UGA Columns Feb. 11, 2019

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Professor invites GRA ­Eminent Scholar, daughter to co-teach undergrad class INSTRUCTIONAL NEWS

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Hodgson Wind Ensemble sets ‘Fireworks & Serenades’ Valentine’s Day concert Vol. 46, No. 24

February 11, 2019

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4&5

NSF renews grant to fund long-term ecological research

By Michael Terrazas

michael.terrazas@uga.edu

Dorothy Kozlowski

UGA’s Office of Sustainability offers students experiential learning opportunities and internships on campus and across Athens.

Red, black and green

UGA is committed to campus-wide sustainability

By Kellyn Amodeo

kwamodeo@uga.edu

A campus sustainability division and partnerships with Athens-Clarke County cement the University of Georgia’s commitment to social, environmental and economic stewardship.

The UGA Office of Sustainability is focused on teaching, research, service, student engagement and campus operations to address grand challenges through local solutions. The division offers students experiential learning opportunities and internships at organizations across Athens. Students can earn a sustainability certificate while partnering with faculty, staff and community organizations to create meaningful and positive change.

“Our commitment is to develop

inspired leaders, stronger communities and thriving natural systems,” said Kevin Kirsche, director of the Office of Sustainability. “We all benefit from stewardship of natural resources, and one easy place to start is by reducing the amount of waste that we generate.”

Kirsche points out that these initiatives do not stop on campus.

The division partners with the ACC government, local schools and nonprofit organizations to reduce waste, promote recycling and increase awareness.

“UGA has done a great job with sustainability efforts on campus and has been a great partner to ACCGOV off campus through internships, volunteer programs and event participation,” said Suki Janssen, solid waste director of ACC. “We appreciate their contributions to the ACC waste

division goals.”

Programs across campus have already made a major impact.

Research by UGA Dining Services showed that diners with trays would take more food than they would actually consume, meaning thousands of pounds of untouched food was discarded. In 2015, Dining Services partnered with the UGA Office of Sustainability to remove the trays to save more than 107,000 pounds of food and, because there are no trays to wash, 16,500 gallons of water per semester.

In addition to going trayless, Dining Services converted to 100 percent compostable items in the dining halls. There are no more plastic bags at dining facilities, and all teabags are now silk.

Pizza boxes at the Niche Pizza

See SUSTAINABILITY on page 8

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

Black students, faculty, staff and alumni use their experiences to help build UGA community

By Marilyn Primovic and Stan Jackson mjp82278@uga.edu, ugastan@uga.edu

The history of the University of Georgia consists of enduring triumphs and continuing challenges.

The history of black students, faculty and staff at the university is a living example of such triumphs. The courage, vision and commitment of individuals such as Charlayne Hunter, Hamilton Holmes, Mary Frances Early and numerous others is a testament to how challenges can be overcome.

Today, students, faculty, staff and alumni carry forward the

legacy formed by these individuals by achieving excellence and building community.

“I remind students that people before them endured hardship and accomplished great things,” said Victor Wilson, vice president for student affairs.

Sharing his own experience as a UGA student in the late 1970s, Wilson said he was called a hateful term during his first week of classes.

“I called my mom and wanted to come home,” said Wilson. “She told me to stay and be unapologetically black.”

Wilson shares his mother’s lessons with current students and adds his own advice: be resilient and

engage in the campus community.

The Division of Student Affairs is home to Multicultural Services and Programs. Several black affinity student organizations, including the UGA student chapter of the NAACP and the Black Theatrical Ensemble, are advised out of MSP. “These student organizations carry their missions forward in terms of bringing forth their culture and their unique perspectives on the University of Georgia campus,” said Wilson.

UGA NAACP

The mission of UGA’s NAACP chapter is to eliminate race-based See COMMUNITY on page 7

Georgia Coastal Ecosystems, a research program based at the University of Georgia Marine Institute, has just been renewed for another six years by the National Science Foundation with $6.7 million in funding.

The award marks the third renewal of GCE’s long-term ecological research, or LTER, grant from NSF and ensures that the group’s research will continue into its third decade from its base at the Marine Institute’s headquarters on Sapelo Island, Georgia. Established in 2000, the GCE studies ­long-term change in coastal ecosystems such as the

saltwater marshes that characterize Georgia’s coastline.

According to Merryl Alber, Marine Institute director and professor of marine sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, this next six-year chapter will focus on ecological disturbance—an appropriate theme for GCE-IV, since its home base at Sapelo has been substantially renovated after being flooded by Hurricane Irma in September 2017.

“There’s an irony of being a scientist studying these systems and then being subject to those same forces,” said Alber, who says the theme was nonetheless proposed See GRANT on page 8

TERRY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS

Shepherd Center co-founder to give this year’s Mason Lecture

By Matt Weeks

mweeks@uga.edu

Alana Shepherd, co-founder of Shepherd Center, will deliver the University of Georgia’s Mason Public Leadership Lecture Feb. 19 at 2 p.m. in the UGA Chapel.

She and her family co-founded Shepherd Center in 1975 in Atlanta to treat spinal-cord injury.

Since then, the center has grown from a six-bed unit to a worldrenowned, 152-bed rehabilitation hospital specializing in medical treatment, research and rehabilitation for people with spinal-cord injuries, brain injuries and other neurological conditions.

The Mason Public Leadership Lecture is supported by a grant from Keith Mason, an alumnus of UGA’s Terry College of Business and School of Law who serves as

principal for KWM Capital Management in Atlanta. The lecture features prominent business leaders who have contributed significantly Alana Shepherd to their communities or spent time in a public service role.

“On behalf of the University of Georgia, I want to thank Keith Mason for his continued support of this valuable lecture series, which helps to provide a worldclass learning environment for our students,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “We are excited to welcome Alana Shepherd, and we look forward to learning from her See LECTURE on page 8

SCHOOL OF LAW

New initiative to help military veterans attending law school

By Heidi Murphy

hmurphy@uga.edu

The University of Georgia School of Law announces the Butler Commitment, a new initiative that will guarantee financial aid to 100 percent of veterans who matriculate in the fall 2019 entering class.

“Thanks to the generous support to date, the School of Law has reached the point where every veteran currently enrolled in the entering class will receive financial aid,” School of Law Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge said. “What better way to honor military women

and men for their service than to provide them monetary support for their education. I am grateful to renowned trial attorney and 1977 law school alumnus Jim Butler for supporting this initiative. After serving our country, just as Jim’s father did, these men and women are seeking to build their careers.

It is an honor to be able to support them in their efforts to become lawyers and to obtain justice for others.”

The number of veterans pursuing a law degree at UGA has increased over the last few years. In 2017, three veterans matriculated,

See VETERANS on page 8

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Commit to Georgia 2019

Why I Give

OFFICE OF RESEARCH

Name: Joshua Podvin Position: Senior Coordinator for Community Partnerships in the Office of ServiceLearning At UGA: 12 years

Joshua Podvin

Beneficiary of his gift to the university: Public Service and Outreach

Why he contributes: “I believe it is important to directly support the work that my colleagues and our institution are doing to improve the lives of individuals in our local Athens community, across the state of Georgia and beyond.”

To make your contribution to the Commit to Georgia Campaign, please contact the Office of Annual Giving at 706-542-8119 or visit give.uga.edu.

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Vet med college to offer new master’s program The College of Veterinary Medicine has announced the formation of a one-year, non-thesis professional master’s program designed for students who are interested in pursuing careers in biomedical professions and wish to strengthen their knowledge in biomedical physiology before entering a professional degree program.

Part of the Comparative Biomedical Science graduate program, this is a structured, cohort-based, non-thesis degree that results in a Master of Science in comparative biomedical science with an emphasis in integrative biomedical physiology.

“We are excited to welcome our first students to this new program,” said Gaylen Edwards, professor and department head of physiology and pharmacology. “Our hope is that this program will benefit students seeking employment in biomedical-related fields or planning to attend professional school. After completing the program, they will be better-prepared and more competitive applicants to any professional program. The program will also provide a solid foundation in biomedical science for students planning to work in industry, advocacy or similar fields.”

UGA people and programs receive industry awards from Georgia Bio

By Allyson Mann tiny@uga.edu

The University of Georgia was well represented at this year’s Georgia Bio Awards, with three awards recognizing people and programs either at or affiliated with the university. The awards were presented by Georgia Bio, the association for Georgia’s life sciences industry, at its 2019 annual awards dinner, held Feb. 8 in Atlanta.

