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Researchers discover the genetic traits that give vegetables their shape RESEARCH NEWS
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Grammy-winning Roomful of Teeth to perform Jan. 16 in Hodgson Concert Hall Vol. 46, No. 20
January 14, 2019
www.columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
4&5
Institute becomes third site for center funded by the NSF
By Kat Gilmore
kygilmor@uga.edu
Andrew Davis Tucker
Clair McClure, a lecturer in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, shows dresses to students in the Young Designers Sewing Program inside the Product Design and Development Lab at Barrow Hall.
Sew much more Young fashion designers visit UGA
By Alison McCullick amcull@uga.edu
Lillian Kincey thought she would just be teaching students to sew. Little did she know that her after-school program would blossom into an opportunity to prepare Clarke County students for college and careers. Kincey helped start the Young Designers Sewing Program in 2009 as a creative and inspiring space for girls in east Athens to learn the art of sewing. Young women in grades four through 12 meet twice a week at the sewing studio on Gaines School Road with Kincey and a team of sewing mentors. “Our work with the girls goes far beyond teaching them to sew a hemstitch or a buttonhole stitch,” said Kincey. “We provide opportunities for them to learn other skills that will prepare them for the future, including
etiquette, social skills, basic business principles and workplace readiness, among others.” Members of the Young Designers recently spent a day at the University of Georgia, where they learned not just about textiles and fashion entrepreneurship but also about career choices and college applications, and they got a firsthand look at life as a college student. Rosa Arroyo-Driggers, associate director of UGA Admissions, engaged the group in conversations about potential career paths, and the girls eagerly shared their goals—ranging from careers as pediatricians to graphic designers to musicians. “One of the favorite parts of my job is having the opportunity to work with young people,” Arroyo-Driggers said. “Helping local students discover classes and programs at UGA that match
their passions is very rewarding. We hope to show them that the things they love most can become opportunities.” The group interacted with Arch Society students as they visited the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. Students explored the textile laboratories, studying clothing from the early 1900s to present and getting hands-on experience with tools such as a handloom and 3D printer. Throughout the visit, UGA students, faculty and staff encouraged the Young Designers to consider their passions, including their love of sewing and fashion design, as potential opportunities. “Textiles can be found everywhere,” said Gajanan Bhat, Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Fibers and Textiles See SEW on page 8
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
New university grants program supports adoption of free and low-cost course materials By Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
The University of Georgia is laying the foundation for the increased adoption of free and low-cost course materials through a new grants program sponsored by the Provost’s Office. Through the Affordable Course Materials Grant program, faculty members can receive $5,000 to support the transition from costly course materials such as textbooks to educational resources that are free for students or cost less than $40. “The Affordable Course
Materials Grant program enables our faculty to play an active role in keeping costs down for students while also providing the nationally recognized quality of education that students have come to expect from the University of Georgia,” said Interim Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Libby V. Morris. A growing body of literature shows that in addition to reducing costs for students, the use of free online textbooks and other open educational resources can help keep students on track toward graduation by improving grades and pass rates. These benefits can
be particularly pronounced for students with limited financial means who might otherwise forego purchasing traditional textbooks to save money. The Affordable Course Materials Grant program, which is being administered by the UGA Libraries and the Center for Teaching and Learning, is open to all full-time faculty. Proposals will be evaluated for impact measures such as dollars saved and number of students who will benefit, as well as for sustainability. Proposals should be submitted online at https://tinyurl.com/AffordableUGA, See GRANT on page 8
The University of Georgia New Materials Institute has been awarded a grant as the third site for the National Science Foundation’s Center for Bioplastics and Biocomposites, or CB2, an Industry/ University Cooperative Research Center. UGA was selected, in part, on the strength of 10 project proposals that were presented at a 2018 site planning meeting. As a CB2 site, the New Materials Institute will contribute additional capabilities in the areas of new biodegradable polymers and additives; advanced
fibers; durable coatings and finishes, including foams; nonwoven fibers; and novel thermoplastics with excellent barrier properties for films, sheet goods and filtration media. “The field of new and sustainable materials has quickly become one of the University of Georgia’s research strengths as we look for innovative ways to leave a healthier planet for future generations,” said David Lee, UGA vice president for research. “This CB2 award fits with our strategy of developing effective partnerships with colleagues in both academia and industry to move this critical field forward, and I’m excited about the new opportunities
See INSTITUTE on page 8
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
CAES faculty member receives 2018 New Innovator Award By J. Merritt Melancon jmerritt@uga.edu
Jason Wallace, an assistant professor at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has received one of nine 2018 New Innovator in Food and Agriculture Research Awards from the Foundation for Food and Agriculture Research. The New Innovator Award provides the early investment needed to successfully launch a scientific career in food and agriculture. Award recipients were selected based on a number of criteria including scientific merit, innovation and a demonstrated commitment to mentoring other young scientists. FFAR has awarded $292,000 to Wallace, a researcher in the
CAES department of crop and soil sciences, an amount that will be matched by funding from UGA. Wallace will use the award to fund his study of how crops are affected by the microbes that live inside them, referred to as the “microbiome,” and how the environment impacts this relationship. This work will help researchers understand how microbes affect crop production and how they can be harnessed to improve agriculture. This new funding will allow his lab to scale up experiments to test hundreds of corn varieties for how they are affected by microbes, sample corn growing at dozens of locations across the U.S. and “breed” microbes that improve corn growth. “There’s a ton of potential in using microbes to improve See AWARD on page 8
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
UGA faculty, staff to present at Georgia Organics Conference By Clint Thompson cbthomps@uga.edu
With demand rising for organic produce and the industry growing to meet the need, the Georgia Organics Conference is a pivotal event for educating organic growers in Georgia and throughout the South. Organic agriculture has increased in the U.S. by about 10 percent per year over the last 15 years, according to Juan Carlos Diaz-Perez, a University of Georgia scientist in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. It is likely that the increase in consumer demand for
certified-organic produce has led some of Georgia’s larger growers to dedicate part of their land to growing certified-organic crops, said Julia Gaskin, UGA sustainable agriculture coordinator. The Georgia Organics Conference, set for Feb. 8-9 at the UGA Tifton campus conference center, is an important event for farmers and others interested in organic agriculture, according to Diaz-Perez. “It has a regional impact beyond the Georgia borders,” he said. Along with UGA research entomologist Jason Schmidt, Diaz-
See CONFERENCE on page 8
2 Jan. 14, 2019 columns.uga.edu Why I Give Name: Ernest “Bill” Tollner
Commit to Georgia 2019
Position: Professor in the College of Engineering At UGA: 38 years Beneficiary of his gift to the university: The Advancing Georgia’s Leaders Fund in Ernest Tollner the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Dire Needs Project Fund in the College of Engineering Why he contributes: “We are here to provide intellectual and tangible help for students that also enhances relationships between the students of the university and the people of Georgia, the nation and the world.” Source: Office of Development
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.
FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
Professor, comic strip artist produce film series for kids
A partnership between a UGA professor and the creator of the “Sherman’s Lagoon” comic strip has resulted in a new short film series, “The Adventures of Zack and Molly,” which highlights the Gulf of Mexico and the importance of healthy oceans. Samantha Joye, UGA Athletic Association Professor of Arts and Sciences and professor of marine sciences in Franklin College, met artist Jim Toomey at an ocean conference several years ago, and together they hatched an idea to teach kids about the ocean through short-form media. Toomey is an award-winning cartoonist and filmmaker who created the popular comic strip “Sherman’s Lagoon,” which appears in more than 250 daily newspapers in 20 countries and six languages. The strip’s underwater theme explores environmental issues in a way that is meant to appeal to adults and children. For the past several years, Joye has been the project director of the ECOGIG research consortium. ECOGIG (Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf) is led by the University of Georgia and is one of several research consortia funded in the wake of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon accident in the Gulf of Mexico. ECOGIG has placed a strong emphasis on education and public outreach, so finding ways to reach a variety of audiences has been an important part of the program. “The ECOGIG program allowed us to invest in public outreach in an unprecedented way. It has been incredibly exciting to have the opportunity to work with Jim to develop a novel way to reach the public—especially kids—and share the importance of our work on deep ocean ecosystems and its relevance to ocean health,” said Joye. “The Adventures of Zack and Molly” follows the story of a young man who is more interested in the small world of his smartphone than the larger world around him. Zack’s online request for a roommate is answered by Molly, a tech-savvy Dumbo Octopus on a mission to tell the world about the importance of the deep ocean. The series was produced by Toomey and Sara Beresford and Emily Davenport, two education and public outreach coordinators working with Joye in the UGA marine sciences department. The three-part short film series has been selected by 13 film festivals from around the globe. The series received Best Animation award at the Wildlife Conservation Film Festival in New York, and the Award of Excellence for Nature/Environment/Wildlife from the Best Shorts Competition. The Best Shorts Competition recognizes media professionals who demonstrate exceptional achievement in craft and creativity and contribute to profound social change. Along with a learning guide and a variety of educational resources, the series is available at https://bit.ly/2PvK1fV.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Renovation of Driftmier Engineering Center under way after ceremony By Mike Wooten
mwooten@uga.edu
The University of Georgia College of Engineering launched a major renovation of the Driftmier Engineering Center on Dec. 13. Scheduled to open in fall 2019, the first phase of the project will significantly expand and enhance the College of Engineering’s undergraduate teaching laboratories and classrooms. The new space is designed to promote project-based learning and teamwork. “In the six years since the College of Engineering was formed at UGA, enrollment in engineering has grown exponentially, we’ve added more than 30 new faculty members, and we’ve significantly expanded the breadth of our research activities,” said Dean Donald Leo. “All of these changes mean we must examine our facilities and plan effectively for the future.” The project will convert more than 13,000 square feet of the building’s existing footprint into state-of-the-art instructional space. The majority of the new space will be assigned to modern wet and dry instructional labs designed to support the college’s undergraduate and graduate degree programs and undergraduate research. Future phases of the renovation work will expand and upgrade classrooms and spaces for team-based, collaborative projects. The renovation will also allow the College of Engineering to consolidate
Christopher Mark Sorrow
Madison Smith, an environmental engineering student, takes a sledgehammer to a wall in the Driftmier Engineering Center during a ceremony Dec. 13 to kick off the renovation of the building.
its student services in Driftmier, providing new spaces for academic advising, experiential learning support and student-employer interaction. “I can’t wait to walk into a building that reflects that inspiration and the energy of its students,” said Madison Smith, a senior environmental engineering student. “That, to me, is the most influential aspect of these renovations: to have a learning space that is as inspiring as the students who walk its halls; that is as cutting-edge as the research of its faculty; and that is as warm and attentive to detail as its staff.” During the ceremony, Leo thanked
donors who have made substantial contributions toward the renovation project: Jeff and Elizabeth McLendon, the family of long-time UGA engineering professor Derrell McLendon; SteelFab Inc.; Georgia-Pacific; and Georgia Power. Located on the southern edge of the UGA campus, the Driftmier Engineering Center opened in 1966. Originally named the Agricultural Engineering Building, it was named in honor of Rudolph Driftmier in 1982. Driftmier served as head of the department of agricultural engineering at UGA from 1930 to 1965.
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
SAVANNAH RIVER ECOLOGY LAB
PIPs project featured in US Department of Education newsletter
NSF grant to fund epigenetics research by team at SREL
By Kathryn Kao kath1@uga.edu
By Vicky L. Sutton-Jackson
The University of Georgia’s Preparation of Interdisciplinary Providers, or PIPs, project in the College of Education was recently featured in the U.S. Department of Education’s Early Learning newsletter, which highlighted the project’s role in helping infants, toddlers and children with complex needs and their families. The $1.1 million personnel preparation grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Special Education Programs, promotes collaboration among service professionals across multiple disciplines to deliver critical services to young children with high-intensity needs. “This project aims to provide our speech-language pathology students and early childhood educators with collaborative team skills and to also give them content around the two different disciplines,” said Rebecca Lieberman-Betz, associate professor and principal investigator of the project. “Being able to team up with a number of different providers in a way that supports children and families is important in providing optimal services.” Over the course of a five-year period, the PIPs project will prepare 24 graduate-level speech-language pathologists and early childhood special educators to serve children with disabilities and their families in interdisciplinary and collaborative contexts. The first cohort of students is currently engaged in coursework and applied experiences with project faculty who are experts in early intervention, early childhood special education, communication disorders, assistive technology and augmentative and alternative communication. By involving experts in the instruction of various modes of communication, the grant enables students to gain an extra layer of knowledge and applied experience using a variety of communication systems, while also developing content knowledge on team-based problem solving and critical thinking. “We’re targeting scholars who want to go out and 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 educational team that provides those services,” said Lieberman-Betz. “Students in this program are going to get advanced knowledge in really specific ways, so they can hit the ground running as graduates.”
During an organism’s development, the conditions of the surrounding natural environment can determine the organism’s traits. A University of Georgia scientist has received nearly $600,000 from the National Science Foundation to investigate the molecular and developmental mechanisms that allow for this plasticity. “Organisms can respond to their environments through epigenetic mechanisms,” said Benjamin B. Parrott, an assistant professor at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Odum School of Ecology. “There is no change to the DNA sequence, yet there are changes in how the code is expressed that results in observable variation. Epigenetic variation is often observed in natural populations and is sometimes associated with disease states. What we don’t really understand is how natural epigenetic variation originates. This study is aimed at tracing natural variation across the epigenome back to specific environmental factors during development and also to specific hormone signaling pathways.” The three-year, $572,000 grant will allow an SREL research team to study the effects of temperature on alligators’ reproductive development. Parrott said alligators are an ideal species for the study because they provide a clear example of how vertebrates respond to their environment during development. “Alligators do not have sex chromosomes like humans. Instead, an alligator’s sex is determined by the temperature at which the embryo develops,” said Parrott. “If you place an alligator egg at 98 degrees, it will develop as a male. However, if you place it at 90 degrees, it will develop as a female. We don’t fully understand how this occurs.” The team hopes that insights into mechanisms such as these will inform the understanding of how environmental factors affect development in more complex systems. For example, a growing number of studies show that environmental factors experienced during human development are associated with health outcomes later in life. However, the mechanisms linking the two points are unclear. The funding will provide undergraduate internships and support graduate research. The results will also be used to develop outreach materials to educate public high school students about epigenetics.
vsuttonj@srel.uga.edu
RESEARCH NEWS
columns.uga.edu Jan. 14, 2019
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Digest UGA finding named 2018 royal statistic
A finding from University of Georgia research has been named the 2018 International Statistic of the Year by the Royal Statistical Society. CNN International interviewed the College of Engineering’s Jenna Jambeck, who worked with colleagues at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and the Sea Education Association on the groundbreaking research. More than 90 percent of plastic has never been recycled, according to the research. Prior to the research, it was unclear exactly how much plastic was ending up in landfills or, even more problematic, in oceans and forests around the world. The new statistic lends a sense of scale to the problem of global plastic pollution. Andrew Davis Tucker
Esther van der Knaap, professor of horticulture, works on genetically crossing tomato plants inside a greenhouse near the Center for Applied Genetic Technologies.
