three years later,” she said. “This is finally in full bloom.” With students like Srivatsan creating the sparks to get Bulldog Bikes off the ground, Perry keeps the program going by directing the program’s day-to-day operations. “My role is to manage the program,” Perry said. “It’s actually really easy at this point. Jon does all of the field maintenance and also brings bikes into this shop and does some of the deeper maintenance. Over semester breaks, I’ll bring the bikes in and do some really serious maintenance like changing cables out and truing wheels and things like that. “So every single bike, at least twice a year, gets some really serious work done on it to make sure it’s going to continue to roll for a few years,” he also said. “They get a lot of
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Columns is available to the campus community by subscription for an annual fee of $20 (secondclass 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 Janet Beckley
EITS launches IT site for faculty members
Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski
facultyit.uga.edu
EITS has launched a new site to provide faculty with information about all the technology resources available to them at the university. The site contains all the information in the printed technology resources guide for faculty and staff, including a technology checklist for new employees, like how to set up MyID and UGAMail,
connecting to the wireless and wired networks and setting up an office phone; links to instructional technology information, such as eLC, student response systems and classroom technology support; links to research computing and data reporting resources; and contacts for college and unit IT help desks.
Senior Reporter Aaron Hale 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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HONORS from page 1
Chad Osburn
WINNING PITCH—Bob Pinckney, director of entrepreneurial programs, poses with the winners of UGA’s Next Top Entrepreneur. The three UGA students (from left: Ben Abele, Alex King and Jan Klein) took home the top prize of $10,000 for their startup, Vollarte, an e-commerce platform that connects socially conscious artists with consumers.
PARTNERSHIP from page 1
agencies to co-invest in key technology areas that can encourage investment and production in the U.S. Markets for the revolutionary fabrics range from apparel, health care and consumer products to defense, transportation, software and architectural and structural textiles. “UGA’s contributions to AFFOA tap into longstanding expertise in textiles, polymers and fibers, a track record of collaboration with industry as well as our success in launching new businesses based on discoveries,” said Vice President for Research David Lee, who has led UGA’s participation in the consortium to date. UGA researchers who will play critical roles in AFFOA include Sergiy Minko, the Georgia Power Professor of Polymers, Fibers and Textiles in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and a professor in Franklin College’s chemistry department; Suraj Sharma, an associate professor in the textiles, merchandising and interiors department of College of Family and Consumer Sciences; and Jason Locklin, an associate professor in the College of Engineering and chemistry in Franklin College. Researchers from the Complex Carbohydrate
Research Center who conduct research on biopolymers also will contribute to research and development of new technical textiles. Innovation Gateway, UGA’s commercialization and startup arm, will be instrumental in bringing new technologies to the market, including a portfolio of 10 existing textile, fiber and polymer technologies. “In addition to revolutionizing textile manufacturing, we hope to reverse the downward trend in textile manufacturing employment,” Lee said. “This initiative is projected to add 50,000 jobs over the next 10 years across a range of U.S. industries and sectors along the entire supply chain.” AFFOA, which spans 28 states and Puerto Rico, comprises 16 industry partners, 31 academic and nonprofit organizations, 26 startup incubators, and a 72-member “fabric innovation network” of prototyping and pilot fiber and textile manufacturing facilities. The effort is funded by a $75 million federal commitment and cost share matches from AFFOA partners totaling $317 million. UGA will receive at least $5 million over five years, with an additional investment of state matching funds.
Bulletin Board CSO spring pottery sale
The UGA Ceramic Student Organization will hold a spring pottery sale April 20-21 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the first floor lobby of the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Works for sale will include handbuilt sculptures for home and garden as well as functional pottery: teapots, mugs, boxes, plates, vases and bowls. All works were made by ceramic students or faculty. Prices will start at $10. Proceeds from the ceramic sale will support a student educational field trip to a national ceramic conference as well as to help bring resident artists to campus. Hourly parking is available at the Performing Arts parking deck, which is located next to the Performing Arts Center on River Road. For more information, contact Ted Saupe at tsaupe@uga.edu.
UWC fashion show
Chico’s will showcase spring and summer clothes modeled by members of the University Woman’s Club during “A Passion for Fashion” April 12 at 11 a.m. The event, which also includes a luncheon and the installation of new officers, will be held at the Athens Country Club, 2700 Jefferson Road. Guests are welcome, but tickets are required.
A portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will support the UWC scholarship fund for women at UGA.
Research participants needed
The health promotion department in the College of Public Health is conducting a study to learn more about how intermittent physical activity helps control blood sugar. Researchers are seeking men and women ages 40-64 who are overweight or obese and able to perform exercise for 2-4 minutes at a time. Participants will wear a glucose monitor for three days and will be provided meals during this time. They also will climb stairs on a stair climber machine for 2-4 minutes at a time, several times per day on two days. Information from this study may be used to inform future physical activity programming to prevent or manage diabetes. Participants will be given information about their body composition and health and also receive a financial incentive valued up to $270 for completion. For more information, contact Jennifer Gay at UGAWHG@gmail.com or jlgay@uga.edu, or by phone at 706-542-6698. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.
2016 UGA Alumni Awards Luncheon, which are open to the public. Numerous departments across the schools and colleges also will be holding special recognition ceremonies for honored students in their disciplines. Honors Week will begin April 11 with the 25th annual Public Service and Outreach Meeting and Awards Luncheon. It will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. in the UGA Center for Continuing Education Hotel and Conference Center. Faculty and staff will have the opportunity to attend professional development sessions on fundraising, communications, applied research, experiential learning and social styles. A luncheon in the Magnolia Ballroom will honor the 2016 public service and outreach award recipients. The 2015-2016 Service-Learning Fellows’ poster presentations, highlighting the courses and projects they have developed during their year-long fellowship with the Office of Service-Learning, will be on display. The Faculty Recognition Banquet also will be held April 11 in Mahler Auditorium of the Georgia Center. The reception for the invitation-only event will begin at 5:45 p.m.; dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Sponsored by the senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, the event will recognize the winners of this year’s awards for teaching excellence, including the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorships and the Richard B. Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, as well as faculty, staff and graduate students who will be honored for outstanding teaching and advising. The Presidential Honors Week Luncheon will be held April 12 with registration and photos at 11:30 a.m. and the luncheon at noon. Hosted by the Office of the President, the invitation-only recognition luncheon at the President’s House on Prince Avenue will honor First Honor Graduates and Student Government Association leaders, as well as student recipients of the Presidential Award of Excellence and national scholarship winners.
The Terry College of Business will hold its Honors Day recognition ceremony April 13 from 9:30-11 a.m. in the Chapel. The ceremony will recognize high achievers who demonstrate excellence in their academic endeavors. At 5:30 p.m. that same day, the Honors Program Banquet will be held at the Classic Center. Dinner for the invitation-only event will begin at 6:30 p.m. During the banquet, Honors Program students who have graduated in the summer or fall of 2015 as well as the graduating class of May 2016 will be recognized. Recognitions presented at the banquet include the Jere W. Morehead Award, which is given to an exceptional friend of the Honors Program. On April 14, the Research Awards Banquet will be held in Mahler Auditorium of the Georgia Center. The reception for the invitation-only event will begin at 5:30 p.m.; dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m. Hosted by the Office of the Vice President for Research, the event is a recognition dinner for students and faculty with outstanding accomplishments in research. The Alumni Awards Luncheon will be held April 15 at 11 a.m. in the Tate Student Center. The UGA Alumni Association will present the Young Alumni Award, Faculty Service Award, Friend of UGA Award and Alumni Merit Awards to recognize those individuals who, through their service, contributions and accomplishments, bring distinction and honor to UGA, the state, nation and world. To register for the Alumni Awards Luncheon, see http://t.uga.edu/2dn. Honors Week will conclude with a two-day celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Master of Public Administration program, which U.S. News & World Report recently ranked fourth in the nation among graduate schools of public affairs. The School of Public and International Affairs will host several events April 15-16, including an MPA showcase, a G-Day game tailgate and a gala dinner.
