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Office of Faculty Affairs expands career development programming for faculty CAMPUS NEWS
2
State Botanical Garden showcases work of late art history professor Tom Polk
August 8, 2016
Vol. 44, No. 3
UGA
Rio in
Jack Bauerle
Dan Laak
Petros Kyprianou
Cesar Castro
48 in Brazil for summer Olympics, Paralympics
Kendell Williams
Kibwe Johnson
Cejhae Greene
By Aaron Hale
Karl Saluri
Maicel Uibo
Jenny Dahlgren
Shaunae Miller
Athletes and coaches representing UGA’s red and black are competing for gold in the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic games in Rio de Janeiro. Other students have found once-in-a-lifetime experiential learning opportunities through the international competitions. Twenty-eight current, former and incoming student-athletes as well as four coaches are representing the U.S. and nine other nations in the Olympic and Paralympic games, adding to the rich history of Bulldog Olympic athletes. “We are excited that so many of our current and former studentathletes, as well as our coaches, are participating in the 2016 Games,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “The Bulldog Nation will be watching and cheering with pride as these outstanding individuals compete in Rio.” Among those representing the U.S. track team is Keturah Orji, a junior financial planning major, who is already a three-time NCAA champion in the triple jump as a Bulldog. Orji said she is excited about the challenges that she and her teammates will face. “It’s going to be great competition, and I’m going to be pushed to my limits,” she said. She is thrilled to be in Rio with plenty of fellow Bulldogs, including her roommate Kendell Williams, a senior advertising major who is competing in the heptathlon for Team USA. “It’s good to have familiar faces overseas,” said Williams, a five-time NCAA pentathlon and heptathlon champion. “We’re going to support each other and cheer each other on. It’s nice to see so many Bulldogs.” In addition to Williams and Orji, Kibwe Johnson also qualified in track and field for the U.S. They will be joined by Bulldog See RIO on page 8
UGA GUIDE
5
Incoming class sets records for academic qualifications, diversity
Keturah Orji
aahale@uga.edu
columns.uga.edu
By Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
In addition to being the first class at UGA to benefit fully from the university’s experiential learning initiative, the more than 5,400 students who will begin classes this week are the institution’s most academically gifted to date. The average high school grade point average of first-year students at the nation’s first state-chartered university is 3.98, which greatly exceeds last year’s average of 3.91. In addition, the average SAT score for the incoming class reached a new high of 1302 this year. The average score for students who took the ACT was 29, which ties last year’s record. In 2011, for comparison, the average SAT score for incoming
students was 1226, and the average ACT score was 28. The rigor of students’ high school curriculum remains a key factor in admissions decisions, and members of the Class of 2020 enrolled in an average of seven College Board Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate courses in high school. Nearly 23,000 students applied for admission into the Class of 2020, an increase of 3 percent over the previous year. UGA attempted to meet this unprecedented demand through a measured increase in the size of the freshman class, which was nearly 5,300 last year. UGA’s acceptance rate for fall 2016 was 53 percent, compared to 63 percent in 2011.
See CLASS on page 8
OFFICE OF THE VICE PRESIDENT FOR RESEARCH
University’s research funding jumps 14 percent in one year By James Hataway Leontia Kallenou
Chase Kalisz
Allison Schmitt
Charles Grethen
Jay Litherland
Olivia Smoliga
Levern Spencer
Hali Flickinger
Amanda Weir
Gunnar Bentz
Melanie Margalis
Matias Koski
jhataway@uga.edu
A key indicator of research productivity at the University of Georgia has surged for a second consecutive year to reach a record level. In fiscal year 2016, research expenditures at UGA increased by 14 percent to reach $175.3 million. UGA’s dramatic increase in fiscal year 2016 comes on the heels of a 7 percent increase in fiscal year 2015 for a 21 percent rise over the past two years. “As the university’s research productivity continues to increase, so does our ability to make a positive impact on our state, nation and
UGA makes top 100 universities worldwide list for US utility patents hataway@uga.edu
Bubba Watson
Brittany MacLean Chantal Van Landeghem
Brittany Rogers
Jarryd Wallace
Yijun Feng
Lindsay Grogan
See FUNDING on page 8
INNOVATION GATEWAY
By James Hataway
Javier Acevedo
world,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I am grateful to our outstanding faculty, whose commitment to excellence is helping to strengthen UGA’s position among the top public research universities in the country.” Research awards, which indicate future research expenditures and provide another metric of research productivity, have increased by 22 percent over the past two years. “By any measure, UGA’s research enterprise is on a powerful upward trajectory, with increases in funding from industry and nonprofits complementing gains in federal funding,” said Vice
UGA is ranked among the top 100 universities worldwide for the number of U.S. utility patents granted in 2015, according to a list released by the National Academy of Inventors and the Intellectual Property Owners Association. The list, based on data obtained from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office, recognizes the important role patents play in facilitating the movement of university research discoveries into the marketplace.
The UGA patents issued in 2015 included those covering a potential therapeutic for the gastrointestinal infection CryptosporidioDerek Eberhart sis, a candidate antiviral therapeutic for hepatitis B, a wound healing product, engineered bacterial strains that facilitate biofuel production, and novel phosphors that may be used
See PATENTS on page 8
2 Aug. 8, 2016 columns.uga.edu
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Around academe
Survey: College is worth the money
College graduates overwhelmingly believe a college education is worth the money, according to a survey by Bankrate.com, a financial publishing outlet. Eighty-nine percent of respondents with a four-year degree say college was a good investment, according to the survey of 1,000 American adults. According to a Bankrate report, the older the graduate, the more likely that he or she will say college was a good investment. About a fifth of the younger millennial grads say college was not worth it, more than any other age group. But a whopping 97 percent of degree holders 65 or older say it was a good investment.
OER use still low among faculty
Most higher education faculty are not very familiar with open educational resources, according to a recent report. But they are interested, and some are willing to give it a try. OERs are freely accessible, openly licensed documents and media teaching materials. The survey and report, “Opening the Textbook: Educational Resources in U.S. Higher Education, 2015-16” conducted by the Babson Survey Research Group, found that use of OERs is low overall, but somewhat higher for large enrollment introductory-level courses.