Georgia Bio members include pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device companies; medical centers; universities and research institutes; government groups; and other business organizations involved in the development of life sciences-related products and services.

This year, awards were presented to the International Biomedical Regulatory Sciences Program at the UGA College of Pharmacy and Benjamin Boward, a Ph.D. student in biochemistry and molecular biology at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

Another winner, Boehringer Ingelheim Animal Health USA Inc., is a longtime industry partner of UGA. “The Georgia Bio annual awards recognize industry leaders, key innovations and strategic financing deals that highlight the rapidly growing life science industry in Georgia,” said Derek Eberhart, associate vice president of research and executive director of Innovation Gateway, which oversees UGA’s licensing and startup program.

“The bioscience industry is vital to Athens and Georgia—it generates jobs for university graduates and catalyzes industry-university research partnerships, which lead to new products and companies that benefit not only the citizens of Georgia, but citizens of the nation and the world.”

UGA professor Michael Bartlett accepted a Community Award presented to the International Biomedical Regulatory Sciences Program at the university’s College of Pharmacy.

The program provides specialized ­education in the scientific and technical

WILLSON CENTER FOR HUMANITIES AND ARTS

‘Annihilation’ author Jeff VanderMeer to open Global Georgia Initiative Feb. 14

By Dave Marr

davemarr@uga.edu

Jeff VanderMeer has been called a “master of the literary head trip” (by Kirkus Reviews), “Poe-like” (by The New York Times), and, perhaps most intriguingly, “the weird Thoreau” (by The New Yorker).

The enormously successful author of the Southern Reach trilogy and Borne will give a reading and talk Feb. 14 at 7 p.m. in the Seney-Stovall Chapel, 200 N. Milledge Ave., as the first visiting speaker in the 2019 Global Georgia Initiative of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts.

In his best-known fiction,VanderMeer depicts an uncanny version of the natural world, often dangerously unleashed against humanity with mysterious forces at work alongside more banal horrors such as mankind’s failure to reckon with the climate change crisis. But there is a sublime majesty to this world and its mysteries.

“VanderMeer’s writing views the unknown as not just terrifying and monstrous, but also beautiful, because it is terrifying and monstrous,” said Nancee Reeves, a lecturer in the English department of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. She will introduce VanderMeer at the Seney-Stovall Chapel.

“It gives a vocabulary to hopes and fears that are a big part of the human experience but

are almost impossible to articulate with everyday images and language.

VanderMeer’s writing acknowledges that most people, most experiences, are unknowable and that’s OK. We are all unknowable together.”

The first book of the Jeff VanderMeer Southern Reach trilogy, Annihilation, was adapted by writer-director Alex Garland for a 2018 film of the same name starring Natalie Portman and Jennifer Jason-Leigh. The other two books of the trilogy, Authority and Acceptance, have also been licensed for film productions, as has Borne.

In addition to these recent works, VanderMeer has published a handful of novels and short story collections including City of Saints and Madmen: The Book of Ambergris (2001) and Finch (2009). His essays and literary criticism have been extensively published, including by The Washington Post and The Guardian. He has also edited a number of short-fiction anthologies, usually with his wife, Ann VanderMeer. His most recent book is the 2017 novella The Strange Bird: A Borne Story.

VanderMeer will appear at Avid Bookshop, 493 Prince Ave., for a signing event Feb. 14 at 5 p.m. prior to his event at the Seney-Stovall Chapel.

Benjamin Boward accepted an Emerging Leader of the Year Award.

approaches needed to gain approval for new products, as well as maintaining existing products on the market. The program is global in scale and covers both domestic and international regulations across a range of biomedical products. The award was one of six presented to individuals, companies or institutions whose contributions to Georgia’s life sciences community are worthy of special recognition.

“The International Biomedical Regulatory Sciences Program is the most comprehensive program of its kind in the country,” said Bartlett, director and Georgia Athletic Association Professor in Pharmacy. “No program covers the range of products—medical devices, animal health products, vaccines, monoclonal antibodies, stem cell therapies and pharmaceuticals—that our program does.”

Boward accepted an Emerging Leader of the Year Award, presented to young individuals who have made a significant impact on the life sciences industry through their studies or employment.

Boward studies stem cell biology, specifically the genetic regulation of embryonic kidney development, with Stephen Dalton, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of Molecular Biology and director of UGA’s Center for Molecular Medicine. Boward has been extensively involved in the entrepreneurship and technology

Amy Ware

transfer community in Athens, serving as the entrepreneurial lead for the InfraredRx Inc. team in the first NSF I-Corps cohort at UGA, as an intern in UGA’s Innovation Gateway, and as co-manager of due diligence for the BioMed Investor Network. He is the UGA liaison for the Emerging Leaders Network and volunteers with events like the Georgia BioEd Institute Golf Outing and the Georgia Bio Annual Summit. After graduating, he will join a biotechnology company in Boston to work on developing diagnostic assays for cancer detection.

Boehringer Ingelheim received a Deal of the Year Award for economic development for investments in Georgia facilities. The award is presented to companies for the most significant financial or commercial transactions based on importance to Georgia’s life sciences industry. Boehringer Ingelheim and UGA have worked together for more than three decades, spanning more than 100 formal collaborations ranging from the exchange of materials to license agreements that have seen university innovations become commercial products. The partnership was recognized in 2014 by Georgia Bio, when Boehringer Ingelheim—then known as Merial—and UGA received a Phoenix Award recognizing honorees who forged academic and industry relationships that drive translation and lead to new treatments and cures.

FOUNDERS DAY LECTURE

Speaker: Be mindful of the past

By Emily Webb

sew30274@uga.edu

To move forward, we have to be mindful of the past, said Freda Scott Giles at the Founders Day Lecture on Jan. 28.

“Now, that doesn’t mean you get mired in the past, but you have to be mindful of the past,” said Giles, an associate professor emerita of theatre and film studies and African American studies. “When we look back at the past, if we give it a good look, we may see that we have missed something that needs to be brought forward.”

To illustrate her point, she used the life of W.E.B. Du Bois, the first African American to earn a Ph.D. from Harvard.

A social scientist, Du Bois is credited with being a pioneer for applying scientific knowledge to the field. He was a historian and a writer of social science and nonfiction books, as well as novels, poetry and plays.

“When he first became an academic, Du Bois thought empirical evidence could affect the change he hoped for his people,” Giles said. “He soon found out that is not enough. Racism is not rational, so rational means to combat it are not sufficient. The power of story can move where the power of science cannot.”

Du Bois believed art was connected to social change.

Giles reminded the audience that in looking back, we may find information that

we don’t like, and she advised the audience to be resistant readers.

“When you look back, you don’t have to buy in,” she said. “If we’re not going to engage, we can’t get the other side. We’re in a period now where we’re being steeped in anger. We’re almost being marinated in it. We don’t have to respond that way.

That’s what I love about the potential of being in a place of study. You have the potential to fight in a good way over these ideas. We have to look, even if we don’t enjoy looking.”

Giles believes in the importance of Sankofa and the humanities.

Sankofa is an Akan symbol that represents the proverb, “It is not taboo to fetch what is at risk of being left behind.” The idea is represented by the Sankofa bird, whose head turns toward the past, but its feet point toward the future.

“In looking back, even over what seems to be familiar territory, we might find something that has been overlooked that can give us a new perspective, and with that idea, lead us into a better future,” she said. “And also, the arts are essential and necessary to every human being, and it’s necessary for understanding, appreciating and possibly changing our world.

“As we celebrate the 234th anniversary of our university, I look forward to seeing what we will retrieve as we look back,” she said.

INSTRUCTIONAL NEWS

columns.uga.edu Feb. 11, 2019

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Digest Georgia Museum of Art’s Elegant Salute raises more than $300,000

Dorothy Kozlowski

Karl Espelie, left, has been inviting speakers to his class for nearly 30 years. Cheryl Maier, center, has participated since 2002.

This will mark her 15th year teaching the class with her father, Robert Maier, right.

Speaking from experience GRA Eminent Scholar, daughter co-teach undergraduate class for more than a decade

By Leigh Beeson lbeeson@uga.edu

Almost 30 years ago, Karl Espelie began teaching a class that brought in speakers from biological and health science professions as a way to show students their options.