AWARD
FELLOWSHIPS from page 1
from page 1 when he received the title in 2010. Masciadri has performed as a soloist or chamber musician in more than 250 concerts in Europe, Asia, South America and North America and taught classes around the globe, including holding master classes and seminars at prestigious music schools such as the Juilliard School of Music, Paris Conservatory, Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, the Moscow Conservatory, Milan Conservatory and Sydney Conservatorium of Music. He is the coordinator of two studyabroad programs in Italy and director of the Georgia International Double Bass Symposium, which has welcomed bassists from throughout the world to UGA for more than two decades. In 1998, Masciadri was named a UNESCO Artist for Peace. In 2015, he was awarded the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts from the World Cultural Council.
GOLDWATER
Michelle V. Evans, ecology; Aileen R. Ferraro, biology; Maite Nunes Ghazaleh, marine biology; Sarah Josephine Harrison, biogeochemistry; Travis W. Jones, archaeology; Allison Nicole Koch, anthropology; Katharine Love Korunes, biology; Kerri Lynne Miazgowicz, biology; Micah Copeland Miles, ecology; Paige Bianca Miller, ecology; Michael Daniel Paxhia, biology; Emma Nicole Shipman, genomics; Sarah Elizabeth Tammen, mathematics; and Michelle Adma Ziadie, STEM education and learning research. “This is a remarkable accomplishment for our institution,” said Suzanne Barbour, dean of the UGA Graduate School. “The NSF views Graduate Research Fellowships Program awards as ‘investments that will help propel this country’s future innovations and economic growth.’ That 17 GRFPs were awarded to UGA graduate students and alumni is a tremendous vote of confidence in our students and our graduate programs.”
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Scholar Steven Stice, director of the UGA Regenerative Bioscience Center, as well as during an intensive summer research experience at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Callaway also interned at Hocoma AG, the world’s largest producer of robotic rehabilitation devices located in Zurich, Switzerland, and at the Shepherd Spinal Center’s Spinal Cord Injury Lab in Atlanta. Callaway serves as president of UGA Mathcounts, a student organization that mentors middle school students in math skills, and vice president of the Blue Key Honor Society, among other activities. Nolan is pursuing degrees in geology and chemistry. He plans to pursue a doctorate in invertebrate paleontology on a path to a career teaching and researching as a professor or museum curator. He also has pursued research through CURO, studying alongside Sally Walker, a professor of geology and marine sciences. In addition, he participated in paleontology field studies of Cretaceous deposits in Montana, through the University of Washington’s paleontological field methods course and interned at a fiber optic company.
Nolan co-founded UGA’s Science Olympiad Outreach club and is secretary of the UGA Geology Club, a student affiliate of the American Chemical Society and a member of the Geological Society of America and the Georgia Mineral Society. In addition to UGA’s Goldwater Scholarship recipients, two students—Aneek James and Hannah Mason—were given honorable mentions. James is majoring in electrical and electronics engineering in the College of Engineering and Mason is majoring in biochemistry and molecular biology as well as in Spanish in the Franklin College. “I am so thrilled for all of these students—Cali and Morrison as well as Hannah and Aneek,” said David S. Williams, associate provost and director of UGA’s Honors Program. “They are wonderful individuals in addition to being impressive researchers. I am particularly pleased that each of them has taken full advantage of undergraduate research through CURO.” The Goldwater Foundation has awarded 252 scholarships for the 2016-2017 academic year from a field of 1,150 students.
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HONORS&AWARDS Richard B. Russell Awards 16
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Three UGA faculty members will receive Richard B. Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching April 11 at the 2016 Faculty Recognition Banquet at the Georgia Center. Russell Awards recognize outstanding teaching by faculty early in their academic careers. Award recipients receive $7,500. The Richard B. Russell Foundation in Atlanta supports the program.
Andrew Davis Tucker
Robert Beckstead
Peter Frey
Kim Skobba
Dorothy Kozlowski
Zachary Wood
Associate Professor of Poultry Science College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Assistant Professor of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics College of Family and Consumer Sciences
Associate Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
A nationally renowned researcher, Robert Beckstead also has earned a reputation as a caring and engaged academic instructor. He is known for taking time to help students find their own path to a fulfilling career in science. “This idea of challenging old ideas and testing new teaching and learning strategies is at the heart of my approach to education,” said Beckstead, who joined the UGA faculty in 2007. Promoted to associate professor in 2013, he currently teaches Molecular Diagnostic and Research Tools in Avian Biology and two First-Year Odyssey classes, Chickenology: Everything You Need to Know About Chickens and The Effects of Global Agriculture on World Culture. “(The global agriculture) course attracts students who are in and outside of our college, and it is resulting in a growing understanding on the impact of agriculture throughout the world,” said Jean Bertrand, assistant dean for academic affairs in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “The course is helping to debunk false myths about agriculture and is giving students a much more accurate understanding of how their food is produced.” This popular course on the relationship between culture and agriculture has been accepted into the university’s world languages and culture, humanities and the arts core curriculum. In 2015, Beckstead received a First-Year Odyssey Seminar Teaching Award and was selected as an Outstanding Faculty Advisor for both his college and the university. He is an advisor to the undergraduate Poultry Science Club and the Poultry Science Graduate Student Organization. His ability to connect with each student on an individual level and shepherd them through their undergraduate experience has earned Beckstead the gratitude of former students and accolades from the university community. “By opening up his laboratory and sharing his abundant knowledge, Dr. Beckstead has guided many students to successful careers,” said former student Anna Paloma Kenyon. “Working with him throughout the years allowed me the opportunity to fail. Understanding failure is tied to my success.” In addition to advising students, Beckstead ensures current and prospective poultry science students have hands-on research experience. He is quick to invite undergraduate students, and even high school students, to work alongside him and his graduate students as they perform cutting-edge genetic research. “I enjoy teaching. One of my main career goals is to become a great teacher,” Beckstead said. “Just as with the research side of my formal education, I know that multiple mentors have and will continue to contribute to the teaching side of my career. I hope that 10 years from now, I am still trying new methods in the classroom to improve my teaching.”
