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Senior associate VP for development, alumni relations stresses teamwork CAMPUS NEWS
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Henrik Drescher, visiting artist, to give talk at Lamar Dodd School of Art Vol. 43, No. 6
August 31, 2015
www.columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
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Georgia Informatics Institute for Research, Education takes shape By Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
Thirty-eight UGA faculty members got an introduction to Georgia, its people, geography, history and culture during the 2015 New Faculty Tour. The five-day trip stretched from Athens, through Gainesville and Dahlonega, Atlanta, Senoia, Warner Robins, Tifton, Waycross, Savannah and Sandersville.
On the road
UGA is building upon its established strengths in the interdisciplinary field of informatics by creating the Georgia Informatics Institute for Research and Education. Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten has charged a committee composed of several of the university’s informatics faculty members with developing content for a new undergraduate core curriculum in informatics that will be the basis of an Engineering Informatics Program and a model that other schools and colleges can adapt for their students. Planning for a new graduate certificate and professional development programs also is underway, and up to nine new faculty
members will be hired this year through a Presidential Informatics Hiring Initiative announced in July. “An important role of a leading public research university is to look toward the future to identify grand challenges facing our state, nation and world,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “If approved by the faculty, this institute could expand UGA’s capacity to respond to these challenges in numerous ways.” Larry Hornak, co-chair of the Georgia Informatics Institute committee and associate dean for research in the College of Engineering, noted that the breadth of informatics research on campus is reflected in the committee’s membership. In addition to Hornak and co-chair Thiab Taha, a professor and head of the computer science department in the Franklin College See INSTITUTE on page 8
New faculty take whirlwind trip through Georgia COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
UGA researchers to lead NIH-funded obesity study
By Kelly Simmons
simmonsk@uga.edu
One of the first things Jane McPherson did when she got into the classroom at the beginning of the semester was have her Master of Social Work students circle their hometown on a large map. Having just returned from the 2015 New Faculty Tour, she has an appreciation for critical issues facing the state and how UGA can play a role in helping address them. “As I taught this week, I looked at my students through the lens of their legislators and family members, seeing each one as an individual whom I must prepare to harness Georgia’s specific opportunities and also confront the challenges,” said McPherson, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work. “We will return to that map as the semester goes forward, making our lessons specific to the challenges of those Georgia towns.” For most of the 38 participants, the New Faculty Tour was an introduction to Georgia, its people,
By Kat Yancey Gilmore kygilmor@uga.edu
Scott Tigchelaar, president of Raleigh Studios, right, speaks with UGA faculty at the entrance to The Official Walking Dead Store in Senoia.
geography, history and culture. Many had barely arrived in Athens before boarding the bus for the five-day trip, which stretched from Athens, through Gainesville and Dahlonega, Atlanta, Senoia, Warner Robins, Tifton, Waycross, Savannah and Sandersville. Along the way, they were introduced to the economic engines that help Georgians prosper. Agriculture remains the state’s leading industry. Helping that industry are the
researchers in Tifton, who are breeding more disease-resistant peanuts and helping farmers more efficiently water their fields by using pivoting sprinkler systems that rotate across crops for better irrigation. “I never knew how one of those irrigation pivots worked,” said Peter O’Connell, an assistant professor of classics and communication studies in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “I think that was the most See FACULTY on page 8
UGA ranked No. 3 in best values college list UGA is ranked No. 3 in Washington Monthly magazine’s list of “Best Bang for the Buck Colleges in the Southeast 2015” for being one of the best values for students. “The University of Georgia is dedicated to providing students with a world-class education at an affordable price,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Although rankings may change from year to year, our commitment to this goal is constant, and I am glad it is being
recognized on a national level.” Rankings are based on the university’s graduation rate, graduation rate performance, percent of students receiving Pell Grants, net price of attendance and whether students go on to earn enough to pay off their loans, according to the magazine. The Southeast region includes more than 200 colleges and universities from Alabama, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, North
Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia. East Carolina University topped the Southeast rankings for best value followed by North Carolina State University. Other schools ranked in the top 20 in the Southeast by Washington Monthly include the University of Florida at No. 4, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill at No. 11 and the Georgia Institute of Technology at No. 20.
One of today’s most effective surgical methods for treating obesity is Roux-en-Y gastric bypass surgery. The procedure limits the amount of food and drink that can be ingested at one time and the amount of calories and nutrients absorbed through the intestinal tract. An unintended side effect of RYGB surgery is that it reduces the patient’s taste for sweet and fatty foods. There is no scientific explanation for why these taste changes occur. UGA researchers will lead a collaborative four-year study aimed at understanding the neurological
mechanisms responsible for these changes in taste following RY G B s u rgery and also diet-induced obesity. Their work is being Krzysztof Czaja funded by a $2.48 million grant from the National Institutes of Health. “Understanding how the signals from our gut to our brain are altered by both diet-induced obesity and RYGB will lead us to new treatments for effective weight loss,” said Dr. Krzysztof Czaja, the project’s lead investigator and an
See STUDY on page 8
UGA/DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FARM TOUR Tour to showcase contributions to state’s leading industr y By Merritt Melancon jmerritt@uga.edu
With more than a $72 billion impact on the state’s economy, agriculture is the largest industry in Georgia, and UGA is comprehensively engaged with the industry to ensure its success and continued contributions to Georgia’s economy. From the technical assistance offered through UGA Cooperative Extension to research advances that promise safer, sustainable and more productive agricultural practices,
farmers and food industry leaders rely on UGA’s expertise. UGA President Jere W. Morehead will see firsthand the close partnership between the agriculture industry and UGA’s expertise Sept. 2 as he tours several north Georgia farms, food processing and biosecurity facilities with Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black and Dean and Director of the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences J. Scott Angle. See TOUR on page 8
2 Aug. 31, 2015 columns.uga.edu
Around academe
No union for Northwestern U. football
Northwestern University football players cannot form a union. The National Labor Relations Board declined to assert jurisdiction in a case over whether Northwestern football players have employee rights. The case came to the board following a ruling by the NLRB’s regional Chicago office that established football players at private universities as employees. The NLRB’s decision not to assert jurisdiction nullified that ruling. Following the recent ruling, the board issued a news release explaining that allowing a union to go forward would disrupt “labor stability” in college football. However, the board advised that the decision was “narrowly focused to apply only to the players in this case and does not preclude reconsideration of this issue in the future.”
Fundraising levels up in higher ed
Estimated fundraising was up 5.1 percent for colleges and universities during the 20142015 academic year, according to a Council for Advancement and Support of Education survey. Breaking it down by type of institutions: independent schools estimated 5.9 percent growth; there was a 4.8 percent growth for public institutions and 4.9 percent for private; and community colleges were only up by 1.5 percent.
News to Use
Fresh Food Bus now operating
A new on-campus bus route will take riders from campus to the Athens Farmers Market at Bishop Park this fall. The Fresh Food Bus will operate each Saturday, excluding UGA home football game Saturdays, through Dec. 19. The new route aims to make fresh, healthy foods more accessible to students and community members and to increase participation in the SNAP Double-Value Coupon Program. Riders should arrive at the Multi-Modal Center, find the Fresh Food Bus sign and hop on to get to the market or catch the Fresh Food Bus at one of its stops on the UGA campus. The bus route will include stops at Building S of Family and Graduate Housing, Memorial Hall, the Athens Multi-Modal Center and Russell Hall on the Health Sciences Campus. The bus will run from 8:15 a.m. until 12:15 p.m. with hourly stops at the farmers market. Return trips from the market begin at 8:45 a.m. and run once per hour for three more hours. A partnership between the Athens Farmers Market, Wholesome Wave Georgia, Athens Transit, UGA Campus Transit and the UGA Office of Sustainability, the program is made possible through the support of the Ray Anderson Foundation. Other collaborators include UGA Food Services, UGA Housing, the Student Government Association, Students for Environmental Action and Real Food UGA. Source: UGA Office of Sustainability
UGA
SERVES VES MEALS DAILY IN ITS DINING COMMONS Read more about all of UGA’s work with food and nutrition at discover.uga.edu.
