Uga Columns Aug 24, 2015

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Doctoral candidate is one of 2 UGA students to earn Faculty for Future Fellowship CAMPUS NEWS

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School of Social Work to host open house at its new location

August 24, 2015

Vol. 43, No. 5

www.columns.uga.edu

camiew@uga.edu

File photo

Dale Greene, dean of the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, said his long-term and most important goal is to make sure that the school keeps striving to be one of the top natural resource programs in the country.

Planting seedlings

Forestry dean aiming to make school one of top natural resources programs in US smartin@warnell.uga.edu

Back in his late 20s, Dale Greene found himself almost done with his Ph.D., recently married and without a job. He’s sometimes asked why he came to UGA, and without hesitation he says, “It was a job.”

But it wasn’t just any job. For a young man who grew up helping tend his grandmother’s small woodland in Arkansas, coming to UGA for a forest operations faculty position was a “great opportunity. It was a dream job to get to start at Georgia.”

Greene is actually on track to likely spend his entire career at UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. He and his

5

Women’s Leadership Initiative rolls out policies, programs

By Camie Williams

By Sandi Martin

UGA GUIDE

wife, Jeanna Wilson, a poultry science faculty member in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, came here nearly 30 years ago and never left. And after leading classes for nearly three decades, Greene now is leading the Warnell School.

After serving as interim dean for five months, Greene took on the job permanently in June after a national search. Stepping out of the classroom and into a full-time administrative role has been a challenge, Greene said, but one he is relishing.

Greene already was serving as Warnell’s interim associate dean of academic affairs when he was named interim dean.And although different from anything he’d done before,

overseeing the academic programs was a welcome new adventure.

“I was enjoying it and helping students,” he said. “I really liked the pace. You didn’t just go down your to-do list.You handled things as they came through the door.”

It didn’t take him long as interim dean to realize he enjoyed the top office, so he applied.

He was up against some tough competition, but he had some advantages over the other applicants: three decades of honored teaching at UGA, strong and vocal support from Warnell’s alumni base, numerous awards and accolades for his work with the forest industry and in the See DEAN on page 8

STUDENT ALUMNI ASSOCIATION, STUDENT GOVERNMENT ASSOCIATION

UGA is rolling out its Women’s Leadership Initiative with new policies and programs related to recruitment, hiring and retention, leadership and career development, and work-life balance.

The percentage of women holding leadership positions in UGA’s administration has remained flat for more than a decade, even as the proportion of female faculty has grown steadily. This is reflective of national trends in higher education and in the private sector, and UGA is taking several steps to increase the representation of women in leadership roles.

In spring 2015, President Jere W. Morehead and Provost Pamela Whitten launched the Women’s Leadership Initiative. Whitten charged a 10-member planning

committee with assessing what barriers were preventing the university from developing, recruiting and hiring qualified women for leadership positions. The committee identified three areas of focus where reimagined policies and targeted programming could advance gender equity at UGA. “The new policies and programs that will be implemented through the Women’s Leadership Initiative demonstrate the university’s strong commitment to gender equity,” Morehead said. “I am pleased that this important initiative is moving forward in concrete ways that will enhance leadership opportunities for women on campus.”

The university will formally define and integrate its practices for recruiting and hiring women.

From the outset of every search process, encouraging the successful

See INITIATIVE on page 2

OFFICE OF GOVERNMENT RELATIONS

New leadership forum will honor former US senator

By Andrew Dill dadill@uga.edu

The Senator Saxby Chambliss Leadership Forum has been established at UGA. The initiative will increase students’ exposure to domestic and international politics and will provide Chambliss a forum through which to share his insights and expertise on topics ranging from national security to foreign policy.

“Saxby Chambliss has been a dear friend to the University of Georgia and committed to its success since he graduated,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “This new initiative reflects his greatest qualities as a loyal alumnus

and ­dedicated public servant, and it will have a tremendous impact on the students and faculty of this great ­institution.”

T h e Saxby Chambliss C h a m­b l i s s Leadership Forum comprises three parts. First, Chambliss will serve as the UGA School of Law’s Sanders Political Leadership Scholar. In this capacity, he will co-teach a law and political leadership course with Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Camila

See FORUM on page 8

First-year students kick off collegiate careers FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES at Sanford Stadium during Freshman Welcome UGA professor helps discover

By Aaron Hale

aahale@uga.edu

UGA’s Class of 2019 has now completed its first week of classes.

But on the eve of the first day of class, hundreds of first-year students took the opportunity to consider the journey ahead at the Freshman Welcome event held in Sanford Stadium.

“I welcome all of you to the University of Georgia,” UGA President Jere W. Morehead said to the students in the stadium. “And I hope and expect it will be the best four years of your life.”

The Freshman Welcome, now in its fifth year, brings the first-year class together to master game-day traditions, hear words of advice from peers and administrators, and walk between the hedges for a photo op on the football field.The class forms a giant “power G” to serve as a class photo. The Freshman Welcome is organized by the UGA Student Alumni Association and the Student Government Association.

Before UGA faculty taught the first classes of the semester, Sanford Stadium announcer Brook Whitmire gave students a lesson in UGA cheers, with the help of

cheerleaders and members of the Redcoat Marching Band.Whitmire walked students through game-day traditions—from the singing of UGA’s fight song “Hail to Georgia” to the fourth-quarter salute.

While the event was an opportunity to boost school spirit and offer a primer for game day rituals, it was also a chance for students to think about how to balance their coursework with all of the many opportunities available at UGA’s campus.

Morehead encouraged students to not just go to home football See WELCOME on page 8

new Jupiter-like exoplanet

By Alan Flurry

aflurry@uga.edu

A team of astronomers that includes UGA professor Inseok Song has discovered a Jupiter-like exoplanet within a young star system that could serve as a decoder ring for understanding how planets formed around the sun.

An exoplanet is a planet that orbits a star other than the sun.

The new planet, called 51 Eridani b, is the first exoplanet discovered by the Gemini Planet Imager, a new

­instrument. It is operated by an international collaboration headed

by Bruce Macintosh, a professor of physics in the Kavli Institute Inseok Song at Stanford University.51 Eridani b is the faintest exoplanet on record and also shows the strongest methane signature

See EXOPLANET on page 8

2 Aug. 24, 2015 columns.uga.edu

Around academe

UGA president emeritus takes new roles in higher education, diplomacy

UGA President Emeritus Michael F. Adams was named chancellor of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California.

Adams, who served as UGA president from 1997-2013, will serve as an advisor to Pepperdine President Andrew K. Benton. As chancellor, Adams will focus on leading major initiatives and strengthening the university’s endowment, according to a Pepperdine University news release.

Adams was vice president of academic affairs at Pepperdine from 1982-1988.

“I am honored and delighted at this stage in my career to have the opportunity to serve an organization that I care deeply about,” Adams said. “With President Benton’s leadership and the support of the administration, I look forward to once again being part of the Pepperdine community and adding value to this fine institution that boasts a legacy of excellence.”

Adams also was named to the advisory board of the Cuba Consortium, a group that will lobby for normalized relations between Cuba and the U.S. That advisory board is co-chaired by former U.S. Sens. Nancy Kassebaum and Tom Daschle.

UGA app has Athens Transit tracker

Retirees hear details on upcoming changes to USG health insurance

By Matt Chambers mattdc@uga.edu

Retirees and soon-to-be retirees learned more details about the upcoming changes to retiree health insurance from the University System of Georgia during informational meetings last week.

At each of three sessions, USG representatives and a representative from Aon Hewitt shared information on the plan that will provide supplemental health care coverage for Medicare-eligible retirees through a private retiree health care exchange instead of through the USG health care plan.