Food Services now offers payroll deduction for faculty, staff meal plans
News to Use
UGA faculty and staff can now use post-tax payroll deduction to purchase a faculty and staff meal plan with UGA Food Services. This new service allows employees to have the cost of a 10-block meal plan automatically withdrawn from their paycheck. The 10-block meal plan allows faculty and staff to eat in any of the five dining commons: Bolton Dining Commons, Oglethorpe Dining Commons, Snelling Dining Commons, Village Summit or the Niche. The 10-block meal plan is available to fulltime, benefits eligible faculty and staff members and provides participants with cost savings. The block plan provides an 18 percent savings on the regular cost of lunch and a 40 percent savings on the regular cost of dinner. Blocks do not expire and additional blocks can be purchased in 10-block increments. Block plans are nonrefundable. To purchase the plan, employees can visit the UGA Food Services website and click on the Purchase a Meal Plan button. After reaching the login page, the employee will enter his or her MyID and password. The option to purchase the plan will appear along with the option to pay using payroll deduction. The payroll deduction will be a single deduction of $98.44. The expected date of the deduction will be displayed at the time of purchase and a follow-up confirmation email will be sent. For more information, visit foodservice.uga.edu or contact the Food Services Administration office at 706-542-7130. Source: Food Services Administration
23 UGA STUDENTS AWARDED
RHODES SCHOLARSHIPS
Janet Beckley
Office of Faculty Affairs expands career development programming By Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
UGA is expanding access to career development resources for faculty and intensifying its ongoing efforts to increase faculty diversity through a new position in the Office of Faculty Affairs. In her role as director of programming in Faculty Affairs, Susanna Wu-Pong Calvert will significantly expand professional development programming and train department heads and search committees on increasing diversity through the use of active and systematic recruiting practices. A sixmember faculty committee chaired by Laura Bierema, professor and associate dean for academic programs in the College of Education, conducted a national search to identify the finalists for the position. Calvert, who will join UGA Aug. 9, was an associate professor in the School of Pharmacy at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she led the development of a campus-wide career development program and previously served as program coordinator for the Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute. “Dr. Calvert’s experiences as a faculty member and program leader, combined with her career development and coaching credentials, make her uniquely qualified to fill this position,” said Sarah Covert, associate provost for faculty affairs. “Her arrival will allow UGA to increase programming in support of
faculty success and make it possible to provide more training on topics and initiatives that are important to faculty.” The new position, which is funded through a Susanna Calvert financial reallocation that occurred during the reorganization of the office formerly known as Academic Planning, will help provide faculty with career development programming customized to each stage of their career. “Our faculty are extraordinary, and we are committed to giving them the resources they need to succeed while fostering an environment that consistently rewards excellence in instruction, research and service,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “I’m delighted that Dr. Calvert has joined UGA and know that she’ll make a positive impact on this institution.” Calvert began her academic career as an assistant professor at VCU and has presented or written more than 100 invited seminars, journal articles, chapters, books and abstracts. She has garnered nearly $1 million in external funding to support her research and $500,000 to support innovative programs in graduate education. Calvert directed VCU BEST, a
GRADUATE SCHOOL
campus-wide program that broadens experiences for scientific training to include professional and personal development. The program was the recipient of VCU’s 2014 Quest Innovation Grant and is complemented by a faculty development program that focuses on mentoring. She also served on the VCU Equity and Diversity Committee, whose work was used to inform VCU’s first diversity plan and the creation of the university’s Division of Inclusive Excellence. At the national level, she convened a special interest group of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy that created a shared curriculum for graduate programs in pharmaceutical sciences that emphasizes leadership development. Calvert earned her doctorate in pharmacy and pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of California, San Francisco and received her bachelor’s degree in pharmacy from the University of Texas, Austin. To bring new perspectives to her work to help individuals and organizations reach their full potential, she went back to school in 2013 to earn a master’s degree in applied positive psychology from the University of Pennsylvania. “The creation of this position reflects UGA’s commitment to the success of its faculty,” Calvert said. “Their potential is unlimited, and I am eager to begin working with them to help optimize their talents and passions.”
OBITUARY
Voluntary Incentive Program expands to boost grad student enrollment By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
With a goal of finding new treatments for stroke patients, Franklin West has a lot of questions he wants to answer in his laboratory, and he knows that more hands—and more importantly, minds—would aid in the endeavor. That is why the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences associate professor is taking advantage of a Voluntary Incentive Program that offers matching funds for additional doctoral research assistants when faculty members are awarded grants or contracts that pay the cost of full-time, in-state tuition for one or more graduate research assistants. The program, formally known as the Research Incentive Assistantships Voluntary Incentive Program, was created in fall 2015 and was recently expanded to include new and existing training grants. It returns 1.555 times the university’s base tuition rate to the department of a faculty member, and the funds must be used to cover the cost of an assistantship for additional doctoral students. West is the first faculty member to bring a new graduate student to campus through the program, and Stephen Miller, professor of psychology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Bio-imaging Research Center, is set to add a research assistant to his lab in the fall. “The program essentially gives you two people for the price of one, allowing you to double the number of doctoral researchers in your lab and helping you reach your goals in a more productive manner,” West said. After obtaining an additional graduate assistant through the Voluntary Incentive Program for his recent National Institutes of Health grant, West plans to take advantage of the program with an upcoming Department of Defense grant proposal. If successful, that could add two more graduate students to his lab—one through the grant and one through the incentive program. He pointed out that the Voluntary Incentive Program not only fulfills a short-term benefit of adding another researcher to aid in his project but can also lead to long-term success in building a reputation for completing fruitful projects. “This is pushing us in the right direction,” West said. “It’s going to take our university to the next level.”
Jack Davis was the focus of a 2012 exhibition at the Georgia Museum of Art that focused on his black-andwhite drawings.
UGA mourns passing of former student and illustrator Jack Davis Jack Davis, one of the founding editors of Mad magazine, died July 27 at the age of 91. Born Dec. 2, 1924, in Atlanta and raised in Georgia, Davis attended UGA on the GI Bill and studied with artist Lamar Dodd. Davis honed his skills at UGA drawing for The Red & Black, the student newspaper, and Bullsheet, an Athens humor publication. He later moved to New York, where he attended the Art Students League before working with William Gaines’ EC Comics. He later supplied covers for Time and TV Guide, created album cover art and designed movie posters. He endeared himself to UGA fans over the decades with his famous caricatures of a bulldog usually pummeling opposing team mascots and/or celebrating after UGA victories. “Jack Davis was a gifted illustrator and a legendary Bulldog,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “His artwork has left a lasting legacy for Georgia athletics, and he will be deeply missed.” Davis is survived by his wife, Dena, of St. Simons Island; a daughter, Katie Davis Lloyd, and her husband, Chris, of Athens, and their two daughters, Sara Lloyd Alias and Molly Lloyd; a son, Jack Davis III, and his wife, Ann Davis, of Atlanta. The funeral for Davis was held July 29 on St. Simons Island.
RESEARCH NEWS
columns.uga.edu Aug. 8, 2016
3
Digest Four to be inducted into Circle of Honor
Andrew Davis Tucker
A study by Jessica Rodell, a faculty member in UGA’s Terry College of Business, and former graduate student John Lynch found that co-workers often have mixed feelings about the volunteer work done by their colleagues.
Service side effects Volunteering, and motivations behind it, can impact work environment
By Matt Weeks
mweeks@uga.edu
Volunteering benefits the community, but can it also harm your workplace reputation? New research from the UGA Terry College of Business finds co-workers’ attitudes can vary depending on their perception of someone’s charitable efforts—especially when they perceive a person is primarily volunteering to get ahead. As personal and professional lives continue to intermingle thanks to the constant connection of cellphones and social media, today’s workers are often at the mercy of their colleagues’ appraisal, said the study’s lead author Jessica Rodell, an associate professor of management at the Terry College. “Volunteering is a behavior that traditionally has little to do with work,” Rodell said. “It’s something that can be done with your kids’ school or through your church, but it turns out that this behavior can have a real impact on how people view you at work.” Her research, co-authored with John Lynch, a former UGA graduate student and current assistant professor of managerial science at the University of Illinois-Chicago, finds that
c o-workers often have mixed feelings about colleagues’ charitable efforts. When volunteering is seen as intrinsically motivated, meaning the worker is seen as personally compelled to volunteer, both supervisors and coworkers tend to hold the volunteering employee in high esteem. However, if the worker is seen as a showboat who volunteers to enhance his or her image or score brownie points, colleagues and supervisors form a more negative opinion. And, as it turns out, the treatment that results can be rather important in the workplace. “In fact, if you have two people who have the exact same performance ratings at their job, but one of them volunteered for what appeared to be good reasons, that person would be more likely to get a raise or promotion because that volunteering positively affects their reputation at work,” Rodell said. Although volunteering is an inherently pro-social behavior, there are several reasons it can have negative repercussions. Colleagues may find a volunteer to be smug or superior. They may feel volunteers forsake their office work to volunteer—or that they volunteer just to get credit. Although both behaviors can garner
credit from a co-worker, volunteering is unique in its ability to also foster negative opinions from others. Most often, though, volunteering is a mixed bag that brings both positive and negative connotations. In addition to the potential negatives, volunteers may be seen as thoughtful, caring and good at time management, which can reflect well in the business environment. Fortunately, when it comes to volunteering, it appears the positive opinions tend to outweigh the negative ones. “As co-workers, we are OK with the fact that someone might personally benefit from their volunteer work,” Rodell said, “with the caveat that they are also doing it for good reasons.” She explained that some people may not like that a co-worker could get promoted at work for doing something not related to work. “But that’s why this finding is important,” she said. “Employees should know that if they’re going to volunteer, it’s going to have consequences depending on how they manage it. And, if done for the right reasons, it’s ultimately going to benefit them.” The research was published in the Academy of Management Journal.
