UGA Columns December 4, 2017

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Participation in sixth annual Spotlight on the Arts festival tops 23,000 CAMPUS NEWS

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Dec. 13 concert features all six of Bach’s famed Brandenburg Concertos Vol. 45, No. 18

December 4, 2017

www.columns.uga.edu

UGA GUIDE

4&5

Outreach program helps farmers build a better business

By J. Merritt Melancon jmerritt@uga.edu

Dorothy Kozlowski

Carrie Smith, left, assistant dean for Student Care and Outreach, and Beau Seagraves, right, associate dean for Student Care and Outreach, regularly meet with students for support sessions.

‘Break down silos’ Student Care and Outreach coordinates individualized assistance for students

By Stan Jackson ugastan@uga.edu

University of Georgia students who experience difficult circumstances receive personalized, comprehensive support thanks to an innovative approach by UGA Student Care and Outreach.

This effort is the part of the university’s ongoing enhancements to the learning environment, resulting in high levels of student satisfaction and all-time records in application, retention and graduation rates.

This is a proactive model in which Student Care and Outreach staff custom-build campus-wide support networks that are specifically tailored to each student.

Beau Seagraves, associate dean of students and director of student care and outreach, said that

the p ­ rogram is possible because of excellent collaboration from faculty and staff as well as robust new student data systems.

“The university gathers student information and documents it in a way that enables multiple campus departments to support a single student, which breaks down silos,” said Seagraves. “We can capture information and referrals from all over campus, and get a sense of what a student might be experiencing and what interventions might be applied, whether they engage with our office or not.”

Student Care and Outreach, a unit in the Division of Student Affairs, can receive a referral from any source—faculty, staff, parents or students—through an online reporting form or by calling, emailing or visiting the office, which is

located in the Office of the Dean of Students in the Tate Student Center. The staff schedule their office time, and even their lunches and breaks, to ensure that someone is always available to assist a student when needed.

From the initial report, staff follow up and gather as much information as possible and determine first steps, which is typically reaching out to the student to offer assistance.

“We share with the student that we support students experiencing difficult circumstance and that we have the resources necessary to help them out,” said Seagraves. “Our job is to untangle the web of resources and get the student where he or she needs to be the most.”

Possibly due to the nature of the See STUDENTS on page 8

AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE

Dennis Hollingsworth was fresh out of college the first time he tried running a farm. It was the early 1980s in South Georgia, and he stuck with it for four years in some of the roughest economic conditions since the Great Depression.

Then he left for an IT job.

“I went to Atlanta and I thought I would never look back, and I didn’t for years and years,” Hollingsworth said. “But it’s time for me to do some things that I’ve always wanted to do.”

Over the next five years, Hollingsworth and his wife plan to leave their 4,300-square-foot home in Lawrenceville and move to a manufactured home on a farm in Banks County.

They’ll raise goats and calves and the crops needed to feed them.

And they’ll have the University of Georgia to provide support and guidance.

For the past three years, UGA Cooperative Extension has partnered with the UGA Small Business Development Center, a public service and outreach unit, and other business educators across See OUTREACH on page 8

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Land use scholar named College of Environment and Design dean

By Sam Fahmy

sfahmy@uga.edu

Sonia Hirt, a seasoned administrator and one of the world’s foremost scholars of land use and planning, has been named dean of the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design.

Hirt is currently professor and dean of the School of Architecture, Planning and Preservation at the University of Maryland, College Park, and her appointment at UGA is effective July 1.

“Dr. Hirt brings an exemplary record of leadership to the University of Georgia,” said Provost Pamela Whitten. “She epitomizes the kind of innovative teaching and engaged scholarship that make the College of Environment and Design an invaluable asset to our state and a national leader in the fields

of landscape architecture, environmental planning and design, and historic preservation.”

As dean of the School of Architecture, Sonia Hirt Planning and Preservation at the University of Maryland, Hirt has worked to promote the development of new majors and dual graduate degrees, expand global-classroom learning opportunities for students and foster new research and outreach venues. She previously served as professor and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Architecture and Urban Studies at Virginia Tech.

See DEAN on page 8

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Three UGA faculty members named AAAS Fellows CyberArch program to take UGA is a major milestone in a scientist’s of Amborella trichopoda, a small,

By Allyson Mann tiny@uga.edu career, and thus the University of shrub-like tree found only on the expertise to Georgia communities Georgia is enormously pleased main island of New Caledonia Three University of Georgia faculty members have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, an honor bestowed by their peers for “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.”

These three faculty members are among 396 new AAAS Fellows who will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue—representing science and engineering, respectively—rosette pin on Feb. 17 at the AAAS Fellows Forum during the 2018 AAAS annual meeting in Austin.

“Selection as an AAAS Fellow

that three of our faculty have been selected for this honor,” said David Lee, UGA vice president for research. “This peer recognition is important to our faculty, and it also brings added distinction to the university.”

The 2017 AAAS Fellows, all members of UGA’s Plant Center, are: • James H. Leebens-Mack, professor of plant biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is noted for distinguished contributions to plant evolution and genomics.

Leebens-Mack co-led a team of scientists to sequence the genome

in the South Pacific. Amborella is the sole survivor of an ancient evolutionary lineage that traces back to the last common ancestor of all flowering plants more than 150 million years ago. Just last month, his team published the garden asparagus genome and identified the sex determination genes on the young Y-chromosome of male asparagus plants. LeebensMack is leading several other projects aimed at sequencing and comparing the genomes of species distributed across the land plant tree of life to elucidate the genetic basis of innovations throughout See FELLOWS on page 8

By Sam Fahmy

sfahmy@uga.edu

The University of Georgia is extending its cybersecurity expertise across the state through a new initiative that will help businesses and communities identify ways to safeguard against potentially devastating cyberattacks.

Two communities in Georgia— Hartwell/Hart County and Griffin/ Spalding County—will pilot the CyberArch program, which connects business and civic leaders with faculty from UGA Public Service and Outreach, the UGA Institute for Cybersecurity and Privacy and

the broader Georgia Informatics Institutes for Research and Education at UGA. “As the state’s most comprehensive research university, the University of Georgia is committed to addressing the grand challenges facing our state,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “With nationally recognized faculty and an extensive statewide network, UGA is uniquely positioned to help individuals, businesses and local governments identify ways to safeguard their critical data and infrastructure.”

Along with Georgia Tech, UGA

See CYBERSECURITY on page 8

2 Dec. 4, 2017 columns.uga.edu

Around academe

Report: Study abroad programs help develop valuable work and life skills

Study abroad programs help students gain valuable work and life skills that lead to more job offers and promotions, according to a 2017 study by the Institute of International ­Education.

The study, “Gaining an Employment Edge: The Impact of Study Abroad on 21st-Century Skills and Career Prospects,” was conducted among 4,565 men and women and included a survey and interviews among alumni who have studied abroad.

The survey asked participants whether they felt their programs allowed them to develop 15 skills valued by employers, including communication skills, self-awareness and others.

More than 70 percent of respondents believe studying abroad helped them to develop intercultural skills, flexibility/adaptability, selfawareness, curiosity and confidence, and more than half believe their study abroad experiences contributed to a job offer. “[The employer] definitely wanted to know how I handled living in a different environment and they were mostly interested in how my interpersonal skills were [developed] when I was abroad,” said one respondent.

Exercise can help reduce stress and boost spirit during holiday season

News to Use

Here are some tips and advice from UGA Cooperative Extension’s Walk Georgia program that will help you keep a healthy routine throughout the holidays.

• Take 30 minutes in between errands and take a walk in the brisk winter air or go for a short jog. Short bursts of exercise can give you energy when you’re about to crash. It also produces those much-needed endorphins that can help jump-start that holiday spirit. A little exercise can have mood boosting effects, lasting well past the holiday season.

• Instead of grabbing one of those holiday cookies your neighbors made for you every time you walk into your kitchen, take them to work and share them with your co-workers.

It will make you feel better about your eating habits and popular around the office.

• Balance is key when it comes to the holidays.