Karin Elliott, associate vice chancellor of total rewards for USG, told the audience that the focus of these sessions and presentations to other USG institutions is to answer questions and address concerns about the switch.

“We want to make sure that all of your needs are met,” she said. “That is very important to us.”

The new private retiree health care exchange, which will be managed by Aon Hewitt, is not part of the federal Affordable Care Act or public health insurance exchanges. The private exchange will offer a variety of coverage options, plans and providers. During the enrollment period of Oct. 1 to Dec. 31, retirees will work with licensed benefit advisors to select options that work best for them.

“It’s our priority and Aon’s priority

that you have all the tools to make that decision (about a plan),” Elliott said.

With the changes, USG is setting up health reimbursement accounts for retirees. The funds put into these accounts will be used towards the payment of premiums and other out-of-pocket health care expenses.

A total of $2,736 will be deposited into a retiree’s health reimbursement account on Jan. 1. If a retiree’s spouse is Medicare-eligible and older than 65, that same amount also will be deposited so the couple would have a total of $5,472 in their joint health reimbursement account.

HRA funds roll over from year to year. Elliot said USG “decided to make reimbursement as flexible as possible.”

Eligible reimbursement expenses include Medicare supplemental premiums, Medicareadvantagepremiums, Medicare Part D premiums, Medicare Part B premiums, vision and dental premiums, and out-of-pocket medical, vision or dental expenses.

To receive the HRA funds, a retiree must be enrolled in Medicare A and B and have enrolled in the USG plan for 2015. They also must purchase coverage through Aon Hewitt’s retiree exchange, which works with over 90 major insurance carriers.

USG retirees who are not Medicareeligible will stay on the USG plan. Any spouses or dependents younger than 65 will remain on USG’s health plan. If the

Source: Enterprise Information Technology Services

Researcher named Pew scholar in biomedical sciences

By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu

Fan favorites

John Kelley

UGA football player Quincy Mauger poses with an excited fan during the annual Fans’ Picture Day Aug. 15. The event featured head football coach Mark Richt, football players, cheerleaders, other UGA athletic teams, as well as “Que,” grandson of mascot Uga IX and a candidate to become Uga X.

INITIATIVE

For more information on UGA’s role with natural resources, see discover.uga.edu.

spouse is Medicare-eligible and older than 65, but the retiree is not, then the spouse will be subject to the change instead of staying on USG’s plan.

Moving forward, retirees will pay their premiums, which will vary based on the level of coverage and carrier they choose, directly to the insurance carrier.

They also will pay any out-of-pocket expenses or copay/coinsurance costs.Then the HRA will reimburse those expenses either by check or direct deposit into a checking or savings account.

The reason the HRA system is being used instead of directly depositing the $2,736 into retirees’ checking or savings accounts is so that the funds are tax-free.

The initial reimbursement could take up to 60 days, but after that each reimbursement will be received by the sixth of each month.

Travis Jackson, senior director for employee benefits at UGA, said that the university is in the process of establishing a retiree resource center.

“The purpose of this center is to help during the pre- and post-phone call phases of benefit enrollment,” he said.

“We’re here to help with the logistics of the process and are dedicated to answering questions and helping with the transition to the exchange.”

Jackson said the center will not do enrollment but can help retirees ensure they have everything they need prior to or after their contact with Aon Hewitt.

FRANKLIN COLLEGE

News to Use

The official mobile app for UGA now includes a real-time bus tracker for Athens Transit, making it easier for students, faculty, staff and visitors to travel between campus and the surrounding Athens-Clarke County community.

Since its initial launch in 2013, the UGA mobile app’s most popular feature for students has been a bus tracker for Campus Transit. Now, Athens Transit buses are included in the app, which tracks buses and displays schedules of when buses are expected to arrive at each stop.

The UGA mobile app also includes a map of campus with the ability to select points of interest, such as computer labs, parking decks, bike repair stations and print kiosks. The UGA mobile app is free to download and is available in the App Store for Apple devices and Google Play for Android devices.

UGA students, faculty and staff can ride Athens Transit buses for no charge by presenting their UGACard. The university and AthensClarke County government have a long-standing agreement to provide transportation for UGA students and employees on Athens Transit.

The app is a collaboration between the Student Government Association and Enterprise Information Technology Services. Other campus partners include Auxiliary Services, the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs, the Office of the Vice President for Instruction, the Office of Sustainability, the Office of Emergency Preparedness, Career Center, Admissions Office, Registrar’s Office, Designated Dawgs, the Athletic Association and Public Affairs.

More information at http://mobileapps.uga.edu.

HUMAN RESOURCES

from page 1

recruitment of a diverse, qualified talent pool and documenting these efforts will be standard practice as units work with the Office of Faculty Affairs. As a result, search committees will be more actively engaged in the recruitment of women candidates. The Office of Faculty Affairs, in partnership with Human Resources, will train administrators with hiring authority, as well as search committee chairs, on the new requirements and best practices for minimizing bias and encouraging diversity. The recommended practices will be supported by online guides with information on advertising positions, suggested content for position descriptions and the charge given to search committees, and managing confidentiality, references and feedback.

UGA will launch the Women’s Leadership Fellows program, which will offer a selected group of faculty a year-long series of seminars, discussions and workshops on leadership development and early exposure to

administrative training in budgets and finance, fundraising, change management and legal affairs. UGA also is launching a development series aimed at early-career faculty and a series of Women’s Leadership Lectures for the entire campus.

Human Resources is piloting a new staff position to develop a hub of worklife balance resources and assist faculty and staff. The Work-Life Resources Coordinator will serve as the point of contact to help employees address concerns about work-life balance.

Human Resources also will create an online resource with information on the programs and services UGA offers to promote work-life balance.

“The Women’s Leadership Initiative marks a turning point in how the University of Georgia attracts, retains and advances its faculty, staff and administrators,” Whitten said. “We are putting into place a set of policies and resources to ensure that the gates of opportunity remain open for everyone.”

UGA researcher Bob Schmitz recently was named a Pew scholar in the biomedical sciences by the Pew Charitable Trusts.

An assistant professor of genetics in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Schmitz joins the ranks of more than 600 scientists who have been selected Bob Schmitz as Pew scholars in the 30 years since the program’s inception and whose careers have been dedicated to bold scientific discoveries.

“This new class of remarkable scientists is emblematic of all that is unique, exciting and compelling about this initiative,” said Rebecca W. Rimel, Pew’s president and CEO. “We are proud to provide a launching pad for the adventurous minds represented here, who will surely advance the field of biomedical science and create a healthier world for all of us.”

Schmitz’s research focuses on epigenetics. His laboratory is particularly interested in exploring a phenomenon known as DNA methylation and how this process affects the expression of traits of plants used in both agriculture and basic research.

“The long-term goal of my lab is to learn about mechanisms that control establishment and maintenance of DNA methylation such that we can engineer these pathways to specifically control gene expression,” said Schmitz, who is also a member of UGA’s Plant Center.

“The results of our research will not only increase our understanding of how organisms program and maintain proper expression of genes, but it will also lead to new techniques to improve yield and nutritional value of a variety of crops.”

RESEARCH NEWS

columns.uga.edu Aug. 24, 2015

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Digest UGA Libraries to host Music Library Association annual meeting Oct. 29-31

Somanath Shenoy, an associate professor in UGA’s College of Pharmacy, is co-author of a paper that reported the drug triciribine may reverse or halt the progression of pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension.