COLLEGE OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
Study: Eating foods high in polyunsaturated fats can protect against effects of ‘splurge’ meals By Cal Powell
jcpowell@uga.edu
A diet that includes higher amounts of polyunsaturated fats, found in foods like walnuts and salmon, can help offset the detrimental effects of the occasional meal high in saturated fats, UGA researchers have shown in a small clinical study. They found that study participants who consumed a high polyunsaturated fat diet for seven days showed better fat burning and significant decreases in total cholesterol, among other benefits, compared to a control group that consumed a standard American diet that is higher in saturated fats and lower in polyunsaturated fats. The study, published in the E uropean
Journal of Nutrition, highlights the protective effects of a diet higher in polyunsaturated fats. “If you try to eat fairly healthy most of the time and eat a diet that’s higher in these polyunsaturated fats on a regular basis, when you do occasionally splurge or have meals high in saturated fats, it’s not quite as detrimental,” said Jamie Cooper, the study’s senior author and an associate professor in the foods and nutrition department in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Researchers studied 26 participants, 16 of whom completed a seven-day diet high in polyunsaturated fats—in this case, through whole foods such as walnuts, wild-caught Alaskan keta salmon, tuna, flax seed oil, grapeseed oil and canola oil, along with fish oil
supplements—while 10 consumed a control diet higher in saturated fats that consisted largely of frozen meals. Both groups consumed the same three-day lead-in diet. By the end of the seven-day diet, the high polyunsaturated fat diet participants showed significant decreases in total cholesterol and other markers of “bad” cholesterol such as LDL and triglycerides. “By consuming a diet higher in polyunsaturated fat on a regular basis, you’re basically walking around with this inherent protection from the cardiometabolic effects of poor, high-saturated fat meals,” said study co-author Chad Paton, an assistant professor in the college’s foods and nutrition department and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.
All-Americans John Little (football), Stefanie Williams (swimming), and Kelly and Coco Miller (basketball) have been chosen for induction into UGA’s Circle of Honor. Little, Williams and the Miller twins will be inducted formally during the Circle of Honor Gala Feb. 11. They will be recognized at the Oct. 15 UGA-Vanderbilt football game. The Circle of Honor recognizes studentathletes and coaches who by their performance, conduct and actions have brought honor to the university and themselves and have contributed to the tradition of the Georgia Bulldogs. The criteria also stipulate that each recipient has earned his or her academic degree.
Alumna named Georgia Teaching Fellow
Haley Nagle, who graduated cum laude from UGA in May with a bachelor’s degree in ecology and entomology, has been named a Woodrow Wilson Georgia Teaching Fellow. Nagle, from Dacula, will attend Piedmont College in 2016-2017 to pursue a master’s degree in education focused on preparing educators in science, technology, engineering and math—the STEM disciplines—to teach in high-need secondary schools in Georgia. The highly competitive fellowship attracts talented candidates with backgrounds in STEM fields for an innovative, yearlong graduate program at one of five participating colleges and universities. Fellows receive a $30,000 stipend to complete the program and commit to teaching for three years in one of the urban or rural Georgia schools most in need of strong STEM teachers. They receive ongoing support and mentoring during that time. This year’s cohort of 60 Fellows includes recent college graduates as well as established professionals changing careers, among them 15 with master’s degrees and three with doctorates.
Graduate student awarded Schlumberger Fellowship to study TB transmission
UGA doctoral student Maria Eugenia astellanos has been awarded a 2016-2017 C Schlumberger Foundation Faculty for the Future Fellowship to fund her research on tuberculosis transmission in Guatemala. Castellanos, a doctoral candidate studying epidemiology in the UGA College of Public Health, will work to identify the risk factors associated with the spread of TB, especially in HIV patients. The one-year, renewable Schlumberger Foundation grant provides women scientists from developing and emerging countries up to $50,000 to pursue advanced degrees in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics field. For her project, Castellanos will analyze isolates of the bacteria that cause mycobacterium tuberculosis from patients at Clinica Familiar “Luis Angel Garcia,” an HIV specialty clinic within Guatemala City’s General Hospital. Castellanos received her bachelor’s degree in chemical biology from the Universidad de San Carlos de Guatemala in 2005 and, with the support of a Joint Japan-Inter-American Development Bank Scholarship, traveled to England to study tuberculosis at University of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. She completed a master’s degree in medical microbiology there in 2008. Returning to her hometown of Guatemala City, Castellanos accepted a position at the Universidad del Valle de Guatemala teaching and working as a research assistant in the Malaria and Vector Biology Unit of the university’s Center for Health Studies. In 2014, she came to the U.S. supported by a Fulbright fellowship and a desire to pursue a doctoral degree under the mentorship of Dr. Christopher Whalen, the Ernest Corn Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the UGA College of Public Health.
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4 Aug. 8, 2016 columns.uga.edu
RESEARCH NEWS
Skidaway scientists study role of sunlight on marine carbon dioxide production By Mike Sullivan
mike.sullivan@skio.uga.edu
Scientists at UGA’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography have received a $527,050 grant from the National Science Foundation Chemical Oceanography Program to answer one of the long-standing questions about carbon in the ocean: the rate sunlight produces carbon dioxide from organic carbon molecules in the sea. Jay Brandes, Leanne Powers and Aron Stubbins, all part of UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences marine sciences department, will use a new technique they developed to measure this process, which is known as photo-degradation. The ocean is full of millions of different types of organic compounds. Some are consumed by bacteria, but many are not easily consumed and remain in the ocean for hundreds or thousands of years. However, near the surface, sunlight causes the breakdown of organic compounds and converts them into carbon dioxide through photo-degradation. Until recently, this process has been nearly impossible to measure directly in most of the ocean because the additional carbon dioxide produced per day is tiny compared to the existing high concentration of CO2 present in the sea. Brandes described the problem as looking for a needle in a haystack. “You might think this is not important because it is hard to measure, but that’s not true,” he said. “We’re talking about a process that takes place across the whole ocean. When you integrate that over such a vast area, it becomes a potentially very important process.” The project became possible when the team developed a new technique to measure the change in CO2 concentration in a seawater sample. The concept was the brainchild of Powers, a Skidaway Institute postdoctoral research associate. The technique uses carbon 13, a rare, stable isotope of carbon that contains an extra neutron in its nucleus. Researchers will add a carbon 13 compound to a sample of seawater and then bombard the sample with light. The scientists will then use an instrument known as an isotope ratio mass spectrometer to measure the changes in CO2 concentration. This project will be breaking new ground in the field of chemical oceanography, according to Brandes. “We don’t know what the photo-degradation rates are in most of the ocean,” he said. “We are going to establish the first numbers for that.” The team plans to take samples off the Georgia coast as well as from Bermuda and Hawaii. The project is funded for three years. The team will also create an aquarium exhibit at the UGA Aquarium on the Skidaway Island campus to help student groups and the public understand river and ocean color.