Cheryl Maier was one of those students in 2002, and she has been one of the speakers every year since. Espelie, a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Entomology, wanted his students to see the undergraduate research opportunities available to them, so he asked Maier, who worked in Steven Stice’s lab as a student, to speak to his class. And although she graduated from UGA in 2004, she kept coming back through eight years of medical school and doctoral studies at Yale University.

On Feb. 18, she’ll be back for her 15th year teaching with her dad, GRA Eminent Research Scholar Robert Maier. The professor of microbial physiology had spoken with classes on his own while Cheryl was an undergrad, but Espelie thought it might be fun to have the pair co-teach.

“The class made such an influence on my trajectory,” said Cheryl Maier, now a transfusion medicine specialist in the department of pathology and laboratory medicine at the Emory School of Medicine. “At first, coming back to teach was a nice excuse to come home to Athens. But I have come to cherish the

energy and enthusiasm of the students and also the opportunity to support their career development in some small way.

There’s nothing more rewarding than coming back and sharing my experience, and later hearing how it positively influenced another student’s path. Plus, it’s so special co-teaching with my dad.”

The guest speakers don’t just discuss research in the class. They get a little more personal.

“I talk about my career path and why I do what I do today—study microbes,” Robert Maier said, “and why I made the decisions that I did about going to graduate school and what I worked on there. Then I went to Johns Hopkins for 20 years as a faculty member, and then I was recruited here. And I talk about the rationale on making those big career decisions and about how the Georgia Research Alliance has impacted my career.”

Likewise, Cheryl Maier tells students that she didn’t expect a career in transfusion medicine, but she kept an open mind and ended up in a field she loves.

“I always tell the students that I remember being in their seats, trying to pass organic chemistry and taking all of these hard classes,” she said. “College can be very difficult.

“When I was in their shoes, I didn’t know that I would be going to go off to Yale for the M.D.-Ph.D. program and that things would fall into place.

When you’re in the weeds of it, it can feel very daunting. I am thankful for the guidance I got from Dr. Espelie’s class and from other professors, including my dad, that kept me passionate and focused on my goals.”

The class also serves as an opportunity for students to make connections with people who can help advance their careers. Like Cheryl Maier, several of the speakers took the class themselves when they were sophomores, which gives students the encouragement that they too can successfully make it through their classes and on to the careers of their dreams.

“I feel blessed that such outstanding people are willing to be guests in the class, and it gives a really wonderful opportunity for the undergraduates to be able to meet these people,” Espelie said. “And they really care about the students.”

This semester, Espelie is continuing the tradition of family co-teaching, adding one more familiar face to the speaker lineup: his daughter, Erin Espelie, an assistant professor of cinema studies and moving image arts at the University of Colorado Boulder, filmmaker and editor-in-chief of Natural History magazine.

“She’s very much involved in trying to have an interface between art and science in filmmaking,” Espelie said.

“She’s a great example of somebody who took a different road.”

FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES Initiative to create coursework for cell manufacturing workers Research teams at the University of Georgia and the University of Pennsylvania, along with four private firms, are taking part in an 18-month federally sponsored project led by the Georgia Institute of Technology that will develop a much-needed curriculum to train workers for the fledgling cell manufacturing industry.

The $1.4 million effort will work to develop training materials for cell and gene therapy manufacturing and cell-based biologics manufacturing.

The curriculum development project is part of the National Institute for Innovation in Manufacturing B iopharmaceuticals, or NIIMBL, ­ which the U.S. Department of Commerce is supporting with a five-year, $70 million grant.

The goal of the training project is

to develop course modules that can be used for certificate or graduate degree programs in biomanufacturing. The modules will be designed to give students in traditional classrooms and through distance learning courses instruction on cell processing and culturing as well as quality control and aspects of supply chain logistics. The modules will also train students in best manufacturing practices and regulatory compliance as well as cultural sensitivity and policy awareness.

The research team at Georgia Tech will focus on developing training that involves cell characterization and bioprocessing, logistics and supply chain management and other processoriented aspects of manufacturing.

Researchers at UGA will, among other things, focus on biopharmaceuticals

process development, risk management and regulatory aspects, while the team at UPenn will develop training related to the delivery of cells and therapies as well as regulatory and entrepreneurial aspects of the industry.

“The upstream and downstream processing modules will have hands-on training components which will benefit our students who rarely see biomanufacturing operations in a traditional university lab setting,” said David Blum, a co-principal investigator of this project and an associate research scientist and director of the Bioexpression and Fermentation Facility at UGA. Blum will work with colleagues in UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine Educational Resources group and its Institute for International Biomedical Regulatory Sciences.

On Jan. 26, the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art hosted the 16th biennial Elegant Salute, the museum’s largest fundraising event, bringing in more than $300,000 in sponsorships and ticket sales. Elegant Salute is a black-tie event that provides critical funding for exhibitions and educational programs.

The theme for this year’s Elegant Salute was “An Imperial Evening,” inspired by the exhibition The Reluctant Autocrat: Tsar Nicholas II and followed by a “From Russia with Love” dance party with DJ Mahogany.

The sponsorship goal for the event was an ambitious $200,000, but fundraising co-chairs Ham Magill, David Matheny and Gordhan Patel managed to increase that amount by nearly 50 percent, to $279,000. Ticket sales brought in the rest of the amount raised.

The museum relies on private donations to continue its efforts in artistic education and outreach in the state of Georgia and beyond.

11 UGA undergraduates named recipients of 2019 Gilman Scholarship

Eleven UGA undergraduate students have been awarded the highly competitive Benjamin A. Gilman Scholarship to help fund their summer 2019 international education programs.

They are some of 395 students from 152 universities across the U.S. to receive this scholarship from the summer early decision application cycle.

The Gilman Scholarship grants students up to $5,000 to put toward studying or interning abroad. Their goal is to diversify and expand the number of students in America who are able to participate in study abroad programs.

The program was administered through the Office of Global Engagement, which oversees and assists students with anything involving international education.

The summer early decision application recipients and their international education destinations are Tatiana Anthony, Tanzania; Marion Cassim, China; Jodie Ehorn, Ghana; Crystal Gomez, Spain; Jocelyn Guzman-Corral, Peru; Samira Kanetkar, Ghana; Evette Martinez, Croatia; Obianuju Okeke, South Africa; Omowunmi Oni, Bolivia; Katera Powell, South Africa; and Cecilia Turner, South Africa.

Former basketball standouts Kelly and Coco Miller named 2019 SEC Legends

Kelly and Coco Miller, twin sisters from Rochester, Minnesota, who rank No. 4 and No. 5, respectively, on the Georgia Lady Bulldogs’ all-time career scoring list, have been named 2019 Southeastern Conference Women’s Basketball Legends.

Each year, the SEC honors outstanding former female student-athletes from each member institution. The Miller twins will take part in several festivities during the week of the SEC Tournament in Greenville, South Carolina, on March 6-10. They will then be recognized at halftime of the Lady Bulldogs’ first game in the tournament.

Kelly and Coco were both four-year starters for the Lady Bulldogs from 1997-2001 and helped Georgia advance to the 1999 Final Four, capture the 2000 SEC championship and win the 2001 SEC tournament title. Kelly (2,177 points) and Coco (2,131 points) are two of only five Lady Bulldogs to score more than 2,000 points. They also rank among Georgia’s top-10 career leaders in field goals made and attempted as well as steals. They graduated with degrees in biology and went on to have long professional playing careers in the WNBA and overseas.

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

EXHIBITION

Put a Bird on It. Through March 3. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden.

The Reluctant Autocrat: Tsar Nicholas II. Through March 17.

Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.

Education of the Negro: A Depression Era Photographic Study by Dr. Horace Mann Bond. Through March 25. Special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. washnock@uga.edu.

Stony the Road We Trod. Through April 28. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.

Fighting Spirit: Wally Butts and UGA Football, 1939-1950.

Through May 10. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu.

Nevertheless, She Resisted: Documenting the Women’s Marches. Through May 17. Hargrett Library Gallery, special collections libraries. 706-583-0213. jhebbard@uga.edu.

Under the Big Top: The American Circus and Traveling Tent Shows. Through July 5. Special collections libraries.

706-583-0213. jhebbard@uga.edu.

Out of the Darkness: Light in the Depths of the Sea of Cortez.

Through Oct. 27. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817. hazbrown@uga.edu.