Control mechanism Researchers discover genes that give vegetables their shape
By J. Merritt Melancon jmerritt@uga.edu
From elongated oblongs to nearperfect spheres, vegetables come in almost every size and shape. But what differentiates a fingerling potato from a russet or a Roma tomato from a beefsteak? Researchers at the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences have recently found the genetic mechanism that controls the shape of our favorite fruits, vegetables and grains. In article published Nov. 10 in the journal Nature Communications, Esther van der Knaap, professor of horticulture, and her team at UGA detail the genetic traits, shared by multiple plants, that have been shown to control fruit, leaf and seed shape. “We may be able to explain the shapes of many fruits and vegetables through a similar mechanism to the
one we described in tomatoes,” van der Knaap said. “We found that in tomatoes, plant cells in the fruit divide in a column or in a row and that will determine their shape. “We also found that this mechanism is likely the same in several other plant species: melons, cucumbers, potatoes,” she also said. “We’ve even been able to go as far as finding that the same mechanism controls the shape of rice grains as well as leaves.” The discovery of the genetic pathways that control shape are important for plant breeders but the information is also crucial for a better understanding of plant evolution and development. As part of a National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Agriculture-funded project, van der Knaap’s team expanded on her previous work to locate the genes that account for the variety of tomato shapes and sizes. In those studies, she found that the genetic sequences that control the
shape and size of tomatoes do so by controlling cell division or cell size. Each of these genes tells a small part of the story about how the fruits form, said van der Knaap. Some of them affect the size and shape of the fruit at the later stages of development, just before the fruit is ripening. Others affect the shape and size much earlier even before flowering. In this study, van der Knaap’s team was able to locate similar sets of shape-control genes in plants other than tomato. For instance in the potato, which is very closely related to the tomato, the gene that controls potato tuber shape is found in the same location in the genome as the gene that controls tomato fruit shape. In other plants, the shape-control genes may not be in the same place, but it is believed they act in the same manner, controlling the horizontal or vertical structure in cell division.
COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH
Study points to optimal blood pressure treatment for fewer negative outcomes in stroke patients By Lauren Baggett lbaggett@uga.edu
Aggressive treatment of hypertension in stroke patients could do more harm than good in the long term, according to a new study from researchers at the University of Georgia. Sixty percent of stroke patients admitted to U.S. emergency rooms have elevated blood pressure, and many studies say that having high blood pressure at the time of stroke can lead to higher rates of death and major disability. But lowering blood pressure too much with medications may actually be working against the body’s protective response to maintain blood flow into the affected brain tissues. “This presents a clinical dilemma,” said study author Changwei Li, assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at UGA’s College of Public Health. It may be better to keep blood pressure a little higher than normal, closer to 140/90 mmHg rather than a “good” blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg, but
that leaves the question of best practices a little open-ended. “Currently, hypertension treatment for acute stroke patients is based on physicians’ clinical experience and judgement,” said Li.“There is no guideline on how low the blood pressure should be maintained.” The key is to find the right balance between maintaining blood flow to the brain and reducing negative short- and long-term effects. To help identify this optimal blood pressure, Li and his co-authors looked at the relationship between blood pressure during stroke and both short- and long-term health outcomes for more than 4,000 Chinese stroke patients participating in the China Antihypertensive Trial in Acute Ischemic Stroke study. One group of stroke patients received extensive treatment for high blood pressure while a control group received no treatment at the time of their stroke. Li and his collaborators tracked blood pressure changes over time in both the treatment and control groups during the first week of hospital admission and
compared patient health at one week, three months, one year and two years following the stroke across patients of different blood pressure trajectories. “We hypothesized that well-managed blood pressure may reduce further tissue death around the affected area and avoid damage to arteries, and both have short-term and long-term benefits to the patients,” said Li. They found that patients whose systolic blood pressure was maintained at around 140 mmHg experienced fewer negative health outcomes, such as a second stroke, death or cardiovascular disease. Li said the findings provide some clarity for physicians. “However, the optimal level of blood pressure identified in our study still needs to be confirmed by large-scale randomized controlled clinical trials,” he added. The study, “Systolic Blood Pressure Trajectories in the Acute Phase and Clinical Outcomes in Two-year Follow-up among Patients with Ischemic Stroke,” appeared last month in the American Journal of Hypertension.
Landscape architect Eric Groft will give lecture on New American Garden
Eric Groft, principal in the landscape architecture firm Oehme, van Sweden in Washington, D.C., will give a lecture on the “New American Garden” at the UGA College of Environment and Design Jan. 16 at 5 p.m. in lecture hall 123 of the Jackson Street Building. The lecture will complement the current exhibit in the Circle Gallery at the CED, which is devoted to the work of Oehme, van Sweden. A reception and gallery opening will follow the lecture; all events are open free to the public. Groft has more than 30 years of experience in residential, commercial and institutional work. His designs feature residential rooftop terraces, gardens and estates as well as commercial work. His accomplishments also comprise academic and institutional campuses including the landscape design and perimeter security for the Federal Reserve, the U.S. Embassy in Barbados and the Alderman Quadrangle at the University of Virginia.
The Georgia Review to hold release party for fall/winter double issue
To celebrate the release of its new reversible, flippable fall/winter 2018 double issue, The Georgia Review will host a reading by authors Camille T. Dungy and Bob Hicok at 8 p.m. on Jan. 17 at Cine, located at 234 West Hancock Ave. The event, which will include music by local artist JoJo Glidewell, is open free to the public. A reception with light refreshments will follow the reading. Dungy is the author of the 2017 essay collection Guidebook to Relative Strangers: Journeys into Race, Motherhood, and History, which was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. She is a professor at Colorado State University. Her essay “Is All Writing Environmental Writing?” appears in the fall issue of The Georgia Review. Hicok is the author of several poetry collections, most recently Words for Empty and Words for Full, and Elegy Owed, a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award. He is currently teaching at Virginia Tech. The winter 2018 issue of The Georgia Review features two new poems by Hicok: “Saving a life” and “I keep a weather station in my head.” The Georgia Review’s fall issue offers a look at the changing nature of environmental writing in the age of the Anthropocene. The winter issue showcases new works of fiction in a feature titled “Here, There, Then, Now: Stories from Six Worlds.” Both are bound together in a double issue, which includes new work from nearly 50 writers as well as two full art portfolios, and will be for sale at a promotional rate at the event. Books by Dungy and Hicok will also be available. This event is funded in part by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts. ASL interpretation will be provided.
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.
EXHIBITIONS
UGAGUIDE
Richard Hunt: Synthesis. Through Feb. 3. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.
Put a Bird on It. Through March 3. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. connicot@uga.edu. The Reluctant Autocrat: Tsar Nicholas II. Through March 17. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.
participants review this webpage before attending the workshop: http://www.ctl.uga.edu/Getting-Started-SoTL. 9 a.m. M.A.L.L., Instructional Plaza. 706-542-1713. ckuus@uga.edu.