Opening new paths College of Pharmacy researchers find potential treatment for fatal lung diseases

By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu

Researchers at UGA have discovered that the drug triciribine may reverse or halt the progression of pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension, two respiratory diseases that are almost invariably fatal. They published their findings recently in the British Journal of Pharmacology.

Pulmonary fibrosis occurs when lung tissue becomes scarred, leading to loss of lung function and reduced oxygen supply to the blood. Pulmonary hypertension involves an increase of blood pressure in the arteries of the lung that can lead to heart failure.

Although no definitive cause for the disease has been identified, pulmonary fibrosis affects nearly 130,000 people in the U.S., with about 48,000 new cases diagnosed annually, according to the Coalition for Pulmonary Fibrosis.

Pulmonary hypertension is rare—with only about 15 to 50 cases per million people—but the total number of deaths attributed to the disease increased by more than 40 percent in the U.S. between 1980 and 2002, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

“The average life expectancy for people with these diseases is only about five years after diagnosis, and while the drug treatments we currently have may help improve quality of life, they don’t reduce mortality,” said Somanath Shenoy, co-author of the paper and an associate professor in UGA’s College of Pharmacy. “Our tests show that treatment with triciribine can halt disease progression and may even reverse some of the damage to lung tissue.”

The researchers used mouse models that mimic the disease characteristics of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary fibrosis in humans to study the effect of triciribine, which inhibits production of a protein called Akt1.

Previous research has demonstrated that Akt1 is at least partly responsible for the development of myofibroblasts, cells that migrate to the sites of injury to aid in wound healing. When these cells become unregulated, they create scarring, which leads to fibrosis and loss of functional blood vessels in the lungs.

Researchers waited until mice began to exhibit symptoms of disease and then injected them with triciribine once daily for a period of three weeks. The characteristic scarring and loss of lung

vasculature was slowed in every mouse, and the lung tissue of some mice began to return to normal.

“To our knowledge, this is the first direct evidence that Akt1 causes disease onset and progression of pulmonary fibrosis and pulmonary hypertension,” Shenoy said. “We also have tested this process in human cells taken from diseased lung tissue, and we see very similar results.”

The researchers tested their hypothesis further by examining genetically modified mice that do not possess the Akt1 pathway. None of these mice developed disease symptoms, further implicating Akt1 as the primary cause of disease.

The researchers are quick to point out that these results are preliminary and that more tests are necessary before they can evaluate triciribine’s efficacy in humans. However, a human version of triciribine could be administered orally, eliminating the need for daily injections.

“We still need to identify the downstream effects of Akt1 inhibition to see if there are any negative side effects,” Shenoy said. “But if these tests go well, we hope to begin human trials within the next three to five years.”

GRADY COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION

Personal experience acts as major driver in decision for or against flu vaccination

By Sarah Freeman freemans@uga.edu

Convincing someone to receive the annual flu vaccine goes beyond messaging and well-written public service announcements, new UGA research finds. The study, led by Glen Nowak, outlines both the barriers and facilitators that motivate people in their flu vaccine decisions.

“One of the most important findings was that personal experiences mattered a lot, both for people who got an annual flu shot on a regular basis and for those who didn’t,” said Nowak, the director of the Center for Health and Risk Communication at the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. “I think that is an important reminder that it is really hard to overcome personal experience with persuasive communications. A lot of time, communicators think they can

just educate someone or just persuade them to take action, but that isn’t always the case. It may take a better product or a new and different personal experience.”

According to the 2013 National Health Interview Survey—the most recent report used by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention— 29.6 percent of adults ages 18 to 49 receive the flu vaccination. That number increases to 46.5 percent for adults ages 50 to 64 and 67.9 percent for adults older than 65.The researchers behind the study, published in the June issue of Vaccine and presented at the National Adult and Influenza Immunization Summit in May, wanted to know why those vaccination percentages weren’t higher.

To answer that question, Nowak and Kelli Bursey at the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education analyzed 29 flu vaccine-related communication research

reports sponsored by the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases between 2000 and 2013.

They then identified reasons that led to people getting annual flu vaccinations and reasons they did not get vaccinated for the flu.

“Overall, these studies consistently found that people need to see flu as a real and serious health threat—either through personal experience or communication messages and materials—to get vaccinated,” Nowak said. “They also consistently found that misperceptions, such as believing the vaccine causes the flu, remain and are sometimes held by health care providers.”

The 29 studies analyzed and summarized as part of qualitative meta-analysis included participants who were health care workers, parents and people with chronic illnesses.

The UGA Libraries will host the 43rd annual meeting of SEMLA, the Southeast chapter of the Music Library Association Inc., Oct. 29-31 at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.

Music specialists from academic and public libraries as well as archives all over the southeastern U.S. will gather to discuss digital preservation of local performances, the personal collection of former riverboat pilot and folk musician John Hartford and John B. Vaughan, composer and publisher of gospel music in Athens.

Registration information is available at http://tinyurl.com/ow4qekp. The early registration rate of $45 is available through Sept. 28.

SEMLA is dedicated to promoting the establishment, use and growth of music libraries and collections of music materials in the Southeast. It provides a forum for the exchange of ideas about all aspects of work with music materials in libraries.

UGA Press establishes new book series

The University of Georgia Press is establishing a book series that will examine the experiences of children within the contexts of war.

“Children, Youth and War” will intersect with the latest historiography on race, ethnicity, gender and other methodological approaches appropriate to the time and place. The series is global in scope and broad in historical frame, including conflicts as recent as the intifada in the Middle East, the Afghan wars and civil wars in Africa.

The series will feature comparative and interdisciplinary approaches, but books on specific communities experiencing a single war also will be considered. Authors also may use nonhistorical methodologies, such as literary criticism or psychological interpretations. Yet all books will be shaped by a historical sensibility, and they will help readers understand the lived experiences of historical children and youth.

The series aims to broaden understanding of the experiences and points of view of children and youth during wartime as actors, victims and observers as well as the effects of armed conflict on the nations, communities and families in which those young people live. It also will provide historical contexts for such urgent contemporary topics as war refugees, underage soldiers and the politicization of childhood, among many others.

Odum School of Ecology offers new bachelor’s degree program

The UGA Odum School of Ecology has launched a new bachelor’s degree in ecology. The program was approved by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia at its Aug. 12 meeting.

Designed to meet the needs of students interested in the interface of ecology and society, the Bachelor of Arts degree builds on the strong foundation of the existing Bachelor of Science degree with a more interdisciplinary approach. The new program emphasizes the development of problemsolving and communication skills through experiential learning focused on ecological principles and environmental issues in their social context.

Students in the Bachelor of Arts program will receive a strong foundation in ecological science, taking many of the same core courses as those seeking the Bachelor of Science degree. These include 21 hours of major-level ecology classes and 12 hours of science and math.

An innovative field course then will take the students on a tour of Georgia to gain firsthand experience of the environmental issues facing the state and to meet the stakeholders involved. A practicum course will provide students with the opportunity to gain experience in group problem-solving while putting what they’ve learned into practice.

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.

4 Aug. 24, 2015 columns.uga.edu

RESEARCH NEWS

Digest University to host regional college fair

UGA will host the annual Georgia Probe College Fair Aug. 31 from 6-8 p.m. at the Classic Center. The event will bring representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities from across the Southeast to connect with high school juniors and seniors from the surrounding area.

Coordinated by UGA’s Office of Admissions, the Georgia Probe College Fair is an opportunity for parents, students and those interested in higher education in Athens-Clarke County and the surrounding counties to obtain information about colleges without the burden of extensive travel and lodging.

The fair will allow students and parents to meet one-on-one with college administrators, recruiters and counselors in one convenient location. Admissions counselors will be available to answer questions on topics such as admissions criteria, application deadlines, financial aid, SAT and ACT requirements and campus life.

