UGA Columns Feb. 12, 2018

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Franklin College researchers will lead NSF project to rapidly sequence corn pangenome RESEARCH NEWS

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Curtain will rise Feb. 16 for University Theatre’s production of ‘Detroit’

February 12, 2018

Vol. 45, No. 24

columns.uga.edu

UGA GUIDE

4&5

UGA Extension and Mercer U. partner to recruit future doctors

By Sharon Dowdy sharono@uga.edu

Dorothy Kozlowski

From left: Young Dawgs student Robby Ratajczak; Luke Mortenson, an assistant professor of regenerative medicine and engineering; and Bobby Leitman, a regenerative bioscience graduate assistant, examine cells in the lab.

Head start

Young Dawgs Program marks 10 years of preparing high school students for future success

By Taylor West

tawest@uga.edu

Thanks to UGA’s Young Dawgs Program, Christina Kurian got to experience college life when she was still in high school.

And she is not the only one.

Since its inception in 2008, the program has hosted 1,093 high school students who have served more than 120,230 internship hours in 414 different UGA centers, labs, departments, institutes and offices, as well as in Athens community businesses. UGA faculty and staff have been integral in providing opportunities for these students.

“Over the 10 years of the program, I have been most impressed by the willingness of UGA’s faculty and staff to take the time to provide these life-changing opportunities for these young students,” said Jim

Geiser, coordinator of the Young Dawgs Program. “It makes me proud to be a Georgia Bulldawg.”

Young Dawgs is a rigorous experiential learning program that provides high school juniors and seniors with internship opportunities in areas related to their career interests. The internships give students valuable immersive and hands-on learning experiences on a college campus while still in high school. Young Dawgs is administered through Human Resources’ Training & Development Department, which is part of the Division of Finance & Administration.

The Entrepreneurship Program in the Terry College of Business and the Regenerative Bioscience Center are two of the on-campus partners that have served as hosts for Young Dawgs interns. While the missions of

these departments vary, the positive impact of the Young Dawgs Program is felt by faculty, staff and students alike.

“The contributions to the Entrepreneurship Program by the students in the Young Dawgs Program has been tremendous,” said Robert Pinckney, director of the UGA Entrepreneurship Program. “The interest, creativity and support to the program by these talented individuals have helped drive the Entrepreneurship Program to be successful. These students are definitely making a lasting impact on the university.”

As a former Young Dawg, Kurian is paying her experience forward by helping to supervise Matteo Castile, a current Young Dawg. Both work in the UGA Entrepreneurship Program.

See DAWGS on page 8

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

University group will develop grand challenges program and team-based learning initiative

By Kristen Linthicum coulterk@uga.edu

The University of Georgia is moving forward with two recommendations made by the Task Force on Student Learning and Success: a university-wide grand challenges initiative and a pilot program to emphasize team-based learning.

President Jere W. Morehead has charged a committee with developing a grand challenges initiative to encourage students and faculty to collaborate around big ideas aligned with the institution’s areas of academic strength.

The committee will explore the creation of a year-long series of events—potentially including campus speakers, research competitions, service-learning activities and other engagement opportunities—around selected grand challenge topics. The committee is chaired by Jennifer Frum, vice president for public service and outreach.

“I look forward to working closely with this group to identify new ways to foster meaningful cross-campus collaborations around the most significant issues of our time,” said Frum. “The grand challenges program will

Task Force on Student Learning and Success READ THE REPORT: president.uga.edu/report

have a far-reaching impact that will stretch beyond UGA to improve the world around us.”

A pilot program to teach students to work in teams to solve realworld problems will be introduced through the Honors Program this fall. David S. Williams, associate provost and director of the Honors Program, will introduce See PROGRAM on page 8

Editor’s note: This is the final part of a series of stories about UGA and economic development in rural Georgia.

Jean Sumner is a thirdgeneration rural doctor. As a child, she watched her grandfather and father care for the residents of Washington County. She followed in their footsteps and became a “small-town doctor,” the kind who knows your mother, sits behind you in church and roots for the local football team.

“Now in rural Georgia, there are (fewer) physicians, so children can’t aspire to be something they

don’t see. They don’t see that role model out there, so we have to connect with them some way,” said Sumner, who became dean of the Mercer University School of Medicine after a 28-year career as a physician.

In her role at Mercer, Sumner sees fewer and fewer new doctors choosing to stay in Georgia to practice medicine. In an effort to encourage students to study medicine and become doctors in the Peach State’s rural communities, she turned to Georgia 4-H, a youth development program run by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension.

See DOCTORS on page 8

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

COE grant to promote collaboration among professional service providers

By Kathryn Kao kathk1@uga.edu

When children are born with complex needs, service providers from diverse professional backgrounds must work together to form personalized support plans that not only benefit each individual child, but also their families.

A key component to effective service delivery is the training of professionals with interdisciplinary expertise, and thanks to a new five-year, $1.1 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, graduate students who are interested in serving children can gain collaborative clinical experience and earn an advanced degree through the UGA College of Education’s Preparation of Interdisciplinary Providers, or

PIPs, Project.

In addition to providing funding for in-state and out-of-state students pursuing a master’s degree or education specialist degree in special education with an emphasis in birth through kindergarten or in communication sciences and disorders, the project offers collaborative learning and training across a range of disciplines, including speech language pathology, special education as well as physical and occupational therapy.

“The idea is really around providing interdisciplinary training so our students can leave with a skillset that allows them to collaborate with a variety of professionals who are serving infants, toddlers and preschoolers with complex needs,” said Rebecca Lieberman-Betz, ­associate professor and principal See GRANT on page 8

PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH

Fanning conference will highlight community leadership innovations

By Charlie Bauder

charlie.bauder@fanning.uga.edu

In 2013, the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce wanted to take its adult community leadership program, Leadership Dawson, to the next level.

“Previously, the program consisted primarily of presentations from local officials in a classroom setting,” said S. Christie Haynes, president of the Dawson County Chamber of Commerce. “We felt like a personal leadership development component was missing, and we also wanted to make sure the participants bonded with each

other and did not just sit in a classroom.”

To accomplish those goals, Leadership Dawson reached out to the University of Georgia’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development and its Community Leadership Program curriculum.

“Fanning’s curriculum gets people to interact with each other on different topics and learn about themselves when it comes to areas like their leadership styles, decision-making process and conflict management style,” said Carol Tyger, committee chairperson for Leadership Dawson.

See CONFERENCE on page 8

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Around academe

MIT issues graduates digital diplomas

The Massachusetts Institute of Technology will offer a group of 111 graduates the option to receive their diplomas digitally via their smartphones.

Diplomas will be accessed through Blockerts Wallet, a smartphone app, and are protected through block-chain technology, which secures digital credentials and transactions. With this new accessibility option available, graduates can share their diplomas on social media and forward them to potential employers. This will allow graduates to pass along their verified credentials without the use of an intermediary.

This option was tested with a pilot program of MIT students who graduated in summer 2017, but the school hopes to make the digital diploma available to every one of its graduates.

Graduates will be able to receive a physical diploma in addition to this digital version.

Report: Colleges aren’t producing enough computer science graduates

A new report from the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine indicates that college computer science programs aren’t producing enough graduates to fill the growing demand for employees in computer sciencerelated fields.

The report recommends that universities and colleges begin allocating more resources into their computer science departments, attempt to increase interest in these programs among the student population, recruit more women and minorities and build partnerships with professionals working in the field.

These efforts will allow schools to adequately educate more students and meet the demand for computer science professionals.