Down in the heart of Appalachia, on a volunteer project with a home repair ministry, Kim Skobba had an awakening of sorts. A Minneapolis-based public relations professional at the time, Skobba became “fascinated” with the idea of affordable housing. “The people loved their homes so much and loved where they lived,” she said of the poverty-stricken residents the ministry served. “They lived in dilapidated housing in an impoverished town but wouldn’t move because they had such a tie to the land and the people. I wondered if it was possible to improve their community in a way that wouldn’t change what they valued.” Skobba quickly took stock of her life, didn’t see herself in PR long term and went on to receive a master’s degree in design, housing and apparel from the University of Minnesota, then a doctorate while working in the nonprofit housing sector for 10 years. Her first job in academia brought her to UGA in 2011. Her research focuses on the housing needs of low-income households and the relationship between community development and social capital in rural and small towns. As an instructor, she has received praise for her engaging style of teaching that seeks to give students an active role in the classroom. Students in Skobba’s service-learning classes have performed housing assessments of area neighborhoods, held listening sessions with residents of Lithonia on issues involving home ownership and recorded interviews with residents of an Athens public housing complex that was about to be demolished. She also co-taught the popular “tiny house” class last semester with David Berle, a faculty member in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Students learned about green building while constructing an actual tiny house that was donated to a farm in Sylvania through a partnership with Georgia Organics. “Her ability to connect with students and communities and give hands-on experience is what I believe are the keys to her successful teaching,” said Malcolm Mitchell, a former UGA football player who participated in the Lithonia project. “She has truly located the hidden route for positive change: a spirit that never, never quits.” As a first-generation college graduate who earned her first degree as a nontraditional student, Skobba said her combined life experiences give her a unique perspective on engaging with a diverse student population. A recent research project that investigated the barriers faced by college students who have experienced homelessness or foster care also has influenced her thinking as an educator, she said. Skobba, also a UGA Lilly Teaching Fellow, has received commendations from across campus for her efforts.
Zachary Wood’s engagement with instruction seeks to impart research-inspired teaching strategies. To engage students’ natural curiosity, Wood uses his enthusiasm to create a personal atmosphere in the classroom. To connect with students, he shares his own journey to learning. “Dr. Wood’s excellent teaching style allows him to present complex information to students who have a variety of academic backgrounds, a diversity of majors and vastly different career goals,” said Karl Espelie, Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Biological Sciences and Entomology in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. A Georgia Cancer Coalition Scholar with a research program in structural biology, Wood has taught introductory biochemistry twice per year for the last seven years. An undergraduate course with many nonmajors, it covers a traditional knowledge base that has a reputation for being difficult, if not arcane. With a goal of helping students understand first principles of biochemistry, Wood has introduced new teaching tools that engage his classes as students—and as teachers. To connect students outside of class and encourage group study habits,Wood posts a “Google doc” of questions with each lecture. This forum creates a virtual study group that gives all students—many of whom are reluctant to speak in class—the opportunity to ask questions anonymously and confirm lecture notes.This online setting creates a small-class dynamic even in a large lecture course. Perhaps more importantly, it promotes an atmosphere of cooperative learning where students can delve deeper into specific concepts. “People can ask questions (on the Google doc) and Dr. Z would answer with explanations, calculations and pictures,” said Sepehr Saberian, a junior double major in biology and psychology. “From day one, Dr. Z exuded enthusiasm about the subject and that had a contagious effect on me.” Wood harnesses what he calls “a valuable and underutilized resource” at UGA—Honors students—to author and illustrate a student-authored textbook for the Introduction to Biochemistry course. The comprehensive textbook, written from the Honors students’ perspective as they take the course, is comprised of chapter sections produced by students and edited by Wood. Once edited, the sections will be freely available for download as a supplement to Wood’s lecture. “As a student, having a free textbook written by other students and edited by my own professor is a very appealing option,” said fourth-year chemistry major David Rink, who participated in Wood’s Honors option project.“Consequently, that Honors option project benefits both the students writing the chapters and future students who get to use the textbook. Indeed, I found it the best Honors project I have ever completed.”
—Merritt Melancon
—Cal Powell
—Alan Flurry
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Josiah Meigs Teaching Professors
Five faculty members will be honored as Meigs Professors April 11 at the 2016 Faculty Recognition Banquet at the Georgia Center. 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 fund of $1,000 for academic support.
Tim Foutz
Professor College of Engineering
Dorothy Kozlowski
Tim Foutz has seen a great deal of change during his 28 years as a member of UGA’s engineering faculty. In fact, Foutz has been at the center of many of those changes. When he joined UGA in 1988, the university had an engineering department that offered a single undergraduate degree in agricultural engineering and enrolled about 50 students. Almost immediately, Foutz became a leader in efforts to offer a second degree, biological engineering, and to build a more vibrant engineering design curriculum. “Previously, the department was focused on the technical aspects of engineering and not on aspects of engineering that impact the human condition,” Foutz said.“I believed we needed to develop a complete program focused on infusing concerns from the social sciences and humanities into the science of engineering design.” Foutz led the development of new instructional models designed to help both students and instructors reflect on the broader impact of engineering solutions. The program presented engineering design as a social process rather than simply applying math and science to a particular challenge. After a quarter century, this program of study remains a distinctive
Stephanie Jones
Professor of Early Childhood Education College of Education
Andrew Davis Tucker
Stephanie Jones is a hands-on professor who uses community-based experiences to empower her students. But she’s also a scholar, an activist and a public intellectual whose powerful teaching extends beyond the classroom. “My teaching is largely informed by feminism and poststructural understandings about learning and change,” Jones said. “Even when students don’t identify with feminism, they appreciate feminist pedagogies that emphasize the importance of understanding personal experiences as being linked to social and political contexts.” Jones uses interdisciplinary approaches to help students understand how social class, gender and race affect different educational contexts. Since understanding complex practices of teaching and learning are essential tools for future educators, Jones has been an active collaborator in the development or redesign of multiple courses since joining the university in 2007. “It seems clear that Dr. Jones’ deep and wide intellectual capacity and curiosity and her ongoing pursuits of diverse teaching and learning opportunities continue to engage undergraduate students and draw graduate students to her for mentorship in their own academic journeys,” said Cynthia Dillard, the Mary
Karen King
Jim Kennedy Professor of New Media and Professor of Advertising Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Dorothy Kozlowski
There are two qualities that Karen King teaches students that aren’t on the syllabus. “The two main things I hope students get out of my classes are that I would like them to be strategic thinkers and I’d like them to be creative problem solvers,” King said. King has worked in academics for over 30 years, all of it at UGA. She is teaching an advertising campaigns class and media planning classes to graduate and undergraduate students. “Her teaching is inspiring,” said Charles Davis, dean of Grady College. “Students speak of her innovative teaching style, her ability to help them see what they are capable of and her commitment to making sure they learn.” One of the most important ways that King inspires her students to overcome challenges is by working with industry partners on real projects. King, who was a media planner and research supervisor at Foote, Cone & Belding in Chicago before teaching, feels that by giving her students real situations, they will develop critical skills and build their toolbox. “I always tell them at the beginning of the semester that my favorite phrase is ‘it depends,’ ” King said. “My job is to
cornerstone of instruction in the UGA College of Engineering. “For a non-tenured assistant professor to take a stand and point out our inadequacies in an area central to engineering education was quite bold,” said Sidney Thompson, the college’s U.H. Davenport Professor of Biological & Agricultural Engineering. “Countless engineering students at UGA have greatly benefited in the workplace due to his efforts related to engineering design.” Foutz’s impact on instruction reaches across campus. He was the inaugural director of the First-Year Odyssey Seminar. “I tried to listen to the instructors participating in First-Year Odyssey and help them find ways to blend their scholarship into a format that builds students’ capacity to question, challenge and evaluate information,” Foutz said. “It was incredibly rewarding to have a chance to impact faculty and in turn see the faculty impact students.” Always looking for opportunities to enhance the learning experience for students, Foutz recently helped launch a collaboration between the College of Engineering and the physics and astronomy department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. DEEP, Developing Excellence in Engineering and Physics, is designed to provide more student services to academically talented students with a demonstrated financial need. “I’ve always viewed my role as finding ways to help students figure out how they’re going to learn and how they’re going to be successful for the rest of their lives,” Foutz said.