Peter Frey
An analysis of game videos by Julianne Schmidt, a faculty member in UGA’s College of Education, and her research team found that high school football players sustained more serious head impacts when hitting another player than players who hit their heads on another object, such as the ground.
Hard knocks
College of Education study finds player-on-player hits cause more serious head impacts By Kristen Morales kmorales@uga.edu
In football, player-on-player hits will likely cause more severe head impacts than other impacts, according to a new study by a UGA researcher. The research also points to potential rule changes to further protect players. The study, published in the most recent issue of the journal Pediatrics, analyzed nearly 7,000 head impacts during 13 games in a high school football team’s season and post-season. Julianne Schmidt, an assistant professor in the UGA College of Education and author of the article, said the analysis of game videos found players sustained more serious head impacts when hitting another player than players who hit their heads on another object, such as the ground. Schmidt said that this supports recent guidelines that encourage players to “take their heads out of the game,” or avoid leading with their heads when hitting another player. Another aspect of the research
could lead to additional guidelines or rule changes related to the traditional football “three-point stance,” or the crouched position players use at the start of each play. Schmidt said the distance players ran before impact, as well as their starting stance, also affected the severity of their head impact. Players who ran more than 10 yards before impact had much more severe head injuries than those who traveled just a few feet, which is similar to earlier findings in studies of college football players. These studies resulted in a change to the kickoff line, moving it from the 30- to the 35-yard-line to reduce the distance players ran. But players who started running in the traditional three-point stance, and ran a long distance before impact, were even more likely to sustain a more severe head impact. “When you combine a three-point stance with running a long distance, it results in the most severe head impacts,” said Schmidt, who studies concussions in the college’s kinesiology department. “So that points toward a need for rule
changes that emphasize the combination of the two if we’re going to reduce head impact severity.” It’s common for football players to sustain several head impacts per game, Schmidt said, although a relationship between head impact and concussion risk is not well understood. Still, preventing head impacts and reducing head impact severity is thought to make the game safer. Because the study focused on high school players, who have a tendency to change positions throughout their time on a team, she suggested coaches and administrators emphasize good tackling techniques by teaching proper head and body positioning. Rule changes related to positions that combine starting in the three-point stance and running long distances should also be considered, according to Schmidt. “High school football players who start in a three-point stance do not typically run a long distance before collision, but some position types, like tight ends and defensive ends, might be more likely to combine the two,” she said.
MARINE INSTITUTE AT SAPELO ISLAND
Satellite data reveal serious decline in Georgia salt marsh health By James Hataway jhataway@uga.edu
Scientists at UGA’s Marine Institute at Sapelo Island have found that the amount of vegetation along the Georgia coast has declined significantly in the last 30 years, spurring concerns about the overall health of marshland ecosystems in the area. Using data collected by NASA’s Landsat TM 5 satellite, which provided 28 years of nearly continuous images of the Earth’s surface between 1984 and 2011, the researchers found that the amount of marsh plant biomass had dropped 35 percent. They published their findings recently in the journal Remote Sensing. This sharp decline is largely due to changes in climate with prolonged periods of drought and increased temperatures playing a major role. And scientists worry that this loss of vegetation will have a ripple effect throughout the complex marsh-based ecosystems.
“A decrease in the growth of marsh plants likely affects all animals that depend on the marsh, such as juvenile shrimp and crabs, which use the marsh as a nursery,” said Merryl Alber, director of the Marine Institute and UGA professor of marine sciences. “These decreases in vegetation may also affect other marsh services, such as stabilizing the shoreline, filtering pollutants and protecting against storm damage.” The research was conducted by John Schalles, professor of biology at Creighton University in Nebraska and adjunct professor of marine science at UGA, and John O’Donnell, a graduate student in Creighton’s atmospheric sciences department. The scientists used satellite imagery to observe the growth of Spartina alternifolora—more commonly known as cordgrass—which is the dominant plant in most salt marshes along the U.S. East Coast. Because cordgrass is so abundant, scientists can use it as an indicator of the wetland’s overall health.
The use of satellites allowed Schalles and O’Donnell to observe large swaths of cordgrass marshland without enduring the hardships and expense of extensive field work. “Salt marshes are muddy environments that are difficult to navigate, and you have to carefully plan your expeditions for low tide,” said O’Donnell, who spent a year in residence at the UGA Marine Institute while conducting his research. “The use of the satellite allowed us to get data from a much larger area than what could be collected in the field. It also allowed us to go back in time.” Ultimately, both Schalles and O’Donnell hope that their satellitebased study of marshland will continue on Sapelo Island, as well as in other coastal regions throughout the world. “We plan to extend this work over the coming years and use it to help predict how marshes will respond to sea level rise and other long-term change,” Schalles said.
The project was supported by the Georgia Coastal Ecosystems Long-Term Ecological Research Project, an ongoing study of the salt marsh ecosystem of the Georgia coast based at the Marine Institute and funded by the National Science Foundation.
UGAGUIDE
columns.uga.edu Aug. 8, 2016
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.
EXHIBITIONS
Tom Polk. Through Aug. 13. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014, connicot@uga.edu. (See photo at left). Paper in Profile: Mixografia and Taller de Grafica Mexicana. Through Aug. 21. Georgia Museum of Art. John Abbot, Early Georgia’s Naturalist Artist. Through Aug. 31. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu
MONDAY, AUGUST 8 GRADUATE SCHOOL ORIENTATION The Graduate School Orientation and Information Fair is an opportunity for incoming graduate students to learn about key components of their graduate education experience from the dean of the Graduate School, members of the Graduate School staff and representatives of key campus units. 9 a.m. Grand Hall, Classic Center, 300 N. Thomas St. 706-542-6086, jmilton@uga.edu
State Botanical Garden showcases art of late UGA faculty member Tom Polk
Works by late UGA faculty member Tom Polk (1940-2014) are on display until Aug. 13 at the State Botanical Garden, a public service and outreach unit. While Polk’s professional life was fulfilled as an associate professor and area chairman of art history at UGA, he also was a life-long artist. He earned a combined undergraduate degree from Brown University and the Rhode Island School of Design in both art history and studio art. At peace in nature, landscapes were his most frequent subject and the State Botanical Garden was one of his favorite haunts. This exhibition features drawings and paintings of landscapes and flowers executed across the span of Polk’s life, but with a special emphasis on the explosion of work done during his retirement.
POSTER SALE Through Aug. 16. Sale hours are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. The sale will include a variety of movie posters, art prints and pop culture images. Third floor concourse, Tate Student Center. 706-542-7774, ckolesar@uga.edu GRADES DUE Grades for Extended Summer Session, Thru Term and Short Session II are due by 5 p.m.
The exhibit Practice, Practice, Practice: Four Landscape Architects at Work includes sketches, plans, drawings and photographs such as Chris Hite’s Sunrail Trail, which is located in Florida.