Too much of anything, whether presents or food, can become problematic.

• After the holidays, make a list of health and exercise goals for the next year and try to stick to it. Trying not to break New Year’s resolutions is something we all struggle with, but remind yourself daily that you will look and feel better by sticking with it.

For more advice on maintaining a healthy lifestyle, visit walkgeorgia.org.

Source: UGA Cooperative Extension

NEW YEAR, NEW POSSIBILITIES With a new year comes many more opportunities for the University of Georgia to further our commitment to world-class education for all.

During this season of giving, make a difference with your tax-deductible gift to UGA. Support the area that matters most to you at give.uga.edu/facultystaff.

UGA ARTS COUNCIL

Spotlight participation tops 23,000

By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu

More than 23,000 people participated in the University of Georgia’s 2017 Spotlight on the Arts festival last month, and planning is already underway for the 2018 festival.

From Nov. 1-12, a total of 23,083 attendees participated in more than 100 events and exhibitions, expanding the festival’s reach to more than 120,000 since its inception in 2012.

“The response to the Spotlight on the Arts festival has been extraordinary, and it reflects the quality of the arts programs on our campus and the exemplary dedication of the members of the UGA Arts Council,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

The 2017 festival featured performances from the University Theatre, the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and department of dance, readings from creative writing program students as well as guest writers, special exhibitions and a popular open house at the Lamar Dodd School of Art. Special guests included the Bumper Jacksons and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, music manager Michael Lehman, who discussed his career representing Gregg Allman, art historian Martha Lucy and interdisciplinary artist Clark Lunberry.

Other highlights included the second annual Family Day and the fourth

From left, theatre students Brittney S. Harris, Anna Pieri (in front) and Melanie Sheahan perform a scene from The Last Witch, during Kaleidoscope: Spotlight on the Arts Opening Celebration.

annual 4 minutes, 33 seconds: Spotlight on Scholarship in the Arts competition, a signature Arts Council event where students present their scholarship and compete for prizes. Photography master’s student Ally Christmas received a prize of $433 as the winner of the oral competition, and poster c­ ompetition winners, who received $150 prizes, included Madison Hogan, an undergraduate English major (clearest communication); Abigail Kosberg, a master’s student studying art history (most creative presentation); and Marlon Burnley, a master’s acting student (most innovative research).

“The sixth annual Spotlight festival was a great success thanks to the dedicated faculty and staff and students from all across campus who contributed their

time and talents,” said Russ Mumper, chair of the UGA Arts Council and vice provost for academic affairs.

Planning is underway for the 2018 Spotlight on the Arts festival, which is set for Nov. 1-11, 2018, and will include a national conference of the Alliance for the Arts in Research Universities hosted by UGA. The conference, which is expected to bring to campus several hundred students and faculty members from more than 40 research intensive universities, will revolve around the theme “Arts Environments: Design, Resilience and Sustainability.”

Information about arts events occurring throughout the year can be found at arts.uga.edu or by following UGA Arts on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook.

‘PLASTIC: LAND TO SEA CONNECTIONS’

GRADY COLLEGE

By Kat Yancey Gilmore

By Krista Richmond

While you may envision plastic water bottles and bags floating in an ocean, even the stuff you can’t see could be killing marine life—and scientists are working to understand the health implications of microplastics on people, animals and Earth.

That was the message scientists shared during the panel discussion “Plastic: Land to Sea Connections.” Whether it comes as microscopic fibers emitted by your washer and dryer, or as larger items of trash, plastic hitches a ride, traveling through storm systems, streams, rivers and ultimately into estuaries and oceans, the panelists said.

“We, as a species, have an addiction to plastic,” said Branson W. Ritchie, a Distinguished Research Professor and director of technology development and implementation in the UGA New Materials Institute. “That plastic doesn’t biodegrade; it just breaks down. It doesn’t stop until it gets to some irreducible size, but we don’t know yet what that size is. As it gets smaller, it gets more and more dangerous to animals. A plastic water bottle, plate or fork breaks down to hundreds of millions of even smaller pieces and will kill some animal that eats it, but the plastic is still there to be eaten and kill again.”

Plastic may take decades or hundreds of years to degrade, but it persists as fragmented pieces that can become airborne and escape water filtration systems, the panelists said.

“Oceans are the ultimate transporter of plastic,” said Jenna Jambeck, an associate professor of environmental engineering in the College of Engineering who has focused on plastics since about 2001.

But greater awareness about the problem and a collective goal to be less reliant on plastic are key catalysts for global change, noted the panelists.

Panelist Katy Smith, the water quality program coordinator with UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, teaches school children, college students and adults about the hazards of things they may view as benign—like balloons, straws and cigarette butts.

“Marine debris is everyone’s problem,” Smith said.“We can all take part in the solutions.”

Journalist Souad Mekhennet doesn’t run from the difficult stories.

She runs toward them because they’re important to tell.

As the national security desk correspondent at The Washington Post, Mekhennet has spent years covering ISIS and the Taliban. Her reports on conflicts and terrorist attacks in Europe, North Africa and the Middle East also have appeared in The New York Times, the International Herald Tribune and NPR. She spoke about those experiences and her book, I Was Told to Come Alone, during the McGill Lecture, “Being a Female Reporter Behind the Lines of Jihad,” held Nov. 15 as part of UGA’s Signature Lecture series.

“All that we do [as journalists]—the coverage matters. It matters to those who want to build bridges to understand how people think, and it’s our job to present both sides,” she said. “I believe there is a clash between those who want to build bridges and those who want to divide us.”

Mekhennet’s interest in journalism began in her early teens when she asked her father if she could watch All the President’s Men, the 1976 film about Washington Post reporters Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein’s research into Watergate. She went to journalism school in Hamburg from 1999-2001, including a class trip to New York City. After Sept. 11, 2001, she wanted to find out what happened to the pilots who flew the three planes while they studied in Hamburg. She spent time in their neighborhoods researching the radicalization process.

She met Peter Finn, who is now her editor at the Washington Post, and that became her first assignment.

“I grew up in a household with my grandmother and parents where we were taught to look at what we have in common as people,” she said. “This explains why I decided to do what I’m doing today.”

As part of her coverage, Mekhennet met the wife of a firefighter who died during the Sept. 11 attacks. She asked Mekhennet why journalists hadn’t reported on potential dangers before the attacks.

“That evening, I decided that, as a journalist, I would go into the world of Jihad and talk to people who were members of terrorist organizations...to explain where the hatred comes from,” Mekhennet said. “Why did they join these groups? What was the motivation?”

Throughout her career, she has traveled extensively and interviewed several terrorist organization leaders. Her preparations include everything from hiring appropriate translators to arranging meetings late at night in out-of-the-way locations to studying local female customs, including what parts of herself to cover and what types of perfume are acceptable. Despite all of that preparation, she has encountered danger.

“I have been to war zones, and I have seen people getting killed,” she said. “I have faced threats, as well.”

Panelists: Plastic kills Journalist discusses war on marine life, has health terror coverage, experiences during annual McGill Lecture implications for all kygilmor@uga.edu

krichmond@uga.edu

ASSOCIATION OF PUBLIC AND LAND-GRANT UNIVERSITIES

columns.uga.edu Dec. 4, 2017

UGA president participates in national conversation on technology transfer UGA President Jere W. Morehead joined other thought leaders on a panel at the recent national meeting of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities.

The panel discussed how university technology transfer must evolve to remain relevant and responsive in the 21st century. Morehead is a member of APLU’s Committee of Research Intensive Public Universities, and UGA has received APLU’s Innovation and Economic Prosperity University designation in recognition of its exemplary work in economic engagement.

Photo courtesy of Shalin Jyotishi/APLU

EITS

OFFICE OF RESEARCH

Information technology VP: Demand continues for computing resources

Georgia CTSA fosters excellence in research for faculty, students

By Sara Pauff

By Allyson Mann

The demand for research computing resources for ­faculty and researchers at UGA continues to grow, said Vice ­President for Information Technology Timothy M. Chester, Nov. 15 during his annual State of Technology address.