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Good for you: UGA students develop award-winning breakfast sandwich By Sharon Dowdy sharono@uga.edu
UGA food science students have created a bread-free, microwavable breakfast sandwich that, if marketed, would fill a need for consumers on low-carbohydrate or gluten-free diets. Made from quinoa, ham and eggs, the product is high in protein and “somewhat similar” to quiche, said Yaowen Huang, a food science professor in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Seven students in his New Food Product Development class created the Southwestern Breakfast Egg Muffin and won first place in a competition sponsored by DuPont. The company required the new food products contain at least two DuPont-produced ingredients. The prototype muffin contains eggs, red bell peppers, white onions, Kroger frozen spinach, Kroger quinoa, Smithfield diced ham, Kroger shredded sharp cheddar cheese, whole milk, salt, Lawry’s garlic powder, Kroger ground black pepper and Kroger ground red pepper. “It’s a new alternative to breakfast that is high in protein, packed with vegetables and whole grains and is the perfect, good-for-you breakfast that is quick to heat and simple to eat for consumers on the run,” said Meredith Meyer, leader of the winning UGA student team. Meyer said the breakfast muffin can be heated in a microwave or toaster oven and has a long shelf life of about four to six months in the freezer. Based on the students’ research, the muffin could be sold in packages of six in the grocer’s freezer for $3.87. “It does not have a crust, which eliminates a lot of carbohydrates. Without the bread, everyone can consume this product, even those who suffer from celiac disease,” Meyer said. “The
UGA Department of Food Science and Technology
UGA food science students have created a bread-free, microwavable breakfast sandwich that, if marketed, would fill a need for consumers on low-carbohydrate or gluten-free diets. The team consisted of, from left, Juliana Fritts, Sara Muntean, Brooke Oot, Faustine Sonon, Shemaine Mensah, Adam Gresham and Meredith Meyer.
incorporation of a unique grain, like quinoa, into a breakfast item is also very uncommon.” Several versions of the muffin were created before the students settled on the final recipe. Early recipes included brown rice, then bulgur wheat. “At first we looked at creating meat patties with a fibrous addition that was also low in fat,” said Meyer, who graduated from UGA in May with a food science degree and now works for PepsiCo Inc. in Riviera Beach, Florida. “We knew we wanted to make something with quinoa because it’s a big trend now.” Other student-created products in the class included raw, egg-less cookie dough, a quinoa-based waffle mix and bagel chips with dip. Products created by students in the class do not always make it to supermarket shelves, but some do. Regardless of whether the products make it to the marketplace, Huang said, the students learn to develop a new food
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
product “step by step, from market opportunity analysis to ideation, concept formation, building a business case, prototyping, development, marketing, to the final step—product launch. Product development is the longest working period; the product is refined, the nutrition label is created, safety and shelf life is considered, sensory analysis is performed and a package is created.” In addition to Meyer, the awardwinning student team includes Juliana Fritts, Adam Gresham, Brooke Oot, Shemaine Mensah, Sara Muntean and Faustine Sonon. “I am so proud of them. They worked hard and put extra effort into this course, and my sixth sense told me they had a good chance of winning,” Huang said. “Although team products have won numerous awards in the past, this is the largest and the best one.” The team will receive the award and $10,000 to share at the Prepared Foods’ 33rd annual New Product Conference, Sept. 27-30 in Palm Springs, Florida.
SCHOOL OF LAW
National search underway for next School of Social Work dean
Georgia Law names new associate dean for academic affairs
By Sam Fahmy
By Heidi M. Murphy
sfahmy@uga.edu
UGA Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten has appointed a committee to begin a national search to fill the position of dean of the School of Social Work. Linda Kirk Fox, dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, will chair the search committee, which includes faculty, staff, alumni and a student. Additional search committee members are: • Jennifer Abbott, director of development in the School of Social Work and a recent Staff Council representative. • Leon Banks, senior academic professional and bachelor of social work program director. • Y. Joon Choi, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work. • Llewellyn Cornelius, director of the UGA Center for Social Justice, Human and Civil Rights, and the Donald L. Hollowell Distinguished Professor of Social Justice and Civil Rights Studies (pending board of regents approval) in the School of Social Work. • Jarrett Daniels, a master of social work student and co-chair of the MSW Student-Faculty Committee.
• June Gary Hopps, the Thomas M. “Jim” Parham Professor of Family and Children Studies in the School of Social Work. • Shelly Hutchinson, a School of Social Work alumna and founder and director of the Social Empowerment Center, one of the Bulldog 100 fastest-growing companies owned or operated by UGA alumni. • Shari Miller, an associate professor, associate dean and Ph.D. program director in the School of Social Work. • Orion Mowbray, an assistant professor in the School of Social Work. • Patricia Reeves, a professor in the School of Social Work. • Bobby Robbins, a School of Social Work alumnus and member of the school’s board of visitors. • Betsy Vonk, a professor in the School of Social Work. The committee will be assisted by the UGA Search Group in Human Resources. School of Social Work Dean Maurice Daniels recently announced that he will step down after a decade of service as dean to focus more intensely on his research on the civil rights movement and his work with the Foot Soldier Project for Civil Rights Studies. He will continue to serve as dean until his successor is appointed.
hmurphy@uga.edu
Lori A. Ringhand is the School of Law’s new associate dean for academic affairs. In this role, she supervises the law school’s academic program and curriculum. Ringhand is a nationally known Supreme Court scholar and twotime recipient of Lori Ringhand the C. Ronald Ellington Award for Excellence in Teaching, the law school’s highest teaching honor. Ringhand succeeds Lonnie T. Brown Jr. who served in the position for two years. “A few of her initial projects will include overseeing the law school’s ‘assessment’ project in connection with the new American Bar Association Accreditation Standards and playing an active role in the upcoming discussions to reform the law school’s curriculum,”said School of Law Dean Peter “Bo” Rutledge. “Along with Deans Amann, Rodrigues and Hashimoto, she will round out the senior administrative team on the law school’s faculty.”
RESEARCH NEWS
columns.uga.edu Aug. 31, 2015
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Digest ‘Created Equal’ film series takes in-depth look at civil rights movement
According to Samantha Joye, a professor of marine sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, one of the biggest challenges in evaluating the environmental impacts of the Macondo wellhead blowout was the lack of baseline data.