Works of four landscape architects will be featured in Circle Gallery’s ‘Practice’ exhibit By Melissa Tufts mtufts@uga.edu
The Circle Gallery at the UGA College of Environment and Design will feature the work of four landscape architects, all of whom have ties to the college. Practice, Practice, Practice: Four Landscape Architects at Work will be on display Aug. 11-Sept. 30. Former UGA professor Rob Fisher and alumni Chris Hite, Brent Lloyd and Anne Daigh are practicing designers. Their work ranges from residential design to large-scale parks and resorts to sustainable agriculture. In conjunction with the exhibit, a public reception will be held Aug. 18 from 4:30-6 p.m. Sketches, plans and drawings will be on display as well as photographs that explore the creative process of landscape architecture, showing steps of inventory and analysis, design ideas, construction documents and photos of finished projects. Hite of Dix/Hite + Partners lives in Florida where Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s Master Calendar, maintained by Marketing & Communications. Notices are published here as space permits, with priority given to items of multidisciplinary interest. The Master Calendar is at calendar.uga.edu/.
her firm designs large- and residential-scale work. She received her bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from UGA in 1987. Lloyd, who received his master’s degree in landscape architecture from UGA in 1999, is the managing principal of BrightView Design Group in Denver. He has expertise in mostly large-scale development, working throughout the U.S., China and the United Arab Emirates. Fisher, who taught at the college in the 1970s, has almost 40 years of experience in ecology-based design. He is well known for his work in helping transform the Georgia Tech campus into one of the most “green” urban college campuses in the U.S. He also dedicates much of his time to assisting impoverished communities in Haiti. Daigh of Nashville is in the first decade of establishing her own firm, which concentrates on residential design. She received her bachelor’s degree in landscape architecture from UGA in 2002.
GUEST LECTURE: ROB GREENFIELD Recently featured on Ted Talks, the Food Waste Fiasco keynote speaker, Rob Greenfield, dives into more than 1,000 dumpsters across the U.S. to save edible food and inspire positive social change around food waste. His lecture is part of a national tour speaking on issues associated with food, waste and health. Attendees will enjoy a free meal as they learn how local organizations combat food waste and hunger and hear Greenfield’s stories of how he became a “dude making a difference.” 6 p.m. Memorial Hall.
NEW FACULTY ORIENTATION All new faculty are invited to attend new faculty orientation, sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning. The agenda and registration information are at http://t.uga.edu/2rO. 8 a.m. Georgia Center for Continuing Education. 706-542-1355, edwatson@uga.edu
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10 REGISTRATION TOUR AT TWO: VISITORS’ CHOICE Visitors are invited to choose the subject of this tour from the museum’s recent acquisitions. Visit the Georgia Museum of Art’s Facebook page to vote or vote in person at the museum. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu CLASS OF 2020 FRESHMAN WELCOME All incoming students (Class of 2020 and transfer) are invited to attend Freshman Welcome, UGA’s official welcome celebration. 6 p.m. Parking lot near entrance 10 of Sanford Stadium. 706-542-0080, jmg88@uga.edu
THURSDAY, AUGUST 11 GROUP FITNESS FREE WEEK Through Aug. 17. Ramsey Student Center members can try group fitness classes for free. Space may be limited. Ramsey Student Center for Physical Activities. 706-542-5060, christina.reynolds@uga.edu EXHIBIT OPENING Practice, Practice, Practice: Four Landscape Architects at Work. Through Sept. 30. Opening reception: Aug. 18, 4:30 p.m. Circle Gallery, College of Environment and Design. (See story, at left). FALL SEMESTER CLASSES BEGIN DROP/ADD FOR FALL SEMESTER For undergraduate- and graduate-level courses. Through Aug. 17. NATURE RAMBLE 8 a.m. Shade Garden Arbor, State Botanical Garden. garden@uga.edu
TUESDAY, AUGUST 9
SATURDAY, AUGUST 13
TEACHING ASSISTANT ORIENTATION Sponsored by the Center for Teaching and Learning, the orientation is for all new graduate students with instructional responsibilities in the 2016-2017 academic year. 7:30 a.m. Science Learning Center. 706-542-1713, ckuus@uga.edu
WOMEN’S EXHIBITION SOCCER GAME vs. Georgia Southern. 6 p.m. Turner Soccer Complex. 706-542-1621.
WATERSHED UGA WORKSHOP UGA faculty and teaching assistants from all disciplines are invited to a breakfast workshop focused on implementing Watershed UGA into courses. Watershed UGA is a framework for engaging the campus community in sustainability through waterways. It includes faculty from over 40 disciplines and numerous curricular resources as well as service and research opportunities. 8 a.m. Reading Room, Miller Learning Center. watershed@uga.edu
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.
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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, Media Relations, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Campus Mail 1999.
COMING UP LGBT RESOURCE CENTER OPEN HOUSE Aug. 15. The LGBT Resource Center’s staff and student leaders will host an open house for individuals to learn about the services and programs offered for the 2016-2017 academic year. In addition, the open house will serve as a time of fellowship for LGBT students, staff, faculty and allies. 4 p.m. 221 Memorial Hall. 706-542-4077, rsmall@uga.edu SCIENCE LEARNING CENTER DEDICATION Aug. 17. 10 a.m. Science Learning Center, Carlton Street.
NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Aug. 10 (for Aug. 22 issue) Aug. 17 (for Aug. 29 issue) Aug. 24 (for Sept. 6 issue)
6 Aug. 8 , 2016 columns.uga.edu
FACULTY PROFILE
REVEnews
Courtney Murdock, an assistant professor in the Odum School of Ecology, received $200,000 from the National Science Foundation to study the environmental drivers of Zika virus transmission and control. Her project will address gaps in knowledge about the time it takes for the Zika virus to become infectious in a mosquito; the proportion of a mosquito population that becomes infectious; and mosquito survival in the two species shown to transmit the Zika virus. To predict the seasonal and geographic distribution of potential outbreaks, Murdock’s laboratory will examine temperature and transmission relationships that can alter viral dynamics in the mosquito.
Joseph McHugh, a professor of entomology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, received $54,000 from the National Science Foundation to support the Lepidoptera of North America Network, or LepNet. This project will mobilize 29 research collections to digitize 2.1 million specimen records of Lepidoptera, an order of insects that includes both butterflies and moths. McHugh is the curator of the UGA Collection of Arthropods at the Georgia Museum of Natural History where the project will be conducted. This newly funded work will ultimately generate more than 95,000 high-quality images of different species, which researchers may use for complex datadriven science. Images produced for the project also will serve as the foundation for a number of educational, public awareness and conservation efforts. LepNet has a nationwide workforce of more than 500 students and 4,000 volunteers, and they will help disseminate rich educational and outreach content to students and the public. Cecil Jennings, head of the Georgia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and an adjunct professor in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, and fellow Warnell researchers Bynum Boley, Brian Irwin and Nate Nibbelink received $149,193 from the Georgia Department of Natural Resources to formulate a trout management strategy in Georgia. The overarching goal of their project is to increase both the amount and usability of socioecological information available to managers when making decisions about the management of fisheries. The team will evaluate angler preferences for trout fishing in Georgia waters while also working to conserve trout habitats and protect wild stocks of fish. This research, which will also be used to train graduate students, will ultimately help managers make important decisions about fishing regulation and how and when to stock fish. Craig Kvien, a professor of crop and soil sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, received $72,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to help spur the construction of more energy efficient homes in Georgia. Researchers will work with administrators in the USDA Rural Development’s Housing Program to develop plans, material lists and to provide technical assistance for construction of new homes. These homes will be modest in cost, yet functional, comfortable, low maintenance and highly energy efficient. The ultimate goal is to make each home a “net zero” building, meaning that the total amount of energy used by the building is roughly equal to the amount of renewable energy created on site. Steven Castleberry, a professor of wildlife ecology and management in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, received $71,681 to address gaps in knowledge about the Southeastern pocket gopher with the ultimate goal of providing specific management recommendations for restoring and maintaining highly functional habitat conditions and reintroducing the gopher into appropriate habitats. The pocket gopher is a high priority species for conservation in Georgia, and its distribution has been significantly reduced since the 1950s. Researchers from UGA will join with others from the University of Florida and Auburn University to track gopher populations and identify suitable habitats in Georgia, Florida and Alabama. ReveNews is a roundup of recently funded research projects at UGA. To have information about your research project included, email James Hataway at jhataway@uga.edu.