“We need high-performance computing resources that not only meet the needs of faculty and researchers in traditional computational sciences, but also those researchers in informatics and data sciences,” Chester said.

Chester said the needs of these faculty and researchers may differ depending on their area of research. The Georgia Advanced Computing Resources Center is exploring ways to help those faculty who need high-performance storage as well as to continue to meet the needs of faculty doing CPU intensive computational research.

“Over the next year, you’ll see two different tiers of services at the GACRC: One for those faculty in areas like the basic sciences, who are focused on intensive computational research, and one for faculty in bioinformatics and data sciences, who need the cluster for storage,” Chester said.“They have unique and diverging needs, and we want a good environment for both of them.”

The GACRC has one high-performance computing cluster, Sapelo, that is currently being rebuilt with new cluster management software that will improve usability, performance and security. The rebuilt HPC cluster will be relaunched as Sapelo2 at the end of the year.

The GACRC’s faculty buy-in program, supported by a matching program investing EITS resources, is in its fourth year and has been popular among faculty. The program provides dedicated access for participating researchers while growing GACRC’s shared infrastructure.

Chester also addressed technology milestones and goals in other areas, including: • Continued growth in the university’s internet usage and the number of wireless devices on campus. The university’s internet usage has increased from 1.36 gigabits consumed in September 2011 to 10.13 gigabits consumed in November 2017. The number of wireless devices on the university’s wireless network also has increased to almost 100,000 devices. Chester said there are plans in the next three to five years to invest between $5 million and $7 million in the network to increase capacity, refresh aging equipment and install new wireless access points across campus.

• Upgrades to student systems to make them more mobile-friendly. Banner, UGA’s student information system, will undergo an upgrade to its user interface in the next year to make the system more modern and mobile-friendly.

In addition, eLearning Commons will be updated to the Daylight interface at the end of the fall semester, which will make it easier to use the learning management system on a mobile device.

• The upcoming replacement of the university’s finance, human resources and payroll systems with the new PeopleSoft system, beginning in spring 2018. PeopleSoft applications for finance will be deployed at the university level; UGA will join the University System of Georgia for a shared system for payroll and HR functions.

“Anyone who gets a paycheck or receives health care benefits from the university is going to be touched by this change,” Chester said.

Citizens in every Georgia county, particularly rural and underserved populations, will benefit from UGA’s participation in the Georgia Clinical & Translational Science Alliance, funded by a new five-year, $51 million grant from the National Institutes of Health National Center for Advancing Clinical and Translational Sciences.

Through the Georgia CTSA, research findings will be turned into interventions that improve the health and wellness of Georgia citizens—from diagnostics and therapeutics to medical procedures and behavioral changes.

“The grant fosters and supports clinical and translational science across the spectrum to speed new discoveries and cures for diseases,” said Bradley Phillips, UGA’s CTSA principal investigator. “It is disease agnostic, so it’s not just focused on one area—cancer, for example—but will translate research findings into better health outcomes for all patients.”

UGA is a new member of the alliance, which includes Emory University, the Morehouse School of Medicine and the Georgia Institute of Technology. The grant extends funding received during a 10-year partnership between the other institutions. Adding UGA allows the team to expand its focus statewide, magnifying the impact of the program and providing access to communities that previously have not been reached, according to Phillips, the Millikan-Reeve Professor of Pharmacy and director of the Clinical and Translational Research Unit.

“The university brings Cooperative Extension and the Archway Partnership, unique outreach entities that provide a statewide footprint for conducting translational science and education,” he said. “It also expands multidisciplinary team science by adding UGA’s colleges of pharmacy, veterinary medicine and family and consumer sciences as well as expertise in ecology, health communications and educational assessments—areas not represented in the previous alliance.”

The Georgia CTSA has two primary functions. One is facilitating translational science across the spectrum, from the individual level to the population level. That means turning lab discoveries into patient care—taking research and creating a therapy to treat a specific disease, for example. It also means looking at ways to improve population health—figuring out why a new drug isn’t being incorporated into patient treatments, for instance, and finding ways to address the barriers.

The other function is to train the next generation of investigators by offering a robust infrastructure that provides logistical and financial support for research. Goals include creating a translational science workforce, developing and disseminating new informatics solutions, and advancing the scientific study of the process of conducting translational science. Each institution has its own navigator—dedicated to helping researchers find the resources they need—and offers support services for developing project ideas, seed grants for innovative research and structured training grants for assistant professors and pre- and post-docs.

“The extensive framework and resources provided by Georgia CTSA will increase the number of researchers doing translational science and train the next generation of investigators,” said David Lee, vice president for research. “As a result, the university is poised to make a real difference in the lives of Georgians.”

For more information, visit GeorgiaCTSA.org.

spauff@uga.edu

tiny@uga.edu

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Digest UGA Alumni Association announces ninth annual Bulldog 100 list

The University of Georgia Alumni Association has released the 2018 Bulldog 100. This annual program recognizes the fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni.

More than 500 nominations were submitted for the 2018 list.

The 2018 Bulldog 100 includes businesses of all sizes and from industries such as veterinary medicine, dining, IT consulting and fashion. Several areas of the country are represented, including companies from as far north as New York and as far west as California. Of the 100 businesses, 81 are located within Georgia.

The public, including UGA alumni and friends, is invited to celebrate the Bulldog 100 honorees at the Atlanta Hyatt Regency on Jan. 27.

Registration is open at alumni.uga.edu/b100.

The awards ceremony will feature a keynote address by alumna Amy Smilovic, founder and creative director of women’s clothing and ­accessories brand Tibi, which is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.

Following Smilovic’s remarks, the Alumni Association will recognize alumnus Michael Bryan, owner of Vino Venue/Atlanta Wine School—the only business to make the Bulldog 100 list eight consecutive years. Bryan passed away earlier this year after a long battle with cancer; the Michael Bryan Entrepreneurship Award, which will become an annual award, will be given to a 2018 Bulldog 100 business.

To view the alphabetical list of honorees and to learn more about the Bulldog 100, including sponsorship opportunities, see alumni.uga.edu/ b100.

School of Law’s advocacy teams continue tradition with recent wins

Advocacy teams from the UGA School of Law continue to perform well at tournaments, with three groups winning or finishing as finalists in recent moot court competitions.

Third-year students Holly M. Boggs and Ava G. Goble captured the national title at the Eighth Billings, Exum & Frye National Moot Court Competition. Additionally, Goble was named the best oralist of the final round and third best oralist overall. Third-year students Daniel E. “Dan” Philyaw and Ian M. Lamb also competed and finished the contest as quarterfinalists and earned the second best respondent brief award. Additionally, Philyaw was named the tournament’s overall best oralist.

This was the first time the School of Law competed in the event. Boggs and Goble defeated a team from the University of Houston Law Center to win the championship.

At the 11th Annual Emory Civil Rights and Liberties Moot Court Competition, third-year students Devon G. Zawko and Hannah E. Ponders finished as national finalists. The School of Law was also represented by third-year students Molly A. Munson, Hayley E. Wilson and Mishael K. Najm at this tournament, which included more than 30 law school teams from across the nation.

Additionally, a group of third-year students composed of Lauren E. Lutton, Taryn P. Winston and Margaret “Maggie” Sparks qualified to compete in the national championship round of the National Moot Court Competition after they finished as finalists in the regional level competition.

Sparks earned best oralist honors at the Region 5 contest. The trio will travel to New York City for the championship round in January.

“Each of these teams performed well and worked tirelessly to prepare for the respective competitions,” said Director of Advocacy Kellie Casey. “It is always rewarding to see their hard work pay off.”

PERIODICALS POSTAGE STATEMENT Columns (USPS 020-024) is published weekly during the academic year and

biweekly during the summer for the faculty and staff of the University of Georgia by the Division of Marketing & Communications. Periodicals postage is paid in Athens, Georgia. Postmaster: Send off-campus address changes to Columns, UGA Marketing & Communications, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Athens, GA 30602-1999.