News to Use

Resolve to become heart healthy by increasing physical activity

February is Heart Health Awareness Month. There are many ways to maintain a healthy heart.

The American Heart Association encourages Americans to increase physical activity with the aim of achieving 150 minutes of aerobic activity per week combined with strength training a couple of days per week.

This can be accomplished in different ways such as five 30-minute sessions or three 75-minute sessions per week. (Note: It may be advisable to check with your health care provider before beginning a new physical activity routine.)

Small changes can make a difference. Try adding 10 minutes of physical activity at a time.

Not a fan of the gym? Instead, find activities you enjoy. Take a walk around the building at lunch, or park your car in a lot further away from the office building for longer walk into work. Join a team sport or walk your dog with a friend.

Source: University Health Center

FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Hodgson School of Music unveils renovated recording control room

By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu

A recent renovation of the recording control room at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music features improved recording quality and more opportunities for performers and engineers.

The renovation was made possible by a donation from the late Cora Nunnally Miller, the stepdaughter of the school’s namesake, Hugh Hodgson.

Performances in the HHSOM take place in three venues—Hodgson Concert Hall, Ramsey Concert Hall and Edge Recital Hall—and are recorded in the control room. Prior to this renovation, audio engineers were able to make high-quality recordings, but the expansive analog-based recording system had remained largely unchanged since first being installed in 1995. Newly equipped with a modular digital recording system, the control room is used by faculty recording engineers Paul Griffith and William Marlow, along with students who are enrolled in Music Recording Practicum. The facility features three recording and mixing stations, each with its own live video feed of the performance in progress.

“We were operating at a high level of quality and had been for many years,” said Marlow, “but we were limited by the age and capabilities of our audio

A recording control room at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music has been renamed the R. Douglas Moore Recording Control Room to show appreciation for the longtime HHSOM recording engineer and faculty member.

infrastructure and technology. The analog equipment required constant troubleshooting and, together with the physical limitations of the room, it seemed natural to address all of these points going into the future.”

With more open space in the room, students now comfortably sit alongside mentors while learning about the process of digital audio recording.

The state-of-the-art equipment that was installed is used by most major symphony orchestras and top classical music recording engineers.

With the renovation complete, the room has been renamed the R. Douglas Moore Recording Control Room to show appreciation for longtime HHSOM recording engineer and faculty member. Moore retired in 2015 after a nearly 50-year association with the school.

“Doug was the talent and creative force who first established and then enabled the recording department to succeed and flourish,” said Griffith, who now holds Moore’s long-time recording position at the music school.

GLOBAL GEORGIA INITIATIVE

UGA-GRIFFIN

On Feb. 15, Kishi Bashi, the professional name of the internationally renowned singer, multi-instrumentalist and songwriter Kaoru Ishibashi, will present “A Conversation on the Japanese Incarceration Through Song and Film,” a unique multimedia event built around Omoiyari, his project exploring the history and legacy of Japanese incarceration in the U.S. during World War II. The event will be held at 8 p.m. in Seney-Stovall Chapel at 200 N. Milledge Ave. Ishibashi will be joined by collaborators Julian Saporiti and Erin Aoyama, musicians and graduate student researchers in American studies at Brown University, as well as by a string quartet. Following the music, film and spoken word performance, John Morrow, professor of history at UGA, will moderate a panel discussion with Ishibashi, Saporiti and Aoyama.

Born in Seattle, Ishibashi studied film scoring at Berklee College of Music before becoming a highly in-demand violinist, performing with artists including of Montreal, Regina Spektor and Tall Tall Trees. He released his solo debut LP, 151A, in Kishi Bashi 2012 and has subsequently issued two live albums and two studio albums, including 2016’s Sonderlust. He is based in Athens.

For Omoiyari, Ishibashi has visited the sites of camps throughout the western half of the U.S. where more than 100,000 Japanese Americans, most of them American citizens, were incarcerated by the federal government from 1942 until after World War II’s end. Accompanied by Saporiti and Aoyama and with the incarceration sites as a backdrop, Ishibashi has written and performed highly personal music that engages with this difficult history as well as social and racial divisions in today’s America.

Saporiti is the guiding force behind No-No Boy, a music and research project on which he collaborates with Aoyama, whose grandmother was incarcerated in one of the World War II camps, Heart Mountain in Wyoming. No-No Boy is a multimedia concert featuring Saporiti’s music interwoven with stories he has collected, performed against a backdrop of projections displaying archival photographs and films.

The Seney-Stovall event will integrate components of Omoiyari, No-No Boy and improvised musical performances, along with the panel discussion with Morrow. A total of 170 seats for this event will be available to the public. One hundred general admission seats were made available on Feb. 5 by online RSVP at http://bit.ly/2EgPAIq. An additional 70 seats will be available on a first-come, first-served basis when doors open. Doors open at 6:30 p.m., and the event begins at 8. Those with online reservations and other guests will be admitted before walk-ups. Any online reservations that are unclaimed at 7:30 p.m. will be released to the public.

The event is part of the Global Georgia Initiative, an annual guest speaker series produced by the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts.

It is presented in partnership with the history department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the Asian Studies Program and the Athens Music Project, a Willson Center Faculty Research Cluster.

By Ashley Biles

Bashi to explore WWII Japanese UGA Griffin named incarceration through song, film 2017 Good Corporate

By Dave Marr davemarr@uga.edu Citizen of Year ashley.biles@uga.edu

The University of Georgia Griffin campus was named the Good Corporate Citizen of the Year on Jan. 25 at the 105th annual dinner of the Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce.

The award recognizes an organization that has made a commitment to improving the quality of life for all in the city of Griffin and Spalding County.

Cindi Shaddix of BB&T, sponsor of the award, praised the university for its support of the community over the years.

“This organization has supported the Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce and the Griffin Spalding County United Way for many years,” Shaddix said. “They are consistently recognized by United Way as a Pacesetter organization for their significant economic contribution to our community. As we all know, money raised in our county by United Way is reinvested in our county which provides services to our citizens of greatest need.”

She also said employees of UGA-Griffin can always be counted on to volunteer on boards and organizations within the community.

UGA-Griffin Assistant Provost and Campus Director Lew Hunnicutt accepted the award.

“It was an extremely proud moment when it was announced that our campus was being honored as Corporate Citizen of the Year for 2017 by the Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce,” he said. “Among other things, the surprise did something that is very hard to do; it left me speechless. I am very proud to represent the University of Georgia in Griffin and am doubly proud of the entire Griffin campus team as this award would not have happened without them.”

Hunnicutt said this is only the beginning of what the community will see from the university.

“The University of Georgia Griffin campus remains a proud member of the GriffinSpalding Chamber of Commerce, and we are deeply appreciative of this honor,” he said.“To all of Griffin and Spalding County, I would say two words about our presence here … expect more.”

OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT

columns.uga.edu Feb. 12, 2018

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Digest NPPA’s Best of Photojournalism Competition set to move to UGA’s Grady College

Dorothy Kozlowski

On Jan. 31, President Jere W. Morehead hosted a luncheon at the Athens Country Club to recognize UGA professors who hold endowed chairs and professorships. Increasing the number of endowed faculty positions is a top priority of the Commit to Georgia Campaign, and the university has established 53 new endowed positions since Morehead took office in July 2013, bringing the total to 280.

RESEARCH NEWS

The National Press Photographers Association has announced a new partnership with the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication to promote, organize and archive the annual Best of Photojournalism Competition.

The contest’s 100 categories span still, video, multimedia and editing disciplines and draw entries from around the world. The 2019 competition will mark the first time in more than five decades that all disciplines are housed together.