WORKSHOP “Lesson Planning for TAs and LAs” will teach attendees a simple, evidence-based method to help plan lessons to be more organized, efficient and accountable. 12:20 p.m. M.A.L.L., Instructional Plaza. 706-542-5106. mhhoque@uga.edu.
Education of the Negro: A Depression Era Photographic Study by Dr. Horace Mann Bond. Through March 25. Russell Gallery, special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. washnock@uga.edu.
ARTFUL CONVERSATION Join Sage Kincaid, associate curator of education, for a closer look and conversation about Samuel F.B. Morse’s “Portrait of Mrs. Catherine Munro.” 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.
Fighting Spirit: Wally Butts and UGA Football, 1939-1950. Through May 10. Rotunda, special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu.
PHILOSOPHY COLLOQUIUM “How Long is Now?,” Anthony Weston, Elon University. 3:30 p.m. 115 Peabody Hall. 706-542-2823.
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.
DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION LECTURE SERIES Mohamed Massaquoi was the second round pick for the Cleveland Browns in the 2009 NFL draft where he recorded two 100-yard receiving games his rookie year. Before joining the NFL, he earned his Bachelor of Science in psychology from the University of Georgia where he was named the 2008 team captain, selected as a first-team All-Southeastern Conference and Academic All-SEC member, and received the team’s Leon Farmer Award. In spring 2017, Massaquoi was involved in an ATV accident that resulted in the amputation of four fingers. Since retiring from the NFL, he has worked as a financial advisor at Morgan Stanley and is a speaker and advocate for fitness, athletes in business and amputee causes. 5 p.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-542-7990. adavis@uga.edu.
MONDAY, JAN. 14 DROP/ADD Through Jan. 15. For spring semester undergraduate- and graduate-level courses. FITNESS & WELLNESS FREE WEEK Through Jan. 18. Attend any group fitness or small group training class free of charge. Ramsey Student Center. 706-542-8023. lisawilliamson@uga.edu.
TUESDAY, JAN. 15 WORKSHOP Multiple-choice tests can be an efficient way of assessing student understanding, but often test questions don’t really measure what educators think they’re measuring. In “Choosing Multiple Choice,” participants will discuss guidelines for item writing and basic item analysis. 2 p.m. M.A.L.L., Instructional Plaza. 706-542-0534. zoe.morris@uga.edu. MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Kentucky. $15. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.
WEDNESDAY, JAN. 16 WORKSHOP “Planning, Presenting and Publishing on Your Teaching” will introduce attendees to the community of teacher-researchers who identify problems worth investigating in their classroom and systematically study them. In addition to gathering tools to plan a Scholarship of Teaching and Learning study and contrasting different types of SoTL studies, attendees will identify conferences and journals for sharing SoTL research regionally, nationally and internationally. It is recommended that
OPENING RECEPTION For the exhibition The New American Garden: The Landscapes of Oehme, van Sweden and lecture by Eric Groft, OVS principal. 5 p.m. Circle Gallery, Jackson Street Building. (See Digest, page 3.) CONCERT Roomful of Teeth, a Grammy Award-winning contemporary vocal ensemble, is dedicated to reimagining the expressive potential of the human voice. Tickets start at $25. 7:30 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. ugaarts@uga.edu. (See story, right.)
THURSDAY, JAN. 17 YOGA IN THE GALLERIES Enjoy a yoga class surrounded by works of art in the galleries. Led by instructors from Five Points Yoga, this program is free and open to both beginner and experienced yogis. Space is available on a first-come, first-served basis; tickets are available at the front desk at 5:15 p.m. Yoga mats provided. 6 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu. STUDIO WORKSHOP Teaching artist Phil Jasen will lead the second in a four-part
FRIDAY, JAN. 18 FREEDOM BREAKFAST The Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast honors the legacy of the late civil rights leader, recognizing individuals in the community whose work has made significant contributions regarding race relations, justice and human rights with the President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award. Jointly sponsored by UGA, the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government and the Clarke County School District. Tickets are $25 each or $200 for a table of eight. They may be purchased online at https://bit.ly/2QbcH9S. 8 a.m. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center. HOMESCHOOL DAY The focus of this free program is STEAM: science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics. Explore the museum’s permanent collection and the special exhibition Richard Hunt: Synthesis. Like designers, explorers and scientists, artists use creative problem solving to create their works of art. After exploring the galleries and the art cart, complete a design challenge and create a work of art in the Michael and Mary Erlanger Studio Classroom. Contact Sage Kincaid at sagekincaid@uga.edu for more information. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. GYMNASTICS vs. Alabama. $10; $6 for children. 7:30 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.
SATURDAY, JAN. 19 MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Florida. $15. Noon. Stegeman Coliseum.
SUNDAY, JAN. 20
Roomful of Teeth’s Jan. 16 performance includes a piece written especially for the vocal ensemble.
btyler@uga.edu
WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs Texas A&M. $5. 4 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.
MONDAY, JAN. 21 MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. HOLIDAY No classes; offices closed. GYMNASTICS vs. Iowa State. $10; $6 for children. 2 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.
TUESDAY, JAN. 22 CLASS Tuesdays through April 16. Walk A Weigh classes are researchbased lessons for weight loss and chronic disease prevention,
UGA Presents is bringing Roomful of Teeth to Athens Jan. 16 for a 7:30 p.m. performance in Hodgson Concert Hall. The Grammy-winning vocal ensemble will perform a program featuring works written specifically for them. Founded in 2009 by singer and composer Brad Wells, Roomful of Teeth is a genre-defying vocal project dedicated to reimagining the expressive potential of the human voice. The ensemble gathers annually at the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (Mass MoCA) where they study with masters from vocal traditions the world over. The eight-voice ensemble continually expands its vocabulary of singing techniques and, through an ongoing commissioning process, forges a new repertoire without borders. Roomful of Teeth’s Athens program will include AEIOU by composer Judd Greenstein. “AEIOU was written at Mass MoCA in the summer of 2009,
offered by UGA Cooperative Extension for all UGA employees. Learn how to change eating and physical activity habits to lose weight. There are two sessions to choose from: Tuesdays, from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on North Campus at the Training & Development Center or Tuesdays from 4:30-5:30 p.m. on South Campus in the Hoke Smith Building. Registration is required for this program. Go to hr.uga.edu/training and follow the link. 706-613-3640. jdallas@uga.edu.
ceh822@uga.edu
ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Understanding the Origin and Future of Biodiversity Patterns,” John Wiens, professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of Arizona. Reception will follow seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the ecology building lobby. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu. GARDEN TRAVELS Jennifer Ceska and her family spent three weeks in Europe last summer traveling Germany and Austria. Her stories include invitations to lay in long grass in Berlin city parks, visitations to float through the dreamy Insel Manau (Isle of Flowers) botanical garden in Lake Constance and consultations with dairy cows and cuckoos in Alpine wildflowers at their absolute peak. Light reception before the talk by Friends of the Garden. $10, general admission; free for members. 6:30 p.m. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6138. lpbryant@uga.edu.
The next Faculty Artist Series concert features Adrian Childs, Peter Van Zandt Lane and Emily Koh performing together as Subaerial Collective.