For a complete listing of events at the University of Georgia, 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.

UGAGUIDE

EXHIBITIONS

Gold-digging in Georgia: America’s First Gold Rush?

Through Dec. 5. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu.

Louise Blair Daura: A Virginian in Paris. Through Dec. 10. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

A Partial View. Through Dec. 15. ­Circle Gallery, Jackson Street Building. 706-542-8292. mtufts@uga.edu.

Covered With Glory: Football at UGA, 1892-1917. Through Dec. 22. Special collections libraries. 706-542-7123. hasty@uga.edu.

Martha Odum: Art Intersects Ecology. Through Dec. 31. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs and Tete-a-Tete.

Through Jan. 7. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

Artful Instruments: Georgia Gunsmiths and Their Craft.

Through Feb. 25. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

Wrestling Temptation: The Quest to Control Alcohol in Georgia.

Through Sept. 21. Special collections libraries. 706-542-7123. jhebbard@uga.edu.

MONDAY, DEC. 4 ELEARNING COMMONS DROP-IN HOURS During eLC Drop-In Hours, eLC consultants will be available for assistance. There is no formal instruction in this session, but consultants can assist with eLC tasks such as setting up a gradebook, customizing a homepage, adding and managing course content and creating assignments and assessments.

Registration is not required but is helpful. 10 a.m. 372 Miller Learning Center. Also Dec. 13 at 10 a.m. in 145 Science Learning Center and Dec. 14 at 2 p.m. in 372 Miller Learning Center.

706-542-1355. sac@uga.edu.

TUESDAY, DEC. 5 CLASSES END For fall semester.

SHOPPING EVENING AT THE GARDEN GIFT SHOP Also Dec. 12. For two evenings in December, staff will keep the Garden Gift Shop open until 7 p.m. for holiday shopping. Enjoy free parking, live music, holiday decorations in the tropical

ASO Chorus will perform selections from ‘Messiah’

conservatory and new outdoor lights in the front plaza of the conservatory. State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

TUESDAY TOUR AT TWO Also Dec. 12, 19 and Jan. 2. 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 of the special collections libraries. 2 p.m. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu.

CONCERT The Classic City Band performs holiday music during an evening concert in the festively-decorated conservatory. 7 p.m. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. connicot@uga.edu.

FROM AL-KABRI TO LEBANON: VOICES OF THE NAKBA Supported and facilitated by the Free Palestine Movement, International Solidarity Movement-Northern California, the alAwda Palestine Right to Return Coalition, and Black4Palestine, Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Georgia brings the 2017 Nakba Tour to UGA. Palestinian refugee Khawla Hammad (Umm Mousa), 84, will recount her experiences as a victim of the Nakba, or “The Catastrophe,” having been displaced at age 16 from her village of al-Kabri in the Galilee. She will be joined by Amena al-Ashkar, a 23-year-old Palestinian refugee working as a journalist and translator, whose greatgrandparents were displaced in 1948. She herself has resided in refugee camps all her life. $12. 7 p.m. Miller Learning Center.

912-247-5903. palestine@uga.edu.

MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Winthrop. $15. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 6 READING DAY For fall semester.

SUSTAINABLE UGA SEMESTER IN REVIEW The Sustainable UGA Semester in Review celebrates people, programs, activities and academic courses that create a culture of sustainability at UGA. The program includes brief presentations from Office of Sustainability interns, posters and table displays from UGA classes, the announcement of 2017 Campus Sustainability Grant winners, light lunch fare and opportunities for networking. Opening comments will be provided by John R. Seydel, director of sustainability for Atlanta. 11 a.m. Jackson Street Building. 706-542-3152. alentini@uga.edu.

TOUR AT TWO Sam Thomas, curator of the T.R.R. Cobb House and guest curator of Artful Instruments: Georgia Gunsmiths and Their Crafts, will give a special tour. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

UGA STAFF COUNCIL MEETING 2:30 p.m. 207 Miller Learning Center. 706-425-3183. mmoore10@uga.edu.

THURSDAY, DEC. 7 FALL SEMESTER FINAL EXAMS Through Dec. 13.

CLASS Learn about the herbal tea program at the UGArden followed by a short lecture about herbal plants, remedies, growing and harvesting. After the lecture, there will be a hands-on segment to create herbal tea remedies and other products to take home. $25, general admission; $22.50, members. 9 a.m. Visitor Center, Classroom 2, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6158. ckeber@uga.edu.

The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus will perform selections from Handel’s Messiah Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall.

By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Chorus Dec. 21 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall.

Norman Mackenzie will conduct the program which will include the “Christmas” portion and the “Hallelujah Chorus” from Handel’s Messiah.

The concert also will feature Mozart’s Regina coeli and Exsultate jubilate.

Mackenzie was named director of choruses for the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2000, carrying forward the creative vision of legendary founding conductor Robert Shaw. At the ASO, Mackenzie prepares the choruses for all concerts and recordings. During his tenure, the chorus has made numerous tours and garnered its most recent four Grammy Awards.

Sopranos Arietha Lockhart and Jeanine De Bique, mezzo-soprano Magdalena Wor, tenor Grant Knox and bass Gerard Sundberg will join the orchestra and chorus as featured soloists for this performance.

Tickets for the concert are $62 to $72 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400. UGA students can purchase tickets for $6 with a valid UGA ID, limit one ticket per student.

Patrons are invited to make it an evening with a tour and free dessert at the Georgia Museum of Art at 6 p.m.

SATURDAY, DEC. 9 CONCERT The New Horizons Band is composed of members age 50 and older who learned a musical instrument recently or returned to their musical instruments from earlier in life. For more information about this concert or with to join the band, contact

Joyce King, band director, at joyceking426@gmail.com. 2 p.m.

Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

Concert to feature Bach’s music

HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE Staff will have the Visitor Center and Conservatory decorated for the season and the Holiday Open House. Santa will be available to hear children’s wishes, and the education staff will help children create a holiday craft. The gift shop will be well stocked with holiday decor, as well as books, jewelry, toys and more.

Stay and enjoy the flute concert at 4 p.m. 2 p.m. Visitor Center and Conservatory, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

MONDAY, DEC. 11 WORKSHOP Bring the colors of the season home with a live wreath made during this workshop. Wreaths are constructed on wire frames with greenery collected from the garden. Materials are harvested just prior to the class to ensure they will last throughout the holiday season. Participants should bring their own pruning shears. $30, general admission; $27, members. 5:30 p.m. Visitor Center, Great Room, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6158. ckeber@uga.edu.

All six of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos will be performed during the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Dec. 13 concert at the Performing Arts Center.

By Bobby Tyler

TUESDAY, DEC. 12

btyler@uga.edu

TODDLER TUESDAY Enjoy a special tour, story time in the galleries and art activities just for little ones. This free, 40-minute program is designed for families with children ages 18 months to 3 years. Space is limited; email sagekincaid@uga.edu or call 706-542-0448 to reserve a spot. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. SWING DANCE NIGHT: HOLIDAY PARTY Learn new dance steps, dance under the palms or watch talented and enthusiastic dancers from seating beside the dance floor. Choose between an East Coast Swing or Lindy Hop lesson from 7-8 p.m., then everyone is welcome for an open dance from 8-10 p.m. No previous dance experience or partners needed to attend. $6, general admission; $4, students.

7 p.m. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

HANUKKAH Through Dec. 20. Jewish religious observance.

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s annual December performances of Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos are a New York City tradition that The New York Times calls “A New York holiday staple…brimming with life.” Now Athens audiences can enjoy the experience when the Chamber Music Society brings the Brandenburg Concertos to the UGA Performing Arts Center Dec. 13.

In 1721, Bach sent a beautiful presentation manuscript to the Margrave Christian Ludwig of Brandenburg with six concertos representing a variety of different approaches to the concerto idea. Nicknamed the “Brandenburg” Concertos, the compositions are now regarded as masterworks of classical music but are rarely performed together.