—Mike Wooten
Frances Early Professor of Teacher Education and head of the college’s educational theory and practice department. In fact, both undergraduate and graduate students alike praise Jones for her commitment to teaching and for challenging them to think differently. According to one master’s student, Jones is an educator “who has truly changed (lives) in terms of how (people) view the world.” “I hope my students leave my classes believing they are better informed, smarter readers, stronger writers, more critical thinkers, more creative and knowing that they are already playing a role in shaping the community,” Jones said. “I also hope they see why teaching that aims for playful engagement, intellectual depth, personal dignity and wholeness benefits individuals and a healthier society.” Jones continues to push her own thinking and teaching through collaborative efforts, including a collaboration with an art education scholar; her current partnership with a team of UGA medical students and faculty who are focusing on issues of food accessibility and nutrition; and her work with The Awesome Clubhouse @ La Escuelita, a community-based informal learning center where research, teaching and outreach come together to benefit children between the ages of 5 and 12. Jones has received many accolades, including the 2015 First-Year Odyssey Seminar Teaching Excellence Award and the College of Education’s 2011 Ira E. Aaron Award for Teaching Excellence and Collegiality.
—Kathryn Kao
teach them what ‘it’ depends on. “You can’t tell them what’s up next year or five years from now,” she also said. “What you can do is give them the tools to analyze ‘it’ and determine creative ways to solve problems. Then they have the tools they need to be successful.” For this reason, she has helped develop several experiential learning opportunities. For example, her two most recent ad campaigns classes have worked with Turner Entertainment Network on research projects for Conan and Full Frontal with Samantha Bee. King has shaped a six-month project that assigns a team of students to research questions from the international media agency PHD Worldwide about media use and purchase behaviors of millennials. “Grady has always been committed to experiential learning,” King said. “With PHD Worldwide, our students get the opportunity to put together a very professional presentation. It’s amazing to see them blossom as they are doing it. They blow away the audience of advertising professionals and clients with what they can do.” King’s students thrive on these experiences, too. “She takes great effort to instill relevant challenges into her lesson plans, ensuring that her students have experience developing and presenting advertising solutions to advertisers in the real world,” said Lucas Holt, an account manager at Innovation Factory OMD and one of King’s former students.
—Sarah Freeman
2016 HONORS & AWARDS Rodney Mauricio
Professor of Genetics Franklin College of Arts and Sciences
Andrew Davis Tucker
Rodney Mauricio knows what it takes to inspire students to learn. As a professor of genetics at UGA since 1998, he teaches a large lecture course in evolutionary biology, which is based on a theory rejected by many Americans. Despite this challenge, Mauricio has earned a reputation for making science less intimidating. His classroom methods for teaching encourage students to actively learn through discovery using computer simulations, case studies, in-class experiments and even assigning evolutionary-themed projects such as music videos, poetry, children’s books or art. He also extends this approach to exams, which are all-essay—an unusual test method in science classes. “Interacting one-on-one with my students in the lab and in the field and deeply questioning their assumptions about the natural world has got to be the most fun I have in teaching,” Mauricio said. “But opening up the world of evolutionary biology to undergraduates is the most rewarding as the subject is the prism through which we can understand all the life sciences.” His unique teaching methods in this class do not go unnoticed by students, who routinely praise him in evaluations
Tim Smalley
Associate Professor of Horticulture College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
Andrew Davis Tucker
Over his two decades as a faculty member at UGA, Tim Smalley has inspired countless students to look more closely at the world of plants all around them. Smalley, who is known for teaching horticulture classes under the Meigs white oak tree, revamped his courses to engage students in learning experiences in and out of the classroom. From his first years in the horticulture department, it was clear that Smalley had a connection with students, said Doug Bailey, professor and head of the horticulture department. “How many university professors have been asked to perform a marriage ceremony for their students because of their respect for the character of their professor and their professor’s impact on their lives?” Bailey wrote in Smalley’s nomination letter. “He is consistently mentioned as our students’ favorite professor during senior exit surveys as supported by superb evaluations and outstanding comments. He receives these accolades even though his courses are considered challenging and time-consuming and in spite of his required class attendance.” Smalley’s Art and Gardens of the Grand Tour study-abroad program has heightened students’ horticultural and cultural appreciation since 2001. He is nationally recognized as a leader in curriculum
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for his enthusiasm toward helping students learn. “I can say this class easily had the greatest impact on me throughout my tenure as a student at UGA,” said former student Ashleigh Waits. “Being able to clearly describe the effect of both genetics and the environment on evolution to a person otherwise uneducated in the field or generally close-minded to the idea of evolution is an art which Dr. Mauricio clearly taught. Obviously, the supporting science and math was clearly explained and understood, but being able to apply this to ‘real life’ was something of the utmost importance. He expanded our minds and challenged us to not only ‘learn’ the subject but to understand the application and experience the tangible realities of evolutionary biology.” Mauricio has contributed to expanding the horizons of students outside of the classroom. He has mentored more than 50 undergraduate students in his lab, has played an active role on the University Curriculum Committee since 2006, chaired the SACS reaccreditation committee that proposed the First-Year Odyssey Seminar Program and helped create a vision for general education by writing a large portion of a Provost’s Office task force report that continues to guide the university’s larger education goals. In a global context, Mauricio is also known for leading an innovative National Science Foundation Partnership in International Research and Education grant and study-abroad program that took students to China to conduct research.
—Jessica Luton
development, global programs and strategic planning. Because of Smalley’s success in the classroom and rapport with students, he has helped to shape the course of study for students in both the horticulture department and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. One such student was Daniella Adams, a 2008 UGA alumna who, as a freshman, met Smalley for the first time at the Horticulture Club’s annual plant sale. Not very interested in plants, Adams pulled into the parking lot to buy a few roses to take home to her father. She left the sale with an entirely new career choice and an appointment to meet Smalley, the college’s undergraduate coordinator, the next day. “In those few minutes, he had already challenged me to discover a love for horticulture which over the next four years would evolve into a lifestyle and eventually a career,” Adams said. Smalley teaches the popular Woody Landscape Plant Identification and Use course, which takes students across campus as they learn about the thousands of trees and shrubs that comprise the UGA Campus Arboretum. According to Smalley, his goal as a teacher is “to see a passion for learning blazing anew in his students.” To achieve this goal, he follows a few, simple philosophies. “I teach every class as if my child was in the class and treat every student as I would wish my child to be treated,” he said.
—Merritt Melancon
See more award winners and honorees at uga.edu/honorsweek/index.html
Research Awards
The Inventor’s Award is for a unique and innovative discovery that has made an impact on the community. The Academic Entrepreneur of the Year Award is for a faculty member who has started a company within the past four years based on research originated at UGA.