The decision follows a year-long, competitive process the NPPA began in 2017. The partnership will allow all entries from the Best of Photojournalism Competition to be permanently archived at the University of Georgia’s Special Collections Libraries, and Grady College will develop case studies based on the winning entries for the benefit of classrooms, newsrooms and independent journalists to help them improve their own storytelling.

The University of Georgia will spend much of 2018 working with the NPPA to develop a new contest entry system and updating entry rules and procedures in advance of the opening of the 2019 contest.

School of Law team places in annual National Moot Court Competition

A group comprised of UGA School of Law thirdyear law students Lauren E. Lutton, Margaret E. “Maggie” Sparks and Taryn P. Winston finished in the top eight teams in the country recently in the national final rounds of the 68th National Moot Court Competition. Third-year student B. Elizabeth Tarver served as the team’s student coach.

The National Moot Court Competition is an annual event co-sponsored by the New York City Bar Association’s National Moot Court Competition Committee and the American College of Trial Lawyers. More than 180 law schools and 1,000 students competed in regional rounds throughout the U.S. before advancing to the final rounds, which were held Jan. 29 to Feb. 1 in New York City.

Andrew Davis Tucker

Kelly Dawe, a Distinguished Research Professor in the genetics department of UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is principal investigator on the grant.

Franklin College team will lead NSF project to rapidly sequence corn pangenome

By Alan Flurry

aflurry@uga.edu

When the human genome was first sequenced in 2001, the project focused on a single individual. Since that time, several new genomes have been assembled, and additional genetic data have been generated for thousands of individuals, producing a more complete picture of human genetic makeup, with broad implications for human health, from biomedical science to anthropology. Now, researchers plan to begin a similar process with corn.

Though corn, or maize, is the most widely planted and most genetically diverse crop in the world, practically all genomic analysis of corn relies heavily on a single inbred line. Modern breeding efforts to improve productivity increasingly require deeper genetic variety for more marginal environments and uses, requiring a more complete understanding of maize genomic diversity.

Researchers at the University of Georgia, Iowa State University and Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory in New York will work together to sequence, assemble and annotate 26 different lines chosen to represent the diversity of corn. The National Science Foundation-funded project will combine leading edge DNA sequencing technology with a technique called optical mapping to produce high-quality genome assemblies with characterization and release of the

26 lines in two years.

“To go from a single reference to a broad perspective on the entire genetic repertoire of genes and gene expression patterns will be a major step forward in how we approach genome analysis in crops,” said Kelly Dawe, Distinguished Research Professor in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of genetics and principal investigator on the grant. “It’s something that has not happened for any crop at this scale.”

The research team will create what is referred to as the pangenome of corn, a representation of the species-level diversity of genes. By sequencing many lines, the research will identify new combinations of genes that are duplicated or rearranged, appearing in some lines multiple times and in others only once or not at all. Extra copies often show novel expression or confer unique traits that would remain unknown if only one line was sequenced.

“The sequenced lines will include varieties from both tropical and temperate regions, and their sequences should help us understand how corn has adapted to these different environments,” said Matt Hufford, a coprincipal investigator on the project and assistant professor at Iowa State University. “Understanding the ways corn adapts can facilitate development of lines for novel conditions.”

“This is one way evolution works— changes in gene expression patterns may affect the health of the organism,

so duplicate copies arise, with mutations and slightly different functions, different timing of expressions and different responses to conditions,” Dawe said.

Genome assembly involves extracting DNA and cutting it into smaller fragments, which are sequenced and reassembled to represent the actual genome using powerful computers and algorithms. The initial reassembly consists of hundreds or thousands of unordered sequence fragments. Optical mapping, a technique for constructing a long, ordered framework map, allows researchers to assemble a more accurate and contiguous representation of the genome.

“The technology gives us the ability to organize the pieces exactly where they are supposed to go, allowing us to rapidly confirm the placement and speed up the entire assembly process,” Dawe said.

The speed of the project, along with a single team of scientists working on the set of 26 lines to produce the pangenome, is among its primary strengths. Rather than occur piecemeal, one line sequenced at a time, the results will produce a vast new resource of high-quality genetic information, going from one line to 26.

The assemblies, along with information about the genes and their expression patterns, will be cataloged and made available to the public through the Gramene.org data resource by coprincipal investigator Doreen Ware at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory.

Georgia Museum of Art wins three GAMG statewide awards at annual conference

The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia received three awards for its exemplary work last month at the Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries annual conference.

GAMG presented the museum with awards for the exhibition Modern Living: Gio Ponti and the 20th-Century Aesthetics of Design, its studio workshop educational program and museum professional of the year to Hillary Brown, the museum’s director of communications. The awards ceremony took place Jan 19 in Rome.

On view at the museum from June 10 to Sept. 17, 2017, Modern Living celebrated Ponti, the father of modern Italian design. Christy Crisp, chair of the GAMG awards committee, praised the exhibition for “providing extensive opportunities for community members of all ages (and a variety of interests) to engage with both exceptional examples of the decorative arts and personal art-making activities.”

The museum’s studio workshop series is aimed at developing artistic skills with a variety of media and techniques, including abstraction, drawing and acrylics, and is offered at a cost of materials only. The award committee recognized the series for its focus on adult learners within museums and its dedication to connecting active local artists both with the content of museum exhibitions and with members of the community who participate in the program.

Brown was praised for her dedication to the Georgia Museum of Art and to the larger field of museums and the community.

The Georgia Association of Museums and Galleries is a private, nonprofit museum and gallery association dedicated to serving and maintaining a diverse membership of museums across the state. It establishes a responsive network, resource base and promotes professionalism to uplift the Georgia museum community.

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

Figure Settings: Sculpture by Jean Wilkins Westmacott. Through Feb. 22. Circle Gallery, Jackson Street Building. 706-542-8292.

Artful Instruments: Georgia Gunsmiths and Their Craft.

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

Clinton Hill. Through March 18. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.

Opera in Print: Fin-de-Siecle Posters from the Blum Collection.

Through April 22. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.

Crafting History: Textiles, Metals and Ceramics at the University of Georgia. Through April 29. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.

Wrestling Temptation: The Quest to Control Alcohol in Georgia.

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

MONDAY, FEB. 12 LOUISE M BEE LECTURE “A New Hope for a Better Tomorrow: Tackling Postsecondary Challenges Today,” Michelle Asha Cooper, president of the Institute for Higher Education Policy in Washington, D.C. Reception immediately following in the Peabody Board Room, Administration Building. 10 a.m. Chapel. 706-542-3464. sheffiel@uga.edu.

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FILM SCREENING AND DISCUSSION Unlocking the Cage is a real-life legal thriller that follows animal rights lawyer Steven Wise in his challenge to break down the legal wall that separates animals from humans. Film discussion will be led by Lisa Milot, associate professor of law at UGA with a research area in animal welfare. Part of the Animal Voices Film Festival. 7 p.m. 148 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796. sos@uga.edu.

TUESDAY, FEB. 13 LUNCHTIME TIME MACHINE This installment of the history department’s undergraduate lecture series asks “What Was Medical Racism?” and features Chana Kai Lee, who teaches courses in the history of the racism of the civil rights movement, the history of Georgia, 20thcentury U.S. social history and contemporary issues in African-

American life and culture. She is the author of the prize-winning book For Freedom’s Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer.

12:30 p.m. 101 LeConte Hall.

ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Neglected Tropical Diseases: A Holistic Ecological Approach,” Nicole Gottdenker, UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. A reception will follow at 4:30 p.m. in the ecology building lobby.

3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 14 ASH WEDNESDAY Christian religious observance.

TRANSCRIBE-A-THON In honor of the 200th birthday of Frederick Douglass, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the Smithsonian Transcription Center and the Colored Conventions Project are jointly hosting an event bringing together people to transcribe the Freedmen’s Bureau Papers. No experience with transcribing is necessary. Participants may stay for any amount of time and may drop-in at any point during the three-hour event. Noon. Instruction Lab, main library.

ARTFUL CONVERSATION Join Callan Steinmann, associate curator of education, for an in-depth gallery conversation focusing on the painting “Girl Sewing (The Chinese Robe).” 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

VALENTINE’S DINNER Enjoy a Valentine’s Day dinner under the stars in a tropical conservatory with live piano music. Every couple goes home with a blooming orchid plant. Visit www.botgarden.uga.edu to browse the buffet menu and register. Please register and indicate if you plan to share a table with another couple. $75 per person.

7 p.m. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. 706-369-6091. sprescot@uga.edu.

THURSDAY, FEB. 15 MICROBIOLOGY SEMINAR “Monte Carlo Simulations with Transcription Factor Binding Sites and Possible Implications for our Views on Evolution of Gene Regulatory Networks,” Jan Mrazek, microbiology.

11 a.m. 404D Biological Sciences Building. 706-542-2045. khbrown@uga.edu.

ANTHROPOLOGY DAY Anthropology Day is a day for anthropologists to celebrate their discipline while sharing it with the world. The anthropology department at UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences has organized activities and displays to showcase how this field helps in understanding humanity’s past, present and future.

1 p.m. Baldwin Hall.

The Gershwin Big Band’s Feb. 14 concert at UGA will include iconic songs such as “I Got Rhythm” and “Someone to Watch over Me.”

Performing Arts Center to present Gershwin Songbook for Valentine’s Day

By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The UGA Performing Arts Center celebrates Valentine’s Day with American Rhapsody: The Gershwin Songbook Feb. 14 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall.

The concert features the Gershwin Big Band with band leader/vocalist Michael Andrew and vocalist Michelle Amator performing iconic music by one of America’s greatest composers.

Nearly a century after the songs were composed, the music of George Gershwin remains as fresh and irresistible as it did during the Jazz Age. The poetic melodies he crafted for Broadway, Hollywood and the classical world made him one of the most indelible composers of the 20th century.

The 17-piece Gershwin Big Band is led by Andrew, whom The New York Post called, “the next H ­ arry C ­ onnick Jr.” The Gershwin Big Band is a unique collection of world class jazz musicians assembled in the traditional big band configuration ideal for the Gershwin songbook.

The program features Gershwin standards such as “I Got Rhythm,” “Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off,” “The Man I Love,” “Summertime,” “I’ve Got a Crush on You,” “Someone to Watch over Me,” “’S Wonderful” and many more.

Tickets for the concert are $44 to $51 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 Performing Arts Center is at 230 River Road on the UGA main campus in Athens.

HOLMES-HUNTER LECTURE The speaker is Charlayne Hunter-Gault, award-winning journalist and University of Georgia alumna. The lecture is named in honor of Hunter-Gault and her classmate Hamilton Holmes, the first African-American students to attend UGA. Sponsored by the Office of the President, the Holmes-Hunter Lecture focuses on race relations, civil rights and education and has been held annually since 1985. 2 p.m. Chapel.

LECTURE “Music, Policy and Philanthropy: The Rockefeller Foundation and Latin American Music during the Cold War,” Eduardo Herrera, Rutgers University. In the beginning of the 1960s, the Rockefeller Foundation gave two significant grants toward the study of Latin American music. By looking at philanthropy as an emerging domain resulting from complex entanglements of human, institutional, discursive and material actors, this presentation illuminates the relationships between foreign policy, corporate interests and funding for the arts connecting Latin America and the U.S. in the mid-20th century. Herrera is currently working on the book Elite Art Worlds: Philanthropy, Latin Americanism and Avant-Garde Music. The Colloquium Series is presented by the Musicology/Ethnomusicology Student Association. 5 p.m. 408 Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 706-542-1940. mhhoque@uga.edu.

BOOK DISCUSSION Steve Dorff, a member of UGA Class of 1971 and awardwinning songwriter, will talk about his career. Dorff, who has

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UGA Theatre to perform Lisa D’Amour’s ‘Detroit’

By Daniel Stock

daniel.stock@uga.edu

UGA Theatre will present Detroit, a new American play by Lisa D’Amour, Feb. 16, 17, 20-24 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 18 and 25 at 2:30 p.m. in the Cellar Theatre.

Tickets are $16, $12 for students, and can be purchased at ugatheatre.com/detroit, by phone at 706-542-4400, or in person at the Performing Arts Center or Tate Center box office.

Detroit is a fast-paced dark comedy that deals with the timely theme of the economic stagnation and uncertainty of American’s middle class. When Ben and Mary notice new neighbors moving into the long-vacant house next door, they invite them over for a barbecue. This seemingly innocuous evening of camaraderie soon veers into far more sinister territory when secrets are unearthed about the new neighbors.

Detroit premiered at Steppenwolf Theatre Company in 2010 and subsequently won the Obie Award for best new American play, going on to become a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in drama. In The New York Times review of the New York production starring David Schwimmer, Charles Isherwood described the play as “A sharp X-ray of the embattled American psyche as well as a smart, tart critique of the country’s fraying social fabric [that] is as rich and addictively satisfying as a five-layer dip served up with a brimming bowl of tortilla chips.”

The title of the play references the once-great American manufacturing city of Detroit, but the city is never specified within the play, which might take place in the suburbs of any mid-size American city.

“Detroit in this play is more a state of mind, rather than a location,” said director George Contini. “It really represents America in decline.”

D’Amour was inspired to write the play by a conversation with friends about what career they would choose if they could start over. Contini is fascinated by the way the play explores how Americans define themselves by their vocation.

“In America, what we do for work is so closely

written songs for Barbara Streisand, Whitney Houston, Willie Nelson and others, will discuss his new book, I Wrote That One, Too..: A Life In Songwriting from Willie to Whitney, and will treat guests to a few selected songs. 5:30 p.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-3879. lnessel@uga.edu.

YOGA IN THE GALLERIES Led by instructors from Five Points Yoga, this program is open to both beginner and experienced yogis. Space is limited and available on a first-come, first-served basis; tickets are available at the front desk starting at 5:15 p.m. Yoga mats provided. 6 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

CRAFT IN AMERICA Join the Georgia Museum of Art for films discussed by scholars, filmmakers and students. Each film will include a 15-minute introduction by guest speakers and short conversations about the film following the screening. “Memory,” the first episode in the PBS series Craft in America, takes a personal tour through craft’s history in the U.S., beginning with the pioneers of the field. This episode juxtaposes the intimate stories of some of the country’s most prominent craft artists against the larger historical context of craft itself. A tour of the exhibition follows.

Craft in America explores the vitality, history and significance of the craft movement in the U.S. and its defining role in the legacy of the nation’s rich cultural heritage. 7 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

GLOBAL GEORGIA INITIATIVE “A Conversation on the Japanese Incarceration Through Song and Film,” Kishi Bashi. 7 p.m. Seney-Stovall Chapel.

706-542-3966. wcha@uga.edu. (See story, page 2.)