The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln

MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Georgia Tech. $15. 9 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 13 ARTFUL CONVERSATION Join Callan Steinmann, associate curator of education, for a special session of close looking and conversation featuring selected works from Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs and Tete-a-Tete. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

WEDNESDAY, DEC. 20 TOUR AT TWO Tour of highlights from the permanent collection led by docents.

Also Dec. 27. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

GRIFFIN CAMPUS GRADUATION RECEPTION The Griffin Campus Graduation Reception honors and celebrates the Griffin Campus 2017 fall graduates and their immediate families. 6 p.m. Stuckey Auditorium, Griffin campus.

770-412-4400. ccm16@uga.edu.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Wright State. $5. 1 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

CONCERT The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s annual December performances of J. S. Bach’s Brandenburg Concertos is a New York City holiday tradition. It is a rare opportunity to enjoy all six of the concertos on the same concert performed by the unmatched artists of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. $66-$76. 8 p.m. Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. (See story, above.)

MAKE IT AN EVENING Enjoy coffee, dessert and a gallery tour at the museum with curator of decorative arts Dale Couch prior to the performance in Hodgson Hall by the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, performing selections from Handel’s Messiah. Jittery Joe’s Coffee and Cecilia Villaveces’ cakes. Purchase tickets for the concert at pac.uga.edu. 6 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

THURSDAY, DEC. 14

CONCERT Brighten the holiday season as the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra and Chorus perform the “Christmas” portion and the “Hallelujah Chorus” from George Frederic Handel’s Messiah. $62-$72.

8 p.m. Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center.

706-542-4400. (See story, far left.)

GRIFFIN CAMPUS GRADUATION CELEBRATION The UGA Griffin Campus Graduation Celebration and Brick Ceremony is a time of recognition and celebration for fall 2017 graduates. 10 a.m. Stuckey Auditorium, Griffin campus.

770-412-4400. ccm16@uga.edu.

COMMENCEMENT Undergraduate ceremony is at 9:30 a.m. Graduate ceremony is at 2:30 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

FACS CONVOCATION This ceremony is for graduates of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Family members are invited to attend.

The event is free, but registration and tickets are required.

Information: http://www.fcs.uga.edu/ssac/graduation.

Noon. Mahler Hall, Georgia Center. 706-542-4879. lparham@uga.edu.

SUNDAY, DEC. 17

THURSDAY, DEC. 21

FRIDAY, DEC. 22 MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Temple. $15. 1 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

MONDAY, DEC. 18

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Howard. $5. 11 a.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

ORIENTATION AND ADVISEMENT For spring semester.

REGISTRATION For May Session and Extended Summer Session.

MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Ole Miss. $15. 6:30 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

THURSDAY, JAN. 4 DROP/ADD DATES Through Jan. 10. For undergraduate and graduate level courses for spring semester.

CLASSES BEGIN For spring semester.

SATURDAY, JAN. 6 MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Alabama. $15. Noon. Stegeman Coliseum.

MONDAY, JAN. 8

COMING UP

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS Through Jan. 1. No classes; offices closed.

KWANZAA Through Jan. 1.

THURSDAY, DEC. 28 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. North Florida. $5. 2 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

SUNDAY, DEC. 31 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Mississippi State. $5. 6 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

CONCERT Welcome Stephen Mulligan, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s

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.

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 3

MONDAY, DEC. 25

GRADES DUE For fall semester. Due by 5 p.m.

TUESDAY, DEC. 19

new assistant conductor, when the orchestra returns to Athens for the New Year’s Eve performance. The 90-minute ­concert begins at 7 p.m., so attendees will be out early enough to enjoy any other traditional activities. $56-$66. Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. (See photo, left.)

STATE BALLET THEATRE OF RUSSIA The Nutcracker is a perennial favorite of generations of children and children at heart. Thrill to the same authentic Russian choreography that is performed in Moscow by the famous Bolshoi Ballet. $15-$39. 7:30 p.m. Also Dec. 23 at 2 p.m. Classic Center.

706-542-4400.

TUESDAY, DEC. 26

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT TOUR Tour of highlights from the permanent collection led by docents. 3 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

Center, the nation’s premier repertory company for chamber music, offers a rare opportunity to hear all six Brandenburg Concertos on one program.

The concert begins at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall in the Performing Arts Center.

Tickets are $30 to $76 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400. UGA students can purchase tickets for $6 with a valid UGA ID, limit one ticket per student.

The concert will be recorded for broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today, the most popular classical music program in the country.

A pre-concert lecture will be given by Patrick Castillo from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The lecture begins at 7:15 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall in the Performing Arts Center.

STATE BALLET THEATRE OF RUSSIA The State Ballet Theatre of Russia returns with its delightful, fully staged production of one of the most beloved of all classical ballets, Sleeping Beauty. The treasured story comes to life in this enchanting performance filled with stunning dancers, lavish sets, beautiful costumes and Tchaikovsky’s immortal music. Performances are Jan. 8 and 9. $66-$76. 8 p.m. Fine Arts Building. 706-542-4400.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Georgia Tech. $5. 1 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

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

4&5

SUNDAY, DEC. 10

FRIDAY, DEC. 15

NEW YEAR’S EVE CONCERT—The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in a special New Year's Eve concert Dec. 31 at 7 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. Conductor Stephen Mulligan will lead the ASO in an entertaining program of light and lively concert and pop favorites. Tickets are $56 to $66 and can be purchased online at pac.uga.edu.

columns.uga.edu Dec. 4, 2017

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, Marketing & Communications, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Campus Mail 1999.

THURSDAY SCHOLARSHIP SERIES Jan. 11. The Thursday Scholarship Series enters 2018 with a solo performance from Evgeny Rivkin, professor of piano at the Hodgson School. The Thursday Scholarship Series began in 1980 and, as the flagship concert series at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, continues the tradition of “Music Appreciation Programs” started by Hugh Hodgson himself in the 1930s. Proceeds from contributions and ticket sales to these concerts are among the primary means through which School of Music scholarship funds are raised each year. $20; $6, student/child. 7:30 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center.

706-542-4752.

FRIENDS FIRST FRIDAY: ORCHIDS Jan. 12. Learn about orchids from an expert in the field and get a small sneak peek into this year’s Orchid Madness events.

Includes a full breakfast. Make reservations by Jan. 5 at www.botgarden.uga.edu or 706-542-6138. $12. 9 a.m.

Visitor Center, Gardenside Room, State Botanical Garden.

706-542-6138. lpbryant@uga.edu.

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Dec. 6 (for Jan. 8 issue) Jan. 3 (for Jan. 16 issue) Jan. 10 (for Jan. 22 issue)

6 Dec. 4, 2017 columns.uga.edu

FACULTY PROFILE

OBITUARIES

University mourns passing of Vicky Davion, philosophy department head, and Michael Smith, former SREL director Vicky Davion

Professor of philosophy Vicky Davion passed away Nov. 5 at the age of 57.

Davion was the founder and editor-in-chief of Ethics & the Environment, an interdisciplinary forum for theoretical and practical articles, discussions and book reviews in the broad area encompassed by environmental ethics.

Known for her contributions to scholarship in environmental ethics and feminist ethics, Davion’s career tracked with the broader advancement of women in philosophy.

Davion joined the University of Georgia philosophy departVicky Davion ment in 1990 and became the first woman to attain the rank of full professor, and the first woman to chair the department, which she did for 12 years. She earned her doctorate from the University of Wisconsin-Madison, specializing in feminist and environmental ethics.

Along with Clark Wolf, Davion was co-editor of the book The Idea of a Political Liberalism: Essays on Rawls. She contributed to many journals including Public Affairs Quarterly and the Journal of Social Philosophy.

“Vicky Davion created and maintained a welcoming home for feminist and environmental philosophy, and her own work on competition, ecofeminism, integrity, nuclear deterrence and many other topics is well known for its crystalline clarity and critical insight,” said Chris Cuomo, professor of philosophy and women’s studies at UGA who has been friends with Davion since they were in graduate school together at the University of Wisconsin. “We have lost a unique and courageous scholar and a generous and joyous friend, but Vicky’s irreplaceable spirit will continue to challenge and inspire.”