MONDAY, FEB. 11 FILM SCREENING Last of the Longnecks explores the plight of giraffes and the implications of their demise in the rapidly changing world. The film follows top scientists, wildlife conservationists and antipoachers to shed light on the giraffe’s struggle, celebrate what makes these majestic animals unique and discover what hope can be found in the tangled relationship between humanity and nature. Sponsored by Speak Out for Species and the UGA Office of Sustainability as part of the Animal Voices Film Festival.

7 p.m. 150 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796. sos@uga.edu.

TUESDAY, FEB. 12 ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Can Host-Parasite Energetics Improve Disease Prediction,” David Civitello, assistant professor of biology at Emory University. Reception follows seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the ecology building lobby. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. bethgav@uga.edu.

FRIENDS OF THE GARDEN LECTURE About 250,000 people attend the annual Philadelphia Flower Show. Connie Cottingham and Pat Brusack will share their favorite exhibits, offer tips on how to the get the most from the show, what to avoid and recommend nearby attractions. Light reception before the talk provided by the Friends of the Garden. $10; free for Friends of the Garden. 6:30 p.m. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 13 WORKSHOP “Writing, Engagement and Critical Thinking: Using Writing to

Enhance Student Learning.” Mike Palmquist will explore the connections among writing, critical thinking and student learning, with a focus on strategies that emerge from the writingacross-the-curriculum movement. In addition to exploring the connections between critical thinking and writing, this talk also will consider how other activities such as presentation assignments, research projects and design projects might be used productively in courses to engage students more deeply in course content and approaches. 8:45 a.m. 277 special collections libraries. 706-542-1261. lharding@uga.edu.

TERRY LEADERSHIP SPEAKER SERIES Mark Spain, chairman and CEO of Mark Spain Real Estate, is an Atlanta native and a University of Georgia graduate from the Terry College of Business. Spain is a second-generation agent and developed a zeal for customer service after watching his dad in business. MSRE has five locations in Georgia, two locations in North Carolina and one location in Tennessee.

10:10 a.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-542-7990. adavis@uga.edu.

WORKSHOP Mike Palmquist will explore the ways in which writing across the curriculum activities—writing to learn, writing to engage and writing to communicate—can support active teaching and learning in courses across the disciplines. Participants can expect to leave the workshop with an understanding of key approaches, the role these approaches can play in supporting active teaching and learning, and the role they can play in supporting the development of learners’ critical thinking skills. 11:15 a.m. Reading Room, Miller Learning Center.

706-542-1261. lharding@uga.edu.

TOUR AT TWO Shawnya Harris, the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art, will give a tour of the exhibition Stony the Road We Trod. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

DISCUSSION This informal event is an opportunity for administrators and program directors to brainstorm, strategize and troubleshoot efforts to enhance writing across the University of Georgia’s undergraduate curriculum. Join Mike Palmquist and others engaged in curriculum change efforts here at UGA to plan and prepare to better support student writers across campus. 3 p.m.

Library, Park Hall. 706-542-1355. lharding@uga.edu.

FACULTY LECTURE The College of Environment and Design faculty lecture series featuring Dean Sonia Hirt. 4:30 p.m. 123 Jackson Street Building.

By Kristen Morales kmorales@uga.edu

Through film, poetry and on-stage readings, a variety of artists will come together in February and March to draw attention to the myriad ways our society can make people feel invisible—and move those experiences from the negative to the positive.

This series of events, called “This is (Not) What I Expected: Difference and Dignity Through Literature and the Arts,” is inspired by the 2014 book Citizen: An American Lyric by Claudia Rankine. In it, the author recounts acts of racial aggressions she experienced through everyday encounters. For the reader, the book simultaneously coaxes and pushes us to confront these experiences.

The events in the series aim to have a similar effect in person, pushing attendees to pause, question and reflect on their own actions, both in the past and in the future.

“The purpose is to have conversations about what it means to have micro-validation,” said Melisa Cahnmann-Taylor, a professor in the UGA College of Education who created the series. “It’s about making people feel visible in positive ways, not making them feel visible in negative ones.”

The kickoff event in the series takes place Feb. 20 when author and speaker Regina E. Mason presents her documentary Gina’s Story: The Search for William Grimes. Mason is the great-great-great granddaughter of William Grimes, the author of the first published American slave narrative, and the film tells the story of Grimes as well as Mason’s 15-year process to authenticate his story.

The talk and screening take place 4:30-7 p.m.

Feb. 20 in Room 148 of the Miller Learning Center.

Admission is free.

Other events in the series include: • Indigenous poetry and performance by Heid pass holder, they must purchase a Ramsey guest pass or a oneclass fitness pass to attend. $6 without a fitness pass (must be a Ramsey member). 8 p.m. Mind/Body Studio, Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-8023. lisawilliamson@uga.edu.

FRIDAY, FEB. 15

VALENTINE’S DINNER Share a romantic dinner and drinks under the stars in a tropical conservatory with live piano music. Every couple goes home with a blooming orchid plant. There will be two seatings for the event: 5:30 p.m. in the Gardenside Room and 7:30 p.m. in the Great Room. $75 per person. State Botanical Garden.

706-542-1244. garden@uga.edu.

WOMEN’S STUDIES FRIDAY SPEAKER SERIES “Crabs in a Barrel Syndrome? Race, Gender and Intra-Group Conflict within the Workplace,” Juanita Forrester, Mercer University, Stetson School of Business and Economics. 12:20 p.m.

250 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-2846. tlhat@uga.edu.

Hodgson Wind Ensemble to commemorate Valentine’s Day with ‘Fireworks & Serenades’

ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION: TREE TRAIL RAMBLE In 1941, Georgia chose the third Friday in February to observe Arbor Day. Join Berkeley Boone to learn about and celebrate the trees at the garden. 2 p.m. Visitor Center Fountain, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156. cscamero@uga.edu.

The University of Georgia’s Hodgson Wind Ensemble will share its love of music in a Valentine’s Day program titled “Fireworks & Serenades.” The concert takes place in Hodgson Hall on Feb. 14 at 7:30 p.m.

Joining the Wind Ensemble are Philip Smith, trumpet, the William F. and Pamela P. Prokasy Professor in the Arts, and Sheila Smith, soprano, who will perform music of George and Ira Gershwin. Reid Messich, associate professor of oboe, is featured in Frank Ticheli’s Serenade for Kristin. Wind band works

by Stravinksy, Sousa, Cuong, Gillingham and Denza round out the concert.

In addition to the music, a special Valentine’s Day

photo booth, sponsored by the sisters of Sigma Alpha Iota, will be in the lobby before and after the concert.

“The Hodgson Wind Ensemble and guests are ready to serenade, and fireworks are guaranteed,” said conductor Cynthia Johnston Turner, UGA director of bands.

The Hodgson Wind Ensemble is the premier performing ensemble of UGA bands, having garnered an international reputation for its artistry, precision, sensitivity and musicianship. Tickets to the concert, part of the Thursday Scholarship Series, are $6-$20 and are available online at pac.uga.edu by phone at 706-542-4400.

For those unable to attend, live streaming will be available at music.uga.edu/live-streaming.

For more program information or questions, call 706-542-1505 or email ugawindensembles@uga.edu.

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/.

WUGA FEBRUARY ARTIST IN RESIDENCE EVENT Barbette Houser distills visual ideas from nature and beautiful hand-made items into simplified, abstract interpretations in quilted pieces that vibrate with light and energy. The event will be held at her home rain or shine with hors d’oeuvres, lemonade and tea catered by Marti’s at Midday and wine supplied by Uncommon Gourmet. Didi Dunphy, head of the Lyndon House, will speak briefly about Houser’s work at the event. Admission is $15 for Friends of WUGA and $20 for nonmembers. 3 p.m. At the home of the artist. 706-542-9842. bradberry@uga.edu.

SOFTBALL vs. Buffalo. 3:30 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium.

MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. LSU. $15. 6 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

SUNDAY, FEB. 17

BASEBALL vs. Dayton. $5-$8. 5 p.m. Foley Field.

SOFTBALL vs. Winthrop. 1 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium.

SOFTBALL vs. Omaha. 6 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium.

MONDAY, FEB. 18 PRESIDENTS DAY Classes in session; offices open.