Rick O’Quinn
Environmental monitoring UGA marine scientist calls for more natural baseline data collection in world’s oceans
By Stephanie Schupska schupska@uga.edu
In the spring of 2010, the Deepwater Horizon drilling platform exploded, initiating an uncontrolled deep-water oil and gas blowout from the Macondo wellhead. The uncontrolled hydrocarbon discharge continued for 85 days, and the environmental impacts were substantial. According to UGA’s Samantha Joye, one of the biggest challenges in evaluating the environmental impacts of the Macondo blowout was the lack of baseline data—both in the water column and along the seabed, where as much as 15 percent of the discharged oil ended up. As oil and natural gas drilling continues at depths well beyond that of where the Macondo wellhead—at 1,500 meters—blew out, Joye argues in a new article in the journal Science that environmental monitoring data is desperately needed to establish natural baselines; such baselines are essential for documenting anthropogenic perturbations, such as oil spills, and preparing for future disaster response. In Science’s Perspective section, Joye emphasizes that only through collecting both baseline data and consistent longterm observations after perturbations is it possible to piece together the environmental impacts of environmental disasters like oil spills.
Joye stresses that the academic community, federal responders and the oil and gas industry need to take steps to collect baseline data in preparation for future perturbations to this and other ecosystems impacted by offshore hydrocarbon extraction. Such data will establish critical environmental baselines against which natural variations will become evident and will help determine the impacts of a hydrocarbon discharge. “Baseline data describes natural environmental variation that results from long- and short-term changes in climate,” said Joye, the Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “Without baseline data for a system, we live in an ‘invisible present,’ ” a term coined by John Magnuson in 1990. Key baseline data in the oceans, she continued, should include documentation of biological communities and natural patterns of biological processes in the water column and along the sea floor. Such baselines should include the natural ability of microbial communities to respond to perturbations, such as massive oil and gas inputs, catalog patterns of nutrient and particle dynamics, and identify factors that regulate biological and physical processes in the system. She would start gathering this key data in the Gulf and the Arctic— “now,” she said. “Baselines take years to establish.” Joye went on to explain what is
needed in the Gulf, specifically. “The Gulf is physically complex,” she said, “so to get started I would divide the systems into eight to 10 regions impacted by deep water drilling that span different depths and physical regimes. The monitoring programs would need to be spatially and temporally appropriate—for example, capture seasonal variability—to provide the requisite data.” The ECOGIG, or Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf, research program, which Joye leads, is collecting data at natural seeps as well as at control sites where there is no natural seepage. However, they are only able to do significant baseline collections once a year because ship time is very expensive, so “we do not have a handle on seasonality, and we very much need that,” she said. Given the critical importance of baseline environmental data, such data should be collected cooperatively and funded by industry as part of “the cost of doing business,” Joye said. “In my opinion,” she continued, “industry should support long-term monitoring programs in collaboration with the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and academic partners to foster a cooperative atmosphere and to establish effective working relationships that assure collection and dissemination of high quality data both before and during well control incidents.”
COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE
Researchers develop bird flu vaccine using virus in dogs By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu
UGA researchers have used a virus commonly found in dogs as the foundation for a new vaccine against H7N9 influenza, more commonly known as bird flu. H7N9 is one of several influenza virus strains that circulate in bird populations, and the first human cases were reported in China in March 2013, according to the World Health Organization. The H7N9 virus strain is particularly concerning, however, because most patients rapidly develop severe pneumonia that sometimes requires intensive care and mechanical ventilation. “The mortality rate for this virus is over 30 percent, so there is an urgent need
to develop a good vaccine,” said study co-author Biao He, who holds the Fred C. Davison Distinguished University Chair in Veterinary Medicine in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “We have developed a vaccine that protected both mice and guinea pigs against a lethal H7N9 challenge, and we think it may be a very strong candidate for human vaccine tests.” He and his collaborators, in the study detailed in the journal PLOS ONE, used another virus called parainfluenza virus 5, or PIV5, as a kind of delivery vehicle for their H7N9 vaccine. Although harmless in humans, PIV5 is thought to contribute to upper respiratory infections in dogs. Small segments of H7N9 genes are placed inside PIV5, which is then used to immunize animals. While destroying
the harmless PIV5 carrier, the immune system learns to recognize and destroy H7N9 before it can cause severe illness. “All of the vaccinated mice were protected against the H7N9 virus,” He said. “But our experiments also revealed an unexpected result: The vaccinated animals did not produce a detectable level of antibodies.” He and his colleagues plan to continue investigating their H7N9 vaccine in other animal models, but he hopes that their most recent discovery may lead other researchers to re-examine vaccines that did not produce a high antibody titer. “There may be a lot of perfectly good vaccines out there for a variety of diseases that were simply shelved because they did not perform well on the antibody titer test,” He said.
OLLI@UGA and the Athens-Clarke County Library are sponsoring “Created Equal,” a series of films that explores aspects of the civil rights movement, from the Civil War era through the latter part of the 20th century. The documentaries are part of a series funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities and created in anticipation of anniversaries of the Emancipation Proclamation and the March on Washington. All screenings take place at 2 p.m. at the Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter St. Open free to the public, the films will be followed by a discussion. Freedom Riders will be shown Sept. 12. The Loving Story will be shown Oct. 10.
Georgia 4-H Foundation Gala breaks fundraising record, raises $313,145
With Grammy award-winning artist and Georgia 4-H alumna Jennifer Nettles as honorary chairperson and former state leader Roger C. “Bo” Ryles receiving the Georgia 4-H Lifetime Achievement Award, the 2015 Georgia 4-H Gala was the organization’s most successful event to date. More than 600 Georgia 4-H alumni and supporters gathered at the Loews Atlanta Hotel Aug. 8 and raised a total of $313,145 through sponsorships, ticket sales, auctions and gifts. “We’re thankful to the volunteers, 4-H youth development professionals, alumni and friends who support Georgia 4-H and make it grow,” said Mary Ann Parsons, executive director of the Georgia 4-H Foundation. “The gala gives us a platform to share our latest 4-H stories and celebrate the generosity of the individuals who understand how their support can make a remarkable difference in a young person’s life.” Proceeds from the event will be used to enhance leadership development and performing arts programs, including Clovers and Company, Georgia 4-H’s signature performing arts group.
3 students awarded Knauss Fellowships
Three UGA graduate students studying ecology and marine science were selected for the John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship. Sponsored by the National Sea Grant College Program, the Knauss Fellowship provides educational experiences in policy and processes of the federal government to graduate students interested in ocean, coastal and Great Lakes resources, and the national policy decisions that impact those resources. Laura Early, Jennafer Malek and Yuntao Wang were nominated for the fellowship by the Georgia Sea Grant College Program, a unit of UGA’s Office of Public Service and Outreach. The UGA students were among 120 Knauss Fellowship applicants from across the country. Fifty-seven were chosen for the 2016 class, representing 25 of the 33 state Sea Grant programs. All finalists will be matched with hosts in the federal legislative and executive branches of government in Washington, D.C.
Engineering student awarded fellowship
A student in the UGA College of Engineering was awarded the Baker Student Fellowship by the American Concrete Institute Foundation. Scotty Smith, a senior civil engineering student from Duluth, is one of only two recipients of the international award for 2015-2016. Smith’s undergraduate research has focused on examining the structural performance and environmental impact of increasing the allowable replacement levels of cement with fly ash for Georgia concrete pavements. Fly ash is a byproduct of coal-fired power plants. ACI Foundation Fellowships are extremely competitive and open to undergraduate and graduate students studying engineering, construction management or other related fields.
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4 Aug. 31, 2015 columns.uga.edu
RESEARCH NEWS
Digest WUGA to present Athens Jazz Festival
WUGA-FM, the UGA-operated public radio station, will present the 2015 Athens Jazz Festival, a free concert featuring local jazz musicians, Sept. 6 from 1-7 p.m. on the lawn of the Georgia Center. This year’s festival puts the spotlight on local talent. Among the performers are Trey Wright, Artie Ball Swing Band, Classic City Swing, Peachtree Band of Jazz, Classic City Dixiedawgs and singer Mary Sigalas. The 2015 Athens Jazz Festival is sponsored in part by the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, the UGA Performing Arts Center, the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and Buffalo’s Cafe. For more information, visit wuga.org or call 706-542-9842.