Students and parents from more than 30 public and private high schools from the surrounding areas have been invited to attend, including those in Barrow, Clarke, Elbert, Greene, Jackson, Madison, Oconee, Oglethorpe and Walton counties.

Georgia 4-H will use AmeriCorps grant to improve lives of more children

Georgia 4-H clubs in 32 counties across Georgia will get some extra help this year thanks to a $439,357 AmeriCorps State grant from the federal Corporation for National and Community Service and the Georgia Commission on Service and Volunteerism.

AmeriCorps, a domestic program modeled after the Peace Corps, offers individuals the chance to make a difference in communities throughout the U.S. Through Georgia 4-H, an AmeriCorps State grant provides funding for positions to help improve the lives of Georgia youth.

While this is the fourth year Georgia 4-H has received the AmeriCorps State grant, the increase in this year’s award amount allows for the number of AmeriCorps members to grow from 16 to 32.

AmeriCorps members support Georgia 4-H’s mission of assisting youth in acquiring knowledge, developing life skills and forming attitudes that will enable them to become self-directing, productive and contributing members of society. This includes providing programming that is aligned with the Georgia Performance Standards, covering topics such as STEM, career awareness and public speaking, said Jennifer Cantwell, AmeriCorps State program coordinator.

Lillian Smith Book award winners to be honored Sept. 6 at Decatur Book Festival

Winners of the 2015 Lillian Smith Book Awards will be honored Sept. 6 at the Decatur Book Festival.

The UGA Libraries sponsors the awards, in partnership with the Southern Regional Council, the Georgia Center for the Book and Piedmont College, to honor the social justice activist and highly acclaimed author of Strange Fruit and Killers of the Dream.

Looking Back, Moving Forward: The Southwest Georgia Freedom Struggle 1814-2014 by Lee Formwalt and Strong Inside: Perry Wallace and the Collision of Race and Sports in the South by Andrew Maraniss were chosen from 42 books submitted for consideration.

The awards will be presented at 2:30 p.m. at the Decatur Library, 215 Sycamore St.

Former UGA student-athlete sets world record, wins gold at Parapan Games

Former UGA student-athlete Jarryd Wallace captured the men’s 100-meter dash at the Parapan American Games in Toronto with a world record time of 10.71 seconds.

Only a handful of racers have broken the 11-second barrier this season in the T44 classification, and Wallace’s previous best was 10.92 at the International Paralympic Committee Athletic Grand Prix event in Arizona. Then, fellow American Richard Browne ran a 10.78 at the U.S. Paralympic Track and Field National Championships in June while Wallace finished second at 10.96.

Wallace competed for the U.S. at the 2012 London Paralympics and was part of the gold-medal winning relay team at the 2013 IPC Athletics world championships in Lyon, France.

Sergiy Minko, the Georgia Power Professor of Polymers, Fibers and Textiles in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences, is one of the researchers who developed an inexpensive way to manufacture extraordinarily thin polymer strings commonly known as nanofibers.

Different spin

Researchers develop less expensive way to manufacture nanofibers

By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu

UGA researchers have developed an inexpensive way to manufacture extraordinarily thin polymer strings commonly known as nanofibers, which have applications in medicine and energy. These polymers can be made from natural materials like proteins or from human-made substances used to make plastic, rubber or fiber, including biodegradable materials.

The new method, dubbed “magnetospinning” by the researchers, provides a very simple, scalable and safe means for producing very large quantities of nanofibers that can be embedded with a multitude of materials, including live cells and drugs.

Many thousands of times thinner than the average human hair, nanofibers are used by medical researchers to create advanced wound dressings—and for tissue regeneration, drug testing, stem cell therapies and the delivery of drugs directly to the site of infection. They also are used in other industries to manufacture fuel cells, batteries, filters and light-emitting screens.

“The process we have developed makes it possible for almost anyone

to manufacture high-quality nanofibers without the need for expensive equipment,” said Sergiy Minko, study co-author and the Georgia Power Professor of Polymers, Fibers and Textiles in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “This not only reduces costs, but it also makes it possible for more businesses and researchers to experiment with nanofibers without worrying too much about their budget.”

Currently, the most common nanofiber manufacturing technique— electrospinning—uses high-voltage electricity and specially designed equipment to produce the polymer strings. Equipment operators must have extensive training to use the equipment safely.

“In contrast to other nanofiber spinning devices, most of the equipment used in our device is very simple,” Minko said. “Essentially, all you need is a magnet, a syringe and a small motor.”

At laboratory scale, a very simple handcrafted setup is capable of producing spools containing hundreds of yards of nanofibers in a matter of seconds. Polymer that has been melted or liquefied in a solution is mixed with biocompatible iron oxide or another magnetic material and placed inside a

hypodermic needle. This needle is then positioned near a magnet that is fixed atop a spinning circular platter. As the magnet passes by the tip of the needle, a droplet of the polymer fluid stretches out and attaches to the magnet, forming a nanofiber string that winds around the platter as it continues to spin.

The device can spin at more than 1,000 revolutions per minute, enough time to create about 31 miles of ultrathin nanofiber.

It’s a relatively simple process, but it produces a very high-quality product, said Alexander Tokarev, paper co-author and a postdoctoral research associate in Minko’s lab.

“The product we can make is just as thin and just as strong as nanofibers created through other methods,” he said.

“Plus, users don’t have to worry about the safety issues of using high voltages or the complexity of other machines.”

The researchers can use this method to create a variety of nanofibers simply by changing the polymer placed in the syringe. They can, for example, create specially designed nanofibers that will promote the growth of stem cells. Nanofibers also can be loaded with proteins, nanotubes, fluorescent materials and therapeutic agents.

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE Study finds high-fat diet changes gut microflora, signals to brain

By Kat Yancey Gilmore kygilmor@uga.edu

Eating foods high in fat—tasty french fries, for example—changes the populations of bacteria innate to flora in the digestive tract, or gut, and alters signaling to the brain, according to a recent study co-authored by a UGA researcher. The result: People no longer recognize that they are full, which can cause overeating, a leading cause of obesity.

“We change our brain circuits by eating unbalanced foods, and we also induce the inflammation in brain regions responsible for feeding behavior,” said study co-author Krzysztof Czaja, an associate professor of neuroanatomy in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine.

“Those reorganized circuits and inflammation may alter satiety signaling.”

The findings from this study, which was conducted by researchers at UGA, Washington State University and Binghamton University, were presented last

month in Denver at the 23rd annual meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.

So what happens to the microbiota in the intestines when someone switches to a high-fat diet? Czaja likens the microscopic phenomenon to how a sudden significant shift in temperature might impact the people who live in the affected area: Some people will be fine. Others will become ill.

“In the regular physiological state, many different strains of bacteria live in a balanced environment in our intestinal tract,” Czaja said.“They don’t overpopulate. There are little shifts, but in general this population is quite stable.”

When a different diet is introduced, there is an immediate effect.

“Suddenly, different nutrients are changing the microenvironment in the gut, and some bacteria begin to overpopulate,” he said. “Some sensitive bacteria begin to die, and some populations may even vanish. So, introducing a significant

change in the gut microenvironment triggers a cascade of events that leads to this population switch.”

All of these changes result in miscommunication between the gut and the brain, he said. It is not yet known whether this change is permanent, but Czaja and his colleagues plan to address this question in the future.

Throughout the history of mankind, until just a few decades ago, Czaja said, the human body was used to foods derived from natural and whole sources, rather than artificial and highly processed.