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/.
elements of jazz. I have drawn these memories and influences together into a piece that is mostly notated, but also includes some improvisation,” he said. Speaking to the name of their new trio, Subaerial Collective, Childs realized that “Bonobo Assassin,” a name they had formerly considered for the trio, would work well as the title for the piece he was writing. “Like its title, the piece involves two ideas that don’t seem to belong together—a dry, driving line and some ethereal chords—whose combination comes across as serious, but is also a bit ridiculous,” he said. Tickets for the concert are $12 for adults and $6 for students and children and can be purchased online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the Performing Arts Center Box Office at 706-542-4400. All proceeds from ticket sales go directly towards funding student scholarships. For those unable to attend the concert, live streaming will be available at music.uga.edu/live-streaming.
FULL MOON HIKE: WOLF MOON Experience the garden at night. Each hike focuses on a different topic such as the moon, constellations or nocturnal creatures. Be prepared to hike up to 2 miles on wooded trails and in the garden. A backpack carrier is suggested for young children or infants. Pre-registration is required. $5 per person or $15 per family. 7 p.m. Visitor Center fountain, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156. bwboone@uga.edu.
COMING UP TOUR AT TWO Jan. 23. Join Asen Kirin, Parker Curator of Russian Art, for a gallery talk on “The Reluctant Autocrat: Tsar Nicholas II.” 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu. LECTURE Jan. 23. College of Environment and Design faculty lecture series by Wayde Brown. 4:30 p.m. 123 Jackson Street Building. ODUM SCHOOL GRADUATE STUDENT SYMPOSIUM Jan. 25-26. The 25th annual Odum School of Ecology Graduate Student Symposium highlights the latest research from ecology students. The symposium features oral presentations by
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.
Bonica Ayala
Roomful of Teeth to perform at Hodgson Concert Hall Jan. 16 By Bobby Tyler
By Camille Hayes
Lane’s 2018 composition “Piano Quartet: The Longitude Problem,” performers will include Michael Heald, associate professor of violin; Maggie Snyder, associate professor of viola; David Starkweather, professor of cello; and David Fung, assistant professor of piano. Inspired by developments in maritime navigation in the 18th century, the piece, written in three movements, was composed for the Atlanta Chamber Players. Lane’s second piece of the program, /chatter/, was composed for Subaerial Collective and features “electronic elements in a short, fast-paced musical banter,” according to Lane. The program also includes two world premieres written by Childs. His piece “Blues for Large Hands” is the first in a series of solo piano pieces that he’s written in honor and memory of his composition teachers. “[Their music] engaged idiosyncratically with
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series of studio-based courses focused on the human figure. Sessions are designed to be equally engaging for beginners as well as seasoned practitioners. $15 materials fee. For more information, call 706-543-0111 or email callan@uga.edu to register. 6:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art.
Composition Concert to kick off 2019 Faculty Artist Series Jan. 15 As a new year rings in, it is fitting to have a concert highlighting new musical works. The Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s composition faculty, along with many guest artists, will continue the Faculty Artist Series on Jan. 15 at 7:30 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall. “From the very beginning, our conception of this faculty recital included the idea of writing new pieces for us to perform ourselves,” said Adrian Childs, the music composition and theory area chair at the Hodgson School of Music. The performance will feature the inaugural appearance of the Subaerial Collective, as well as three new works for their novel instrumentation, which will be premiered at the end of the recital. “I think that attendees at the recital will be struck by the variety of voices and ideas coming from our composition faculty—the music is thoughtprovoking, meditative and fun in equal measure,” said Childs. The concert includes the world premiere of Emily Koh’s composition “zetsu” by Subaerial Collective, which includes assistant professor of composition Peter Van Zandt Lane on bassoon, Koh on double bass and Childs on piano. “Zetsu is a fictional character from Naruto with two different halves of his body—a black half and a white half. To me, Zetsu personifies finality. With low and quick microtonal movement in the bass registers and tense harmonics in the mid-high registers, my work ‘zetsu’ is characterized by deep, inner conflicts and tension,” said Koh. Another piece composed by Koh is based on the French lyric poem written by Charles Baudelaire from his highly controversial first edition of poems in 1857. “[The piece] is a choral setting of Remorse of the Dead (Remords posthume) from The Flowers of Evil (Fleurs du mal). It is a beautiful setting on the surface, but the noir elements slowly seep out of the crevices to reach the final chord,” said Koh, assistant professor of composition. The VERITAS Vocal Ensemble, an eight-piece student choral ensemble, will be performing this piece. Several area faculty members will join the composition faculty and student performers. On
columns.uga.edu Jan. 14, 2019
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.
during the first-ever assemblage of Roomful of Teeth. I came up for the second week of their residency, not knowing what the group was capable of doing. AEIOU uses the five basic vowel sounds as an ordered set, while the sonic landscape is a tapestry of interwoven yodels, throat singing and straight-tone clarity. It’s an extremely challenging work and could only be performed by the singers of this incredible ensemble,” said Greenstein. Tickets for the concert start at $25 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400. A limited number of discounted tickets are available to current UGA students for $6 to $10 with a valid UGA ID (limit one ticket per student). Wells, artistic director of Roomful of Teeth, will give a pre-performance talk at 6:15 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall. The talk is open to the public. Hodgson Concert Hall and Ramsey Concert Hall are located in the UGA Performing Arts Center at 230 River Road in Athens.
graduate students in ecology, integrative conservation and the IDEAS doctoral program as well as undergraduate research posters. It concludes with a keynote address by University of Georgia ecology alumna Virginia Schutte, science media officer with the Louisiana Universities Marine Consortium, on Jan. 26. 8 a.m. Auditorium, Ecology Building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu. CLASS Jan. 25. In “Winter Tree Identification: Certificate in Native Plants Elective,” students will learn the basics of identifying trees in the winter by learning about twigs, bark, leaf scars, fruits and tree form. Students will learn to use a hand lens and a simple key for woody plants to identify species. Class time will be divided between classroom exercises and a field trip to the deciduous woods at the botanical garden. $50, general admission; $45, Friends of the Garden. 9 a.m. Visitor Center, Classroom 2, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156. cscamero@uga.edu. MORNING MINDFULNESS Jan. 25. The Georgia Museum of Art invites participants into the galleries to take part in free, guided mindfulness meditation sessions, held every other Friday during the school year. Sessions include a variety of instructor-led meditation, movement and mindfulness techniques. No experience or special clothing is necessary. Meditation pillows or stools are provided. Reservations are encouraged; contact 706-542-8863 or sagekincaid@uga.edu. 9:30 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. LECTURE Jan. 25. “Connecting the Dots: New Perspectives on Mobility and Gathering in Ancient Mediterranean Sanctuaries,” T. M. Kristensen, Aarhus University, Denmark, Archaeological Institute of America lecturer. This lecture presents results from a recently completed five-year research project on “Ancient Mediterranean Pilgrimage” that investigated journeys to sanctuaries in modern Greece, Italy and Turkey from the Archaic to Late Antique periods. It takes up the challenge of “connecting the dots” in the archaeology of ancient Greek and Roman sanctuaries that traditionally has focused on buildings and monuments as singular, isolated units. 5:30 p.m. S150 Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-1097. egarriso@uga.edu or jordan.dopp25@uga.edu. PERFORMANCE Jan. 25 at 7:30 p.m. and Jan. 26 at 2 p.m. Chinese Acrobats of Hebei perform. Derring-do takes center stage when these masters of agility and grace combine Chinese traditions and nimbleness. These athletes have trained in the art and science of acrobatics since childhood. Tickets start at $25. Fine Arts Theatre, Fine Arts Building. 706-542-4400. ugaarts@uga.edu.
NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Jan. 16 (for Jan. 28 issue) Jan. 23 (for Feb. 4 issue) Jan. 30 (for Feb. 11 issue)
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Amanda Murdie, professor and head of the international affairs department in the School of Public and International Affairs, recently won the Quincy Wright Distinguished Scholar Award from the International Studies Association. According to ISA, the Quincy Wright Distinguished Scholar is expected to have an “exceptional record of scholarship in international studies, a distinguished record of service to the International Studies Association and other international affairs organizations, and, normally, a record of service within the region.” Amanda Murdie Murdie has served as program chair and president of ISA Midwest, is the editor-in-chief of International Studies Review and is the co-editor of the University of Georgia Press Studies in Security and International Affairs Book Series. Murdie received the award at the annual meeting of ISA-Midwest in November and also gave a keynote address at the meeting on her research. Rick Lewis, UGA Foundation Professor in Family and Consumer Sciences, and Judy Harrison, professor and Extension foods specialist, from the FACS department of foods and nutrition have been honored by the Association of Public and Landgrant Universities Board of Human Sciences. Harrison is the recipient of the 2018 Outstanding Engagement Award, while Lewis received the 2018 Undergraduate Research Mentor Award. Harrison and Lewis were among a group of four outstanding individuals recognized at the APLU annual meeting in New Orleans in November. The annual honors are presented to national leaders working to advance human sciences in higher education, per a release from the APLU. The awards are aimed at supporting the development and stewardship of academic excellence in human sciences; advocating for visibility and leveraging resources to support human sciences research, extension and teaching programs; and educating leaders regarding the capacity of the human sciences to solve human problems. Collette Chapman-Hilliard, an assistant professor in the counseling and human development services department in the College of Education, was recently appointed to the editorial board of The Counseling Psychologist, the flagship journal of counseling psychology. Chapman-Hilliard is one of 38 faculty members serving on the editorial board for the journal, which has published articles in areas of multiculturalism, research methods, assessment and other areas for more than 40 years. Chapman-Hilliard joins fellow UGA faculty member Bernadette Heckman on the editorial board. The Counseling Psychologist publishes current research articles related to the science and practice of counseling psychology. Russell Gabriel, clinical professor in the School of Law and Criminal Defense Practicum director, recently received the 2018 Indigent Defense Award from the Georgia Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers. This honor recognizes “decades of unwavering excellence in indigent defense, for instilling Russell Gabriel in law students the importance of public defender work through training and mentoring, and for inspiring everyone to always fight for equal justice for all.” Kudos recognizes special contributions of staff, faculty and administrators in teaching, research and service. News items are limited to election into office of state, regional, national and international societies; major awards and prizes; and similarly notable accomplishments.
CAMPUS CLOSEUP
Dorothy Kozlowski
Chris Duran, who manages audiovisual equipment for the College of Pharmacy, has had an interest in technology since childhood.
IT professional makes connections, meets needs across four campuses By Emily Webb
sew30274@uga.edu
Chris Duran’s job is making connections. The College of Pharmacy extends across four campuses—Athens, Albany, Augusta and Savannah—and Duran connects them by managing audiovisual equipment across all the campuses. He repairs, replaces or builds new equipment, occasionally driving to other campuses to meet their technology needs. “When [the technology] doesn’t work, that is where I kick it into high gear,” Duran said. “Every time that happens, I do everything in my power to make it work. Then I’ll come back after the fact to do a full repair and typically have it ready for the next class. It’s a lot of quick thinking and problem solving. It can be pretty crazy.” Duran also manages video conferencing at all pharmacy college campuses. Each day consists of more than 12 hours of video conferencing and class recordings, as third-year classes are offered at all four campuses. For Duran to make these technology connections, he works in the control room in the College of Pharmacy. He calls the hub of the control room the “master brain” of everything in the South Campus building and has dubbed the technology in individual rooms as “miniature brains.” From the control room, he monitors classrooms on any of the campuses and can control
the classroom’s equipment. When faculty members have an issue with the technology, he can use a microphone to talk them through the problem, or he can help them by controlling the technology from his laptop. “You never know what campus is going to call you and tell you that a projector or a camera has some type of issue,” he said. “That’s what I like about the job. I’m not always just sitting there pushing buttons all day.” Duran’s interest in technology and equipment started in his childhood. “When I was really young, I played music. I didn’t come from a very wealthy family, so I had to fix my own equipment when it would break,” he said. “I would tinker with it all the time and learn how it worked and learn how to fix stuff. Then it became more of taking stuff apart to see how it worked. The older I got—after changing careers a couple times—I found a place where I could cater to my love of tinkering with things.” Before coming to UGA, Duran worked for TSAV, a full-service technology consulting firm in Athens. At that job, he installed technology in classrooms, arenas and many other types of venues, and he was one of the managers for installing the equipment in the College of Pharmacy before he worked at UGA. Duran helped develop the instructional technology systems in the newly renovated facilities at the Augusta and Savannah campuses.
FACTS Chris Duran
Instructional Technology Systems Professional Principal College of Pharmacy Networking Specialist Diploma program, Athens Technical College, 2016 Certificate, Technology Specialist, AVIXA/ infoComm, 2005 At UGA: Seven years
There, he is in charge of making sure that everything is compatible with the standards of the campus, particularly if it is a hospital campus, as security practices are different. Since technology is always evolving, Duran’s job requires coordination with vendors and product manufacturers. “A lot of times, you’re learning on the fly,” he said. While his job can be frustrating if he can’t immediately solve a problem, he enjoys the challenge and loves helping people. “I like that every day can potentially be different and that there is always a challenge to work through,” Duran said. “Even when you have your normal day-to-day activities, you’re typically always looking forward towards a new project, and as technology is always changing and developing, you’re always studying the next new thing and where you need to go.”
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
Extension agent named new area onion agent By Clint Thompson cbthomps@uga.edu
Chris Tyson, a University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agent for more than 10 years, has been named the new area onion agent at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center in southeast Georgia. The Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center, located between Reidsville and Lyons in Toombs County, is home to specialized onion research conducted by researchers in the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Tyson has worked in onion research with past area agents Reid Torrance and Cliff Riner while serving as a UGA Extension agriculture and natural resources agent in nearby Tattnall County.
Tyson will continue the onion research being conducted at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center, working with industry leaders to evaluate new varieties being reChris Tyson leased and sharing updates with growers. “A lot of that foundation in research has already been laid for me. One of my biggest responsibilities will be managing the official Vidalia onion variety trial, which evaluates onion varieties each year for yield and grade and flavor. We’re responsible for making a recommendation on which onions should be called Vidalia
onions and which ones don’t make the cut,” Tyson said. “It’s very exciting to be able to have this opportunity. I don’t take it lightly because it’s a critical position in Georgia. I look forward to trying to help the growers and work with the growers and the industry to continue to move forward and make sure we have sweet onions in Georgia.” Tyson also will collaborate with CAES scientists, including UGA Extension weed scientist Stanley Culpepper on herbicide research and UGA vegetable specialists Tim Coolong and Andre da Silva on fertility issues. “Andre and I and some of the other county agents hope to do a research trial this year where we look at nitrogen management on some newer onion varieties,” he said.