Davion is survived by her dogs, Quinn and Maggie; her brother, John C. Antush, his wife, Betty Yu; and many loving friends, colleagues and former students.

The philosophy department will host a memorial reception in celebration of Davion’s life in the historic house at the Founders Memorial Garden Dec. 8 from noon-1:30 p.m.

Michael H. Smith

Michael H. Smith, former and longest-serving director of the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, died Nov. 15 in Frederick, Maryland.

“Big Mike,” as he was affectionately known, earned an undergraduate degree from San Diego State University and a doctorate from the University of Florida. He served as director of SREL from 1973 to 1999, remaining as a professor of ecology at UGA until he retired in 2002.

Smith was recognized internationally as an expert in population genetics, ecology and radioactivity in the environment. His unique expertise evaluating the effects of radiation in the ecosystem led to his role as an adviser in response to the Chernobyl nuclear reactor accident.

He authored more than 350 sciMichael Smith entific publications and mentored numerous graduate students who attained master’s and doctoral degrees. During his tenure, SREL became known internationally for its expertise in ecology.

Smith was a Fellow of the American Academy for the Advancement of Science and a lifetime member of the American Society of Mammalogy. He was a recipient of the society’s Buffalo Award for outstanding research contributions.

Smith is survived by his wife of 59 years, Irma; daughter Karen Smith Rotabi; son Michael Smith Jr.; daughter-inlaw Sharon Edelstein; son-in-law Paul Martin; grandsons Alexander, Benjamin and Ethan; and sisters Cheryll Leslie and Andrea Johnston.

Services honoring Smith’s life were held Nov. 19 in Frederick.

In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to SREL. Donations can be made at srel.uga.edu under the “Give” tab or mailed to SREL, Attn: Beth Giddens, P.O. Drawer E, Aiken, SC, 29802. Checks should be written to the UGA Foundation and indicate a gift in memory of Dr. Michael H. Smith. The funds will be used to support graduate students through the Michael H. Smith Scholarship Fund.

Dorothy Kozlowski

Assistant professor Anne Marie Zimeri gets students to connect with each other so that they practice interaction with their peers.

Assistant professor ‘flips’ classroom so that students become more involved

By Lauren Baggett lbaggett@uga.edu

In the classroom or in the field, the name of the game for assistant professor Anne Marie Zimeri’s teaching style is hands-on.

“There’s a big trend for active learning, where we try to engage students to do something, rather than sit back and listen to a lecture,” said Zimeri, who has been teaching in the environmental health science department at the College of Public Health since 2007.

By flipping the classroom, students are more involved with the lesson, with each other.

“These students have been raised in a different time. The attention span is low. They are on their phone a lot connecting with people on social media, but I ask them to connect with each other in class so they get practice with interaction among their peers,” said Zimeri.

A two-year fellowship at UGA’s Center for Teaching and Learning helped to develop Zimeri’s teaching strategy, and she continues to implement innovative techniques that encourage students to more deeply engage with course materials.

One activity Zimeri learned in her fellowship­—an exercise to teach undergraduates to critically think about data from primary scientific literature— resulted in a publication.

Zimeri’s commitment to her student’s learning success is one reason her faculty appointment is 80 percent teaching. She teaches three classes

every semester and serves as the undergraduate coordinator and the internship coordinator.

Though teaching is Zimeri’s focus now, her research interests always have involved the environment.While pursuing her doctorate in genetics at UGA, Zimeri was engineering plants to take heavy metals out of the soil.

Today, she teaches courses on bioremediation and genetic applications for environmental health to the next generation of environmental sciences.Training goes on outside of the classroom, too.

“Even though I don’t have a research appointment, I do conduct research but with the goal to provide educational experience for undergrads,” said Zimeri.

Zimeri received a $300,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to fund the H.A.R.V.E.S.T. Initiative, a One Health study aimed at comparing food safety issues related to local organic farmers’ market produce in north Georgia to grocery store foods.

Twelve undergraduate environmental health science students work with Zimeri on the project.

“I have students collecting and preparing samples and looking at data, learning about the scientific methods to give them an opportunity to see what research is all about,” said Zimeri. “For a lot of them, it’s their first experience having to be responsible for something.”

Under Zimeri’s mentorship, students analyze soil samples for the presence of persistent chlorinated pesticides and metals.

“We want to know if these

FACTS

Anne Marie Zimeri Assistant Professor, Environmental Health Science College of Public Health Ph. D., Genetics, University of Georgia, 2004 B.S., Biology, Indiana University-Purdue University, 1997 At UGA: 10 years

contaminants are in our food and in our food system, especially in organic foods that people buy because they think they’re free of pesticides,” said Zimeri.

Through the project, students learn how to communicate professionally, run a field site and see the scientific process in motion. This type of handson experience is a necessary supplement to academic achievement if students want to be competitive as future job or graduate school candidates, said Zimeri.

In May, Zimeri received the 2017 College of Public Health’s Excellence in Teaching Faculty Award, further acknowledging Zimeri’s commitment to her students. But, said Zimeri, the benefits go both ways.

“I love the age range of undergraduates. This major attracts curious students who want to learn and want to get the most out of their classes,” she said. “And they teach me things, too.

They’re always reading and sending me articles, so I’m a lifetime learner just from interacting with them.”

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS Wofford College administrator to join Student Affairs at UGA

By Stan Jackson ugastan@uga.edu

Beate Brunow has been named director of Student Affairs academic partnerships and initiatives at the University of Georgia. Currently, Brunow is a tenured assistant professor of German at Wofford College and serves as coordinator for the German Program and Gender Studies Program, as well as interim dean of the Center for Innovation and Learning.

Brunow will lead efforts to create seamless partnerships and integrated curricular and co-curricular learning experiences for UGA’s students. She will report to Associate Vice President for Student Affairs Michele Howard and serve as a member of the leadership team for the Division of Student Affairs.

“UGA Student Affairs is uniquely positioned and ideally suited to support academic programs,” said Victor K. Wilson, vice president for student affairs.

Beate Brunow “With Dr. Brunow’s leadership, I look forward to making great strides in campus collaboration to providing the best learning environment for our students.”

Brunow’s appointment is effective Jan. 1. In this role, she will provide consultation and support Student Affairs in the creation and enhancement of academic partnerships. She will work to create educational experiences

connecting academic courses, clubs and organizations, instructional initiatives, civic engagement and other experiences, as well as advance Student Affairs as a principal laboratory for research and experiential learning opportunities.

Brunow will also lead a selection of Student Affairs’ innovative academic initiatives. She will establish the Student Affairs Research Collective aimed to support Student Affairs employees who seek to research, prepare and submit manuscripts for publication. She will also establish the Student Affairs Faculty Fellows program, facilitate the Student Affairs Academic Advisory Board, and administer the Student Affairs Faculty Research Grant, which supports research partnerships between faculty and Student Affairs programs and services.

CAMPAIGN FOR CHARITIES

columns.uga.edu Dec. 4, 2017

‘Keep families together’

7

FRANKLIN COLLEGE

Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens dedicated to fighting homelessness

Archeologist details search for Georgia’s Spanish missions

By Emily Webb

sew30274@uga.edu

Dorothy Kozlowski

The team from the Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens includes, from left, Regina Roth-Goldman, service director; Courtney Tobin, IHNA board president; UGA’s Holley Schramski, former board member and current volunteer; Davin Welter, executive director; and Stacy Pardue, assistant director.

By Jim Lichtenwalter

james.lichtenwal25@uga.edu

The Interfaith Hospitality Network of Athens is an organization dedicated to fighting homelessness in Athens-Clarke County. Composed of 36 Athens-area religious congregations, the network seeks to help a specific and vulnerable group: homeless families.

“IHN of Athens provides immediate shelter, support and guidance, so these families can get back on their feet again,” said Holley Schramski, a former IHN of Athens board member and the associate vice president for university business and accounting services at the University of Georgia.

“What sets this apart from another homeless shelter is that it is designed to keep the family together.”