SATURDAY, FEB. 16

david.stanley@uga.edu

Erdrich, an award-winning author and playwright who has also published a series of children’s books in her native Ojibwe language. This event takes place 7-9 p.m. March 5 at Cine, 234 W. Hancock St. • Poet, essayist and novelist M. Nourbese Philip, who writes about race and culture. She will perform her work and connect it to Citizen at 7 p.m.

March 21 at Cine.

• A staged reading of Citizen: An American Lyric by faculty and students of the UGA theatre department and community actors, combining poetry with commentary, visual art, slogans and scripts. This free event takes place starting at 7 p.m. March 22 and 23 at the Seney-Stovall Chapel, 200 N. Milledge Ave. • A book discussion and writing response for Citizen, where participants can write their own reflections on past experiences with microaggression or micro-validation. This takes place from noon-1 p.m.

March 25 in Room 119 of Aderhold Hall.

BASEBALL vs. Dayton. $5-$8. 1 p.m. Foley Field.

PERFORMANCE Farruquito danced onto the international stage at age 4 alongside his grandfather in the Broadway show Flamenco Puro. A band of live musicians and dancers join him on stage for this performance of Southern Spain’s expressive art form. Tickets start at $30. 7:30 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. ugaarts@uga.edu.

By David Jackson Stanley

Regina Mason, left, and M. Nourbese Philip, right, will perform as part of a series of events titled “This is (Not) What I Expected: Difference and Dignity Through Literature and the Arts.”

SOFTBALL vs. Winthrop. 3:30 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium.

GYMNASTICS vs. Kentucky. $10. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

Philip Smith, left, and Reid Messich, right, will join the Hodgson Wind Ensemble for a Valentine’s Day concert.

4&5

Series of events uses art to explore differences

THURSDAY, FEB. 14

HEART HEALTH MONTH: YOGA FOR TWO Bring a partner for Valentine’s Day Yoga for Two. At least one partner must be a fitness pass holder. If second partner is not a

columns.uga.edu Feb. 11, 2019

COLLEGIATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE The Collegiate Leadership Conference is a one-day leadership conference sponsored by the Center for Student Activities & Involvement at the University of Georgia. The conference is designed to provide leadership development opportunities for emerging, as well as seasoned leaders across the Southeast. $15 for UGA/Athens students; $65 for non-UGA/Athens students, faculty and staff. 8 a.m. Tate Student Center.

706-542-6396. ugaclc@uga.edu.

ZUMBA® BASIC 1 This introductory training will give participants the tools they need to lead a Zumba® class. Learn the Zumba® formula, the four basic rhythms and more. $225. 9 a.m. Studio D, Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-8023. lisawilliamson@uga.edu.

LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION: FAMILY FUN FESTIVAL Learn about Chinese cultural and Lunar New Year traditions found throughout Asia. Enjoy music, food, literature and artmaking by creating origami crafts, learning to use chop sticks and exploring new vegetables and snacks. The Year of the Pig officially began Feb. 5. $2 per person (children younger than age 2 are admitted free). 10 a.m. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156. bwboone@uga.edu.

SOFTBALL vs. Omaha. 1 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium.

BASEBALL vs. Dayton. $5-$8. 2 p.m. Foley Field.

FILM SCREENING The End of Meat is a groundbreaking documentary film envisioning a future where meat consumption belongs to the past.

Filmmaker Marc Pierschel embarks on a journey to seven different countries to discover what effect a post-meat world would have on the environment, the animals and humans. He meets Esther the Wonder Pig, who became an internet phenomenon; talks to pioneers leading the vegan movement in Germany; visits the first fully vegetarian city in India; witnesses rescued farm animals enjoying their newly found freedom; observes the future food innovators making meat and dairy without the animals; and more. The film focuses on scientists, artists, doctors, entrepreneurs, philosophers and activists who are creating change in the world and giving hope for a sustainable future. Discussion led by Janet Frick, UGA psychology professor.

Sponsored by Speak Out for Species and the UGA Office of Sustainability as part of the Animal Voices Film Festival. 7 p.m.

150 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796. sos@uga.edu.

WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Ole Miss. $5. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

COMING UP THE MASON PUBLIC LEADERSHIP LECTURE Feb. 19. Alana Shepherd will deliver the Mason Public Leadership Lecture, which features prominent business leaders who have contributed significantly to their communities or spend time in a public service role. Shepherd and her family co-founded Shepherd Center in 1975 in Atlanta to treat spinal cord injuries. Alana, with her husband Harold and son James, founded Shepherd Center after James sustained a paralyzing spinal cord injury in 1973. For their contributions to health care and the state of Georgia, Alana, Harold and James Shepherd were awarded honorary degrees by the University of Georgia in 2011. Among her many other accolades, Alana received the 2012 J.W. Fanning Award and the Georgia Hospital Association’s 2009 Lifetime Heroic Achievement Award. Sponsored by the Terry College of Business and supported by a contribution from Terry alumnus and lawyer Keith Mason. 2 p.m. Chapel.

TO SUBMIT A LISTING FOR THE MASTER CALENDAR AND COLUMNS Post event information first to the Master Calendar website (calendar.uga.edu/). Listings for Columns are taken from the Master Calendar 12 days before the publication date.

Events not posted by then may not be printed in Columns.

Any additional information about the event may be sent directly to Columns. Email is preferred (columns@uga.edu), but materials can be mailed to Columns, Marketing & Communications, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Campus Mail 1999.

In addition, a select number of attendees at the staged reading and book discussion will receive a copy of Citizen.

The event series is produced in partnership with the UGA College of Education and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and is supported by grants from the UGA Willson Center for the Humanities and Arts, Verse Magazine and the Georgia Humanities, in partnership with the Georgia Department of Economic Development through funding from the Georgia General Assembly.

Cahnmann-Taylor said she hopes the events can draw an even larger audience to the acclaimed book that inspired the series. For her, it’s a “must-read.”

“There are some books that just define the American experience, and this book is one of them.

It is universal,” she said. “There are moments in the book any of us can identify with.”

For full event details, visit coe.uga.edu/citizen.

Recent history highlighted in women’s marches exhibit

By Jan Hebbard

jhebbard@uga.edu

The Women’s March on Washington, D.C., in January 2017 comes into focus in a new exhibition titled Nevertheless, She Resisted: Documenting the Women’s Marches at the University of Georgia’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library An estimated 725,000 protesters gathered in the streets of Washington for the first Women’s March in 2017. Cities across the country and around the world echoed the scene, hosting sister marches that drew an additional 4.1 million attendees. Protesters gathered one day after the presidential inauguration to voice their concerns following a divisive campaign season.

Nevertheless, She Resisted examines the Women’s March of 2017 and 2018 through posters, photographs, articles and ephemera. It explores the branding of a new women’s movement and the connections it shares with historic movements for suffrage and women’s rights in the U.S. The display also considers the counter-protesters who appeared at these demonstrations, and the signs, buttons and other ephemera generated in support of their view.

Finally, it explores the ways in which this ongoing movement has shifted and evolved.

Much of the material on display documents recent events, but some of the objects invite visitors to look back to past women’s movements and their connections to the present day. Exhibit curator Terri Hatfield of the University of Georgia’s Institute for Women’s Studies wants visitors to walk away with an understanding of the scope of these events.

“I hope this exhibit gives a sense of the broader political implications and issues that compelled people to protest, and draws connections to women’s movements of the past and their historic impact,” she said.

The items on display are all part of the Lucy Hargrett Draper Center and Archives for the Study of the Rights of Women in History and Law. The Draper Center and Archives documents the world’s movements for women’s rights.

The Hargrett Library Gallery is inside the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries at 300 S. Hull Street. The building is open free to the public from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. weekdays and 1-5 p.m. Saturdays.

Nevertheless, She Resisted will be on display through May 17.

706-542-7990. leadership@terry.uga.edu. (See story, page 1.)

ECOLOGY SEMINAR Feb. 19. “Landscape Vegetation Dynamics in a Changing World,” Kai Zhu, assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz. Reception follows seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the ecology building lobby. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu.

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Feb. 13 (for Feb. 25 issue) Feb. 20 (for March 4 issue) March 6 (for March 18 issue)

6 Feb. 11, 2019 columns.uga.edu

CAMPUS CLOSEUP

Belief-driven buyers

Bryan Reber, head of the advertising and public relations department in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, was quoted in USA Today about Gillette’s 2019 pre-Super Bowl commercial.