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COLLEGE OF EDUCATION, WILLSON CENTER FOR HUMANITIES AND ARTS
Snap chats
UGA faculty and Putnam County teachers work to create new model for lessons By Kristen Morales kmorales@uga.edu
The black-and-white photos taped to the wall of the Putnam County Board of Education meeting room both depicted two generations of women, but each held their own story. In one, a woman readies for church, while in the other an older woman is dressed for housework. In one, a little girl seems hushed as she watches the woman get ready to leave, while in the other a young girl stands barefoot at the doorstep, her hand resting on her hip. When viewed through the lens of a teacher, these photographs from 1941 take even more meaning and evoke a series of questions. What other comparisons and contrasts can be made between them? How might a poem, such as Langston Hughes’ “Life Ain’t Been No Crystal Star,” help students relate to the women in these photos? What can the images reveal about mid-20th century life in a poor, segregated community in rural Georgia? And, perhaps most importantly, how can they be used to create meaningful, place-based learning experiences in the classroom? These were just a few of the observations and questions that a team of Putnam County teachers came up with during a recent workshop with TJ Kopcha, associate professor of learning, design, and technology, and Beth Pitman, his doctoral student in the University of Georgia’s College of Education. Together, they are building curriculum that connects Putnam students at all grade levels with these and other local photographs in the National Archives in Washington, D.C. Kopcha, Pittman and the Putnam County teachers are using the photographs to develop learning experiences such as researching the past through records in the local courthouse, creating oral history archives from local community members and even curating a future art show with the photos and information they gather. By aligning the photographs and the projects with content standards for K-12 classrooms, their work has a loftier goal: To provide teachers across the country with project-based learning opportunities that draw upon the rich historical resources publicly available in the National Archives. The multi-year project is funded by a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities that supports collaboration between Putnam County schools, UGA’s
Kristen Morales
Teachers Lindsay Bridgers, left, and James Murdock look at printouts of historic photos taken in Putnam County in 1941.
College of Education and the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. This school districtuniversity partnership was the only pairing of its kind in the country to receive funding through the National Endowment for the Humanities. “This grant allows us to bring an amazing team of scholars and teachers together to get students out from behind rows of desks and into the community,” said Christopher Lawton, director of experiential learning for Putnam County Schools. “It’s an opportunity for our best and brightest teachers to figure out how kids can learn what they need to learn, but do it through the lens of where they’re from. This is how a community, its school system and a major university can come together to create change.” The project has potential on both a national and a local level, said Kopcha, and providing it in a project-based format helps students gain a deeper understanding of the content. “There is compelling evidence that project-based learning can improve student outcomes. Students take ownership over their work, and that work is hands-on,” he said. “This can lead to deeper engagement and understanding of content standards across a
WEEKLY READER
variety of content areas.” For Putnam County students, the photos they will be studying represent a specific time in their community’s history that was nearly lost—and that adds even more meaning, he added. “The fact that these photos come from within the students’ own community makes this approach even more compelling,” said Kopcha. “Students are not just learning about history or math or science, but they are learning about their community in ways that typical classroom resources do not and cannot fully address.” The photographs, stored in the National Archives, were taken in May 1941 as part of a Works Progress Administration effort to document American farmland. This collection is predominantly black-and-white images of vast fields, devoid of people. But the photographer assigned to Putnam County was Irving Rusinow, who later went on to become an award-winning documentary maker and cinematographer. His photos of Putnam County are unlike any other in the collection, said Lawton—they are snapshots of lives. “We have been given a gift with these photos,” said Lawton, who discovered them
in the National Archives years ago but, until the grant opportunity surfaced, didn’t have a way to work them into the curriculum and tell their stories. All but one have general captions, leaving people and places largely unnamed. “I have been waiting for years to share these.” At the workshop, Lawton, Kopcha and Pittman laid out 85 of the photos and asked the teachers, ranging from elementary to high school levels, to pick one (or two) that spoke to them. They challenged the teachers to ask questions about the image and consider how these questions might fit into a lesson they are teaching. For example, one image showed a roadside scene of cleared land, a new growth of trees, and a hand-painted sign reading, “When ye think not Jesus will come, ye be ready.” The teacher who chose it took it in two directions. On the one hand, he said, it could be a lesson in ecology, noting the methods used to clear the land of the invasive sweetgum trees seen in the background. On the other hand, he felt the image and its message could be used to juxtapose lessons about the environment with religious idealism and viewpoints of how we care for the world around us. For another teacher, an image of people leaving the Putnam County Courthouse evoked ideas for teaching quadratic angles, 3D modeling and a field trip to compare the old courthouse with how it looks today. Then, she realized the image also included people—possibly a wedding party leaving the courthouse—and it added another dimension to the lessons she imagined. By the end of the afternoon, the teachers had lists of lesson ideas and were tasked with taking the next steps: identify grade standards that will be addressed and plan what students will create as a result of the lesson and why. The teachers were also asked what support or resources they might need from UGA. Over the next few months, they will work with Kopcha and Pittman, collaborating virtually on a weekly basis and meeting in person every month. They will come back together next summer to debrief and reflect on the challenge, as well as plan for the following year. “This is going to allow us to build pieces of curriculum that are hyper-local,” Lawton said to the teachers. “It gives us a tool for you to do what you need to do, but also connect it to the idea that our kids know where they are from.”
CYBERSIGHTS
ABOUT COLUMNS
Biography details farmer’s life in the Delta
Catfish Dream: Ed Scott’s Fight for His Family Farm and Racial Justice in the Mississippi Delta By Julian Rankin University of Georgia Press Hardcover: $69.95; Paperback: $24.95
Catfish Dream centers around the experiences, family and struggles of Ed Scott Jr. (born in 1922), a prolific farmer in the Mississippi Delta and the first ever nonwhite owner and operator of a catfish plant in the nation. Both directly and indirectly, the economic and political realities of food and subsistence affect the everyday lives of Delta farmers and the people there. Scott’s own father was a former sharecropper turned landowner who was one of the first black men to grow rice in the state. Scott carried this mantle forth with his soybean and rice farming and later with his catfish operation, which fed the black community both physically and symbolically. He provides an example for economic mobility and activism in a region of the country that is one of the nation’s poorest and has one of the most drastic disparities in education and opportunity, a situation especially true for the Delta’s vast African American population. Julian Rankin provides a portrait of a place through a biography of Scott.
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
UGA’s brand toolkit website gets refresh
brand.uga.edu
The one-stop shop for UGA branded templates for letterhead, email signatures and PowerPoint presentations has been refreshed. The UGA Brand Style Guide is a resource for campus communicators to tell the UGA story with a unified voice. It includes tips and tools for writing and designing with UGA’s voice and style as well as guidelines
and policies for UGA social media accounts, university logos, and trademarks and licensing. The site also offers tools for running uga.edu websites and social media accounts. In the site’s Download Center, all UGA faculty and staff can find templates for infusing UGA’s logo into everyday university communications.
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.
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agriculture,” Wallace said. “Although we know a lot about crop diseases, we know very little about the microbes that help plants. Understanding how plants work with beneficial microbes will help us make agriculture both more efficient and more sustainable.” FFAR will invest $2,332,051 over three years in the work of the nine recipients, with matching funds from the award recipients’ respective institutions doubling FFAR’s investment for a total of $4,675,795. These grants allow early-career faculty members to spend less time applying for grants and more time working on creative research that has an impact on agriculture, said Sally Rockey, executive director of FFAR. “FFAR New Innovators also are terrific mentors for the next generation of food and agriculture scientists who will follow them,” she said.
as a national leader in the use of open educational resources, and the Affordable Course Materials Grant program seeks to build on that success to benefit our students,” said Michelle Cook, vice provost for diversity and inclusion and strategic university initiatives. Questions about the Provost’s Affordable Course Materials Grant program should be directed to the Center for Teaching and Learning at 706-542-1355.