Peter Frey
Scott Nesbit has led digital history projects such as Visualizing Emancipation, which map out where and when slavery fell apart during the American Civil War. He teaches in the College of Environment and Design and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.
‘Preserve the story’: Digital humanities prof uses technology to explore past By Melissa Tufts
mtufts@uga.edu
For Scott Nesbit, the digital humanities ask the same questions as conventional liberal arts pedagogy, but with the added dimension of computers. “We use computers to ask the hard questions—like what does it mean to be a person?—and let them help us as we think,” said Nesbit, an assistant professor in the College of Environment and Design. In his case, Nesbit uses computers to tell a richer narrative about history in the American South. Nesbit sees computers as tools that can create highly visual academic work, accessible even to audiences without access to academic journals. That visual interpretation has been particularly useful in Nesbit’s field of historic preservation. “To my mind, historic preservation has the mission of getting us to reckon with the past that’s all around us,” Nesbit said. “This requires responsible and ethical work that helps us find the narratives of where and how we live. By preserving sites with particular meaning, we preserve the story.” Using GIS, creating data sets and writing programs, Nesbit’s students think about data as evidence of these stories and start to see patterns emerge in human decisions and actions. “While we sometimes take comfort
in history as the study of facts of the past, the more information we have at our fingertips often leads to new interpretations and deeper understanding, which can be daunting,” Nesbit said. “What we thought was ‘true’ might be just the tip of the iceberg. So being able to graphically represent runaway slave patterns helps us grapple with the intricacies/nuances of the past, which, as Mr. (William) Faulkner pointed out, and our current societal upheavals reveal, is never really past.” Nesbit’s recent work has focused on American slavery during the Civil War era. He is working on a book that “maps” where, when and how the institution of slavery fell apart. Using an array of textual sources— from military correspondence to runaway slave advertisements found in Southern newspapers—he has tracked radical changes in the lives of AfricanAmericans as the war unfolded. In Nesbit’s recent class on Reconstruction, students compiled information about the whereabouts of escaped slaves based on ads placed in Georgia newspapers. Information such as skills, age and gender gleaned from the ads were added allowing students to “see” the details of slavery unfold visually. “In the digital humanities, we make lots of lists,” Nesbit said. “We look for patterns, trends and anomalies that might tell us something that isn’t visible
FACTS Scott Nesbit
Assistant Professor of Digital Humanities College of Environment and Design Ph.D., History, University of Virginia, 2013 M.A., History, University of Virginia, 2005 B.A., Latin, Swarthmore College, 2001 At UGA: Three years
in conventional primary resources.” This appreciation for ordered lists began with Nesbit’s study of Latin and Greek at Swarthmore College in Pennsylvania. After getting his undergraduate degree, he studied architecture at the University of Virginia in Charlottesville where he grew up and was fascinated by the use of space and urban design. His study segued into a doctorate in American history. Nesbit’s courses allow him to explore with undergraduate and graduate students the history of Athens and the South using methods that he (and his students) have found compelling. “I want students to be able to get at the big questions of how the world works, what we’ve created and how to make sense of things,” Nesbit said. “I want them to explore what it means to be a human being and how we make meaning.”
ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGE
Ronald Cervero returns to College of Education as associate dean for outreach and engagement By Tracy N. Coley tcoley@uga.edu
Ronald Cervero, associate vice president for instruction, has been appointed associate dean for outreach and engagement in the College of Education. Cervero served as associate dean for outreach and engagement in the College of Education from 2009-2013 and has been a faculty member in the college for 30 years. In addition to his role in overseeing outreach and engagement, Cervero will be a professor in the lifelong education, administration and policy department. Cervero leaves the Office of the Vice President for Instruction with a long list of accomplishments and impact
on instruction, including oversight of experiential learning, the Center for Teaching and Learning, service-learning, academic honesty, the Washington Semester Ronald Cervero program, online learning and STEM education. In his three-year tenure, Cervero has provided leadership for the First-Year Odyssey Seminar program, creating a faculty advisory committee and overseeing assessment for the program that has included the Center for Teaching and Learning and curriculum systems. He chaired the working group for the
new Science Learning Center, which will open Aug. 11, providing insight and management of instructional functions of the building. Cervero also has played an important role in coordinating the collaboration of several schools and colleges to develop an inter-professional education program for health care. He also has chaired numerous committees that support academic data management, extended campuses, financial systems and other universitywide committees requiring input and representation from the OVPI. Cervero assumes his new position Aug. 15 but remains interim director of the Office of Online Learning until a new director is hired for that unit. The search for a new associate vice president for instruction will be launched soon.
FINANCE AND ADMINISTRATION
columns.uga.edu Aug. 8, 2016
hange C OF
Space New buildings open, other construction projects underway
By Sara Freeland
Andrew Davis Tucker
Dorothy Kozlowski
With the start of the fall semester, there have been some changes around campus.
Baldwin Hall
Baldwin Hall is being renovated to add 10,800 square feet that will support the School of Public and International Affairs with technology-enabled active learning classrooms; space for graduate teaching assistants to hold office hours with undergraduate students; and common areas for faculty, staff, students and alumni to convene for academic discussions, presentations and events. The existing building will be renovated to provide academic departments with modern instructional facilities, greater accessibility for individuals with disabilities and a more efficient mechanical system. Classroom renovations on the first floor of the existing building are expected to be completed during the 2016 fall semester. Work on the addition began in June 2015 and will run through spring 2017.
Business Learning Community
The second phase of the Terry College’s new Business Learning Community, located near the intersection of Lumpkin and Baldwin streets, will open fall semester 2017. The centerpiece of Phase II’s three buildings, Amos Hall, is named in honor of Terry alumnus Daniel P. Amos, chairman and CEO of Aflac. Amos Hall and the two adjacent buildings that comprise this second phase encompass nearly 140,000 square feet. The structure will be home to the undergraduates of the Terry College of Business and its faculty. There will be eight classrooms and two large auditoriums, the undergraduate commons and cafe, the Capital Markets Lab, the Music Business Program as well as
At the Health Sciences Campus, construction is underway on a build-out of the former Navy Supply Corps School commissary building for use by the College of Public Health’s Institute for Disaster Management.
track runway, retractable batting cages and other features to support student-athletes across athletic teams. The project will cost an estimated $30 million and the Athletic Association expects to e ventually fund the entire cost of this project with private donations. The project is scheduled to be completed early next year.
Center for Molecular Medicine
Ramsey Student Center
Health Sciences Campus
UGA broke ground Dec. 1, 2015, on the Center for Molecular Medicine, a 43,000-square-foot facility that will continue to advance UGA’s efforts in human health research. When finished, the building on Riverbend Road will house up to 10 research groups whose primary goal will be to conduct translational research that positively impacts human health. The facility will include laboratories, faculty offices, shared cell culture facilities and other shared spaces that support research. The building construction began in July and should be complete in fall 2017.
Exploratory Center
On the first floor of the Tate Student Center in space that was previously conference rooms, UGA’s Exploratory Center will open Aug. 11. The center houses 13 advisors who assist students in choosing majors and career paths. The center also serves students with a pre-business and pre-journalism and mass communication track. Future plans call for the Exploratory Center to house advising services for pre-health, pre-law and transfer students.