Former US senator to be inducted into Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame
The UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences will induct former U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss and the late Thomas Breedlove Sr., pioneering Northeast Georgia dairy farmer, into the Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame on Sept. 25. The inductions will be part of the college’s alumni awards ceremony and banquet at the Classic Center. The public is invited to attend. The Georgia Agricultural Hall of Fame was established in 1972 to recognize individuals who made unusual and extraordinary contributions to agriculture and agribusiness industries in Georgia. Inductees are nominated by members of the public and selected by the awards committee of the college’s alumni association. Those nominated must possess the following characteristics: impeccable character, outstanding leadership, noteworthy contributions to Georgia’s agricultural landscape and recognition for achievements in agriculture as well as other areas. During 20 years in the U.S. Congress, Chambliss earned a reputation as an advocate for agriculture. He also was working on behalf of farmers long before he went to Washington, D.C., in 1995. A UGA alumnus, Chambliss is currently the Sanders Political Leadership Scholar at the university’s School of Law. Breedlove helped introduce Georgia farmers to what is today the USDA Farm Service Agency. He was the first and longest-serving executive director of its precursor, Georgia’s Agriculture Adjustment Administration, working for the organization from 1939-1955.
MBA offerings expanded to include health care, human resource management The UGA Terry College of Business has broadened its full-time MBA offerings to include new concentrations in health care and human resource management, a new area of emphasis in consulting, and a completely redesigned leadership program. “The new concentrations, emphasis in consulting and renewed focus on leadership are a direct reflection of the needs we hear from employers,” said Santanu Chatterjee, director of the FullTime MBA Program and an associate professor of economics. “We pride ourselves on producing graduates who are ready to hit the ground running on the day after graduation. The new courses of study we’ve introduced will help our graduates be even more valuable to their employers.” The health care management concentration gives students a solid foundation in how business principles apply to health care organizations, while the human resource management concentration emerged in response to both student and employer requests. It takes a quantitative approach toward managing human capital in complex organizations. The new area of emphasis in consulting combines both case-based and hands-on coursework to prepare students for consulting careers across a variety of industries. The MBA Leadership Fellows program has been completely revised to focus on crisis management and service-learning, in partnership with the Athens Area Community Foundation. It enhances the MBA Program’s experiential learning component.
Andrew Davis Tucker
David Nelson, an assistant professor of genetics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is co-author of a paper that explains how parasitic plants, which steal their nutrients from another living plant, evolved the ability to detect and attack their hosts.
‘Root radar’
Franklin College scientists discover how parasitic plants know when to attack other foliage By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu
An international team of researchers led by scientists at UGA has discovered how parasitic plants, which steal their nutrients from another living plant, evolved the ability to detect and attack their hosts. Their findings, published recently in the journal Science, could lead to new techniques to control the thieving weeds. There are thousands of parasitic plant species, but the most burdensome for humans are those that infiltrate farmland and destroy crops. Parasite infestations reduce crop yields by billions of dollars each year, particularly in developing nations where access to advanced herbicides and other control methods is limited, according to the researchers. “In the simplest terms, these are plants that eat other plants,” said David Nelson, co-author of the paper and an assistant professor of genetics in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “The seeds of some parasitic plants, like witchweed for example, can lie dormant in soil for more than a decade, waiting to grow until they detect the presence of a host. We wanted to understand how the parasites know other plants are nearby so we could develop new ways of combating them.”
As plant roots grow, they release hormones called strigolactones into the soil. This is a signal that normally helps fungi form a beneficial connection to the plant, in which they each trade nutrients. But the seeds of parasitic plants also possess the ability to sense strigolactones, which prompt them to germinate, attach to the host root and syphon off nutrients. “It’s kind of like root radar,” said Nelson, who is also a member of UGA’s Plant Center. “But the incredible thing is that this strigolactone detection system seems to have evolved from plant genes that normally control a seed’s ability to detect fire.” When a forest burns, compounds in the smoke and ash leach into the soil. Many plants have evolved the ability to detect these compounds that signal that their competition—large shady trees or dense ground cover—has been destroyed and it might be an opportune time to grow. Nelson and his colleagues found that during the evolution of parasitic plants, the smoke detector gene duplicated and some copies switched to become strigolactone detectors. This critical switch is what allows the parasites to recognize and attack nearby hosts. “Now that we understand the fundamental genetics that give parasitic
plants this ability, we can develop new ways to help farmers fight them,” Nelson said. Researchers may, for example, develop synthetic compounds that interfere with the receptors that parasitic plants use to sense strigolactones, making them blind to the presence of a host. Or, it might be possible to create chemicals that mimic strigolactones. If these were sprayed over a field prior to the normal growing season, farmers could trick the parasitic plants by making them grow when there are no hosts present, a strategy known as suicidal germination. Ultimately, the researchers hope that their discovery can serve as the foundation for an easy and affordable treatment that farmers in developing countries can use to boost their food production. “The process that parasitic plants use to sense their hosts has been a mystery in our field for more than 50 years,” Nelson said. “This could open the doors to a lot of useful new technologies to help those in greatest need.” Other researchers involved in the study include Caitlin Conn and Kelly Dyer, UGA; Charles Bond, University of Western Australia; Ken Shirasu, RIKEN; and Jim Westwood, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University.
COLLEGE OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES Researcher leads comprehensive international study on folate By Cal Powell
jcpowell@uga.edu
A UGA researcher is the lead author on an international paper on folate biomarkers as part of an initiative to provide evidence-based guidance for the global nutrition and public health community. Lynn Bailey, head of the foods and nutrition department within the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, led a comprehensive study on folate, an essential B vitamin required for DNA synthesis and normal growth and development. The paper, published in the Journal of Nutrition, includes 18 authors from around the world and represents a consensus of the top folate scientists globally. The study’s primary focus is information relative to folate biomarkers, or biological indices that predict an individual or population group’s folate status.
Biomarkers in general can be measured to determine if an individual’s or group’s health is at risk due to nutrient inadequacy. Adequate folate intake is particularly critical during the early stages of human development to sustain the demand for rapid cell replication and growth of fetal tissues. A major birth defect affecting the spinal cord—spina bifida, for example— and brain can be prevented by maternal consumption of sufficient folate prior to and during the very early stages of fetal development. The paper conveys how a folate status biomarker can be used to assess risk for this type of birth defect and determine if intervention is needed on an individual or population basis. “This major birth defect is essentially preventable,” Bailey said. “It’s probably one of the most exciting public health discoveries other than the polio vaccine in
the 20th century that a simple vitamin can prevent this devastating and potentially fatal birth defect.This research discovery is the basis of the folic acid fortification program in the U.S. and the public health recommendation that all women capable of becoming pregnant take folic acid.” One of the unique aspects of the paper, Bailey said, is the multiple users it will reach. “To me, it is the most impactful paper of my professional career because of the universal need to assess folate status as a means to optimize health throughout the life cycle,” Bailey said. The information has been incorporated into a recent World Health Organization publication to be used globally to assess risk for folate-related birth defects. It also will be used by country-specific agencies such as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to assess the need for or adequacy of folic acid fortification.