Perez, who specializes in vegetables and plasticulture, will present at the conference and share some of his research from the two certified-organic acres on the UGA Tifton campus. “I will be showing my organic research plot at the (UGA-Tifton) Hort Hill farm. I’ll also talk about research on high-tunnel production for vegetables like tomato, lettuce and spinach, as well as organic fertilization and utilization of cover crops,” he said. Event sessions, workshops and field trips to farms in south Georgia will be offered for conference attendees during the two-day event. Gaskin, along with UGA postdoctoral research associate Kate Cassity-Duffey and organic farmer Daniel Parson, will discuss nitrogen fertility management in organic production systems. “Nitrogen is the nutrient needed most by crops, and it can be complicated to provide enough for good yields without overapplication, which can cause environmental problems and crops to be more susceptible to pest attacks,” Gaskin said. “We will also talk about how to integrate organic fertilizers, cover crops and other soil-building techniques into your nitrogen management plan.” Vanessa Shonkwiler, a public service assistant in UGA’s Center for Agribusiness and Economic Development, will share marketing tips on how farmers can expand their brands and stories.
include Ford, Hyundai, John Deere, 3M, Myriant and ADM. “The addition of UGA to CB2 opens many new research areas, and engages new and fast growing industry sectors that are focused on sustainable packaging,” said David Grewell, founder and director of CB2 and chair of the industrial and manufacturing engineering department at North Dakota State University. “I expect to see an accelerated growth of research, impact on industry and student outcomes.”
Global plastic production reached 299 million metric tons in 2014. About 40 percent of all plastics manufactured annually are used in packaging, which is immediately discarded after use. An estimated 5 to 12 MMTs of mismanaged plastic waste reaches the oceans annually, but this is expected to rise to as much as 17 MMTs annually by 2025 due to increasing population, plastic consumption and waste generation. “In addition to boosting our opportunities for collaborative research, we will increase
Dorothy Kozlowski
The Affordable Course Materials Grant program supports the transition from costlier materials such as textbooks to materials that cost less than $40.
and the deadline is Feb. 20. The new program complements the Textbook Transformation Grants program that is sponsored by the Affordable Learning Georgia initiative of the University System of Georgia. Since that program was launched at UGA in 2013, open educational resources have saved more than 26,000 UGA students approximately $3.1 million in textbook costs. “The University of Georgia has emerged
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SEW from page 1 and department head as he addressed the group. “Beyond fashion, we find textiles in bridges, in medical procedures, in construction projects—and we need people like you to consider all the ways textiles can impact our world. Your creativity can make a difference in facing future problems and finding solutions.”
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for research collaborations that this partnership will bring.” Iowa State University’s Biopolymers & Biocomposites Research Team and Washington State University’s Composite Materials and Engineering Center—the two founding members of CB2—have strong programs in sustainability, bioproducts and bioplastics. The New Materials Institute’s complementary focus on biodegradable alternatives for packaging will broaden CB2’s range of offerings to its industry partners, which currently
Bulletin Board New communications platform
A new video communications platform is now available for UGA faculty and staff. Zoom offers innovative ways to conduct online courses, meetings and group assemblies. The service features a cloud platform for video and audio conferences, chat and webinars. Zoom is accessible through mobile devices, desktops, telephones and classroom systems. For those interested in conducting larger meetings or courses, Zoom also offers several add-on features including the ability to host webinars for up to 500 participants; the ability to host meetings for up to 500 participants; Zoom Rooms, one-touch scheduled meeting spaces for conference rooms; and H.323 SIP room connectors, which allow for integration with various hardware systems to use existing infrastructure. These add-on features are available through cost recovery. More documentation on recommended settings, best practices and general use is available at support.zoom.us. Faculty or staff who are interested in using Zoom for classes, meetings, webinars and other purposes should contact their college or unit’s IT office for access. For general information about Zoom, visit zoom.uga.edu.
Bus shelter updates
UGA has begun updating bus shelters across campus through a partnership between Transportation & Parking Services, the Office of University Architects and the Facilities Management Division. The new bus shelters will feature seating areas and shade screens as well as being partially enclosed to offer protection from wind and rain. Up to 11 new bus shelters are expected to be rolled out across campus during phase one of the project, which is scheduled to be completed by the end of spring semester. Plans for phase two are anticipated to begin after July.
Active Learning Summer Institute
Funds for the 2019 Active Learning Summer Institute have been designated by President Jere W. Morehead to help current full-time faculty (tenure track or non-tenure track) teaching in the 2018-2019 academic year to incorporate active learning strategies into their courses. Hosted by the Center for Teaching and Learning, the ALSI is divided into two three-week programs for 12 faculty (24 total) in either Maymester or Short Session I to help redesign courses and implement evidence-based instructional strategies that engage students in the learning process. Workshops and extensive support in designing or
re-designing a course around active learning principles and practices are included in the ALSI. Faculty selected for the institute will receive $7,500. Applications are due Feb. 1. More information and the application link are at http://ctl.uga.edu/active-learning.
Faculty and staff meal plan
Dining Services offers a faculty/ staff meal plan to all full-time, benefitseligible employees. The 10-block meal plan provides an 11 percent savings on lunch and a 35 percent savings on dinner. Additional blocks can be purchased in 10-block increments at any time and do not expire. Faculty and staff who wish to purchase a meal plan need to call a Dining Services representative at 706-542-7130 or visit Auxiliary Services One Stop Shop on Tate Plaza, weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Faculty/staff meal plans are subject to tax, and payment is due at the time of purchase. For more information visit https://dining.uga.edu/.
Affordable Learning Institute
The Center for Teaching and Learning and UGA Libraries announce that the second annual Affordable Learning Institute is scheduled for Feb. 4. The institute is designed to provide faculty with an overview of the open and affordable educational resources available and support them in adopting
experiential learning opportunities for our students,” said Jason Locklin, director of the New Materials Institute, and a professor of chemistry and biochemical engineering who is jointly appointed to the chemistry department in Franklin College and the College of Engineering. “Through CB2, they will have more exposure to cutting-edge research as well as outreach opportunities that will enable them to enter the workforce immediately, with the ability to contribute and have positive impact.”
and incorporating these resources into their courses. Attendees also will have the chance to ask questions about the current affordable learning grants, such as the Affordable Learning Georgia Textbook Transformation Grants and the new Provost’s Affordable Course Materials Grant. (See story, page 1.) More information is available at http://www.ctl.uga.edu/events/affordablelearning-institute-2019.
Mentorship Program
Applications for the UGA Mentorship Program are being accepted until 5 p.m. on Jan. 21. Originally an initiative of UGA’s Enterprise Information Technology Services, the program was expanded in 2013 to include all University System of Georgia employees. The Mentorship Program’s spring 2019 cycle will run February-May. The web-based version of the application is available at https://bit.ly/2SqVsCl. To learn more about the program, visit http://eits.uga.edu/mentorship_ program. Send questions about the program or the application process to mentor@uga.edu. Mentor/protege pairs will be contacted and officially announced shortly after the application process closes. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.