Indoor Athletic Facility
The Athletic Association is building a 109,000-square-foot Indoor Athletic Facility on the Woodruff Practice Fields. The facility will be connected to Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall. The facility will include a full-length football practice field, a 65-meter
WEEKLY READER
Book re-examines Italian poem collection
Petrarch’s ‘Fragmenta’: The Narrative and Theological Unity of ‘Rerum vulgarium fragmenta’ By Thomas E. Peterson University of Toronto Press, Scholarly Publishing Division Cloth: $75 Ebook: $75
Andrew Davis Tucker
Clockwise: UGA’s Science Learning Center opens Aug. 11. In the days before classes begin, work wrapped up on the three-story, 122,500-squarefoot building. Technician Justin Hart of Transcend Communications of Colbert moves ceiling tile to run fiber optics wire in the new labs. Transcend Communications technician Michael Lewis carries a ladder through the main lobby at the entrance of the building.
team study rooms and faculty offices.
freeland@uga.edu
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Petrarch’s Rerum vulgarium fragmenta, a collection of lyric poems on sacred and profane love and other subjects, has traditionally been viewed as reflecting the conflicted nature of its author. However, awardwinning author Thomas E. Peterson, a professor of Italian in UGA’s Romance languages department, argues that Petrarch’s Fragmenta is an ordered and coherent work unified by narrative and theological structures. By concentrating on the poem’s reliance on Christian tenets and distinguishing between author, narrator and character, Peterson exposes the underlying narrative and theological unity of the work. Building on recent Petrarch scholarship and broader studies of medieval poetics, poetic narrativity and biblical intertextuality, Peterson conducts a rigorous examination of the Fragmenta’s poetic language.
The recreational sports department has renovated and opened a new Functional Training Room on the second floor of the Ramsey Student Center. This space includes state-of-the-art athletic conditioning equipment (battle ropes, jump boxes, kettle bells, Bulgarian bags, a turf strip and sled, etc.). New small group training fitness classes will be offered in this studio. A new pool filtration system has been installed in the Gabrielsen Natatorium. This new pump system, which services all three pools, is both environmentally friendly and more energy-efficient, using UV light along with chlorine to purify the water. Other changes to the facility include a new floor and paint for Gym Central and floor refinishing in the other gymnasia. Digital signage has been added throughout the facility, and new static signage is also being added. The academic wing of the Ramsey Student Center has also been renovated to include new flooring, paint and signage. Renovations have been made to the Club Sports Complex managed by recreational sports in conjunction with UGA Athletics. These changes will continue through 2017.
Science Learning Center
UGA’s Science Learning Center opens Aug. 11. The three-story, 122,500-squarefoot building was tailor-made for teaching undergraduate science, technology,
engineering and mathematics. A dedication ceremony will be held Aug. 17 at 10 a.m. The event will include remarks from UGA President Jere W. Morehead. The center houses 33 instructional labs designed specifically for interactive learning in core undergraduate science courses, two 280-seat lecture halls, two 72-seat SCALEUP classrooms as well as spaces for informal student collaboration. The SLC is located on the southwest corner of the D.W. Brooks Mall adjacent to Pharmacy South and across from the Miller Plant Sciences Building. Formal instructional laboratories will primarily be used for introductory courses in chemistry, physics, biological sciences and ecology.
Other projects
The College of Engineering is leading a new 1-megawatt solar tracking demonstration project on a 10-acre site off South Milledge Avenue. The project will help determine the optimal orientation and tracking technology for Georgia’s climate and energy demand. The Mimsie Lanier Center for Native Plant Studies held a ribbon-cutting ceremony at the State Botanical Garden, a public service and outreach unit, in February. The purpose of the center is to propagate Georgia native plants for habitat restoration, recover endangered species and introduce native plants to the gardening community. New turfgrass research and education facilities on UGA’s campuses in Griffin, Tifton and Athens are under construction. Outdated facilities on UGA’s campuses will be replaced with labs, greenhouses, classrooms and office spaces to keep the university at the forefront of turf breeding programs around the nation. The facilities in Athens and Tifton will be complete in fall 2016, and the Griffin facility will be complete in spring 2017.
ABOUT COLUMNS
CYBERSIGHTS
Columns is available to the campus community by subscription for an annual fee of $20 (second-class delivery) or $40 (firstclass 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 Jackie Baxter Roberts
HR launches work/life balance website http://www.hr.uga.edu/Work-life-balance UGA Human Resources has launched a website with resources to help faculty and staff achieve a healthy work/life balance. The site provides information on programs and services at the university and in the surrounding community, with the resources divided into four categories: caring
for yourself, caring for work, caring for family and caring for community. It includes information on physical, emotional and financial health; continuing education; workplace issues; child and elder care; a map of lactation room locations on campus; and volunteering opportunities.
Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Senior Writer Aaron Hale Communications Coordinator Vacant 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. 8, 2016 columns.uga.edu
CLASS from page 1
RIO from page 1 track-and-field student-athletes Cejhae Greene (Antigua), Karl Saluri (Estonia), Maicel Uibo (Estonia), Jenny Dahlgren (Argentina), Shaunae Miller (Bahamas), Leontia Kallenou (Cyprus), Charles Grethen (Luxembourg) and Levern Spencer (St. Lucia). Petros Kyprianou, head coach of UGA’s cross country and track and field teams, is an assistant coach for Estonia. Gunnar Bentz, Chase Kalisz, Jay Litherland, Hali Flickinger, Melanie Margalis, Allison Schmitt, Olivia Smoliga and Amanda Weir represent the U.S. in swimming, while head coach Jack Bauerle serves as a men’s assistant coach on the U.S. staff. Finland’s Matias Koski and Canada’s Javier Acevedo, Brittany MacLean and Chantal Van Landeghem also qualified for the games in swimming. UGA head diving coach Dan Laak is an assistant coach to Brazil’s diving team, which will include Cesar Castro, who has served as a UGA volunteer assistant coach while training under Laak. Incoming student Yijun Feng will compete on the U.S. table tennis team, while alumnus Bubba Watson will represent the U.S. in golf, and current student Brittany Rogers will suit up for Canada in gymnastics. In the Paralympics, former student Jarryd Wallace qualified for the U.S. track team, and alumna Lindsay Grogan earned a spot on the U.S. swim team. In addition to participation from studentathletes and coaches, UGA faculty, staff and students are in Rio to work on other aspects
“I am excited about the outstanding qualifications and broad diversity of backgrounds represented in this year’s incoming class,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Through strategic investments in faculty, facilities and new academic initiatives, we are creating an unparalleled learning environment and, in turn, attracting the very best and brightest students to the University of Georgia.”
of the Olympic and Paralympic games. Becca Leopkey, an assistant professor of sport management in the College of Education, is serving on the International Olympic Committee’s Sustainability and Legacy Commission, in part because of her research on the legacy of sporting events. Mike Mobley, an associate director of sports communications, will work with Olympic Broadcast Services at the team handball venue. Students from UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication are getting valuable experiential learning opportunities in Rio. Nicole Chrzanowski and Jaylon Thompson, two students in Grady College’s sports media certificate program, were selected by the U.S. Olympic Committee to report on the games for USOC’s various information channels, including its TeamUSA.org website. Nine other Grady College students will join Vicki Michaelis, the John Huland Carmical Professor of Sports Journalism & Society, and Mark Johnson, a senior lecturer in journalism, to cover the Paralympics. Grady Sports students Jamie Han, Emily Giamalvo, Emily Greenwood, Kendra Hansey and Kennington Smith along with photojournalism students David Barnes, Jenn Finch, Joshua Jones and Casey Sykes will travel to Rio for the Paralympics, which will be held Sept. 7-18. The Olympic Games will end Aug. 21.