“We should be aware that on a high-fat (and high-carbohydrate) diet, balance in the intestinal microbiota and gut-brain communication—which was developing over thousands and thousands of years in humans and animals—has been interrupted by the introduction of modified foods,” he said. “This leads to the confused brain and inappropriate satiety feedback and results in obesity.”

UGAGUIDE

columns.uga.edu Aug. 24, 2015

For a complete listing of events, check the Master Calendar on the Web (calendar.uga.edu/­).

The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified. Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.

5

School of Social Work to hold open house in its new location

By Laurie Anderson laurie@uga.edu

The School of Social Work will hold an open house Aug. 28 from 4-6 p.m. at its new home in a historic former textile mill on the banks of the North Oconee River.

The school, which occupied Tucker Hall on main campus for the past 40 years, recently relocated to 279 Williams St. Visitors will be able to take guided tours of the 158-year-old building, learn more about the school’s various programs, speak with faculty, students and staff, view state-of-the-art classroom technology and eat ice cream and light refreshments. The event is open free to the public.

“We are thrilled to begin the school’s 51st year in such a historic and beautiful structure,” said Maurice Daniels, professor and dean of the social work school. “This facility offers an excellent environment for learning, teaching

EXHIBITIONS Cooking the Books. Through Aug. 31.

Hargrett Gallery, special collections libraries. 706-542-0674, acme@uga.edu.

El Taller de Grafica Popular: Vida y Arte.

Through Sept. 13. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817, hazbrown@uga.edu.

Art Hazelwood and Ronnie Goodman.

Through Sept. 13. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817, hazbrown@uga.edu.

Afloat. Aug. 20 through Oct. 2. Circle Gallery.

Ralph Chesse. Through Oct. 4. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817, hazbrown@uga.edu.

MONDAY, AUGUST 24 UGA-GRIFFIN CAMPUS DIRECTOR FINALIST PRESENTATION Jeffrey L. Jordan, professor of agricultural and applied economics and director of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program at UGA-Griffin. 9:30 a.m.

104 UGA-Griffin Student Learning Center.

BLOOD DRIVE 2:30 p.m. Creswell Hall.

TUESDAY, AUGUST 25 CTL WORKSHOP “Set Them Up for Success: Motivating and Guiding Students with Advanced eLC Tools,” Sherry Clouser, assistant director of learning technologies at the Center for Teaching and Learning.

10:30 a.m. 372 Miller Learning Center.

706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu.

BLOOD DRIVE Noon. Science library.

and research.”

Built in 1857, the 37,000 square-foot, four-story building now holds classrooms, conference rooms, instructional technology laboratories, offices, gender-specific and gender-neutral bathrooms as well as a student lounge. The building’s renovated interior features the original exposed brick walls and thick wooden support beams and also energy-saving upgrades such as motion-sensing faucets and light switches. Classrooms are equipped with cutting-edge, multi-purpose instructional display systems.

Faculty who have recently joined the school will also be introduced.They include Llewellyn J. Cornelius, professor and director of the Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights; and assistant professors Rebecca Matthew, Jane McPherson and Michael Robinson.

For more information, visit ssw.uga.edu/2015_Open_House.

SUMMER TUESDAY TOUR Led by a docent. 2 p.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu.

FACULTY RESEARCH ORIENTATION Faculty can learn about the people, tools and resources offered by the Office of the Vice President for Research and the UGA research enterprise. 3:30 p.m.

S175 Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences. 706-542-3199, j.garrett@uga.edu.

MEETING The Rest of the Story Book Club. The book for August is The Courting of Marcus Dupree by Willie Morris. Light refreshments will be served. 5:30 p.m.

258 special collections libraries.

706-542-5788, jlevinso@uga.edu.

SUNFLOWER MUSIC SERIES CONCERT Grogus returns for the annual celebration of Latin jazz, traditional Cuban and Caribbean styles and funk versions of jazz standards. $15; $5 children age 6-12. 7 p.m. Flower Garden lawn, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6138.

WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 26 FACULTY RESEARCH ORIENTATION Faculty can learn about the people, tools and resources offered by the Office of the Vice President for Research and the UGA research enterprise. This event is only for UGA faculty members.

8:30 a.m. S175 Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences.

706-542-3199, j.garrett@uga.edu.

CLASS “Flower Arranging: Line/Line Mass Design.” Celia McQuaid Brown, a Garden Club of Georgia accredited judge, is once again teaching the entire five-unit flower arranging series. Limited to 20 participants. $45. 9 a.m. Visitor Center’s Gardenside Room, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu.

Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s Master Calendar, maintained by university Public Affairs. Notices are published here as space permits, with priority given to items of multidisciplinary interest. The Master Calendar is available on the Web at calendar.uga.edu/.

The School of Social Work has a new home in a historic former textile mill on the banks of the North Oconee River. An open house will be held Aug. 28 from 4-6 p.m.

BLOOD DRIVE 11 a.m. Ballroom Memorial Hall.

TOUR AT TWO Join Brittany Ranew, Kress Interpretive Fellow, for a look at the Ralph Chesse exhibition. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu.

GUEST LECTURE “Energy for Development in the Portuguese Speaking World,” Georgina Benros de Mello, director general of the Community of Portuguese Language Countries. Benros de Mello will discuss the use of biofuels, oil and other energy sources and their role in economic development. 2 p.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-542-0121, lownes@uga.edu.

THURSDAY, AUGUST 27 FILM Zoolander. $3; free for students with a valid UGACard. 8 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre.

FRIDAY, AUGUST 28 INTERNATIONAL COFFEE HOUR This event is for those who enjoy good food, coffee, conversations with people and exploring and learning new cultures. 11:30 a.m. Memorial Hall ballroom. 706-542-7911, cheeia@uga.edu.

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK OPEN HOUSE 4 p.m. School of Social Work Building.

706-542-5461, kfarlowe@uga.edu.

(See story, above left).

FILM Avengers: Age of Ultron. Also Aug. 29-30 $3; free for students with a valid UGACard. 6 and 9 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre.

VOLLEYBALL vs. Wofford. Part of the Benson Hospitality Invitational. 7 p.m. Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-1621.

SATURDAY, AUGUST 29 CLASS “Plant Conservation: Protecting Plant Diversity in the Garden and in the Wild.” lant conservation is an applied science that draws upon many fields of knowledge from ecology to horticulture, to ethics and politics. This course surveys threats to biodiversity in Georgia and worldwide, examples of rare plant research, techniques for restoration and reintroduction and ways individuals and organizations are making a difference in protecting the rare plants of Georgia. $105. 9 a.m. Visitor Center’s Classroom 2, State Botanical Garden.

706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu.

NATIVE AMERICAN ART SYMPOSIUM A symposium at Lyndon House Art Center featuring Native American artists and scholars of native art. The symposium accompanies the exhibition, Return from Exile, a major exhibition of contemporary Southeastern Native American art. Sponsored by the UGA Institute of Native American Studies.

Lyndon House Art Center, 293 Hoyt St. 706-542-5356, baflaher@uga.edu.

VOLLEYBALL vs. High Point. Part of the Benson Hospitality Invitational. 1 p.m. Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-1621.

WALK-A-MILE IN HER SHOES Participants will put on a pair of highheel shoes and walk a mile to speak out against relationship and sexual violence. Sponsored by the University Health Center’s Relationship and Sexual Violence Prevention offices. 5:30 p.m.

The Arch. 706-542-8690, mpassonno@uhs.uga.edu.

VOLLEYBALL vs. Memphis. Part of the Benson

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.

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.

Hospitality Invitational. 7 p.m. Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-1621.