INVENTOR’S AWARD
Sue Myers Smith
Mark Jackwood, the J.R. Glisson Professor of Avian Medicine and head of the population health department, studies respiratory viruses including avian coronavirus, infectious bronchitis virus and avian influenza virus. His work involves the use of molecular techniques for the identification, characterization and control of those viruses. He also studies genetic diversity, mutation rates and evolutionary trends among coronaviruses to elucidate mechanisms that can lead to the emergence of new viruses capable of causing disease. Jackwood has submitted more than a dozen invention disclosures leading to four issued patents and two pending patent applications. Several of his technologies have been licensed to industry partners leading to four commercial poultry vaccines as well as autogenous vaccines used by the poultry industry. Jackwood also co-developed a patented rapid diagnostic technique for infectious bronchitis virus, several antibody research tools and is co-inventor of a vaccine spray cabinet that has been licensed to a large animal health company.
—James E. Hataway
ACADEMIC ENTREPRENEUR OF THE YEAR AWARD
Amy Ware
Valentine Nzengung, a professor of environmental geochemistry and founder of MuniRem Environmental, has been working for over 15 years to move innovative environmental remediation technologies from the academic laboratory to the field. His research interests include the development and evaluation of innovative technologies for the cleanup of contaminated water, sediment and soils. MuniRem’s core technology achieves instant neutralization of explosives and chemical warfare material at ambient temperatures. The efficacy of the MuniRem technology was most recently demonstrated during efforts to save the wreck of the Confederate ironclad gunboat CSS Georgia. Scuttled by her own crew to avoid capture by the advancing Union Army in 1864, the Georgia still contained several artifacts when it was rediscovered during a Savannah Harbor dredging project. Among the artifacts were unexploded ordnance filled with dangerous black powder. MuniRem was used to inert each shell, rendering each artifact safe for analysis and conservation.
—James E. Hataway
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2016 HONORS & AWARDS
Distinguished Research Professor Written by James E. Hataway
The title of Distinguished Research Professor is awarded to faculty who are recognized internationally for their original contributions to knowledge and whose work promises to foster continued creativity in their discipline.
Roberto Docampo, a professor of cellular biology and a Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar, is renowned for his work on Chagas disease and sleeping sickness, potentially fatal parasitic infections that have ravaged populations in Latin America and sub-Saharan Africa, respectively. He is credited with discovering a new organelle inside the disease-causing trypanosome parasites that he and his colleagues call the acidocalcisome, which is responsible for numerous critical cell functions required for parasite growth and replication. Since acidocalcisomes from less complex organisms, such as bacteria and trypanosomes, possess enzymes absent in mammalian cells, the organelles are excellent targets for the chemotherapy. Docampo found that human organelles similar to the acidocalcisome play an important role in blood clotting and inflammation, which may lead to new therapies for uncontrollable bleeding, thrombosis and immune diseases.
Rick O’Quinn
Peter Frey
Peter Frey
Elena Karahanna, the L. Edmund Rast Professor of Business, is an exceptionally high-impact researcher and an authority on the implementation and use of information systems. In particular, her research has provided significant contributions to knowledge about attitudinal and emotional factors that impede effective use of information technology and how firms can create strategies to overcome these barriers. Her papers about the importance of trust as a key construct in the adoption of electronic commerce are an influential part of the information technology adoption literature. Karahanna has studied the effect of leadership on technology initiatives and the impact of chief information officers on firm performance. Some of her work focuses on the health care sector, and she uses her expertise in technology to better understand the mechanisms that may constrain or facilitate technology-enabled change in health care.
Thomas Mote, a professor of geography, is a world-renowned expert on the impact of climate change and variability on the Earth’s water cycle, particularly the “cryosphere,” which includes ice sheets, glaciers, sea ice and snow cover. Some of his most notable work involves the impact of large-scale changes in atmospheric pressure and winds on the loss of ice from the Greenland ice sheet. Increased ice melt leads to greater runoff of meltwater, which contributes to global sea level rise. Mote uses satellite data to track changes in surface melting on the Greenland ice sheet, and he has developed cutting-edge techniques and algorithms used by the scientific community to understand Greenland’s response to a changing climate. His work has helped scientists better understand how a pattern of atmospheric circulation known as the North Atlantic Oscillation can lead to massive melt events.
Ed Pavlic, a professor of English and creative writing, is an extraordinarily productive researcher and a gifted poet. Capping an unprecedented decade of creative and scholarly activity, his monograph, Who Can Afford to Improvise?, on the great African-American writer and social critic James Baldwin was published in 2015 by Fordham University Press. In it, Pavlic examines the life, writings and legacy of Baldwin and their relationship to the lyric tradition of black music from gospel and blues to jazz and R&B. Pavlic also recently published his latest collection of poetry, Let’s Let That Are Not Yet: Inferno, a winner of the prestigious National Poetry Series open competition. This is the fifth title of poetry he has published since joining the UGA faculty in 2006. During the same period, he has published more than a dozen scholarly articles and had several earlier essays reprinted in scholarly compendia.
Creative Research Awards
Robert Newcomb Andrew Davis Tucker
Yiping Zhao, a professor of physics, has made tremendous contributions to the field of nanotechnology. He developed a method to rapidly and accurately detect viruses, bacteria and chemical contaminants using a technique known as surface enhanced Raman spectroscopy, or SERS, which measures the change in frequency of a laser as it scatters off a compound. The signal produced by Raman scattering is inherently weak, but Zhao and his colleagues have arrayed silver nanorods 1,000 times finer than the width of a human hair at a precise angle to amplify the signal. This system may be used to detect pathogens and contaminants in mixtures such as food, blood or saliva. Zhao is also a recognized leader in the development of the glancing angle deposition, or GLAD, technique for nanostructure design and fabrication. Using this process, Zhao is able to fabricate nanorod arrays that may be used as sensors for biological, renewable energy and nanomachine applications.
WILLIAM A. OWENS AWARD for distinguished achievements in the social and behavioral sciences
Jennifer McDowell, a professor of psychology, is an outstanding researcher who has dedicated much of her career to the study of cognition and brain function in healthy humans as well as those with psychiatric disorders. She integrates behavioral and multi-modal brain imaging methods, including electroencephalogram and functional magnetic resonance imaging, to provide comprehensive understanding of cognitive problems and what may be done to treat them. McDowell also conducted a series of methodologically sophisticated studies that documented the nature of cognitive control deficits in people with schizophrenia and their relatives using a particularly informative model based on eye movement performance. She has published scholarly papers in top journals on cognitive control deficits.
Robert Newcomb
Peter Frey
LAMAR DODD AWARD
ALBERT CHRIST-JANER AWARD
Daniel Nakano, Distinguished Research Professor of Mathematics, is renowned for his contributions to representation theory, which includes the study of Lie algebras, algebraic groups and quantum groups. This important branch of mathematics impacts many fields as it originated from attempts to understand symmetry in nature. In representation theory, an abstract algebraic entity is realized as matrices of numbers. Nakano’s research provides important fundamental advances, and he has a history of groundbreaking results through the creation of new approaches or solutions. His expertise and leadership was critically important to the success of UGA’s National Science Foundation Vertical Integration of Research and Education in Mathematics Program.