With the implementation of its new experiential learning requirement this fall, UGA has become the nation’s largest public university to ensure that each of its students benefits from hands-on learning opportunities such as internships, research, study abroad and service-learning. A small class size initiative has brought more than 50 new faculty members to campus this fall and created more than 300 new course sections, the majority of which have fewer than 20 students. “The Class of 2020 includes the very best and brightest of this generation,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. “Our top priority is to provide them with unrivaled learning opportunities to best prepare them for successful and fulfilling careers.” Eighty-five percent of Georgia counties will be represented in the incoming class, and students from nearly all of Georgia’s 159 counties are enrolled at UGA. In-state enrollment in the Class of 2020 is 87 percent, a figure that has remained relatively stable over the past decade. The top states from which out-of-state students hail are North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida and
in the years to come.” Recent examples of notable projects in UGA’s Signature Research Themes are: • Inquiring and Innovating to Improve Human Health. Ted Ross, who joined UGA last year as the GRA Eminent Scholar in Infectious Diseases, is working to develop a universal influenza vaccine that protects against many virus strains over several years, potentially eliminating the need for seasonal flu vaccines. This work, funded by Sanofi-Aventis, one of the world’s largest vaccine manufacturers, contributed to the marked increase in industry-sponsored expenditures in fiscal year 2016. Ross serves as director of the newly established Center for Vaccines and Immunology in the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. The center will bring new faculty to campus, increase UGA’s vaccine research capacity, help attract more federal funds and facilitate new industry partnerships. In addition, a team of researchers led by Rick Tarleton, UGA Athletic Association Distinguished Research Professor of Biological Sciences in the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, received funding from Anacor Pharmaceuticals to develop a new drug for the treatment of Chagas disease, a parasitic infection that causes irreparable damage to the heart and digestive system. Tarleton’s laboratory and his partners at
Anacor hope to have a drug candidate ready to enter clinical trials this year. • Safeguarding and Sustaining Our World. Contributing significantly to the fiscal year 2016 increases from nonprofits was funding from the Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative to Samantha Joye, the Athletic Association Professor of Arts and Sciences and a professor of marine sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The funding is supporting multi-institutional studies of natural oil seeps and the long-term impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill. In addition, the university received a significant increase in funding from the National Science Foundation that highlights UGA’s strength in plant research. Five research teams, including one led by a recent Presidential hire Esther van der Knaap, a professor of horticulture in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, received more than $14 million to explore the growth, development and behavior of a variety of plants, including tomatoes, sunflowers, maize, legumes, dogwood trees and soybeans. • Changing Lives through the LandGrant Mission. In the College of Education, assistant research scientist Georgia Wood Hodges is leading a $1.3 million project funded by the National Institutes of Health to study the use of digital learn-
Experiential learning requirement
California. The 89 international students in the Class of 2020 come from 52 countries, and the top countries from which they hail are China, Korea and India. The more than 5,400 incoming firstyear students will be joined by more than 1,500 transfer students from more than 240 institutions. The number of incoming students who self-identify as non-white has increased by 10 percent over the past year to exceed 1,730. More than 460 members of the incoming class self-identify as African-American, an increase of 10 percent over the past year. The number of Hispanic students in the incoming class increased by 8 percent over last year.
Honors Program
UGA’s nationally recognized Honors Program will enroll 525 new students this fall, and they bring an average high school GPA of 4.16 that reflects their rigorous Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate curriculum. Incoming Honors students have an average combined critical reading and math SAT score of 1487 and an average ACT score of 33. “This is an unprecedented class in terms of diversity and scholastic achievement,” said Patrick Winter, associate vice president for admissions and enrollment management. “Their academic rigor is well-rounded with leadership, community and artistic accomplishments, holding promise of great success. I am looking forward to welcoming them to campus and seeing what they can accomplish through the exciting new opportunities that UGA has to offer this fall.”
FUNDING from page 1 President for Research David Lee. The research productivity of existing faculty and investments in new talent through recent Presidential Hiring Initiatives and the sustained recruitment of Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholars have played an important role in advancing UGA’s research enterprise. Endowed faculty chairs also help attract and retain top faculty members, and UGA added 16 in FY 2016 to bring the university’s total number of endowed chairs to 267. Increases in expenditures and new awards at UGA also reflect growth in areas of research within the university’s Signature Research Themes of Inquiring and Innovating to Improve Human Health; Safeguarding and Sustaining Our World; and Changing Lives through the Land-Grant Mission. The themes, which were identified in 2015 with input from faculty and administrators, enable a more strategic allocation of resources. “Faculty members at the University of Georgia are pushing the boundaries of knowledge and discovery in ways that profoundly impact fields ranging from human health to agriculture and education,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. “This institution’s dramatic growth in research funding over the past two years underscores our commitment to having an even greater impact
Bulletin Board Bus stop changes
On a trial basis, the bus stop just south of the Georgia Museum of Art on the East Campus loop has been moved to the east side of the street from the East Campus parking deck bus shelter for safety reasons. A Carlton Street stop will be added near Stegeman Coliseum to support the new Science Learning Center.
been constructed in lot E13 to offset the parking that was lost due to the construction of the Center for Molecular Medicine. Street parking along Rutherford Street has been closed due to the construction of the Indoor Athletic Facility, which affects lot S13. Ongoing construction of the Baldwin Hall addition means reduced parking spaces in lot N07.
Parking lot changes
‘Vet School for a Day’
Fifteen parking areas have changed to License Plate Reader “plate only” lots: N12, W09, VMC, E05, E06, E07, E11, E12, S18, S19, S20, S21, S22, S23 and S24. A new parking area has
Registration for the College of Veterinary Medicine’s “Vet School for a Day” program is Aug. 11-Sept. 12. The event, which is Sept. 28, is held on the college’s main campus
and educates high school juniors and seniors about the variety of careers in veterinary medicine. Students from throughout Georgia and South Carolina are encouraged to attend. Registration, which is required, will end Sept. 12 at 5 p.m. All students must be accompanied by an adult chaperone (parent, counselor or teacher). Students attend for free, but to help offset the cost for food there is a $15 per person fee for each chaperone; the fee is due Sept. 28. More info is at: http://t.uga.edu/RD . Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty
ing tools to enhance STEM education. In addition to promoting the development of higher-order thinking skills, the SYSTEMS project (Stimulating Young Scientists to Engage, Motivate and Synthesize) aims to encourage students to consider careers in science and health care. A team of researchers led by Ted Futris, an associate professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, is working on an $8.2 million project funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services that aims to improve the lives of children and families in Georgia’s child welfare system. The team, which includes several schools and colleges from across campus and whose partners include the Georgia Division of Family and Children Services, is using research-based services to promote healthy marriage and relationship skills as well as economic stability.
PATENTS from page 1
in multiple industrial applications, including the production of enhanced LED lighting. “Being ranked among the top universities in the world underscores the innovative research being conducted by UGA faculty, staff and students and also highlights our robust technology transfer program,” said Derek Eberhart, director of UGA’s Innovation Gateway in the Office of the Vice President for Research. “Commercialization of university research to improve lives and promote economic development is integral to UGA’s land-grant mission.” UGA has more than 500 active patents protecting its inventions, which have helped support the development of over 575 new products and the creation of over 140 companies based on research discoveries. Top U.S. universities include the University of California System, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Stanford University, as well as the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University. The entire list is at http://tinyurl.com/zk5xfpx. The National Academy of Inventors is an organization of U.S. and international universities and governmental and nonprofit research institutions serving academic intellectual property owners in all industries and fields of technologies. The Intellectual Property Owners Association is a trade association for owners of patents, trademarks, copyrights and trade secrets.