PERFORMANCE Enjoy Project Safe’s 19th annual production of Eve Ensler’s award-winning play, The Vagina Monologues. Women of all ages

Accordion Virtuosi of Russia to perform Feb. 19

By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Accordion Virtuosi of Russia Feb. 19 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall.

With a repertoire ranging from folk music to rock songs, the ensemble has performed for the Olympic Games in Munich in 1972, Montreal in 1976 and Moscow in 1980.

The Accordion Virtuosi of Russia has appeared at prestigious venues around the world including the Leipzig Gewandhaus, Verona’s Arena, Olympia Hall in Paris and the Great Philharmonic Hall in St. Petersburg. The group has toured extensively throughout Europe, North America, Japan, China and Africa.

The ensemble is the winner of numerous international music competitions and was named “Best Accordion Orchestra of Europe” by the EU Musika Orchestra Society in Frankfurt, Germany.

Tickets for the concert are $36 to $41 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.

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/.

columns.uga.edu Feb. 12, 2018

UGA Theatre’s production of Lisa D’Amour’s Detroit will run from Feb. 16-25 at the Cellar Theatre.

aligned with who we are, and this play really deals with these characters having to confront their identity beyond work,” said Contini, who believes this theme, along with the contemporary nature of the play, lends it a special significance for university students who will be graduating soon and thus entering society in a time of economic turmoil.

UGA Theatre’s Detroit offers a darkly comedic take on serious questions about identity, happiness and the unraveling of the “American Dream.”

“It’s about dreams becoming nightmares, in a way,” Contini said. “It’s about creating blue prints for the life you think you need to live but most likely won’t.

At its root, it is about our country’s ‘fruited plains’ becoming a waste land.”

and backgrounds perform monologues ranging from humorous to devastating, profound to profane. $15 donation to Project Safe. Performances are Feb. 15-17 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 18 at 3 p.m. Chapel. kfarlowe@uga.edu.

FRIDAY, FEB. 16 FUTURE FACULTY FELLOWS INFO SESSION Interested in applying to be a Future Faculty Fellow in 20182019? Attend an informational session and casual meet and greet with current and former Fellows. For more information about the Fellows program, visit http://ctl.uga.edu/futurefaculty-fellows/. Application deadline is March 7. Noon. N6 Instructional Plaza. 706-542-0534. zoe.morris@uga.edu.

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

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

ARBOR DAY CELEBRATION Become involved in Arbor Day by joining Berkeley Boone to learn about and celebrate the trees at the garden during a Tree Trail Ramble. 2 p.m. Shade Garden Arbor, State Botanical Garden. 706-583-0894. bwboone@uga.edu.

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

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

SUNDAY, FEB. 18

PHILOSOPHY COLLOQUIUM “Ambivalence About Forgiveness,” Miranda Fricker, City University of New York, Graduate Center. Reception will follow lecture.

3:30 p.m. 115 Peabody Hall. 706-542-2823.

WORKSHOP Gareth Crosby, curator of the Heritage Garden, will teach participants the best ways to expand fruit production in home orchards or vineyards and discuss the challenges of keeping fruiting plants healthy and productive. This session will focus on pest and disease management. $30. 1 p.m. Visitor Center, Classroom 2, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6158. ckeber@uga.edu.

BASEBALL vs. Georgia Southern. $5-$8. 5 p.m. Foley Field.

BASEBALL vs. Georgia Southern. $5-$8.1 p.m. Foley Field.

BLACK HISTORY MONTH DINNER The dinner and awards ceremony feature the presentation of the Larry D. and Brenda A Thompson Award and the Lillian C. Lynch Citation. Visit http://bit.ly/gmoa-bhma18 or call 706-542-4199 for more information. $60, members; $80, nonmembers. 5:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

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

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

GYMNASTICS vs. Florida. $6, youth; $10, adults. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

SATURDAY, FEB. 17 WORKSHOP In “Cultivating Healthy Skin,” participants will learn about herbs and natural products that support a natural glow. Advance registration is required. $35; $25, students. 9 a.m. Student Classroom, UGArden. 678-205-7680. njfuller@uga.edu.

WORKSHOP In “Natural Science Illustration Series,” OC Carlisle will present essential basic techniques of drawing, showing highlight and shadow to give form and texture to natural objects. Limited to 10 participants. $260. 9 a.m. Visitor Center, Classroom 2, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6158. ckeber@uga.edu.

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

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

LUNAR NEW YEAR CELEBRATION: FAMILY FUN FESTIVAL Celebrating with music, food, literature and art-making, the State Botanical Garden brings Grace Lin and Yu Hua’s children’s and adult literature to life. Making origami friends, learning to use chop sticks and exploring new vegetables and snacks are all part of the Year of the Dog party. Dragon Making Workshop participants will show off their creativity throughout the festival, along with performances and book giveaways. $2 per person; children younger than age 2 are admitted free. 10 a.m. Visitor Center, Conservatory, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6158. ckeber@uga.edu.

LECTURE “City Girls in Nazi Cinema?: Working Women in Berlin,” Antje Ascheid, theatre and film studies. 12:20 p.m. Women’s Studies Friday Speaker Series. 214 Miller Learning Center.

706-542-2846. tlhat@uga.edu.

SOFTBALL vs. Samford. 5:30 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium.

The Accordion Virtuosi of Russia will take the stage at UGA’s Hodgson Concert Hall Feb. 19 for an 8 p.m. performance.

The realistic setting of Detroit provides welcome challenges for UGA Theatre designers after a series of more heightened productions such as The Last Witch and Cabaret. While a backyard barbecue is not on its face fantastical, third-year MFA designer Eric Chamness observed that “the setting becomes an amazing kind of gladiatorial arena for the characters to discover secrets and lies about one another.”

Costumer Desiree K. Smith similarly sought to mirror the thematic elements of the play in her designs.

“The challenge of costuming a modern-day show boils down to finding a subtle way to indicate each character’s distinctive qualities while still creating the illusion that their clothes and fashions belong to them,” she said.

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.

MONDAY, FEB. 19 FILM SCREENING AND DISCUSSION Called to Rescue is a documentary film that showcases the lives of farm animals that have been saved from the modern animal agriculture production machine and highlights the personal stories of dedicated people who care for them at farm sanctuaries across the country. Discussion will be led by Janet Frick, UGA psychology professor, and Kat Howkins, who runs Sweet Olive Farm Animal Rescue, a sanctuary located in Winterville.

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

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

COMING UP SUSETTE M. TALARICO LECTURE Feb. 20. “Trust, Race and Police: The Contemporary Challenges of History,” Louis M. Dekmar, chief of police and chief of public safety for the city of LaGrange. During the span of his 40-year career, Dekmar has served in law enforcement as a police officer, detective, division commander and chief of police.

Presented by the Criminal Justice Studies Program and the Criminal Justice Society. 11 a.m. Larry Walker Room, Dean Rusk Hall.

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Feb. 14 (for Feb. 26 issue) Feb. 21 (for March 5 issue) March 7 (for March 19 issue)

6 Feb. 12, 2018 columns.uga.edu

FACULTY PROFILE

‘Raw water’

Uttam K. Saha, a program coordinator at the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’ Services Lab in Athens, was recently quoted in a USA Today article about the “raw water” trend.

Raw, or unsterilized water bottled directly from a natural spring, is becoming a sought-after item in California and parts of the U.S. Raw water advocates argue filtration processes strip natural water of probiotics. While raw water might have some probiotics, it also contains a lot of disease-causing organisms.

“I would say the risk is more than the potential benefits of drinking the water,” Saha said. “You don’t know whether the water contains diseasecarrying organisms or not, and the same is true for probiotics, we don’t know if they are unless the water is tested.”