IHN of Athens is one of the more than 1,400 organizations supported

by UGA’s annual Campaign for Charities, which ends Dec. 15. Through its network of congregations, the organization provides families with food and shelter, with some ­congregations

taking turns to host the families overnight. In 2016, IHN of Athens helped 44 people—29 children and 15 adults, which made up 13 families.

The monetary value of the program’s lodging, meals and volunteer work is approximately $350,000 a year.

“The families are provided a hospitable environment so that while they are going through this difficult time period, there is some sense of consistency and normalcy,” said Schramski.

Volunteers eat dinner and spend time getting to know the families on a nightly basis. Schramski and her husband, John, would bring their children, Anna and Jack, who played games and did their homework with the children.

“The most rewarding part of volunteering with IHN of Athens is spending time with the actual families,” said Schramski.

The eventual goal of the organization is to transition families to a place of stable independence and help adult family members find sustainable employment. Volunteers are encouraged to donate both their time and talents,

WEEKLY READER

Book details complexities of Kansas life

Bad Kansas

By Becky Mandelbaum University of Georgia Press Paperback: $16.96

Becky Mandelbaum, winner of the 2016 Flannery O’Connor Award for short fiction, has released a collection of 11 short stories that reveal the complicated underbelly of Kansas, the country’s most flown-over state and the quirky characters who call it home.

In the darkly humorous collection of Bad Kansas, published by the University of Georgia Press, Kansas becomes a state of mind as Mandelbaum’s characters struggle to define their relationship to home and what it means to stay or leave, to hold on or let go.

When a desperate woman finds herself on a date with a rugged man she has nothing in common with, she must decide whether to sacrifice the life of a bear to keep a man’s affection. When his mother starts dating a slimy pizza parlor owner, a young boy must choose whether to align with his mischievous older brother or remain loyal to his mom.

The deeply appealing and peculiar characters in Bad Kansas are determined to get what they want.

which range from helping prepare for interviews to giving advice on career growth.

“Volunteering at IHN of Athens is so easy to do,” Schramski said. “You can figure out what your best talent is and put it to work. You get to help someone and also be a part of their growth.”

Schramski and her family are members of First United Methodist Church of Athens, which is an IHN of Athens host congregation.

She served on the IHN of Athens board from 2010 to 2016. During that time, she was able to take many of the professional skills she uses on a daily basis at UGA and apply them to IHN of Athens.

“Being a board member, I was able to take my business, organizational and operations skills and use them to help people,” she said.

Although she no longer is on the board, Schramski is still involved in IHN of Athens and continues to volunteer.

“This program really makes a difference,” she said.

Archeology answers history’s unresolved questions, according to David Hurst Thomas, curator of anthropology at the American Museum of Natural History. He spoke Nov. 17 as part of UGA’s fall 2017 Signature Lecture series. His visit was sponsored by the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the anthropology department.

Thomas began the lecture by discussing California, which he said is greatly influenced by its Hispanic history.

Californians view St. Junipera Serra as the founding father of California. The Carmel Mission holds St. Serra’s library and his cell. Visiting the site of Carmel is what made Thomas want to be an archeologist.

But the items at the Carmel Mission are fake, what Thomas called “a created reality to sell the mission myth.”

Sir Harry Downie reconstructed the area to fit the idea of the Ramona myth.

“Growing up and having an interest in history and archeology, I was really turned on by the Ramona myth,” Thomas said. “This turned it into not only archeology, but a whole way of life. Who needs archeology when you’ve got Ramona to give you your past?”

Thomas began to wonder where Georgia’s Hispanic heritage was. Georgia had more Spanish missions and friars with missions that began earlier than in California.

“There is not one place that you can walk up and touch the 16th or 17th century in Georgia,” Thomas said. “That history has evaporated in the public mind. How good could those missions have been if we can’t even find them?”

This attitude was prevalent when Thomas began his archeological research on St. Catherines Island in 1974.

According to historians, St. Catherines Island had the most important Spanish mission with Mission Santa Catalina de Guale. People had been looking for Mission Santa Catalina de Guale for 300 years.

Thomas and his group of archeologists randomly sampled 20 percent of St. Catherines Island. They partnered with a group of people who were starting geophysics on the island.

After five years, Thomas found the church and the buildings the Spanish people had originally used.

“It is a perfectly preserved Spanish mission, that it takes maybe an archeologist’s eye to recognize how beautiful this really is,” said Thomas. “It’s everything a Franciscan or a Spanish bureaucrat would want in the Spanish missions.”

To understand the way of life preserved in his finds, Thomas studied with Franciscans. They found a new story in the Franciscan community, including a different belief set that included a fourth vow of defending the immaculate conception.

The site has been reconsecrated as a symbolic, living church and has provided historians and archeologists with a different way of looking at early Georgia history.

“It’s not what you find,”Thomas said about the importance of archeology. “It’s what you find out.”

CYBERSIGHTS

ABOUT COLUMNS Columns is available to the community by ­subscription for an annual fee of $20 (secondclass delivery) or $40 (first-class delivery).

Faculty and staff members with a disability may call 706-542-8017 for assistance in obtaining this publication in an alternate format.

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

Editor Juliett Dinkins

Website updated to better help visitors

visit.uga.edu

The newly redesigned Visit UGA website is a c­ollaborative effort of the Division of Marketing & Communications and the university’s Office of Undergraduate Admissions.

The site now includes r­ elevant information for s­pecific types of guests including ­ faculty and staff, u ­ ndergraduate and graduate

­students, alumni, friends and fans.

Visitors can choose from multiple tour formats and can connect with other campus resources such as schools and colleges for more information about intended majors.

The website also provides ­information about navigating to and around UGA’s campus.

Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Writer Leigh Beeson Communications Coordinator Krista Richmond 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 Dec. 4, 2017 columns.uga.edu

CYBERSECURITY

FELLOWS from page 1 plant evolution, including resistance to plant diseases, adaptation to arid environments and storage of carbohydrates.

• Wayne Allen Parrott, professor of crop and soil sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, is honored for distinguished contributions to the development and implementation of plant transformation technologies and to the discussions of the science and regulatory processes associated with genetically modified organisms.

For nearly 30 years, Parrott has conducted research on the discovery, evaluation and use of agriculturally important genes in crop plants, using both molecular markers and genetic engineering, especially in soybean and switchgrass. His emphasis is on developing the methodology for use and safety assessment of genetically modified crop plants, and he has published a guide for environmental risk assessment of GMOs. Parrott has traveled extensively in Latin America and other countries, advising legislators and regulators on the requisites for a functional regulatory system that ensures the safety of genetically modified products.

• Chung-Jui “C.J.”Tsai, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and the Winfred N. “Hank” Haynes Professor, is honored for pioneering research contributions in forestry biotechnology and genomics. Tsai holds a joint appointment in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and the genetics department in the Franklin College

DEAN

of Arts and Sciences.

Tsai, a plant biologist with a passion for trees, focuses on creating high-yielding trees for use in biofuel. She dissects the molecular mechanisms that affect tree fitness and biomass productivity, searchJames Leebens-Mack ing for ways to create better-growing trees by making them more resistant to stresses like extreme temperatures, disease and drought.

Tsai pioneered the application of CRISPR genome editing technology to forest trees, Wayne Allen Parrott and her team demonstrated unprecedented efficiency in generating transgenic null mutants.

This translates into significant time savings for forest genetics research, bypassing the long generation cycle in traditional crosses.

C.J. Tsai She also has made significant contributions to genomic resources development for Populus, the model species in tree genomics research.

from page 1

“With her distinguished record of scholarship and broad experience in higher education administration, Dr. Hirt is perfectly positioned to lead our College of Environment and Design into the future,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “I look forward to welcoming her to campus in July.”

Hirt is the author of more than 70 scholarly publications, including four books. Her most recent book, Zoned in the USA: The Origins and Implications of American Land-Use Regulation, has received several honors, including the John Friedmann Book Award from the Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning. Her research has been supported by many competitive grants and fellowships from agencies such as the National Endowment for the Humanities, the American Association of University Women, the American Council for Learned Societies and the Graham Foundation for Advanced Studies in the Fine Arts.