FULL MOON HIKE Each walk will focus on a different topic. Participants should be prepared to hike up to 2 miles on wooded trails and in the garden. Those with young children or infants are advised to bring a backpack carrier. Pre-registration is required. $5; $15 per family. 8 p.m.

Visitor Center fountain, State Botanical Garden.

706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu.

MONDAY, AUGUST 31 CTL WORKSHOP “Motivating and Engaging Your Students: Strategies for Teaching from the Psychology of Learning,” Todd Zakrajsek, executive director of the Academy of Educators in the School of Medicine and an associate professor in the Department of Family Medicine at UNC-Chapel Hill. 10:30 a.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu.

BLOOD DRIVE 11 a.m. Science library.

CTL WORKSHOP “Learning-Centered Teaching: Coordinating Evidence-based Teaching with Evidence-based Learning,” Todd Zakrajsek, UNC-Chapel Hill. 2 p.m.

201 Pharmacy South. 706-583-0067 tchagood@uga.edu.

COMING UP UGA-GRIFFIN CAMPUS DIRECTOR FINALIST VISIT Sept. 3. Luanne Lohr, national program lead for economics at the USDA Forest Service. 9:30 a.m. 104 UGA-Griffin Student Learning Center.

LABOR DAY HOLIDAY Sept. 7. No classes; offices closed.

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Aug. 26 (for Sept. 8 issue) Sept. 2 (for Sept. 14 issue) Sept. 9 (for Sept. 21 issue)

6 Aug. 24, 2015 columns.uga.edu

Stephan Durham, an associate professor in the College of Engineering, was selected to represent the American Society of Civil Engineers at the 2015 Emerging Leaders Alliance Conference in Reston, Virginia, in November.

Founded in 2008 by 10 professional engineering and scientific societies, ASCE works to foster leadership in the engineering and scientific community.

According to the organization’s website, its mission “is to provide an interdisciplinary leadership conference for select professionals, promoting the development of great leaders to guide our professions in addressing the needs of people in the 21st century.”

Durham, a member of the engineering faculty at UGA since 2012, is coordinator of the college’s civil engineering program.

Dr. Margie Lee, a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is one of 10 new members appointed to the National Advisory Committee on Microbiological Criteria for Foods. Made

by U.S. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, Lee’s appointment is for the 2015-2017 term. Lee, whose research interests include the Margie Lee molecular epidemiology of food safety pathogens, is a faculty member in the veterinary medicine college’s Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center.

The agriculture secretary appoints committee members following consultation with the secretary of Health and Human Services. Appointees are scientists from academia, industry, other organizations and federal and state government. Committee members serve a renewable, two-year term.

Milton Masciadri, a faculty member in Franklin College’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, is the recipient of the Leonardo da Vinci World Award of Arts from the World Cultural Council. He is the first musician to receive the award in the last two decades.

The honor recognizes those whose work has had a significantly positive impact on the cultural legacy of mankind. The award, presented every two years, is an acknowledgment of those who offer positive messages through artistic expression.

Masciadri, who holds the title of University Professor, is a professor of music and strings area chair specializing in the double bass.

An accomplished performer and renowned teacher, Masciadri is being recognized for his multifaceted career as an artist, cultural ambassador, educator, international leader and author. In particular, the award recognizes his work as a UNESCO Artist for Peace and his mentoring and teaching of young musicians.

The U.S. Department of Defense honored Marie Scoggins, administrative financial director of the UGA Marine Extension, with the Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve Patriot Award. The award recognizes extraordinary efforts to provide a supportive work environment to National Guard or Reserve members through meaMarie Scoggins sures such as flexible schedules, time off prior to and after deployment, caring for families and granting leaves of absence.

Scoggins was nominated for the Patriot Award by Clayton Holloway, a maintenance foreman at the UGA Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island. Holloway, who is also a master sergeant in the Georgia Air National Guard, currently is serving a six-month deployment overseas.

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

Heather McEachern, student services director in the College of Public Health, was one of a handful of staff members at the college when it started 10 years ago. “The variety of students and the students I’ve been able to help through this whole journey is amazing,” she said.

Student services director helped grow College of Public Health

By Matt Chambers mattdc@uga.edu

Ten years ago, Heather McEachern was part of a small band of faculty and staff who helped build the College of Public Health. With a constant focus on students, McEachern has touched the lives of many current and former College of Public Health students since the school began in 2005.

“The variety of students and the students I’ve been able to help through this whole journey is amazing,” said McEachern, who currently is student services director for the college. “Working with students has always been my favorite part of UGA.” McEachern, a UGA graduate herself, works with College of Public Health students even before they arrive on campus. She’s responsible for recruitment, admissions and graduation for all undergraduate students in the college.

McEachern also works to plan events for students and keep them abreast of all college news, which includes sending a weekly email newsletter.

“Last semester I attended a few presentations in a health promotion class and as the instructor introduced me, the students replied ‘You’re the woman from the emails?’ ” McEachern said. “I’m kind of always there for them, even if they don’t come to my office.”

This summer McEachern has been

STUDENT AFFAIRS Meg Evans named director of LGBT Resource Center

By Stan Jackson ugastan@uga.edu

Meg Evans, the former LGBTQ resources coordinator and housefellow at Carnegie Mellon University, has been named the new director of the LGBT Resource Center at UGA. “The student experience will be greatly enhanced by Meg’s extensive experience and leadership in LGBTQ resources,” said T.W. Cauthen, assistant vice president for academic, campus and community partnerships. “Her approach at Carnegie Mellon was comprehensive and effective, and we look forward to experiencing similar success

working every day during orientation to help incoming students understand the program options in public health.

She works with undergraduates and their parents to make sure their major is the right one for them, while answering questions along the way.

“It’s rewarding to get someone thinking about population health and environmental issues,” McEachern said.

“Coming out of high school, students aren’t always thinking about public health since it’s not the typical reading, math and writing they had been studying.”

After moving around the university a bit since she started in 1997, McEachern found her home in the College of Public Health, where she’s worked with “some really, really good people.” McEachern said the growth of the college since its founding has been impressive, citing that the health promotion major, which had 85 students in 2005, quickly grew to have more than 500 in five years.

“That growth spurt was amazing to watch and be a part of,” she said, “only to be beat by witnessing the incredible opportunities that our public health graduates have after UGA. It’s remarkable.”

McEachern said there were challenges building up the college, but overall it was just fun.

“It has been very rewarding to be involved in building an academic program from its beginning stages,” she said. “And while we reached out to other colleges

here at UGA.” “I love this work because it means I get to engage in the difficult conversations,” Evans said.

“I get to work beside incredible students and colMeg Evans leagues who want to work together to welcome and affirm LGBT people.”

The LGBT Resource Center provides programming and engagement to meet the needs of the LGBT and ally communities by creating an environment of advocacy, education and support. Current programming highlights include Dawgs Making It Better, a weeklong program to promote awareness in the campus community; the student organization Lambda

FACTS

Heather McEachern Student Services Director College of Public Health A.B.J., Advertising, UGA, 1997 At UGA: 18 years

along the way so we didn’t want to have to reinvent the wheel, much was definitely learned. I was thankful for my experiences in previous positions in the university; I had a lot of pieces to draw on.”

McEachern still collaborates with colleagues in some of the smaller schools and colleges around campus.They’ve set up a support system to share ideas and discuss changes as they arise.

“It’s been really helpful to have that group,” she said. “It’s good for me because it’s easy to reach out and help each other however we can.”

She’s not sure what the future holds, but McEachern doesn’t plan to change much. Working with students is her passion, something that she doesn’t see fading any time soon.

“I really love the student side of UGA as opposed to the business side,” she said.