Judgment day

Susan B. Haire, a professor of political science at UGA’s School of Public & International Affairs was recently quoted by the Los Angeles Times in an article about President Trump’s appointment of federal judges.

President Trump has spent his first year rapidly filling Article III judgeships at the Supreme, appellate and District Court levels. A Times data analysis found he is ranked No. 6 of 19 presidents for appointing the highest number of federal judges in their first year.

“It’s one area where the administration has really been successful, so understanding what’s happening is important,” said Haire, whose areas of expertise are judicial decision making and lower federal courts.

Making music

David Lowery, a lecturer in Terry College’s Music Business Certificate Program, was interviewed for an article in Billboard about the battle for creators’ rights.

Lowery sued Spotify in 2015 for copyright infringement related to unpaid mechanical royalties. The case resulted in a $43 million class action settlement against the company that is awaiting court approval, although Lowery is no longer the named plaintiff.

“Streaming is the future of the music business, and I’m not against it—I just want everyone to get paid fairly,” said Lowery, who organized the Artists’ Rights Symposium which brought together policy makers and musicians on Jan. 22 and 23. “There could be millions of songs that songwriters weren’t getting paid royalties for, and the future should be better than that.”

Checking out

Mehrsa Baradaran, the associate dean for strategic initiatives and the J. Alton Hosch Associate Professor of Law at UGA’s School of Law, was recently quoted in Slate about Bank of America ending a free checking service.

The free checking service used by some of its lower-income depositers was called e-banking. The customers were transferred to new accounts that will require them to keep a minimum balance of $1,500 or agree to have $250 from their paycheck directly deposited into their account every month.

Otherwise, they will have to pay a $12 monthly fee.

Lower-middle class households who have trouble maintaining a minimum balance in a checking account are, by and large, not very profitable customers unless they’re paying out the nose in overdraft fees.

“They’ve never been free. That’s the truth of it,” said Baradaran, who is the author of How the Other Half Banks and The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap. “They’ve always been laced with overdraft fees and you’ve had to have minimums. Free has been a misnomer for a while.”

Dorothy Kozlowski

Anthony Madonna became interested in Congress while interning in the Michigan State Senate and continues share his knowledge with undergraduate students.

Congressional procedure scholar introduces undergrads to research

By Caroline Paris Paczkowski cparis@uga.edu

On New Year’s Eve, Tony Madonna could be found at the wedding of two former undergraduates. To him, there is nothing more rewarding than being a mentor to his students.

Madonna began work at the University of Georgia in 2008 as an assistant professor right out of his graduate studies at Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

“I chose UGA because it has such a good department for studying legislative institutions,” said Madonna. “That’s my specialty, and there are seven people who work here that I can co-author with at any time. It is a very strong group.”

As an undergraduate student, Madonna became interested in Congress while interning at the Michigan State Senate. Conducting legislative and constituent services work at the state level guided his career path as a scholar of congressional procedure.

“When I went to graduate school, I wasn’t quite sure what I wanted to do. I always loved Congress, and I was always interested in procedure, but it wasn’t something I thought I could specialize in,” he said. “I was reading the congressional record at 2 a.m. on a Friday evening laughing at something that was in there, and I remember thinking ‘yeah, maybe I will stick with this.’ ”

Now, as an associate professor, Madonna continues to pursue his passion and help undergraduate students pursue theirs as well. In 2010, Madonna, along with Michael Lynch, began offering an undergraduate research course that allows students to read through the congressional record starting back in the early 1900s to code information, specifically about the use of roll call votes.

Roll call votes, where each member’s position on an issue is recorded, have been a major focus of congressional research in the past, but according to Madonna, most votes in Congress do not receive a roll call vote, so these kinds of votes alone don’t tell the whole story of lawmaking.

“We are making the argument that a lot of the observed increases in polarization that we are seeing today are artificial. What we mean by that is that members of Congress are recognizing the importance of roll call votes and how they can be used to report a given position back home,” said Madonna.

“What we have seen over time is that members select what is going to get a roll call vote intentionally in order to separate themselves from others from an ideological standpoint.”

With all the data collected, Madonna and Lynch are ready to take their findings to conferences. In May, they are hosting a Congressional Rules and Procedures Conference at UGA. With

FACTS

Anthony Madonna Associate Professor School of Public and International Affairs Ph.D., Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis, 2008 A.M., Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis, 2005 B.A., Political Science, Michigan State University, 2002 At UGA: 10 years

funding from the Provost’s State of the Art Conference Grant, their conference hopes to bring together scholars, practitioners and elected officials to assess the current state of congressional rules and procedures to explore paths for future reform to improve legislative efficiency.

“At the end of the day, our findings don’t fix anything. Polarization is still a problem, and it still leads to a lot of undesirable things, like crippling gridlock and unpopular legislatures, but what it does do is suggest that we need alternative means of reform,” he said. “We make the argument that there needs to be internal reform to rules.”

When the project started in 2010, neither he nor Lynch imagined what it would be today and the important role their class would play in their undergraduate students’ careers.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

Engineering college names founding department chair

By Mike Wooten

mwooten@uga.edu

The University of Georgia College of Engineering has named Sidney Thompson the founding chair of its School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering.

Thompson, the U.H. Davenport Professor of Biological and Agricultural Engineering, has been a member of the UGA faculty for 37 years.

Thompson’s primary research field is the study of the properties and storage of particulate solids, and he has more than 85 refereed publications to his credit. He has primarily taught courses in structural engineering and engineering design fundamentals at UGA. Thompson has been recognized throughout his career with numerous

teaching awards.

“Dr.Thompson has a deep commitment to the instructional, research and service missions of the University of Georgia,” said Donald Leo, dean of the UGA College of Engineering. Sidney Thompson “I have every confidence that he will work closely with our faculty, staff and students to grow and enhance programs in the School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering in his new role as founding chair.”

Thompson earned bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering

from Kansas State University and Purdue University, respectively. He earned a doctor of philosophy degree in agricultural engineering from the University of Kentucky.

In response to the rapid growth of its educational and research programs, the UGA College of Engineering established a new organizational structure in 2017 built around three schools: the School of Chemical, Materials and Biomedical Engineering; the School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering; and the School of Electrical and Computer Engineering. The new structure is designed to enhance the college’s interdisciplinary teaching, research and service activities while advancing the development of its undergraduate and graduate degree programs.

2018 PRESIDENT’S FULFULLING THE DREAM AWARD

‘Beautiful thing to do’ Student recipient of 2018 Dream Award credits her parents for teaching importance of giving back

By Emily Webb

sew30274@uga.edu

Natalie Morean’s parents instilled in her the importance of giving back.

As a 2018 recipient of UGA’s President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award, the third-year human development and family science major gives back to the UGA and Athens communities in many ways. Her reason for doing so is simple.

“Students don’t necessarily always recognize that AthensClarke County is one of the poorest counties in the entire state of Georgia,” she said. “It’s really about going outside and seeing past your own privilege and recognizing that there are other people.”

Morean is currently the president of the National Council of Negro Women, a member of the university’s Black Affairs Council and a Fellow in the Leaders Engaged in Affirming Diversity program with UGA’s Office of Institutional Diversity.

She also has been an orientation leader, the community services director for the National Council for Negro Women and a mentor for the Mentoring Among Peers program at UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, as well as the Athens-Clarke County Mentorship program.

Morean planned to pursue a career in medicine when she enrolled at UGA. But she changed her major during her sophomore year to pursue a career that will let her work with families.