UGAGUIDE
columns.uga.edu Aug. 31, 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.
Henrik Drescher, visiting artist, to lecture Sept. 2 at art school
Tate Student Center Theatre fall movie lineup includes ‘Jurassic World,’ ‘Ant-Man’
By Drema Montgomery drema@uga.edu
The Lamar Dodd School of Art will present a lecture by artist Henrik Drescher Sept. 2 at 5:30 p.m. in Room S151 of the art school. Drescher is an award-winning artist, writer and illustrator whose travels and consistent bookmaking have fueled his career. With drawing, collage and text, he reimagines iconographies and cultural experiences in self-contained notebooks that inform both his illustrations and fine art practice. Drescher’s lecture, part of the Visiting Artist/Scholar Lecture Series, is open free to the public. Drescher’s works are in collections of the U.S. Library of Congress, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles and the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. They also have been published in top newspapers, magazines and journals throughout the world, including Rolling Stone, Time, The New York Times and more.
By Don Reagin
dreagin@uga.edu
The University Union Student Programming Board has announced the fall semester movie schedule for the Tate Student Center Theatre. Beginning this semester, admission to films will be free for students with valid UGACards who pay activity fees on the Athens campus and $3 for non-students. Films are chosen by students who serve on the executive board of the Cinematic Arts Division of University Union. The University Union Student Programming Board is a registered student organization within UGA’s Division of Student Affairs.
Films, dates and times are as follows: • Om Shanti Om (2007), Sept. 3 at 8 p.m. • Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Sept. 4 and 6 at 6 and 9 p.m. • Memento (2000), Sept. 10 at 8 p.m. • The Dark Knight (2008), Sept. 11 at 6 and 9 p.m. • Inception (2010), Sept. 12 at 6 and 9 p.m. • The Prestige (2006), Sept. 13 at 6 and 9 p.m. • Toy Story (1995), Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. • Jurassic World (2015), Sept. 18 and 20 at 6 and 9 p.m. • Tangled (2010), Sept. 24 at 8 p.m. • Inside Out (2015), Sept. 25 and 27 at 6 and 9 p.m. • Spy (2015), Oct. 2-4 at 6 and 9 p.m. • Psycho (1960), Oct. 8 at 8 p.m.
• Insidious: Chapter 3 (2015), Oct. 9 and 11 at 6 and 9 p.m. • Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961), Oct. 15 at 8 p.m. • Ant-Man (2015), Oct. 16 and 18 at 6 and 9 p.m. • Back to the Future (1985), Oct. 21 at 7 p.m. • The Social Network (2010), Oct. 22 at 8 p.m. • Magic Mike XXL (2015), Oct. 23-25 at 6 and 9 p.m. • V for Vendetta (2006), Nov. 5 at 8 p.m. • Mission: Impossible—Rogue Nation (2015), Nov. 6 and 8 at 6 and 9 p.m. • Elf (2003), Dec. 3 at 8 p.m. • The Man from U.N.C.L.E. (2015), Dec. 4-6 at 6 and 9 p.m.
EXHIBITIONS
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 1
El Taller de Grafica Popular: Vida y Arte. Through Sept. 13. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817, hazbrown@uga.edu.
TUESDAY TOUR A free guided tour of the exhibit galleries of the Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library and the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Participants should meet in the rotunda on the second floor. 2 p.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu.
Art Hazelwood and Ronnie Goodman. Through Sept. 13. The two artists confront and tackle such present-day realities as homelessness, poverty, war, corruption and violence in their art. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817, hazbrown@uga.edu. Afloat. Through Oct. 2. Circle Gallery. Ralph Chesse. Through Oct. 4. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817, hazbrown@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. (See Bulletin Board, page 8).
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 2 TOUR AT TWO Highlights from the permanent collection. Led by docents. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu. VISITING ARTIST/SCHOLAR LECTURE Henrik Drescher, who has traveled throughout the U.S., Mexico and Europe, keeping journals of notes and drawings that he later used as portfolios, will speak. 5:30 p.m. S151 Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-0116, michelleegas@uga.edu. (See story, above right).
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 3 UGA-GRIFFIN CAMPUS DIRECTOR FINALIST VISIT Luanne Lohr, national program lead for economics at the USDA Forest Service. 9:30 a.m. 104 UGA-Griffin Student Learning Center. CTL WORKSHOP “Teaching the FYO, An Ideas Exchange,” Chase Hagood, assistant director of faculty development and recognition, Center for Teaching and Learning.
Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s Master Calendar, maintained by 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/.
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Noon. 372 Miller Learning Center. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu. BARTRAM CONFERENCE: MAPPING THE TRAIL “An Itinerary of Discovery–Tracing the Bartrams Across the South,” Brad Sanders. Part of “Set Off for Georgia. ...,” a series of events celebrating the 250th anniversary of John and William Bartram’s natural history expedition in Colonial Georgia. 5:30 p.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu. WATERCOLOR AND GOUACHE WORKSHOP Athens-based artist and educator Brian Hitselberger will lead a workshop introduction to watercolor and gouache materials and techniques. This workshop, with classes held Sept. 3, 10, 17 and 24, is open to artists of all levels. All sessions will draw inspiration from the museum’s collections, including works from the archives and many not currently on display. Limited to 15 participants. RSVP to 706-542-8863 or callan@uga.edu. $15. 6:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu. VOLLEYBALL vs. Georgia Southern. Part of the Georgia Challenge. 7 p.m. Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-1621. FILM Om Shanti Om. $3 for non-students. 8 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre.
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 4 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.
1 p.m. Georgia Center lawn. 706-542-9842, thaxtona@uga.edu. (See Digest, page 4).
VOLLEYBALL vs. Mercer. Part of the Georgia Challenge. 1 p.m. Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-1621.
VOLLEYBALL vs. Syracuse. Part of the Georgia Challenge. 1 p.m. Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-1621.
FOOTBALL FRIDAY TOUR A guided tour of Undisputed: Georgia’s 1980 National Championship, an exhibit of materials from the UGA Athletic Association archives. 3:30 p.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-7123, hasty@uga.edu. FILM Mad Max: Fury Road. $3 for nonstudents. 6 p.m. Also Sept. 6 at 6 and 9 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre. WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Clemson. 7 p.m. Turner Soccer Complex. 706-542-1621. VOLLEYBALL vs. Georgia Tech. Part of the Georgia Challenge. 7 p.m. Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-1621.
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 5 FOOTBALL vs. University of Louisiana-Monroe. To be televised on the SEC Network. Noon. Sanford Stadium. 706-542-1231.
SUNDAY, SEPTEMBER 6 2015 ATHENS JAZZ FESTIVAL Music provided by Classic City Dixiedawgs, Classic City Swing, Peachtree Band of Jazz, Mary Sigalas, Artie Ball Swing Band and Trey Wright.
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.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 7 LABOR DAY HOLIDAY No classes; offices closed.
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8 ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Integrating Resource Distribution, Animal Movement and Infectious Disease Dynamics,” Richard Hall, an assistant research scientist in the Odum School of Ecology. Reception precedes seminar in the lobby. 4 p.m. Ecology building auditorium. 706-542-7247, bethgav@uga.edu. CLASS “Concrete Leaf Casting.” Lauren Zeichner, a registered landscape architect and local Athens artist, will teach participants how to use large leaves to cast concrete forms. These forms can be used for bird baths or creative garden accents. Registration is required. $35. 6 p.m. Greenhouse, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu.
COMING UP ROSH HASHANAH Sept. 14. Jewish religious observance.
NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Sept. 2 (for Sept. 14 issue) Sept. 9 (for Sept. 21 issue) Sept. 16 (for Sept. 28 issue)
6 Aug. 31, 2015 columns.uga.edu
NEWSMAKERS
FACULTY PROFILE
Heat rashness
People don’t take the threat of heat seriously enough, writes Marshall Shepherd, UGA’s Athletic Association Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography, in a column for Forbes. “Heat can’t be filmed ripping through a subdivision of houses or crashing onto densely populated coastlines,” Shepherd wrote. “Yet, more than 30,000 people died in the 2003 European Heat Wave. In public forums, I find that most people don’t remember it. However, they likely remember Hurricane Katrina, which killed an order of magnitude less people. In 2015, deadly heat waves killed thousands in India and Pakistan.”
Picky predicament
A recent article published in the journal Pediatrics found that children who are moderate to severely picky eaters have higher rates of anxiety and depression in later years. Leann Birch, the William “Bill” Flatt Childhood Obesity Professor in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences, commented on the study in an article by The Wall Street Journal. Birch, who wasn’t involved in the study, said, “It brings up a lot of interesting issues in terms of the fact that (selective eating) might have longterm consequences.”
Rate requirements
U.S. News & World Report spoke with UGA’s Robert Hoyt, the Dudley L. Moore Jr. Professor of Insurance in the Terry College of Business, for an article about car insurance rates. Hoyt recommended people buy higher liability limits than their state’s minimum requirements. “Bare bones insurance can put their assets at risk when they cause an accident,” he said. “(Consider) being on the hook financially for thousands of dollars in medical and car repair bills with not enough insurance to help pay for them.”
Investing insights
Swarn Chatterjee, a faculty member in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, was quoted by U.S. News & World Report in an article about how different generations invest. According to new research, millennials were the only generation with Disney stock in their top 10 list. Chatterjee said millennials buy what they know, usually technology stocks and related services. “Their investment choices are based on what they are more familiar with, which differs from baby boomers,” said Chatterjee, who is an associate professor in the financial planning, housing and consumer economics department. He also said that millennials “probably are overlooking some blue-chip stocks.”
Major music
After Apple released its streaming service in June, UGA’s David Lowery, a member of the bands Cracker and Camper van Beethoven and a lecturer in music economics at UGA, was quoted by the Washington Post. According to the article, Apple has promised slightly better royalties than other streaming competitors. “Apple is generally positive for artists in getting better pay because subscriptions pay about seven times as much as free services do to artists,” Lowery said. “But we don’t want to create another monopoly where we end up like authors did with Amazon. What we want is more options.”
A certain je ne sais quoi
Richard Neupert, UGA’s Wheatley Professor of the Arts and a Meigs Professor of Film Studies in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in French Morning, Los Angeles, about the success of the French design studio TeamTO, which recently opened an office in Los Angeles. “Since the 2000s, French studios have known real success owing to their ability to offer something a little different—the famous ‘French touch,’ with their drawing of amazing concept and quality, close to a comic strip—especially in the increasing uniformity we see from the giants such as Pixar and Disney, but all now adapted to the constraints of the international market,” said Neupert, a specialist in French animation who is a faculty member in the theatre and film studies department.
Dorothy Kozlowski
Karen Hilyard, an assistant professor in the College of Public Health, trains future public health professionals to effectively communicate public health messages and improve health literacy.
Healthy conversation: Professor strives to spread health literacy By Rebecca Ayer alea@uga.edu
As a journalist and producer covering breaking news for CNN, Karen Hilyard always was drawn to the stories that many found harder to tell, particularly disaster stories or those that dealt with trickier topics in the science and health fields. Her passion for these stories paid off in accolades. One of the first on the scene after the Oklahoma City bombing, Hilyard received an Emmy, a Cable ACE and a National Headliner Award for her coverage of the aftermath of the 1995 attack. “At that time, I had no idea I was already communicating about public health and safety issues or that the whole area of disaster or emergency preparedness fell under the aegis of public health,” she said. Now an assistant professor of health promotion and behavior in the College of Public Health, Hilyard trains future public health professionals to effectively communicate public health messages and improve health literacy. “Many people equate health communication with mass media campaigns like those focused on smoking cessation,” Hilyard said. “But health communication also includes the conversations on health that take place between doctors and patients, family members and friends. It addresses peoples’ understanding of the science behind various health
recommendations as well as their ability to discern what health information is credible and what is not so they can make the appropriate decisions.” Another aspect of the field also involves communicating health risks and benefits, she added. “There is a lot to health communication when you dig into it,” Hilyard said. Capitalizing on her interests in disaster preparedness and crisis communication, Hilyard earned her doctorate at the UGA Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication studying pandemic flu outbreak preparedness and communication. Since then, her research has expanded to include communication related to vaccines, infectious disease, health disparities, and emergencies and disasters. For her most recent project, Hilyard is working with researchers from George Washington University and Johns Hopkins University to develop a computational tool capable of tracking vaccination attitudes and behaviors in real time through Twitter. “Vaccination has been one of the great public health success stories of the past century,” she said. “It has allowed us to eradicate some diseases, greatly reduce the incidence of others and ultimately bring the rate of death and disability caused by complications of childhood illness to really low levels.” However, a critical part of that success story involves keeping the percentage of vaccinated people above a certain threshold, according to
FACTS Karen Hilyard Assistant Professor College of Public Health Ph.D., Mass Communication, Grady College, UGA, 2008 M.A., Communication-Journalism and Public Affairs, American University, 1990 B.A., History, Dartmouth College, 1987 At UGA: 4 years
Hilyard. For measles, 90 to 95 percent of people must be vaccinated to protect the entire population, or achieve what is called herd immunity. “Falling below this threshold can lead to serious outbreaks,” she said. “Yet across the U.S., we find communities where the percentage of unvaccinated children may be around 30 to 40 percent.” Health communication can address a lot of the issues related to vaccine hesitance and refusal, Hilyard said. “Helping to shed light on the risks of vaccine-preventable diseases, to understand the science of how vaccines work, to recognize the importance of herd immunity—and that your vaccine decision could affect the health of your friends, your family and your community—those are all ways that improved health communication can increase vaccination rates and prevent future outbreaks,” she said.
RETIREES August
Twenty-one UGA employees retired Aug. 1. Retirees, their job classification, department and length of employment are: Joyce Billingsley, building services worker II, Facilities Maintenance Division-Building Services-South Campus, 19 years, 9 months; Kathie J. Blount Nuss, development analyst I, annual giving and constituency development, 20 years, 3 months; Sheila T. Carver, county secretary, UGA Extension-Northwest District, 13 years, 9 months; Robert Anthony Fecho, acting department head, language and literacy education, 17 years, 1 month; John F. Greenman, professor, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, 10 years, 11 months; Christine Y. Harris, building services
worker II, Facilities Maintenance Division-Building Services-North Campus, 28 years, 4 months; Robert L. Haynes, building services worker II, Facilities Maintenance DivisionBuilding Services-North Campus, 10 years, 3 months; Franklin Joseph Holmes, fire extinguisher inspector, Environmental Safety Division, 10 years, 3 months; Carol L. Jackson, county secretary, UGA ExtensionNortheast District, 23 years, 2 months; C. Donald Johnson, director, School of Law, 11 years, 1 month; Betty K. Jones, senior lecturer, Grady College, 17 years; Nada G. Morris, accountant, international affairs-SPIA, 17 years, 11 months; Stephen W. Mullis, research station superintendent, Georgia Mountain Research and Education
Center, 12 years, 10 months; Vasu Nair, associate dean, College of Pharmacy, 13 years, 1 month; Susan L. Reinhardt, public service assistant (limited term), Office of the Assistant Dean for the Tifton campus, 14 years, 4 months; Scott A. Shamp, director, New Media Institute, 27 years, 10 months; James T. Shirley III, library associate II, libraries-general operations, 14 years, 3 months; Sheila Slaughter, professor, Institute of Higher Education, 9 years, 11 months; Ruthann B. Swanson, associate professor, food and nutrition, 20 years, 10 months; Jana M. Thompson, research professional IV, IREHD, 26 years; and Vada Timberlake, dental hygienist, University Health Center, 10 years, 1 month. Source: Human Resources
DIVISION OF DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS
columns.uga.edu Aug. 31, 2015
All for UGA
Senior associate vice president stresses teamwork in fundraising
Robert Newcomb
Jay Stroman, senior associate vice president for development and alumni relations, said successful fundraising requires help from alumni, corporate partners and friends of the university in addition to faculty, staff and students. “It takes everyone to be in the fundraising and friend-raising game,” he said.