An ad expert believes the company released the ad before the Super Bowl to keep the commercial from getting lost with the other Super Bowl ads. The ad, “We Believe,” addresses issues such as sexual harassment, misogyny and bullying. While the commercial has caused some backlash, socially conscious ads appeal to belief-driven buyers.

“I’m not in their heads, but I suspect that they’re thinking about what we who study this sort of thing know—that younger consumers are more loyal to brands that they perceive as willing to take a stand,” said Reber, who is the C. Richard Yarbrough Professor in Crisis Communication Leadership. “Young consumers will change brands, and even jobs, to align with an organization that they feel aligns with their values.”

Best shot

Dennis Kyle, a professor of infectious diseases and cellular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in Chemical and Engineering News about parasitic worms.

The parasitic nematode worms responsible for diseases such as river blindness and elephantiasis currently infect more than 150 million people in tropical regions around the world. An academic-industry consortium has unveiled a preclinical drug candidate that could halt the parasites after a seven-day treatment. Current treatments only target immature larvae called microfilariae and leave adults free to reproduce, so long-term treatment programs are needed to clear the worms from patients. The new drug candidate targets a bacterium called Wolbachia that lives inside the worm and is essential for the parasite’s reproduction, although researchers have yet to figure out why.

“It looks like a much better option,” said Kyle, GRA Eminent Scholar in Antiparasitic Drug Discovery and director of UGA’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, who was not involved in the research. “This is very good news.”

Flooding fears

Catherine Edwards, an assistant professor in the department of marine sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in the Ocala Star Banner about extreme weather.

Predicting the paths of hurricanes has improved in recent years, but predicting their intensity remains tough and problematic. This was a takeaway from a recent forum sponsored by the Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association in Jacksonville. Hurricane intensity predictions are regularly off by one category, and that’s a pretty significant difference.

Edwards, who works with UGA’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, said the constant threat of flooding has caught the attention of property owners. “The nuisance flooding is a lot more than a nuisance. It’s regular now,” she said.

Processed profile

Robert Shewfelt, professor emeritus of food and science technology, was quoted in KPCnews about processed foods and their reputation.

Most people, Shewfelt said, think of processed foods as Twinkies or Doritos, but the term covers a much wider spectrum. According to a 2016 article by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, any food that has been “purposely changed in some way prior to consumption” is a processed food. This includes frozen dinners, potato chips, bagged spinach, frozen fruit and canned vegetables. Shewfelt spent his career working with consumer perceptions and fresh fruits and vegetables and wrote a book titled In Defense of Processed Food: It’s Not Nearly as Bad as You Think.

“Be careful when you see the term processed foods that you try and understand it,” he said.

“Not all processed foods are junk, and not all junk foods are processed.”

Dorothy Kozlowski

Laura Kelley’s policy work as a Staff Council member was a motivating factor in her decision to return to school and earn a doctorate from UGA.

College of Education staff member keeps learning at work and in life

By Krista Richmond krichmond@uga.edu

For Laura Kelley, education doesn’t end with a degree.

“I don’t ever want to stop learning,” she said. “I want to take something and continually develop my knowledge of that content area.”

That’s why she’s working toward a doctorate in educational policy and administration and educational policy and law while helping students in the College of Education get ready to lead their own classrooms.

Kelley, a program coordinator in the college’s educational theory and practice department, works with students—mostly those studying social studies education and middle grades education—to prepare them for a teaching career. That can include everything from preparing for certification to making sure they’re taking classes in the correct order.

“I love to see how excited these students are to change their career paths and become teachers. It’s exciting to see them pursue their goal to where they truly feel they need to be,” she said.

“They’re not just fulfilling a critical need of the state. They’re fulfilling their dreams.”

Kelley herself keeps learning not only by pursuing her doctorate, but also through her work on UGA’s Staff Council and University Council.

“Being on Staff Council and University Council, I’ve been able to see firsthand how change can positively impact our university,” she said. “It’s crucial because this is where the conversation starts. We’re able to utilize the expertise of one another and find appropriate paths to solve whatever it is we’re working on.”

In fact, it was her work on policy as a Staff Council member that helped lead to her current area of study. She’s been a member since 2014 and is currently the Staff Council representative to the University Council Committee on Facilities.

“I’m proud of the work we’ve done supporting women and providing justification and data to support creating a centralized policy portal at our university,” she said. “We put so many volunteer hours into Staff Council.

We’re not doing it for the glory. We’re doing it because we love our employees, and we want it to be an amazing place to work.”

Although her work and her own education takes time away from her family, Kelley said that it’s important to her that her children see her reach her goals and achieve her dreams.

“It’s crucial for my daughter to see what strong women in society can do, but it’s also equally important for my son to also understand what women are capable of,” she said. “I want them to get excited about achieving their

FACTS

Laura Kelley Program Coordinator Department of Educational Theory and Practice College of Education Pursuing Ph.D., Educational Policy and Administration, Educational Policy and Law, University of Georgia M.Ed., Higher Education Administration, Policy and Law, Georgia Southern University B.S., Family and Consumer Sciences, University of Georgia

own dreams through higher education.

It’s really important for them to see me reaching my own goals through education.”

Kelley comes from a large family—she has 12 siblings—and makes sure that the quality of the time she spends with her family is high even if the quantity of time is low.

“I have to be present in every moment I have with them,” she said.

Overall, Kelley said she hopes to be a voice for necessary change and inclusion and to help people grow and become more successful at UGA. “I’ve been with this university, in some capacity, since 2005,” she said. “It’s familiar to me. This place is my home.

I can’t imagine being anywhere else.”

ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGE Kim Skobba named director of Housing Demographics ­Research Center in College of Family and Consumer Sciences

By Cal Powell

jcpowell@uga.edu

Kim Skobba, a faculty member in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences, has been named director of the Housing Demographics Research Center.

Established in 1996, the HDRC helps Georgia communities improve economic well-being and quality of life by identifying and addressing housing needs through research, outreach and an interdisciplinary collaboration with

communities, faculty members and UGA students.

Skobba, an associate professor in the financial planning, housing and consumer economics department, will be responsible for management of the center’s research, outreach activities, fundraising and annual reporting requirements.

Karen Tinsley, Skobba’s close friend and colleague, served as the HDRC director until her tragic death in a bicycle accident in April.

“It is an honor to be named

director because I believe in the important work the center does and also because it’s an opportunity to carry on Karen’s work and legacy,” Skobba said. “I’m excited to conKim Skobba tinue building on the great foundation she helped lay in an effort to improve the lives of so many people across Georgia.”

COMMUNITY from page 1 discrimination and promote political, educational, economic and social equality for all people, said Kaela Yamini, the organization’s current president.

“Black history empowers me more than it motivates me,” said Yamini. “It reminds me why I do what I do, why I joined the NAACP, why I have so much love for my people and my culture.”

Yamini said her leadership role as president of the UGA NAACP showed her the power of her voice.

“Most recently, we have been trying to look beyond the scope of our organization and partner with those who are seemingly opposite of us,” said Yamini.

She said one of the biggest and most successful programs was a debate-like discussion with another student group about gun policy.

“A powerful moment was standing in front of a room and seeing both sides of an issue come together respectfully to talk,” said Yamini. “It brought tears to my eyes because it turned out way better than what I could have ever imagined.”

Michelle Cook, vice provost for diversity and inclusion and strategic university initiatives and the chief diversity officer, explained how students from all different backgrounds and organizations are bridging ideologies to engage in conversation.

Cook said that even when students agree to disagree about issues, they are actively working to engage with others in the community.

“It is a complex community of varying ideas, but they are reaching across the aisle to talk,” said Cook. “Students stand on the shoulders of the incredible people before them, and it is great to see their work today.”

National Pan-Hellenic Council

The National Pan-Hellenic Council, advised out of Greek Life, is the governing body of historically black sororities and fraternities. The NPHC also exhibits a strong sense of community.

“NPHC organizations have historically produced some of our greatest leaders, such as Dr. King and W.E.B. Du Bois,” said Montrez Greene, assistant director and advisor to UGA NPHC and the Multicultural Greek Council.

“This is still happening today.”

Greene described the leadership of UGA’s NPHC organizations in the way they join together to solve community issues.

“We have leaders across many different student organizations on campus, which energizes members when they come together,” said Greene. “I encourage them to find solutions to issues they want to address.”