“I’m the oldest of four children, so everything’s really been family-oriented for me,” said Morean, who grew up in Locust Grove. “And my mom ran a family daycare at home, so there were always a ton of children in our house when I was growing up. Family has always been really important to me.”

After graduating next spring, Morean plans to pursue an advanced degree in public health and start a non-profit organization to combat hunger and malnutrition in low-income communities. She learned about nonprofit organizations through UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences.

“You really start to hear about nonprofits and see the good that people are doing for others,” Morean said. “I really want to be a part of something like that.”

Morean’s desire to help others will go beyond Athens and UGA this summer when she travels to Accra, Ghana, to take part in a four-week service-learning study abroad program.

“In addition to seeing a different part of the world—I’ve never been to Africa—I’m most looking forward to working in a children’s hospital where I will study public health and nutrition,” said Morean, who sees another benefit to visiting other countries.

“Traveling to other parts of the world makes you more appreciative for your own home,” she said. “You realize that the world is so much bigger than Athens, the world is so much bigger than the state of Georgia, the world is so much bigger than the United States.”

Dorothy Kozlowski

After graduating from UGA next spring, Natalie Morean plans to pursue an advanced degree in public health and start a nonprofit organization to combat hunger and malnutrition in low-income communities.

Morean said she is humbled to be recognized by the university for her involvement in the UGA and Athens communities.

“To know that you’re affecting other people and you’re helping other people so much that somebody else notices makes me grateful,” Morean said. “Helping others is such a beautiful thing to do.

“You never help others for recognition, but to be the recipient of a Fulfilling the Dream Award—such a high honor at UGA—is also such a humbling experience,” she also said. “It has been the peak so far of my time at UGA.”

WEEKLY READER

columns.uga.edu Feb. 12, 2018

ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGES

Two will join CAES as department heads

By J. Faith Peppers pepper@uga.edu

Two administrators will join the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences as department heads.

Leslie Edgar will join the college in March 1 as the new head of the agricultural leadership, education and communication department. Francis Fluharty will join the faculty May 1 as the new head of the animal and dairy science department.

Edgar is currently a profesLeslie Edgar sor and assistant dean for student programs in the Dale Bumpers College of Agricultural, Food and Life Sciences at the University of Arkansas.

While at Arkansas, she served as a member of the dean’s leadership team, and as a representative of the dean, in developing the direction, policies and operations of the Bumpers College Honors Program and the International Programs Office.

She also served as the primary point of contact for Bumpers College students and faculty interested in international experiences or the honors program to enhance the marketability of UARK students for professional careers associated with their majors.

Fluharty is currently a research professor in the animal sciences department at The Ohio State University.

His career has been devoted to assisting food animal producers through research and educational programs aimed at improving animal health and growth. Fluharty has also Francis Fluharty worked to improve profitability, as food animal agriculture must be economicallysustainable for farm families.

His primary research interest is determining the main nutritional factors impacting animal health and growth. He has also studied the nutritional and immunological factors that affect fat deposition and meat characteristics in ruminants. This research is essential as many consumers now demand that production practices enhance the health and welfare of animals.

Fluharty is a co-inventor of two patents for genetic marker processes and DNA sequences to detect an animal’s potential for both marbling and tenderness. He also helped develop an all-natural branded beef program, Ohio Signature Beef, designed to improve profits for family farm owners who produce cattle without the use of hormone implants or antibiotics.

CYBERSIGHTS

ABOUT COLUMNS

Book details history of North Mississippi

From the Chickasaw Cession to Yoknapatawpha: Historical and Literary Essays on North Mississippi

By Hubert McAlexander Nautilus Publishing Company Paperback: $24.95

Written by UGA professor emeritus of English Hubert McAlexander, From the Chickasaw Cession to Yoknapatawpha offers glimpses of North Mississippi from the time the Chickasaws, led by powerful mixed-blood families, were forced by give up the last of their Mississippi lands and move west.

Readers learn about settlers flocking to the state’s homeland— billed as cotton’s last empire— buying land, building and establishing institutions. The 1850s ushered in a golden age of great prosperity that ended with a destructive war.

After the war, a culture reformed itself. Throughout the decades, a literary strain was developing.

Under the influence of this peculiar history and the problems of race emerged a great genius and his creation—Yoknapatawpha.

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

LiveSafe app puts safety at your fingertips

prepare.uga.edu/livesafe

The UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness and the UGA Police Department have released the UGA LiveSafe app, which equips users with tools to stay safe on campus.

The app, which can be downloaded from the App Store or Google Play, has many features including the ability to share

information with campus police, a map displaying the location of safety devices and emergency location sharing.

Users also can use the SafeWalk feature, which allows them to use a map to monitor their friend’s location. To learn how to download and set up UGA LiveSafe, visit prepare. uga.edu/livesafe.

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.

7

8 Feb. 12, 2018 columns.uga.edu DOCTORS from page 1

“4-H is a leadership organization, and physicians are some of the most influential people in their communities,” Sumner said.

“4-H is full of the best and the brightest of young people. It gives them a chance to excel, have a mentor and connect with something that is greater than them.”

Sumner, along with Southeast District 4-H Program Development Coordinator Lee Anna Deal, Effingham County 4-H Agent Abby Smith and Bleckley County 4-H Agent Brandi McGonagill, created a program called “Setting Your Sights on Medical School.”

“Dr. Sumner approached us for help in reaching students who may be interested in medical school,” Smith said. “She needed help creating a pipeline of medical students who plan to go back to rural Georgia to practice medicine.”

The program’s goal is to expose 4-H’ers from medically underserved, rural Georgia to the idea that medical school is an option for them, Smith said. Members of 4-H must apply to the program, and accepted students travel to Macon for an inside look at medical school through sessions led by Mercer faculty and students.

There are about 30 4-H members in each session of the program. They rotate through different stations to learn about basic physiology, patient interaction, rural medicine, telemedicine, medical research and more.

“Hands-on learning experiences like this are just the type of programming 4-H’ers get excited about being a part of,” Deal said.

“We hope to impact these young people in a positive way to help them reach their future goals. Our mission in Georgia 4-H is to offer opportunities like this for young people to acquire knowledge and develop life skills to help them become self-directing, productive and contributing citizens.”

The 4-H participants also receive information about admission requirements and scholarships, like Mercer’s Nathan Deal Scholarship. Named for Georgia’s governor, the scholarship pays 95 percent of a student’s tuition for up to four years if the student agrees to work for four years in a medically underserved, rural Georgia county. The first 25 Nathan Deal Scholars were announced in August 2017.

A private university, Mercer is funded

PROGRAM by the state for one purpose: to prepare students to become doctors for underserved, rural Georgia, Sumner said. Medical school students graduate with about $200,000 in debt, she said.

UGA Associate Dean for Extension Laura Perry Johnson, who grew up in the south Georgia town of Moultrie, wholeheartedly supports the program.

“Health and wellness, particularly in rural areas, is a major program focus for UGA Extension. Many social ills stem from poor health, and health care costs and availability are major issues for society,” Johnson said.

“We are delighted to be a partner in such an innovative and impactful program that can work to affect change at the local level.”

The partnership between UGA’s Extension and Mercer University is just one of the ways UGA invests in rural Georgia.

To date, 84 high school-aged 4-H’ers have participated in three events in Macon—in fall 2016, spring 2017 and fall 2017. The next session will be held on Mercer University’s campus in Savannah.