By Aaron Hale
aahale@uga.edu
When it comes to fundraising, UGA is on a winning streak, having recently announced another consecutive year of record-breaking contributions. It raised $144.2 million in fiscal 2015 from nearly 64,000 donors. That impressive milestone was achieved through collaboration across campus. “No one does this by themselves. It really is about building a team,” said Jay Stroman, senior associate vice president for development and alumni relations at UGA. Stroman, who began at the university in January, said successful fundraising requires help from alumni, corporate partners and friends of the university in addition to faculty, staff and students. “It takes everyone to be in the fundraising
and friend-raising game,” he said. As a college basketball player at Mercer University, Stroman learned a lot about teamwork and leadership. Stroman played guard for Mercer, where he would go on to become an assistant basketball coach at the college before beginning a 17-year career as a higher education development officer. The collaborative and competitive spirit he learned on and off the court has translated into how Stroman is trying to help UGA continue to break fundraising records for years to come. Stroman came to UGA by way of Young Harris College. He was brought on as part of Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations Kelly Kerner’s divisional reorganization. Kerner implemented the reorganization to help streamline UGA’s fundraising efforts in its comprehensive campaign.
WEEKLY READER Book explores diversity in US courts
Diversity Matters: Judicial Policy Making in the U.S. Courts of Appeals By Susan B. Haire and Laura P. Moyer University of Virginia Press Cloth and Ebook: $45
In 2008, over a quarter of sitting judges were women and 15 percent were African-American or Hispanic. Underlying the argument for a diverse federal judiciary has been the expectation that the presence of women and minorities will ensure that the policy of the courts will reflect the experiences of a diverse population. Yet until now, scholarly studies have offered only limited support for the expectation that judges’ race, ethnicity or gender impacts their decision making. In Diversity Matters, Susan B. Haire, an associate professor of political science and director of criminal justice studies at UGA, and Laura P. Moyer, UGA alumna, employ new methods of analysis to offer a fresh examination of the effects of diversity on the many facets of decision making in the federal appellate courts.
Within the new structure, Stroman serves as the facilitator of Kerner’s and UGA President Jere W. Morehead’s vision for increasing UGA’s endowment—with the goal of raising no less than $1 billion for the university’s comprehensive campaign. Like Kerner, Stroman has a background as a fundraiser at private institutions, where private giving has long been key to institutional success. Kerner came to UGA from Bowdoin College in Maine. Stroman helped lead Mercer’s campaign, which raised $360 million. He also helped Young Harris raise $75 million in its campaign. UGA’s effort to recruit experienced privateuniversity fundraisers signals a philosophical shift in fundraising. “When you’re at a private university or college, so much of your success rests on the fundraising dollars you can bring in to support all of the programs,” Stroman said. Public universities across the nation used to rely more heavily on state funding, but that’s changing, Stroman said. “Over the years, as state appropriations have dwindled across the country, there’s been a higher emphasis on private fundraising for support,” he said. UGA is trying to adopt a “hybrid model” that uses some centralized fundraising strategies while working within UGA’s decentralized structure—with its various schools, colleges and departments. The key to making that work, said Stroman, is to “collaborate and communicate better and make everyone more efficient and effective when we’re raising funds for the university.” One proven strategy for fundraising is tailoring messages to individual donors. “It really is about figuring out the donor’s interest and matching that up with the priorities of the university,” he said. To make that work, Stroman said, the Division of Development and Alumni Relations is working to strengthen communication between development officers across the university’s divisions, schools and colleges. If development officers know about one of UGA’s many programs and investment opportunities, then they can help translate and match donors with their interests. “There are so many good things happening at the University of Georgia,” Stroman said. “There should be something that resonates with whomever you are across the table with.” But there is another way UGA employees can bolster the university’s fundraising efforts. Stroman stressed the importance of faculty and staff giving, in large part because of the message it sends to potential donors when they see employees supporting the university’s vision. “When we go out and meet with foundations, two of their first questions are: Tell me about your trustee/board giving percentage? And what is faculty/staff giving?” he said. “I hope you give because you believe in what’s going on at our great institution, but it’s also important to send the message that our employees do support the university.”
OBITUARY Ernie Hynds Jr. Professor emeritus Grady College
Ernest Culloden Hynds Jr., a professor emeritus in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, died Aug. 17 after a long battle with prostate cancer. He was 84. Kent Middleton, who succeeded Hynds as head of the journalism department from 1999 to 2013, said Hynds was a beloved Ernest Hynds teacher, noted media historian, authority on contemporary magazines and respected administrator. “Hynds’ love of journalism and its rich history inspired generations of students,” said Middleton, a professor of journalism at Grady College. Born Oct. 10, 1930, in Atlanta, Hynds earned a bachelor’s degree from Emory University with a major in journalism and a minor in political science. At UGA, he earned a master’s degree with a major in political science and a minor in journalism as well as a doctorate in history. Hynds also served in the Army from 1952 to 1954. Hynds worked for the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and WSB Radio in Atlanta, before joining the UGA faculty in 1953. He retired from the university in 1999 after 43 years at Grady College, which included more than a decade as head of the journalism department. He also worked part-time as an editorial writer for the Athens Banner-Herald. Hynds was the author of Antebellum Athens and Clarke County; American Newspapers in the 1970s, and a sequel, American Newspapers in the 1980s. More recently, he wrote Always Becoming New, a history of the First Baptist Church of Athens. His latest work was Celebrations and Challenges for Christians. Survivors include two sons, Ernest Jefferson Hynds and his wife, Angela, and Mark Hynds and his wife, Cindy; granddaughter Dovie Ann and grandsons Ernest Gentry and Reese Dylan. Funeral services were held Aug. 21 at the First Baptist Church of Athens.
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
Georgia Bulldogs site redesigned http://georgiadogs.com
The UGA Athletic Association and WME/IMG Georgia Sports Properties launched a new Web design for the official website of the Georgia Bulldogs. A new, dynamic presentation with clearer menus, crisp graphics and a cleaner design throughout greatly enhance the viewing experience while continuing the same
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content that Bulldog fans have come to enjoy. Web pages now flow in a style that will require far fewer clicks by the user. Additionally, the new design works on all devices, including desktop computers, tablets and mobile devices. The design is meant to be seamless from device to device.
Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Senior Reporter Aaron Hale 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.