“I treasure the relationships I’ve formed with them before, during and after they come through our college. That’s what brings me back every day.”

Alliance; and the Safe Space program, which educates faculty, staff and students who are interested in learning how to better support and affirm the LGBT community.

In addition to supervising the resource center’s staff, Evans will oversee and facilitate the development, implementation and evaluation of educational, social, support and resource programs for students about issues of sexual orientation and gender identity.

She also will serve as an advocate for the concerns of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender students on the UGA campus and beyond.

“It is my hope that through continued intersectional programming and educational initiatives, the LGBT Resource Center will continue to provide a space for students to feel affirmed and empowered,” Evans said.

Evans joined UGA Aug. 10.

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH, FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

7

columns.uga.edu Aug. 24, 2015

Their chance to change the world

Dr. Jane Mutanga-Mutembo, a doctoral student in the College of Public Health, is working on technology to help people living with HIV maintain good adherence to medication regimens.

UGA geology doctoral student Ny Riavo Voarintsoa’s research focuses on the use of cave deposits, particularly stalagmites, to understand climate changes in southern Africa and Madagascar.

Doctoral candidate will use fellowship to develop HIV medication reminder

UGA geology doctoral student to study ancient climate patterns in Madagascar

By Rebecca Ayer

By Jessica Luton

alea@uga.edu

Dr. Jane Mutanga-Mutembo, a doctoral student in epidemiology at the College of Public Health, has been awarded the 20152016 Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship.

The one-year renewable grant provides female scientists from developing and emerging countries up to $50,000 to pursue advanced degrees in science, technology, engineering or mathematics—commonly known as STEM—fields.

A physician, Mutanga-Mutembo has spent a decade working with children who are living with HIV. The award will help support her research to develop mobile technology to help people living with HIV maintain good adherence to the lifelong medication regimens needed to keep the virus suppressed.

“Antiretroviral medication must be taken consistently to make sure the HIV virus is suppressed,” she said. “A lot of young patients are orphans who are being looked after by their grandparents, older siblings or other relatives. It’s challenging to make sure that they take their medications correctly and daily.”

Mutanga-Mutembo plans to address this issue by developing mobile technology capable of sending interactive text messages that remind caregivers about when medications need to be taken while keeping track of the patient’s adherence to treatment.

Mobile phones have become widely available in Zambia and most of Africa.

According to current estimates, nearly 78 percent of Zambia’s adult population owns a mobile phone.

By building on mobile-health solutions currently supported by the Zambian government, Mutanga-Mutembo hopes to be able to offer the service free of charge.

If successful, this new technology could be expanded to help patients manage other chronic diseases, such as hypertension and diabetes.

Mutanga-Mutembo completed her medical training at the University of Zambia School of Medicine in 2005 and holds a certificate in pediatric antiretroviral therapy from Stellenbosch University in South Africa.

In 2010, she received a Fulbright fellowship to study in the U.S. at the UGA College of Public Health, where she completed a Master of Public Health in epidemiology in 2012.

Mutanga-Mutembo returned to UGA in 2013 to work on a doctorate in epidemiology under the mentorship of Dr. Christopher Whalen, the Ernest Corn Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology. Working with Whalen, she also is combining her skills in medicine, data analysis, computer programming and community health to study the dynamics of tuberculosis transmission among social networks in Kampala, Uganda.

Recognizing the link between science, technology and socioeconomic development as well as the role of education in realizing individual potential, the Schlumberger Foundation established its flagship program, Faculty for the Future, in 2004.

WEEKLY READER

Book tells tale of Athens’ last half-century

Athens: Images of Modern America

By Patrick Garbin Arcadia Publishing Paperback: $22.99

From the early 1960s to the present, perhaps no college town in America has changed as much as Athens. The book Athens: Images of Modern America tells that story through words and photos.

Over the course of 50 years, the city experienced desegregation at all levels of education, encountered all types of activism and demonstrations, and established an unparalleled music scene that still flourishes.

Beginning in the 1980s, UGA athletic teams began winning national championships and continue to do so. Athens is no longer the sleepy, small college town it once was, but truly “the Classic City” in every sense of the name.

The book is authored by Patrick Garbin, a freelance journalist and UGA football historian who was born in Athens and graduated from the university in 1998.

jluton@uga.edu

UGA geology doctoral student Ny Riavo Voarintsoa is the recipient of a Faculty for the Future Fellowship award. Sponsored by the Schlumberger Foundation, the award supports talented women from developing and emerging countries who are pursuing advanced degrees in science and engineering at leading universities worldwide.

Recipients are chosen based on their leadership qualities, academic ability and engagement toward science and education as a development tool in their home country.

A native of Madagascar, Voarintsoa studies paleoclimate or the changes in climate throughout history. Her current research focuses on the use of cave deposits, particularly stalagmites, to understand these changes in southern Africa and Madagascar.

“I use geochemistry, petrography and mineralogy as approaches to reconstruct paleoclimate records in southern Africa and Madagascar, two regions of the Earth that have received the least attention in paleoclimate studies,” said Voarintsoa.

“Stalagmites provide excellent paleoclimate records because they can be accurately dated and climate data from them can be carefully investigated at very high resolution, at annual or seasonal scale. This improves our understanding of land-ocean-atmosphere interactions at shorter time intervals.”

As a Faculty for the Future Fellow, Voarintsoa will receive $50,000 to fund her research for the 2015-2016 academic year.

“Paleoclimate studies are fundamental to

understanding climate variability and abrupt climate changes in the past,” she said. “Major changes in the ecosystem can be explained by past climate changes.”

Paleoclimate information can be integrated into computerized modeling to better predict the likely state of the Earth’s future climate, she also said. Understanding the climate state of the Earth in the future allows scientists to take appropriate precautions to reduce the risks in the affected regions.

Madagascar’s ecosystems and biodiversity are endangered, and there is major uncertainty in interpreting the ecosystem changes in Madagascar, as either driven by climate or caused by human activity, according to Voarintsoa. Modern facts and narrative stories suggest humans have ravaged the island, but recent scientific investigations have argued for climate-related causes.

“My interest is thus to improve the scientific community’s understanding on climate versus human influences on the Madagascar ecosystem,” she said. “I expect to contribute the data collected in this paleoclimate study to be used in future climate prediction and climate simulations by government agencies.”

Voarintsoa obtained both her Maitrise, equivalent to a bachelor’s degree in geology, and her Diplome d’Etudes Approfondies, equivalent to a Master of Science in geology, at the University of Antananarivo in Madagascar. In 2010-2011, she was selected to conduct GIS-based research with Ronadh Cox as a visiting scholar at Williams College in Williamstown, Massachusetts.

ABOUT COLUMNS

CYBERSIGHTS

Columns is available to the campus community by ­subscription for an annual fee of $20 (second-class delivery) or $40 (first-class delivery). Faculty and staff members with a disability may call 706-542-8017 for assistance in obtaining this publication in an alternate format.

Columns staff can be reached at 706-542-8017 or columns@uga.edu

Editor Juliett Dinkins Art Director Janet Beckley Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski

Site focuses on economic development

Senior Reporter Aaron Hale

http://ecdev.uga.edu

A UGA website will help businesses, entrepreneurs and communities tap into resources that can help them succeed.

For businesses looking to expand in or relocate to Georgia, the site offers links to UGA programs that provide workforce training, business retention and expansion support, small business and entrepreneurial

guidance, and access to ideas and expertise throughout the university’s academic, research and public service and outreach units.

Communities will find programs for leadership and government training, downtown revitalization, coastal, agricultural and consumer extension services, and continuing education.