Ed Pavlic, a professor of English and creative writing, is an extraordinarily productive researcher and a gifted poet. Capping an unprecedented decade of creative and scholarly activity, his monograph, Who Can Afford to Improvise?, on the great African-American writer and social critic James Baldwin was published in 2015 by Fordham University Press. In it, Pavlic examines the life, writings and legacy of Baldwin and their relationship to the lyric tradition of black music from gospel and blues to jazz and R&B. Pavlic recently published his latest collection of poetry, Let’s Let That Are Not Yet: Inferno. This is the fifth title of poetry he has published since joining the UGA faculty in 2006. During the same period, he has published more than a dozen scholarly articles and had several earlier essays reprinted in scholarly compendia.
for distinguished achievements in the sciences
for distinguished achievements in the arts and humanities
2016 HONORS & AWARDS
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Creative Research Medals Written by James E. Hataway
These medals are awarded for outstanding research or creative activity within the past five years that focuses on a single theme identified with the University of Georgia.
Peter Frey
Peter Frey
Andrew Davis Tucker
Dorothy Kozlowski
Pete Bettinger, a professor of forestry and natural resources, is known and widely respected for his extensive contributions to the development and application of forest planning and resource assessment models.These models are critically important for land management and the sustainable use of forest resources. Through his research, Bettinger has developed forest plans that mitigate risks from wind or fire damage, he has developed methods to protect wildlife habitats, and he has used his expertise to promote urban tree growth as a means to increase carbon sequestration. His research group uses advanced techniques, including global positioning systems, geographic information systems and remote sensor imagery, to provide high-quality information necessary for decision-making. Bettinger is also widely celebrated for his books, including Forest Plans of North America, Introduction to Forestry and Natural Resources and Forest Management and Planning.
Vanessa Ezenwa, an associate professor of ecology and infectious diseases, is internationally recognized for her research on the consequences of parasite coinfection. Ezenwa has helped bring a new perspective to this burgeoning discipline by using a combination of longitudinal and experimental field studies to examine coinfection in wild African buffalo populations, which are commonly affected by parasitic worms and bovine tuberculosis simultaneously. Previous research performed in humans and laboratory animals has linked worm infestations to increased microbial disease severity, resulting in calls for integrating deworming therapies into intervention strategies for the microbial diseases of humans. However, Ezenwa has demonstrated that under some conditions, public health interventions aimed at controlling worm infections may exacerbate, rather than moderate, the spread of other microbes.
Jenna Jambeck, an associate professor of engineering, is recognized for her groundbreaking work on waste management and marine debris. Over the last three years, she led a collaborative research initiative that, for the first time, rigorously quantified the amount of mismanaged plastic that flows into the global ocean from 192 countries with coastal access. Jambeck and her colleagues calculated that 8 million metric tons of plastic enter the oceans every year, the majority from rapidly developing economies with lagging infrastructure. Without intervention, this annual input is expected to double by 2025. Jambeck’s study, published in the journal Science, has provided a new and important perspective on the issue of marine debris and plastic in the oceans. Her work also has spurred governments, industry and nonprofit organizations to protect ocean wildlife and ecosystem health.
Steve Kogan, an associate professor of human development and family science, is one of the foremost experts on HIV risk and prevention among rural African-American youth. The disproportionate impact of HIVrelated risk behaviors on African-American youth prompted Kogan to implement a program of translational research that investigated the role of psychosocial, family and genetic influences on African-American adolescents’ risk behavior. This program of research informed the development of the Strong African American Families-Teen program, which aims to advance the well-being of African-American adolescents by strengthening family relationships and youth competencies. Kogan and his colleagues tested SAAF-T in a randomized prevention trial, confirming its efficacy in reducing rural AfricanAmerican youths’ HIV-related risk behavior.
Early-Career Scholar Awards
Peter Frey
FRED C. DAVISON EARLY-CAREER SCHOLAR AWARD IN SCIENCES Nina Wurzburger, an assistant professor of ecology, has an established track record of excellent scholarship focused on the biogeochemical processes of land ecosystems. Some of her most important achievements come from research in tropical forests, which play a fundamental role in the regulation of Earth’s climate.The ability to fulfill this role depends on nutrients like nitrogen, and Wurzburger discovered a number of processes that limit nutrient availability and forest growth. She has turned her attention to one of the most endangered ecosystems in North America—longleaf pine savannas.As part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, she is examining how nitrogen fixation facilitates the ecosystem’s recovery from physical disturbances, including prior land use and fire.
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Andrew Davis Tucker
CHARLES B. KNAPP EARLY-CAREER SCHOLAR AWARD IN SOCIAL AND BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
MICHAEL F. ADAMS EARLY-CAREER SCHOLAR AWARD IN THE ARTS AND HUMANITIES
Michelle vanDellen, an assistant professor of psychology, is a highly productive and engaged scholar who studies the psychological and social aspects of self-regulation, the means by which people order their lives and control their behavior. Her dissertation research was the first to show that causing people to think about others they know who are good or bad at self-control leads to improvement or decline in their own ability to control their behavior when confronted with temptations. Her more recent work focuses on self-regulation in the context of close relationships. With her colleagues, vanDellen has developed a novel theoretical framework that defines all goal pursuits as inherently interpersonal.
Cody Marrs, an assistant professor of English, is an accomplished junior scholar and author of the recently published book Nineteenth-Century American Literature and the Long Civil War. In it, Marrs analyzes the writings of four major authors—Frederick Douglass, Herman Melville, Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson—whose careers spanned both sides of the conflict. He argues against the traditional division of 19th-century literature into either antebellum or postbellum categories, describing these authors as “transbellum.” Marrs is currently working on several related projects, including a second book titled The Civil War: A Literary History. This wide-ranging book is about the war’s cultural afterlife, from the 19th century to the 21st.
Dorothy Kozlowski
James Leebens-Mack, a professor of plant biology, is a leading figure in plant evolutionary genomics. He co-led a team of scientists to sequence the genome of Amborella trichopoda, a small, shrub-like tree found only on the main island of New Caledonia in the South Pacific. Amborella is the sole survivor of an ancient evolutionary lineage that traces back to the last common ancestor of all flowering plants. By comparing the Amborella genome to those of other plants, Leebens-Mack and his colleagues reconstructed the portfolio of genes present in ancestral flowering plants. The information gleaned from this project sheds light on how flowering plants diversified so explosively soon after their origin over 150 million years ago, a problem Charles Darwin called an “abominable mystery.” Leebens-Mack also leads the Dogwood Genome Project and Dimensions of Biodiversity Project aimed at unraveling the molecular basis for plant adaptations to life in arid habitats.