8 Aug. 31, 2015 columns.uga.edu
Campus scenes
Andrew Davis Tucker
NEW SPACES—From left: Emily Garrison, lecturer Emuel Aldridge and Felipe Moreno work in a
New Media Institute classroom in Grady College.
Dorothy Kozlowski
BUILDING MOMENTUM—Progress is being made on the Science Learning Center at the southwest corner of D.W. Brooks Mall, bounded by Carlton Street, Pharmacy South and the McPhaul Center parking lot. The 122,500-square-foot building is set to open next year.
Bulletin Board Faculty development initiative
The Center for Teaching and Learning has launched an interdisciplinary Health Professions Faculty Development Initiative. It will provide year-round opportunities for those in the health professions to learn from their colleagues about best practices and innovative approaches to health instruction across a range of related colleges, schools and programs at UGA. To kick off the new initiative, Todd Zakrajsek from the Department of Family Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill will be on campus Aug. 31. His 2 p.m. presentation in 201 Pharmacy South, “Learning-Centered Teaching: Coordinating Evidence-based Teaching With Evidence-based Learning,” is designed for clinician educators. More information about this
INSTITUTE
from page 1 of Arts and Sciences, committee members include associate professor of engineering Kyle Johnsen; Jessica Kissinger, director of UGA’s Institute of Bioinformatics and a professor of genetics in the Franklin College; William Kretzschmar, the Harry and Jane Willson Professor in Humanities in the English department; Professor Dawn Robinson in the sociology department; and Rick Watson, the J. Rex Fuqua Distinguished Professor for Internet Strategy in the Terry College of Business. “Creating an institute will help bring activities across campus together in a way that creates new synergies and opportunities,” Hornak said. “We’re trying to find ways to infuse informatics research and education across campus.” UGA has long been an international leader in informatics, a broad field that encompasses the collection, classification, storage, retrieval, analysis and dissemination of massive data sets. Agencies such as the National Science Foundation, the Department of Homeland Security and the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency have funded millions of dollars in informatics research at UGA in the past three years alone, particularly in the field of cybersecurity. In addition, UGA is home to the Georgia Advanced Computing Resource Center, which provides high-performance computing and networking infrastructure, a comprehensive collection of scientific, engineering and business applications, as well as
consulting and training services. Initially, the Georgia Informatics Institute will be responsible for the creation and administration of an informatics core curriculum that will serve as the basis for a graduate certificate in informatics, a new undergraduate minor in informatics and the academic foundation of discipline-specific informatics undergraduate programs. “UGA is making significant investments in big data to keep our students and faculty on the leading edge of a field that is transforming disciplines ranging from health care to business,” Whitten said. “We already have some of the world’s leading informatics researchers on campus; we’re now building upon that foundation to take our research, instruction and outreach to the next level.” The Georgia Informatics Institute, which will be housed in the College of Engineering but will work closely with each of the university’s schools and colleges, also will take a leadership role in the Informatics Across Campus Initiative that will facilitate the infusion of informatics-related programs throughout the university curriculum. Taha noted that demand for courses in cybersecurity and big data is so high that they reach capacity within the first few days of registration. “Our students have their pick of jobs after graduation,” Taha said, “and some of them have secured a job a year prior to graduation.”
FACULTY from page 1
STUDY
interesting thing we saw here.” The new faculty also got a tour of the set for AMC’s Walking Dead television series, which is filmed in Senoia, just south of Atlanta. Scott Tigchelaar, president of Raleigh Studios, which produces the show, said the small town of Senoia has grown from five downtown businesses to 50 since the Walking Dead arrived five years ago. One of those businesses is a Walking Dead store and museum, where tourists—1,500 to 2,000 a week from all over the world,Tigchelaar said—buy Daryl bobblehead dolls, gummy candies shaped like body parts and Walking Dead daily trivia calendars. “This town has come back to life,” Tigchelaar said. “It’s a nice little success story for Georgia.” The faculty also visited Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins and Gulfstream Aerospace in Savannah, which employs almost 11,000 people. For Brian Orland, the Rado Family Foundation/UGA Professor in GeoDesign in the College of Environment and Design, the tour was a chance to identify ways he can use his work to benefit the state. “The visits to CSX, Gulfstream, Skidaway Island and the (Georgia Ports Authority) gave me unparalleled insight into the key issues facing the region and the changes that the landscape is called upon to absorb,” Orland said. “It would have been impossible for me to get inside these key facilities in such a short time as an individual faculty member.”
associate professor of neuroanatomy in UGA’s College Veterinary Medicine. “In addition, we will have a greater understanding as to why RYGB is an effective surgical treatment for obesity.” Based on their previous work, Czaja and his collaborators believe that damage to the vagus nerve unleashes a cascade of metabolic events that result in altered signals sent by the gut to the brain, including how the brain encodes tastes and satiety. Their study, “Vagal Influence on Brainstem Plasticity and Neural Coding of Taste,” will test their theory and also link the changes that occur during synaptic remodeling. The research is supported by the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders of the National Institutes of Health under award number 1R01DC01390401. The team includes researchers from Binghamton University in Binghamton, New York, and Pennsylvania State University in State College, Pennsylvania. Obesity is a mounting threat to global public health and a contributing factor to many diseases, including Type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.
and other health professions faculty development opportunities is at http://t.uga.edu/1Kj.
the COE Office of School Engagement, at ericag@uga.edu or 650-315-4165.
Brown bag conversation
University Woman’s Club
Faculty and staff from all colleges and schools at UGA are invited to bring a brown bag lunch and learn more about the College of Education and Clarke County School District Professional Development School District Partnership. The conversation will be held Sept. 9 from noon to 1 p.m. in Room 114 of Aderhold Hall. Current PDSP professors-inresidence, on-site instructors and CCSD administrators will talk about the work of the collaborative partnership and opportunities to get involved. For more information, contact Erica Gilbertson, project manager in
The University Woman’s Club will hold its annual welcome back coffee Sept. 15 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the UGA President’s House, 570 Prince Ave. Open to current and prospective UWC members, the coffee is an opportunity to explore, learn and sign up for one of the organization’s interest groups. For more information, email Kim Argo, UWC publicity chair, at argo1230@att.net. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.
TOUR
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Rep.Terry England, chairman of the Georgia state House’s Appropriations Committee; Rep. Tom McCall, chairman of the Georgia state House’s Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee; and Sen. John Wilkinson, chairman of the Georgia state Senate’s Agriculture and Consumer Affairs Committee, will accompany Morehead, Black and Angle on the tour. Morehead instituted the annual farm tour in 2013 to see firsthand the contributions UGA makes to the state’s economy through its support of the agricultural industry. “Each year our farm tour proves to be an excellent opportunity to showcase the impact UGA has on the lives of everyday Georgians,” Angle said. “It is also a great chance to learn about the issues and the opportunities facing Georgia’s farmers and how we can help.” This year’s tour will include Hillside Orchard Farms and Tiger Mountain Vineyard in Tiger, Jaemor Farms in Alto, the headquarters of the Georgia Poultry Laboratory Network in Gainesville, King’s Hawaiian Bakery in Flowery Branch and Sonstegard Foods in Gainesville. Last year, the farm tour visited south Georgia and included the UGA Blueberry Research and Demonstration Farm in Alma, the Mana Brooksco Dairy and Langboard OSB Plant in Quitman, Mana Nutrition Plant in Fitzgerald and the Coffee County Cotton Gin in Douglas.