Hirt has delivered invited lectures at

universities across North America and Europe and was a visiting associate professor at Harvard University’s Graduate School of Design in the Department of Urban Planning and Design. Her teaching awards include the Virginia Tech Outstanding Dissertation Advisor Award in the Humanities and Social Sciences and its University Certificate of Teaching Excellence.

Hirt holds a Ph.D. and master’s degree in urban and regional planning from the University of Michigan and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Architecture and Civil Engineering in Sofia, Bulgaria.

“I am very excited to join the distinguished faculty and leadership team of the University of Georgia,” Hirt said.

“This is an incredible honor and privilege, and I look forward to building up the outstanding capacity of the College of Environment and Design to lead in solving the complex social and environmental problems of today.”

Bulletin Board PLC grant applications

The University of Georgia Parents Leadership Council Grants Program is seeking undergraduate student groups that demonstrate a positive impact on the university to apply to receive funding for the 2018-2019 academic year.

Grant applications are due Jan. 23 by 5 p.m. Grants will be accepted from only UGA schools, colleges, units, departments, divisions or student organizations registered with the Center for Student Activities and Involvement.

Eligible groups and programs show a clear commitment to enhancing the student experience at UGA. Since 2002, the council has funded $1.7 million in grants to various programs and organizations on campus, including the Counseling and Psychiatric Services Center at the University Health Center, the Office of the Dean of Students, Designated Dawgs Safe Rides program, Campus Kitchen at UGA and more.

To apply for a Parents Leadership

Council Grant, and for a complete list of guidelines and requirements, visit give.uga.edu/plcgrants.

For more information, email Anna Gray, parent and leadership giving coordinator, at annagray@uga.edu.

University Woman’s Club

The University Woman’s Club will hold its next general meeting Jan. 9 in the Fellowship Hall of Alps Road Presbyterian Church, which is located at 380 Alps Road.

The guest speaker for the program, which will begin at 11:30 a.m., is Seth Wilson, the UGA doctoral candidate who is one of the top earning contestants on Jeopardy! Wilson, who won $267,000 over 13 episodes of the game show last summer, will give a talk titled “The Fox and the Hedgehog, or How I Escaped Student Debt!”

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

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is one of only two universities in the state to be designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency. Faculty members in the UGA Institute for Cybersecurity and Privacy, part of the university’s department of computer science, conduct research in network and system security, security for mobile devices and the Internet of Things, and cyber-crime attribution, as well as several other areas related to cybersecurity. The campus-wide Georgia Informatics Institutes is a hub for research and instruction related to big data, and it fosters collaboration among campus units such as the Health Informatics Institute and department of management information systems.

In addition to research and instruction, UGA holds service as a core component of its three-part mission, with units across the state dedicated to addressing community and economic development needs. Hartwell/ Hart County and Griffin/Spalding County were chosen as pilot communities for the CyberArch program through their participation in the university’s Archway Partnership, a nationally recognized, collaborative and intensive program that addresses communityidentified needs.

On Dec. 15, UGA faculty, staff and students will hold their initial meeting with business and civic leaders in Hart County to identify community priorities and explore ideas for promoting a culture of data security.

A similar meeting is planned for January in Griffin.

“Individuals as well as organizations large and small are increasingly facing digital threats to the security of critical data and infrastructure,” noted Provost Pamela Whitten. “Through the CyberArch program, we are bringing research-based best practices to the public and private sectors to promote security and economic vitality.”

The CyberArch program builds on existing Public Service and Outreach programs related to cybersecurity, including the CyberStrength program offered through ­ the university’s Small Business Development Center. In addition, UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government provides technical assistance and security audits for local governments and regional commissions and offers training that helps chief information officers and other government employees proactively address vulnerabilities that put sensitive data and infrastructure at risk.

“As the land-grant and sea-grant institution, the University of Georgia is continually looking to extend its reach and show the impact of our research and teaching in ways that can directly benefit the state,” said Laura Meadows, UGA interim vice president for Public Service and Outreach. “The community based CyberArch initiative is a perfect opportunity to do just that. We believe that our work in Hart and Spalding counties could become a model for all of Georgia when it comes to cybersecurity.”

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OUTREACH

university’s high achieving students’ fears of asking for help, the students can be a little apprehensive at first, said Carrie Smith, assistant dean of students for student care and outreach.

“After the first meeting, we typically see a big change,” Smith said. “From there, they know that asking for help is going to put them in the best position to succeed.”

Once the goals and challenges of the students are fully understood, Student Care and Outreach then customizes a specific plan and campus-wide team to support the student moving forward. For example, an international student with a disability will require resources in the Office of International Education and the Disability Resource Center as well as professors, teaching assistants and student organization advisors. Student Care and Outreach may be in touch with the members of this custom-built “team” multiple times, coordinating support and ensuring progress.

This resource coordination is what makes the program a national leader, according to Smith.

“We’re truly creating a tailored network of support across the university,” she said. “We connect students with the resources, keep in consistent contact with those resources, and ensure that support is provided.”

Seagraves and Smith explained that UGA is already well-positioned for this approach to be effective, noting the existing collaboration between their office and campus units and the wealth of student resources. With a variety of resources and the faculty and staff ready to help, all that is needed is someone to coordinate the support, and that is where Student Care and Outreach steps in.

“At this point, it’s just a matter of getting students to contact us and faculty and staff to refer students to us,” Smith said.

Student Care and Outreach continues to fulfill its traditional roles, including contacting and assisting families in cases of severe illness or death, hosting the university’s annual memorial service and advising students during the hardship withdrawal process, but, as with the new tailored support model, the office continues to broaden its proactive support for students.

“Supporting students is not just something we do to ensure a high quality academic environment,” said Victor K. Wilson, vice president for student affairs. “UGA is a family, and we truly care about our students. We’re going to do everything we can to give them every opportunity to be successful.”

For more information, contact Student Care and Outreach at 706-542-7774 or visit the Office of the Dean of Students website at dos.uga.edu.

from page 1 the state to equip new farmers with the business acumen they need to succeed.

The Journeyman Farmer Certificate Program, offered at locations across the state, brings together UGA outreach units and outside groups to provide multifaceted training for beginning and young farmers.

The program focuses on developing mentorships for beginning farmers and providing nuts and bolts training in either small ruminant or vegetable production.

And, maybe most importantly, the program focuses on financial and business training.

Hollingsworth enrolled in the program in Gainesville and worked with Extension County Coordinator Bob Waldorf and SBDC Area Director Bruce Cutler to refine his business plan before launching his farm.

“I don’t want to lose money in retirement,” Hollingsworth said. “And that’s why I wanted to put together a business plan. As I did, it became a thing where I could look at it and say, ‘Yeah, you know, I could do this for the next 25 years and enjoy it.’”

The journeyman program has helped more than 500 young and beginning farmers since it was launched in 2015.

Some are young entrepreneurs looking to make the most of the market’s desire for more locally grown food. Some are traditional farmers who are looking to improve an inherited farming business. And many, like Hollingsworth, are second-career farmers looking to make the most of farming in their retirement.

Often those who go into farming have big dreams, a passion for hard work and a vision of the simplicity and peace of pastoral life. What they don’t have, in many cases, is a workable business plan.

“Up in this area we have a lot of people who are coming into the area and buying a small farm, and they’re calling me and asking me how they can make that farm work,” Waldorf said. “Their very first step should be having a plan down on paper to see if they can make it.”

The partnership between UGA Extension and SBDC makes sense because both groups deal with critical, but specialized, programming, Cutler said.

Agriculture businesses need this collaboration because of the unique challenges they face. A big part of the planning is helping people realize when an idea won’t work or that an idea needs major changes before it will work.

Having a community of like-minded entrepreneurs and advisers from both the business and agricultural fields can make that process easier. The Journeyman Farmer Certificate program fills those important needs for Georgia’s beginning farmers.