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2016 HONORS & AWARDS
April 11, 2016 columns.uga.edu
Public Service & Outreach
The Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach will recognize faculty and staff members for outstanding service to the state and UGA at the 25th annual Public Service and Outreach Meeting and Awards Luncheon April 11. Written by Maegan Snyder
Peter Frey
Walter Barnard Hill Fellow Karen Payne is the head of humanitarian programs at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, Information Technology Outreach Services. She provides IT services to the humanitarian community responding to disasters. Payne came to UGA in 1998, conducting Georgia’s first biodiversity assessment program at the Institute of Ecology, now the Odum School of Ecology. Following this, she worked both as a research scientist and associate director in Marine Extension, investigating coastal zone management issues and overseeing public exhibits and education programing. In her current position, she oversees the development of data used in disaster-prone countries. This includes working with staff and volunteers to develop custom visualization applications for the United Nations High Commission for Refugees working in Somalia. Payne has trained information management officers deployed in the Middle East and southern Africa and made recommendations for disaster response based on program assessments for the governments of Mongolia and Laos PDR. A recognized leader in her field, she has served as an expert adviser to the World Health Organization Collaborating Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters
and a member of the International Council for Science Global Roads Data Working Group. While the work that Payne does is clearly visible around the world, much of what she does impacts how technology is implemented here in Georgia.The international work conducted by Payne allows for new technologies to be researched and tested. The institute and other partners in Georgia can then take these lessons and apply the results here in Georgia, providing tested and vetted solutions that save money on work conducted by ITOS in Georgia. In addition, Payne’s student engagement activities provide experiential learning opportunities designed to meet Georgia’s geospatial workforce needs. Throughout her career, Payne has worked tirelessly to help organizations expand and improve their use of information technology in the public interest. “Her work has vision that is informed by her values and hard won through her personal commitment to bettering the lives of people everywhere,” said Laura Meadows, director of the Institute of Government. “Dr. Payne’s work is a timeline of excellence, which began by honoring her roots in Georgia, and systematically expanding her international assistance program to address the needs of people when they are their most vulnerable.”
Shannah Montgomery
2016 Engaged Scholar Phillip Tomporowski, a professor in the kinesiology department in the UGA College of Education, believes great things start to happen when university outreach extends academic resources to meet community needs. Since 2007, Tomporowski and his colleague Bryan McCullick, also a professor in the kinesiology department, have partnered with the Clarke County School District on a project that evaluates the effects of a specialized after-school program focused on physical activity, mathematics and reading. Based on initial findings in 2014, they were awarded a 21st-Century Community Learning Center grant from the Georgia Department of Education to study how physical activity influences children’s academic performance. The Physical Activity and Learning Program, or PAL, is conducted in two CCSD schools: Chase Street Elementary and Fowler Drive Elementary. PAL is a multidisciplinary program that involves faculty from the UGA Colleges of Education, Public Health and Family and Consumer Sciences. It is aimed at stimulating children’s academic achievement in mathematics and reading while increasing physical activity levels and health behaviors. The program also promotes family involvement in guiding
children’s academic and health-related behaviors at home. In recognition of these efforts, Tomporowski is the 2016 recipient of the Engaged Scholar Award, presented annually by the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach since 2008. The award recognizes a full-time, tenured faculty member for significant contributions in public service, outreach and community service. “Dr. Tomporowski’s work starts with and maintains a focus on the needs of kids,” said Chase Street Elementary School Principal Adam Kurtz. “As a result, the impact of his research extends beyond the theoretical and improves kids’ lives every day.” The background for PAL is based on a book, Physical Activity Games to Enhance Children’s Cognition, written by Tomporowski, McCullick and their colleague, Caterina Pesce, a professor at the University of Rome. Principals at the two CCSD schools who work with Tomporowski report improvements in children’s overall behavior, academic performance and levels of physical fitness. “Historically people have thought children should study first then play; our data suggests if you play first then teach, they will learn better,” Tomporowski said.
Staff Award for Excellence As a program coordinator for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government’s International Center, Fei Zhang has many varied responsibilities. Zhang began his career at the Institute of Government nearly 10 years ago as a graduate student before transitioning into his current role. Over this time, Zhang has assisted more than 1,000 Georgians who have either visited China as instructors or as leadership delegation members in an institute-sponsored program. He assists with pre-trip cultural orientation, logistical planning, translation, cultural guidance, program and budget development, and more. Zhang also has served as a primary coordinator for more than 1,000 Chinese
officials who have visited Georgia during his time at the institute, providing a bridge between the East and West, and making sure the learning and cultural experience is as productive as possible for the Chinese officials. He has been instrumental in growing the institute’s China Program by helping expand partnerships to seven Chinese provinces and the municipal administration training institutes in Shanghai and Beijing. Zhang also developed a new marketing brochure for the program in both English and Mandarin that has served as an important part of the institute’s branding in China. “Our China program would not be what it is without Fei Zhang,” said Laura
Meadows, director of the Institute of Government. “Every day he is working to assist Chinese government officials through our training programs and to build bridges between our two countries. He has strengthened existing partnerships and built new relationships with state and local government leaders … most importantly are the experiences he has provided for thousands of Georgians who have either traveled to China or been exposed to more than a thousand Chinese visitors here at home. All of these experiences help build the cultural capacity of our communities, which is increasingly important in our completely connected global society and economy.”
Shannah Montgomery
See more award winners and honorees at uga.edu/honorsweek/index.html
2016 HONORS & AWARDS Walter Barnard Hill Awards
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The Walter Barnard Hill Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach recognizes outstanding contributions to the improvement of the quality of life in Georgia and beyond.
Ellen Bauske joined the Georgia Center for Urban Agriculture as a program coordinator in 2005. She coordinates programs in urban water issues, safety training, local food, turfgrass and arboriculture. Her primary charge is to increase the impact of UGA Extension outreach in Georgia’s urban areas. Much of her efforts have focused on development and implementation of programs that deliver training through the county extension delivery system. Bauske has worked with specialists, county agents and Master Gardener Extension volunteers, urban agriculture industry representatives and many others to fund and deliver training. Thousands of landscape and tree care workers have participated in her safety training programs and Hispanic worker outreach programs. Master Gardeners throughout the Southeast have benefited from her programs in integrated pest management, tree care and water conservation. She has been a leader in the efforts to develop a national plan for consumer horticulture and served on national committees in urban extension and consumer horticulture. She helped create Agriculture Weather Information Services Inc. and served as executive vice president and director of marketing of that company for seven years. Bauske has worked in plant breeding, biological control, IPM and Extension. Mary Kay Woodworth, executive director of the Urban Ag Council, noted, “In all aspects of her work, Dr. Bauske demonstrates remarkable leadership, initiative and organizational abilities. Due to her public and private sector experience, she is uniquely qualified to understand and bridge the gap between the goals and missions of the university and those of the urban ag industry’s business owners and leaders.”
Phil Brannen is a professor in the plant pathology department in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Throughout his career, he has had extensive experience with disease management programs in numerous cropping systems. He serves as the extension fruit pathologist for Georgia, conducting research and technology transfer for multiple fruit commodities. His efforts are directed toward developing integrated pest management practices to solve disease issues and technology transfer of disease-management methods to commercial fruit producers. He also teaches the graduatelevel Field Pathology course; team-teaches the IPM course; coordinates the Viticulture and Enology in the Mediterranean Region course in Cortona, Italy; and guest lectures. Brannen focuses extension, research and teaching efforts to directly address the unsolved needs of the fruit producing clientele throughout the state and region. In recognition of his extension and outreach efforts, he recently received two other distinguished awards; the D.W. Brooks Excellence in Extension Award from the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Donnie H. Morris Excellence in Extension Award from the Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association. Guido Schnabel, a colleague from Clemson University, said, “Dr. Brannen is one of the best, if not the best extension specialist in the Southern region. He is very good at everything he is doing, but if I had to point out a few major strengths, I would go with his creative problem-solving abilities and his outstanding leadership skills. Dr. Brannen cares deeply about his growers and often is challenged by a plethora of disease issues as a result of his responsibilities that cover all fruits including small fruits, pome fruits and stone fruits.”