Reporter Matt Chambers Copy Editor David Bill 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

7 8 5

8 Aug. 24, 2015 columns.uga.edu WELCOME

FORUM from page 1 Knowles. He joins a long list of distinguished Sanders Scholars including former U.S. Ambassador to the Republic of Poland Lee A. Feinstein, former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives Newt Gingrich and former U.S. Sen. Wyche Fowler Jr. Second, Chambliss will hold a lecture series for undergraduate students on critical areas of public policy facing the nation. He will share his firsthand knowledge of the impacts of public policy on U.S. global leadership and national security, among other topics.

The final component of the Chambliss Leadership Forum is the Chambliss Fellows Program. Each semester, five students selected through a competitive application process will participate in the Washington Semester Program as Chambliss Fellows

from page 1

EXOPLANET from page 1

Andrew Davis Tucker

From left: Student Government Association Vice President Houston Gaines, UGA President Jere W. Morehead and SGA President Johnelle Simpson take a photo with first-year students during Freshman Welcome.

games, but to attend UGA sporting events year-round and to get involved with student groups and attend lectures and art events.

Head football coach Mark Richt gave the students a pep talk about being responsible members of the university community.

“The thing I’m asking you to think about is to respect each other and respect yourself,” Richt said. “Don’t put yourself in a situation that could end up really bad.”

He also challenged the males in the audience.

“Young men, we need to respect the young ladies on the campus,” he said.

Richt concluded with a message he gives his student-athletes about their degrees.

“Know that this degree is going to bless

DEAN

you for the rest of your life,” he said. “You’re a ‘dawg’ for life.”

Before the students took to the field to form a 70-yard-long G, they also got some encouragement from a fellow student Johnelle Simpson, the SGA president.

Simpson asked the audience to hold hands with their classmates. He reminded them that as challenging and unpredictable as the next four years would be, they could take comfort that they have the opportunity to see their peers again at Sanford Stadium when they graduate.

“You’re holding the hand of the members of class of 2019,” Simpson said. “Tomorrow you will embark on the greatest journey of your life.”

from page 1

classroom and an incalculable number of contacts across the state. Between him and Jeanna, Greene jokes, “we can’t go anywhere in Georgia without bumping into someone we know.”

His background before UGA also made him a strong candidate for the job. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Louisiana State University in 1981, and he followed that up with a master’s degree from Virginia Tech in 1983, which is also where he met Jeanna.

When she moved to Auburn University for a doctoral program, he followed her and earned his doctorate in 1986.

“I never set out to be an academic, but when I realized that I had found the person I wanted to marry, I decided that was the first decision to get right,” Greene said.“Everything

else would likely work out if I made the right decision there.”

Now, Greene will focus on some of the short-term and long-term challenges facing the Warnell School. He already is filling vacant faculty positions, leading a strategic plan revision and re-energizing Warnell’s fundraising and development efforts.

So far, he said, “a lot of my job has been getting people in place.”

And as a forester, he’s also working on expanding his contacts to include professionals in the wildlife, natural resources, recreation and tourism, and water and soils fields.

But his long-term and most important goal, he said, is to make sure that the Warnell School keeps striving to be one of the top natural resource programs in the country.

ever detected on an alien planet, which should yield additional clues as to how the planet formed.

The results were published in the current issue of Science and describe the first major discovery from more than 10 years of collective efforts by more than 50 researchers.

The Gemini Planet Imager was designed specifically for discovering and analyzing faint young planets orbiting stars. After GPI was installed on the 26-foot Gemini South Telescope in Chile, the team set out to look for planets orbiting young stars. They’ve looked at almost a hundred stars so far.

“This is exactly the kind of planet we envisioned discovering when we designed GPI,” said James Graham, a professor at the University of California, Berkeley and project scientist for GPI. Once the astronomers zeroed in on the star, they blocked its light and spotted 51 Eridani b orbiting a little farther away from its parent star than Saturn does from the sun.

Even though the light from the planet is very faint—nearly a million times fainter than its star—subsequent observations revealed that it is roughly twice the mass of Jupiter.

In addition to being the faintest planet ever imaged, it’s also the coldest—800 degrees Fahrenheit, whereas others are around

and intern in Washington, D.C., in various positions. The Fellows will receive a stipend to help cover the costs of living and working in the nation’s capital. The program will be funded through an endowed scholarship that is supported by an annual fundraising dinner. This year’s dinner will be held Nov. 10 in Atlanta.

“This partnership with the University of Georgia gives me the opportunity to dialogue with the next generation of leaders on issues that I have been involved in for the last 20 years,” Chambliss said. “We Georgians are fortunate to have a world-class university as our flagship, and I am indeed privileged to have the opportunity to work with such an outstanding faculty and the very bright students at UGA.”

1,200 degrees—and features the strongest atmospheric methane signal on record. P ­ revious Jupiter-like exoplanets have shown only faint traces of methane. All of these characteristics point to a planet that is very much what models suggest Jupiter was like in its infancy.

In addition to expanding the universe of known planets, GPI will provide key clues as to how solar systems form.

The gas giants in this solar system formed by building up a large core over a few million years and then pulling in a huge amount of hydrogen and other gases to form an atmosphere. But Jupiter-like exoplanets that have been discovered so far are much hotter than models have predicted, hinting that they could have formed much faster as material collapses quickly to make a very hot planet.

“This discovery is one of many imaging detections of exoplanets to come in the next few years,” said Song, an associate professor in Franklin College’s physics and astronomy department and a co-principal investigator on the GPI exoplanet survey team. “Unlike most of the currently known confirmed exoplanets, these GPI images of exoplanets allow us to examine planetary atmospheric information, which will eventually allow astronomers to examine biosignatures from mature planets during the next decade.”

CAMPUS SCENES

Bulletin Board USG service awards

The deadline to submit nominations for the University System of Georgia’s 2015 Chancellor’s Service Excellence Awards is midnight Aug. 31. Make nominations online at http://tinyurl.com/ ps7k9l3.

The Chancellor’s Service Excellence Program honors University System employees who have gone above and beyond their normal job responsibilities in helping their internal and external customers and consistently promoting customer service excellence. For additional information, email Catherine K. Shircliff, cks@uga.edu.

Kaltura video service

The video service platform Kaltura is now available for instructors to use within UGA’s learning management system, eLearning Commons.

Kaltura allows users to create, upload and publish videos such as webcam recordings and screencasts.

Instructions on how to use Kaltura in eLC are at http://ctl.uga.edu/kaltura.

The Center for Teaching and Learning is offering drop-in workshops

for instructors who need assistance.

The dates, times and location of the workshops are at http://t.uga.edu/1Io.

Research participants sought

The kinesiology department in the College of Education is conducting a study to learn more about metformin’s effects on the body. Researchers are seeking men and women ages 18-75 who currently are taking metformin.

Participants will wear a glucose monitor for two different three-day sessions and will be provided meals during this time. They also will walk on a treadmill for one short session and two longer sessions.

Information from this study may be used to improve future medical treatment. Participants will be given information about their body composition and health and also receive a financial incentive. For more information, contact Melissa Erickson at 706-829-2560 or melissa9@uga.edu.

Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.

Dorothy Kozlowski

CATCHING UP—Arti Patel, left, and Monica Patel talk between classes on the first day of the 2015-2015 school year.

GUIDING HAND—Jason Brown, bus

Peter Frey

operations supervisor with Campus Transit, gives directions to Nnaji Emetu at the main library bus stop.

Andrew Davis Tucker

BUSTLING CAMPUS—Faculty and students move through the halls on the fifth floor of the journalism building during class change on the first day of the fall semester.