A major focus of many NPHC organizations is registering members of the UGA and Athens communities to vote, he said.

By working together, UGA NPHC organizations strategically ensure they are maximizing their service to the community.

“When we needed a large number of volunteers to unload food trucks for the food bank, the organizations came together to get the job done,” said Greene. “You impact more people by working together, and I am proud of the way our members use the resources around them to accomplish goals that better the community.”

Black Theatrical Ensemble

The Black Theatrical Ensemble, founded at UGA in 1976, preserves the legacy of Afro-centric theater and offers perspectives on the black experience to the community through the arts.

“BTE was founded when black people did not have the opportunity to be a part of theatrical shows, so they used it as an outlet for expression,” said Kimarah Laurent, president of BTE. Today, students in the group come from all backgrounds to step into characters developed by black playwrights to both experience and promote cultural enrichment, she said.

When Laurent first became involved in BTE, she applied to be the treasurer. Soon after she applied, she was asked to be the president instead. After accepting the role, she researched BTE’s history at UGA. “I found a letter from the founder written for BTE’s 30th anniversary,” she said.

The letter detailed the founder’s personal experiences in the group along with how the

columns.uga.edu Feb. 11, 2019

Photo courtesy of the Division of Student Affairs

As part of community outreach efforts in 2018, members of UGA’s National Pan-Hellenic Council student organizations volunteered at the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.

first performance was held in the UGA Chapel with only a $500 budget.

Laurent said she became president when many of the involved students graduated that December, leaving her with few members for spring semester. The letter served as encouragement for her to push forward.

“I was on the verge of thinking BTE was going to fizzle out from low membership, and I could not let that happen,” said Laurent.

She encouraged her two closest friends and another dedicated member to join the board, and together, they learned the ins-and-outs of theater production because none of them was a theater major at the time.

“I wanted to uphold the history and continue to produce high-quality shows,” she said. “BTE is known for nothing less than perfection, and we had to make do with what we had to carry the history forward.”

She partnered with a local theater to produce the fall 2017 show, For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf. To advertise the show, she spoke at local churches and ran radio advertisements.

While not the main focus of the show, the production touched on HIV issues. After the show, audience members were offered free HIV testing.

The show was a huge success, and it connected BTE back to the community, she said.

“My life changed as we brought voices to life,” said Laurent. “I realized how important it is to bring expression to the community.”

As part of Black History Month this year, the group hosted the Chris James play Dear Black People, which they saw in Atlanta last year, on Feb. 1 at the Chapel.

“We like doing things full circle, so we brought this play to campus,” Laurent said.

BTE hosted its first black playwright festival, AMPLIFY, last April. Laurent said the idea for the festival came from a non-black colleague involved in BTE. “It is not only black people wanting to give black people voices,” said Laurent.

AMPLIFY will return this April with a series of lectures, workshops and on-stage readings.

In the classroom

The opportunities available through student organizations and alumni open avenues for growth. This growth also happens in the classroom for both students and university employees.

The Institute for African American Studies provides students with disciplinary perspectives from which to examine black America, said Diane Batts Morrow, associate professor in the history department of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

“I hope to expose students to important examples of the substantial scholarship constituting the discipline of African American history,” said Morrow.

Educating students about the racial past of the U.S. helps forge a more equitable present and future for racial justice, explained Morrow.

Faculty and staff members have access to diversity education through the Certificate in Diversity and Inclusion, a free program offered by the Office of Institutional Diversity.

“The purpose is to equip faculty and staff at the university with resources and knowledge to further goals of inclusion at work,” said Cook.

The courses are taught by university members volunteering their time and knowledge to share with others, said Cook.

“The course instructors are not paid consultants coming in to give a program and leave; they are part of the culture here,” Cook said. “If a participant has a question later on in the year, they will be able to reach their instructor locally.”

More than 1,400 faculty and staff have taken at least one of the courses, and participants have come from positions across campus.

“From financial aid staff to police officers, these courses bring all different parts of campus together to further inclusion goals,” said Cook.

Black Alumni Affinity Group

The Black Alumni Affinity Group, led by its Leadership Council, sponsors community gatherings and fosters support for the university community as a whole.

“It is important to continue the legacy of Holmes and Hunter, who were the catalysts in integrating the university, along with Mary Frances Early, the first African American to graduate from the university, laying the groundwork for black scholarship at UGA,” said T.J. Snowden, UGA BALC president.

After groups met informally for a number of years, the Alumni Association created affinity groups, like UGA Black Alumni, to facilitate and support initiatives meaningful to them.

“Having an affinity group in an official capacity shows a commitment to diversity by the administration and how important it is for everybody to have a seat at the table,” said Snowden.

He said these efforts provided a space for students and alumni to express positive experiences and areas of concern to improve the student experience.

Cook said recent graduates actively connect with older alumni.

“We want them to understand that they are not forgotten,” said Cook.“We recognize that they may have had difficult experiences, but we are reaping the benefits of that process.”

BALC members focus on recruiting, retaining and engaging black students, faculty, staff and alumni, while also inspiring a philanthropic commitment to the university through fundraising and service.

On Jan. 9, 2018, they founded The 1961 Club. Named for the year of desegregation at the University of Georgia, The 1961 Club is a special group of donors who share a passion for ensuring undergraduate student success. Members support the Black Alumni

7

­ cholarship Fund with a gift of $19.61, S $196.10, or $1,961 to remove barriers to education and keep the doors open for students to attain a quality education.

“We work to create an environment where students of color want to matriculate to the university and have opportunities that were not available less than 60 years ago,” Snowden said.

He emphasized the importance of sharing personal experiences regarding campus involvement when recruiting future applicants. Each year, the UGA Black Alumni Affinity Group hosts the Minority Admitted Students Reception to celebrate undergraduate students who have been accepted to the university.

“Alumni attend the event and engage with the newly admitted students,” he said. “They network, give advice and share how to navigate the university space.”

Snowden said service and financial support are central to BALC’s mission. One of the ways in which BALC members serve students in economic crisis is by participating in the Office of Institutional Diversity Cares program, which provides toiletries for students.

“By making toiletry bags, they engage in an issue that does not have a race or ethnicity, and they step up for the community as a whole,” said Cook.

As a former UGA financial aid counselor, Snowden said financial insecurity in students is something about which he is passionate.

Snowden knows firsthand that the financial aid application process can be complicated, so he meets with students at alumni events to explain how it works.

“Our gatherings with students are important because we can offer advice navigating the onboarding and matriculation process even if we graduated a number of years ago,” he said.

“This type of networking could even open up a job or internship opportunity.”

On the social front, more than 2,000 alumni supporters and friends of the university gather at the annual Homecoming Tailgate hosted by the UGA Black Alumni Group on Myers Quad.

“It is an open space for people to come enjoy and exercise our social networks,” said Snowden.

Building community

These goals are part of the vision to continue building strong community at the university.

“Community building is an ongoing process because there is no end point,” said Cook.

The core constituency changes every year as students matriculate and graduate, making it important to be adaptable, she said.

“We strive to be ready for whatever the students bring in to maximize their experience here,” said Cook. “We aim to stay engaged in dialogue with our students, faculty, staff and alumni— we will not rest on our laurels.”

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

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

Editor Juliett Dinkins Communications Coordinator Krista Richmond Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Writers Kellyn Amodeo Leigh Beeson 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 Feb. 11, 2019 columns.uga.edu SUSTAINABILITY

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Co. are collected and recycled through a partnership with the Office of Sustainability and the Facilities Management Division, and Dining Services helped Panda Express implement a compostable takeout container.

Additionally, 20 noncompostable condiment products were replaced with bulk condiment dispensers, saving more than 1.5 million items from heading to the landfill in the first six months after the dispensers were installed in 2015. All organic waste is now sent to the UGA Bioconversion Center, creating a composting resource and saving thousands of pounds per week from heading to local landfills.

UGA’s housing department has also set out to create a community of sustainable thinkers.

“We’re in a unique role because we’re the home of our new students who will be living in Athens for the next four years,” said Christy Tweedy, sustainability coordinator for UGA Housing. “Our goal is to educate our 8,000-plus residents on how they can access these resources so they can be responsible environmental stewards and leave ACC better than they found it.”

Housing hosts a sustainability fair with campus and community organizations where residents can learn about academic and volunteer opportunities and ways to be

greener in their own lives, such as making their own shampoo and hand sanitizer, or simply refilling their own water bottles to eliminate plastic waste.