Dave Moorhead is a professor of silviculture at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and codirector of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health. This is his 33rd year at UGA, where he develops and delivers statewide and regional outreach programs on silviculture, forest vegetation management, invasive species and forest health issues, forest regeneration, prescribed fire and forest management. He is also co-founder and co-director of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at UGA, which works on all groups of invasive species nationally and internationally. In his work at the center, Moorhead oversees the development of database applications and smartphone apps that are used for identification and mapping of invasive species. He and his team developed an early detection and distribution mapping system that is used to identify, report and map invasive species as well as certain regulatory insects throughout the U.S. and Canada. Center projects support invasive species programs for the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and numerous state and provincial agencies. “I have met other forestry extension faculty at most of the land-grant universities across the South and can assure you there aren’t many comparable to Dave Moorhead,” said James K. Johnson, chair of the Georgia Board of Registration for Foresters and former chief of forest management for the Georgia Forestry Commission. “From his production of technical information over the years, to his dynamic delivery of presentations, to his reputation as an authority on many forest health and silvicultural issues, he is among the elite.”
Service-Learning Excellence Awards Written by Shannon Wilder
The UGA Office of Service-Learning, a public service and outreach unit, has awarded 2016 Service-Learning Excellence Awards to three outstanding faculty members. Established in 2011, the awards recognize faculty for innovative service-learning course design as well as scholarship that stems from academic service-learning work. Two awards are being presented in the ServiceLearning Teaching Excellence category, recognizing excellence in developing, implementing and sustaining academic servicelearning opportunities for UGA students in domestic Emily Sahakian and/or international settings. Award recipients are Emily Sahakian, an assistant professor of theatre and film studies and Romance languages in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Gretchen Thomas, an instructor in career and information studies in the College of Education. A third award is being presented for Service-Learning Research Excellence and advancing service-learning scholarship to Kim Skobba, an assistant professor of financial planning, housing and consumer economics in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Sahakian has developed and taught undergraduate and graduate courses in community-based theater and theater
for social change. In her Community-Based Theatre class, students learn how theater can be used to foster civic engagement, dialogue and community problem-solving. Her students have helped with the Experience UGA field trips for Clarke County high school students and have developed workshops with community partners including Project SAFE, Casa de Amistad and others. Thomas has taught more than 300 students since 2013 through a range of instructional technology service-learning courses, including Teaching with Technology, Mentoring Gretchen Thomas K-12 Students through Technology and Assistive and Learning Technologies. In the process, she converted two existing courses in her department into new classes with the “S” designation for service-learning, reflecting her commitment to high-quality, robust service-learning pedagogy. Thomas’ students, who have worked on projects with K-12 students in nearby school districts, gain expertise in using instructional technology to support community needs. For instance, Thomas’ students learned to develop assistive technology devices for special-education classrooms using 3-D printing. Her students helped host creative “maker spaces” with elementary
students and have used technology to mentor elementary and middle school students in project-based learning and leadership strategies. Skobba has integrated service-learning coursework into her classes on community housing. In Managing Government Assisted Housing, students collected oral histories from the last residents of the Jack R. Wells public housing community before the site was redeveloped. Interviews from that course were used in scholarly papers that explored the experience of public housing relocation. The students’ reflections on that project Kim Skobba were used to study the impact of service-learning on students’ perceptions of public housing. Skobba’s Housing and Community Development class led to a five-year grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to study how communities use social capital to address housing and community development needs. The grant also supports undergraduates doing service-learning projects in Georgia. Skobba collaborates with the College of Environment and Design and with the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing, and also co-taught a new service-learning course, Green Building and the Tiny House Movement, in fall 2015.
See more award winners and honorees at uga.edu/honorsweek/index.html
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2016 HONORS & AWARDS
columns.uga.edu
Creative Teaching Awards
The Creative Teaching Award recognizes UGA faculty for excellence in developing and implementing creative teaching strategies to improve student learning. Recipients were nominated for their success in implementing projects from summer innovative teaching grants or for using innovative technology or pedagogy that extends learning beyond the traditional classroom. Written by Tracy Coley
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Robert Newcomb
Robert Newcomb
Jon Calabria, an assistant professor of landscape architecture and a 2011-2012 Service-Learning Fellow, has successfully made service-learning the ongoing focus of his research, teaching a number of high-quality, rigorous and well-planned courses that engage graduate students with community partners throughout the state. He brings an organized approach to class interactions with stakeholders to collect meaningful data, teaching his students the importance of evidence-based design. Students in his ecological restoration classes have worked on a diverse group of environments, which have not only helped the communities in which they conducted research but also have earned accolades from the American Society of Landscape Architects.
Cecilia Herles is a senior academic professional, assistant director of the Institute for Women’s Studies and a 2009-2010 Service-Learning Fellow. She teaches a servicelearning course on Environment, Gender, Race and Class, which led to the formation of the Campus Kitchen at UGA, a student-powered food recovery and redistribution program combating food insecurity among older adults. The Campus Kitchen at UGA became the 33rd official branch of the national Campus Kitchens Project network in fall 2012, focusing on alleviating senior hunger in Athens. Since its opening, 157,201 pounds of food have been recovered and transformed into 50,724 nutritious meals, and 829 volunteers have given 10,667 hours of service.
Ilse S. Mason, a senior lecturer in the College of Education, has been working for the last three years on developing open educational resources for UGA’s basic physical education courses. Her efforts, supported by Learning Technologies and Innovative Instruction Grants, have saved students $270,000 in textbook costs since 2014. Mason teaches the only online PE course at UGA (Fitness for Life: Walking). Her students use GPS-enabled heart rate monitors to track their progress throughout the course, which allows Mason to ensure that students make progress on the fitness goals set by the course. She also guides students in monitoring their fitness level beyond participating in the online walking course.
Dorothy Kozlowski
Julie M. Moore, an assistant department head in infectious diseases, curriculum coordinator and 2015 Innovative Teaching Fellow, collaborated with Reacting to the Past co-directors on broadening the pedagogy for more than 100 students in a spring 2015 infectious diseases class. Moore is writing an RTTP game on the Ebola outbreak in west Africa. Moore taught an Honors course in which she and students conducted research on the political and cultural history as well as biomedical and scientific contexts of the U.S. response to the outbreak.
Robert Newcomb
Tiffany Washington, an assistant professor of social work, developed a service-learning course that takes an engaged scholarship approach of integrating research, teaching and service to understand the impact of dementia on individuals, families and communities. Her course focuses particularly on dementia caregiving in partnership with the Athens Community Council on Aging. A 2014-2015 Service-Learning Fellow, Washington received a national social work research award by the Group for the Advancement of Doctoral Education in Social Work in 2014.
Honors Week at UGA dates back to the 1930s, when then-Chancellor S.V. Sanford set aside a day to recognize exemplary students. The event was expanded to a full week in 2011 to include events recognizing faculty, staff and alumni. Visit uga.edu/honorsweek/index.html to see photos, stories and videos of award winners and honorees.
Congratulations Congratulations are in order to the many individuals who will receive awards this week. Their outstanding achievements inspire the very best in this academic community and remind us all of the significant impact UGA makes on the world through teaching, research and service. —University of Georgia President Jere W. Morehead