“At first, we focused on students in southeast and southwest Georgia because Mercer is looking for rural students,” said Smith, who sees the program impacting 4-H youth.“Now, the program is becoming more popular, so we are moving it statewide and including students from all parts of Georgia.”

Bleckley County 4-H’er McKinley Cranford said the Setting Your Sights on Medical School program confirmed her desire to attend medical school and made her aware of how much dedication and commitment is required to do that.

In addition to introducing 4-H’ers to medical school, the program allows the students to benefit from the university’s resources.

Cranford was allowed to borrow a medical model of a human leg. She plans to become a pediatrician in her hometown of Cochran.

She used the resource to create a 4-H project that earned her a first-place ribbon.

“Those models cost thousands of dollars, but we check them out to the county agents who we trust completely. We want these students to have access to the best of what we have,” Sumner said. “We also want to be their mentors and help sustain their efforts to be a physician.”

Bulletin Board Project CHAMPS participants

The kinesiology department at UGA’s College of Education seeks couples age 60-75 who have internet access to participate in a physical activity study to improve physical function.

Participants will be enrolled for 31/2 months and all testing will be performed by the kinesiology department.

Participants will be asked to incorporate changes into their physical activity and will be asked to participate in a supervised exercise program.

Upon successful completion of the project, participants can be provided with a Fitbit and a free two-month membership, valued at $70, to the Center for Physical Activity and Health.

For more information, contact the Body Composition and Metabolism Laboratory at 706-542-4395 or email CHAMPS.UGA.17@gmail.com.

Fellowship proposal deadline

The deadline to submit proposals for the fall semester Public Service and Outreach Fellowship Program is March 23.

Guidelines may be found online at http://bit.ly/2nCcyAu. Proposals should be sent electronically to ovppso@uga.edu. Questions should be directed to Paul Brooks, associate vice president for public service and outreach, at pjbrooks@uga.edu or 706-542-6167.

The PSO Fellowship Program, which launched in 2011, provides a semester-long immersion experience for tenure-track or tenured faculty members that enriches the work of one of the PSO’s nine units: the Archway Partnership, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, the Georgia Center for Continuing Education, Georgia Sea Grant, the Marine Extension Service, the Office of Service-Learning, the Small Business Development Center and the State Botanical Garden.

WIP course proposals

The Franklin College Writing Intensive Program is accepting proposals until March 10 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—from classics to chemistry, from music to microbiology.

Visit www.wip.uga.edu for proposal forms and guidelines as well as information about the program. Direct questions to Lindsey Harding, WIP director, at lharding@uga.edu.

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

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the program. Team-based learning has been shown to foster critical competencies, such as critical thinking, problem-solving and collaboration skills—which are essential for success in today’s evolving global economy.

“It is truly exciting to help develop this important new initiative,” said Williams. “The rapid pace of change in today’s work environments demands that we prepare our students for lifelong learning and help them to develop key skills associated with teamwork.”

Co-chaired by Vice President for Instruction Rahul Shrivastav and Vice President for Student Affairs Victor Wilson, the Task Force on Student Learning and Success was charged last February with taking a fresh look at the university’s undergraduate learning environment to identify new opportunities to further enhance the educational experience for UGA students—inside and outside the classroom. The task force submitted its final report on Dec. 1, 2017.

“I am pleased to see these two recommendations moving forward to enhance the learning environment for our students,” said Morehead. “I am grateful to Dr. Frum, Dr. Williams and everyone involved in leading these important efforts.”

DAWGS

GRAND CHALLENGES WORKING GROUP Formed to encourage students and faculty to collaborate around the grand challenges of our time

Jennifer L. Frum, Vice President for Public Service and Outreach (Chair)

Eric Atkinson, Associate Vice President for Student Affairs

Michelle G. Cook, Vice Provost for Institutional Diversity and University Strategic Initiatives Marsha Davis, Associate Dean for Outreach in the College of Public Health

Tim Foutz, Meigs Distinguished Professor of Engineering

Ammishaddai Sully Grand-Jean, Political Science and Economics major

Libby V. Morris, Director of the Institute for Higher Education

Samuel L. Pardue, Dean of the College of ­Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Usha Rodriquez, Associate Dean for Faculty Development in the School of Law

Cynthia R. Ward, Meigs Professor of Internal

Medicine, Chief Medical Officer of the Small Animal Hospital

David S. Williams,Associate Provost and Director of the Honors Program

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“Being a part of the Young Dawgs Program last year gave me an early start in my college experience at UGA,” said Kurian, a pre-business major who graduated from Clarke Central High School. “I was in Matteo’s shoes last year, and it has been a privilege to be one of his mentors and to watch him develop throughout the year. I hope to build his skills in a variety of areas to help him not only in college but also in his career.”

Robby Ratajczak is a Young Dawgs participant mentored by Bobby Leitmann, a graduate research assistant at the Regenerative Bioscience Center.

Through the Young Dawgs program, Ratajczak has been able to learn about careers in a variety of fields, such as bioengineering, before making a decision on his future studies.

“Young Dawgs is an amazing program,” said Ratajczak. “I have learned an inexplicable amount about subjects I would have never been involved with if I was not involved in this program. It has been and continues to be a wonderful experience that has helped me formulate where I want to go with my future.”

CONFERENCE

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The Fanning Institute’s Community Leadership Program curriculum and increasing engagement in leadership programs are just of two of the topics that will be highlighted at the University of Georgia’s third annual Community Leadership Conference, scheduled for Feb. 22-23 at the UGA Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. Organized by the Fanning Institute, this year’s conference theme is “Inspired to Lead.”

The conference will feature workshops that follow one of four conference tracks.

Along with the conference title track, there will be tracks focused on community leadership development innovations, best practices in community leadership programming and leadership in nonprofit organizations.

Along with the workshops, attendees will hear keynote addresses, including from Rodney Bullard, vice president of community affairs for Chick-fil-A and executive director of the Chick-fil-A Foundation.

The Fanning Institute also will award the second annual Innovations in Community Leadership Award, which recognizes individuals or programs who have moved beyond traditional community leadership programming.

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To help students develop the necessary skills for collaborative teamwork and datadriven decision making, a team of project collaborators will support the instruction of students, including Georgia Part C programs, which provide scholars with a multitude of interdisciplinary instructional and applied experiences for children, and the Georgia Parent Infant Network for Educational Services, an early intervention program for infants, toddlers and preschoolers with vision and/or hearing loss.

As part of an ongoing collaboration with programs supporting individuals with complex needs, Cynthia Vail, professor and co-principal investigator of the grant, will continue to lead the Georgia Sensory Assistance Project, the state’s technical assistance center in the College of Education for deaf-blind individuals.

Along with affiliate faculty and community partners with diverse expertise, the grant provides training to students in assistive technology, augmentative and alternative

communication, early intervention systems and home-based practice.

“One of the unique things about this program and the whole emphasis of our work is to help families,” said Jennifer Brown, assistant professor and co-principal investigator of the PIPs Project. “What we do is centered around the family’s priorities, their goals and their daily routines and activities.

It’s not us coming in and saying do these things, it’s about developing intervention strategies together as partners, professionals and parents.”

Over the years, evidence-based intervention delivered by interdisciplinary providers has been shown to change the developmental trajectory of children with disabilities, such as autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome and cerebral palsy.

“We want to teach the students as part of their training that they’re not treating the disability, they’re providing services for individual children and families,” said Lieberman-Betz. “We’re targeting scholars who want to work with this population, who have a desire to work with infants, toddlers and preschoolers with complex needs and their families and to be a part of an interdisciplinary team that provides those services.”