Housing has also installed composting bins in many of the residence halls that are collected by student interns in the Office of Sustainability using an electric bicycle.

During move-in, plastic film and plastic foam from new furniture and appliances are collected by the ACC Recycling Division and taken to the Center for Hard to Recycle Materials in Athens. During move-out, more than 20 donation sites are set up around campus for the Dawgs Ditch the Dumpster and Donate program, allowing residents to donate furniture, unopened food, clothing and other items to organizations around Athens.This keeps more than 50,000 pounds out of the landfill.

While the university has already taken great strides, Kirsche predicts continued growth and partnerships in the future.

“We’re seeing tremendous interest from our students who are passionate about improving their communities and being good citizens,” he said. “One way that we can be good neighbors is to become educated and make wise and responsible choices, and we certainly anticipate that we’ll continue to expand those opportunities.”

Bulletin Board TEDxUGA registration

Registration for TEDxUGA 2019: Amplify is now open.

The seventh annual celebration of ideas worth spreading will be held March 22 at the Classic Center.

Individuals may register for $20 or $30 with a T-shirt. According to TEDxUGA organizers, there is no audience for the event—only participants. For this reason, it is required that all individuals plan to attend the entire event, which will run from 7-10 p.m.

For more information, visit TEDxUGA.com/register.

Additional details will be shared with registrants via email.

Flu vaccine study

Do you still need a flu vaccine?

The UGA Clinical and Translational Research Unit is enrolling new participants for a study of immune system response to the flu vaccine, using FluMist, the nasal spray flu vaccine.

Adults ages 18-49 who have not yet received a flu vaccine this season but would like to get one can call the CTRU at 706-713-2721 for eligibility screening and more information.

Participants can earn up to $90 for participating in the study.

Parenting study participants

The UGA Clinical and Translational Research Unit is now enrolling parents of young toddlers (ages 12-18 months) for a study on how parenting beliefs may affect health and relationships. Couples who are parenting their first child (ages 12-18 months) can call the CTRU at 706-713-2721 for eligibility screening and more information. Couples can earn up to $100 for participating in the study.

WIP proposal deadline

The Franklin College Writing Intensive Program invites proposals from arts and sciences faculty in all disciplines for innovative courses that encourage writing.

The WIP aims to enhance undergraduate education by

emphasizing the importance of writing in the disciplines by offering “writing-intensive” courses throughout the college.

Faculty who teach WIP courses are supported by a Writing Intensive Program teaching assistant, who is specially trained in writing-in-thedisciplines pedagogy.

Visit www.wip.uga.edu to find proposal forms and guidelines, as well as information about the program.

The deadline for proposal submissions is March 10. Direct questions to Lindsey Harding, WIP director, at lharding@uga.edu.

LECTURE from page 1

GRANT from page 1

insights on leadership and public service.”

Alana, with her husband Harold and son James, founded Shepherd Center after James sustained a paralyzing spinal-cord injury in 1973. Frustrated by the lack of state-of-the-art rehabilitation care in the Southeast, the family galvanized support to open a specialty facility.

Alana also recognized the need to change the community to which patients would return so they would be accepted and able to resume their lives. Her advocacy for accessibility resulted in the addition of lifts to the MARTA bus system and in making Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport one of the country’s most accessible.

“Alana Shepherd’s life work demonstrates how a pioneering spirit and a fierce commitment to public service can effect positive change,” said Terry College Dean Benjamin C. Ayers. “Her efforts to ensure the best care for spinal injury patients, by both the medical community and society at large, are truly inspiring. I am thrilled that our students will have the opportunity to benefit from her wisdom and example.”

Alana fought to bring the International Paralympic Games to Atlanta in 1996. She changed Olympic and Paralympic history when her efforts led the International Olympic Committee to decree that all cities seeking to be the site of future Olympic Games must include plans and proposed financing for the Paralympics as well as access to the same sites and facilities.

For their contributions to health care and the state of Georgia, Alana, Harold and James Shepherd were awarded honorary degrees by UGA in 2011. Among her many other accolades, Alana received the 2012 J.W. Fanning Award and the Georgia Hospital Association’s 2009 Lifetime Heroic Achievement Award.

before Irma did her disrupting. “When you look at an ecosystem, you can have a big event like a hurricane or a more local event like a tree falling. It disturbs that area, and then we watch as the area grows back. With global changes, we’re concerned that some of the things that cause these disturbances may be happening more frequently. So we’re trying to understand disturbances in a salt marsh, map them, quantify them and understand how they affect the ecosystem.”

The new GCE grant will comprise 22 investigators from nine institutions, including longtime co-principal investigator and GCE field director Steve Pennings, a professor in the University of Houston department of biology and biochemistry. Alber said the GCE program leverages perhaps six to eight additional research grants each year, trains numerous graduate students and publishes roughly 40 peer-reviewed journal articles.

“Because of the GCE-LTER being in place and creating contextual data, it’s easy for other scientists to come in and build on that information to ask additional research questions,” Alber said.

In addition to research, GCE also conducts outreach and education around coastal ecological issues. This includes working with state and federal agencies to promote science-based management of coastal areas. GCE also produced a children’s book on salt marsh ecology that is now in its second edition.

“The Marine Institute has always been a leader and critical voice in coastal ecology, not just in Georgia but for the entire country,” said David Lee, vice president for research. “The research that the GCE does will only become more important as we adapt to shifting weather patterns and rising sea levels. I’m proud of what the GCE has produced in its first 18 years, and I’m sure its impact will continue to be felt for years to come.”

VETERANS

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Nut/cholesterol study

Participants are being sought for a research study that will help investigate the impact of nut consumption on cholesterol profiles. Subjects who complete the study will earn $70-$145, depending on treatment groups.

The foods and nutrition department seeks men and women ages 30-75 years with high cholesterol levels or a “bigger build.”

This study requires an eight-week commitment and four testing visits.

Four visits require blood draws.

Those interested in finding out if they qualify for the study or who want to request more information should contact Liana Rodrigues by phone at 423-596-7708 or via email at liana.rodrigues@uga.edu.

Lilly Teaching Fellows

Tenure-track assistant professors who are recent recipients of a Ph.D. or terminal degree in their discipline or profession and are in their first, second or third year at the university are invited to apply for the Lilly Teaching Fellows Program.

Up to 10 faculty members are selected each spring semester to begin participation in the two-year program the following fall.

Apply by the March 5 deadline at https://bit.ly/2Cmr7RH. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.

Photo courtesy of UGA School of Law

The Butler Commitment is a new School of Law initiative to guarantee financial aid to 100 percent of veterans who matriculate in the fall 2019 entering class. Veterans currently enrolled at the law school include (back row, from left) Nicholas A. Mugge, James Heuser, Steven L. Miller, Miles B. Mitchell, (middle row, from left) Richard Meadows, Gabriel Justus, Louis A. Bastone, Jacob R. Bohn, (front row, from left) Ashley Marie Ho, Patrick D. Testa and Michael Robert O’Brien.

and in the fall of 2018, eight veterans enrolled.

“We are on track to exceed our fall 2018 number of enrolled veterans and hope this upward trend will continue,” Rutledge said. “Not only will these service men and women be receiving first-rate legal training, they also will have the opportunity to assist former veterans through work in the Veterans Legal Clinic. The clinic is already having a tremendous impact on the veteran community and on the law students who are learning what it means to serve a client.

Thanks to Jim’s generous support, the law school will now build upon this success by guaranteeing financial aid to every veteran who accepts the school’s offer of admission and chooses to attend this fall. We call this initiative the Butler Commitment.”

In June 2018, the law school opened

the Veterans Legal Clinic through which veterans living in Georgia can receive legal assistance particularly with claims before the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. A lead gift for the clinic was also provided by Butler in memory of his father, Lt. Cmdr. James E. Butler Sr., who was a U.S. Navy fighter pilot as well as the grandfather of James E. “Jeb” Butler III, a 2008 graduate of the law school.

Additionally, the School of Law participates in the Yellow Ribbon Program. The Yellow Ribbon Program allows institutions of higher learning to make additional money available to fund tuition and fee expenses that exceed the tuition and fees covered by the Post-9/11 GI Bill. Under the program, the Department of Veterans Affairs matches school aid contributions made to eligible veterans.