UGA Columns Jan. 27, 2020

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Faculty member shines spotlight on hidden world of human trafficking RESEARCH NEWS

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Ailey II dance company makes Athens debut with Jan. 31 performance

January 27, 2020

Vol. 47, No. 21

www.columns.uga.edu

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2020 STATE of the UNIVERSITY President Jere W. Morehead will deliver the 2020 State of the University address to the campus community Jan. 29 at 3:30 p.m. in the Chapel. The speech will be streamed live at president.uga.edu/sotu.

Innovation programs earn high marks from participants

By Michael Terrazas

michael.terrazas@uga.edu

‘Not a day off’

UGA students worked on several projects across Athens during the MLK Day of Service.

Chad Osburn

UGA students take part in King Day of Service

By Marilyn Primovic mjp82278@uga.edu

University of Georgia students honored Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday and commitment to service on the 2020 MLK Day of Service, the only federal holiday designated for community service, as “a day on, not a day off” by working on projects throughout Athens.

“Our goal is to inspire volunteers to either take the MLK Day of Service and run with it throughout the year with more service opportunities or celebrate all of the hard work in service they have already been doing for the community,” said Julia Sherrill, director of outreach for ServeUGA, a program out of the

Center for Leadership and Service in the Division of Student Affairs.

Julian Green, Community Garden Network coordinator managing the volunteers working at Mae Willie Morton Community Garden, explained how this honors MLK’s philosophy about service.

“One of the biggest things about his philosophy that gets overlooked is the idea of organizing a local community together for a purpose and getting people in the habit of organizing themselves to improve things in their own community,” he said.

“We could not be UGA students without the Athens community hosting us,” Sherrill said. “We were given the opportunity to contribute

to bettering the area around us and leaving it not only better than we found it but finding ourselves bettered as well.”

There is always a need in the community, and there is always a community willing to address the need, she emphasized.

Many students worked at local sites, including Hands On Athens projects to assist low- to moderateincome homeowners with repair and maintenance of their historic homes, and the Mae Willie Morton Community Garden, located near the Columbia Brookside Senior Residences.

“The goal at Hands On Athens is to keep people in their homes

See SERVICE on page 8

DEVELOPMENT & ALUMNI RELATIONS

Coca-Cola Foundation commits $1M to first-generation students at UGA

By Michelle Versfeld mversfeld@uga.edu

The Coca-Cola Foundation has pledged another $1 million toward scholarships for University of Georgia students who are the first in their families to attend college. It is the foundation’s fourth such commitment, adding to its positive impact on the trajectory of students’ lives and the futures of their families and communities.

In 2007, The Coca-Cola Foundation established the CocaCola First Generation Scholars

Program at UGA with a gift of $1 million and continued its support in 2011 and 2015 by making $1 million gifts for additional cohorts of Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars.

“We are grateful to The CocaCola Foundation for helping us remove financial barriers for firstgeneration students and enhance their academic experience,” said President Jere W. Morehead.

“The Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars Program bolsters the University of Georgia’s efforts to cultivate a diverse and supportive

learning environment composed of academically talented students from a variety of backgrounds.”

The Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship provides $5,000 per year and is renewable for an additional three years if the recipients maintain certain academic standards. This highly successful partnership between UGA and The Coca-Cola Foundation has transformed the lives of 165 firstgeneration students since 2007.

“We understand the value of education and its power to change See STUDENTS on page 2

As part of its Innovation District initiative, UGA launched two new programs last semester designed to prepare its faculty and researchers for the world of entrepreneurship and technology commercialization.

According to participants, both programs provided valuable training and support as they embark—or continue on—their own innovation journeys.

Hitesh Handa and Jenay Beer, assistant professors in the colleges of Engineering and Public Health, respectively, were selected as UGA’s first two Innovation Fellows, each

receiving a semesterlong education in what it takes to be an academic entrepreneur. Meanwhile, 18 UGA women participated in a six-week Innovation Bootcamp that covered similar ground in a condensed period of time.

“I realize more and more that the value of my research is maximized when I consider it all the way to the end user,” said Julianne Schmidt, associate professor in the College of Education and co-director of both its Concussion Research and Biomechanics laboratories. “I knew the Innovation Bootcamp would help me design research studies that improve See INNOVATION on page 8

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

UGA’s online degree programs see rise in US News rankings The University of Georgia’s online degree programs rose sharply in U.S. News & World Report’s 2020 Best Online Programs rankings that include the top-ranked online programs for business and education in Georgia.

Terry College’s online master’s degree in business and technology jumped to fourth in the non-MBA rankings category, up from 17th.

The College of Education’s online bachelor’s degree in special education was tied at 11th with four other schools in the overall online bachelor’s rankings category, up

from 25th, and is the only online bachelor’s degree program at a public college or university ranked in the top 140 in Georgia.

The College of Education’s online master’s degree in education program remained ranked as the fifth best program in the country and is the top program in Georgia. Additionally, the college’s online programs were recognized in a number of new rankings, including: • 1 Best Online MA Ed program for Veterans;

See ONLINE on page 8

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Signature Lectures to feature scholars and thought leaders

By Carolyn Payton

carolyn.payton@uga.edu

Renowned scholars and leaders in government, global affairs, the sciences, humanities and several other fields will visit the University of Georgia this semester as part of the spring 2020 Signature Lecture series.

“Signature Lectures enrich the academic experience for students, build interdisciplinary connections among faculty, and continue the

University of Georgia’s long tradition of promoting academic excellence,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

Signature Lectures highlight speakers noted for their broad, multidisciplinary appeal and compelling bodies of work. Many of the lectures are supported by endowments, while others honor notable figures and milestones in the university’s history.

All Signature Lectures are free

See LECTURES on page 8

2 Jan. 27, 2020 columns.uga.edu ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Search committee named for vice provost and dean of UGA’s Graduate School

By Sam Fahmy

sfahmy@uga.edu

Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost S. Jack Hu has appointed a 15-member committee to begin a national search for candidates for the position of vice provost for graduate education and dean of the Graduate School at the University of Georgia.

The committee is chaired by Linda Kirk Fox, dean of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, and it includes faculty, staff and student representation. The national search follows a review of the Graduate School conducted by Fox and several committee members.

“Elevating the leadership of the Graduate School to the vice provost level at the University of Georgia signals the important role graduate and professional education plays in promoting research and innovation across all the disciplines,” Hu said. “I appreciate the dedication of the committee members and look forward to meeting with the finalists for this critical position.”

Faculty, staff, students or community members who wish to nominate candidates for consideration are invited to contact Michael Luthi, director of the UGA Search Group, at luthi@uga.edu.

In addition to Fox, the search committee members are: • Michelle Ballif, professor and head of the department of English in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; • Cheri Bliss, director of graduate admissions and student services in the Graduate School; • Beate Brunow, director of academic partnerships and initiatives in the Division of Student Affairs; • Amy Ellis, professor of mathematics education in the College of Education; • Noel Fallows, Distinguished Research Professor of Spanish and associate provost for global engagement; • Georgia Harrison Hall, associate professor in the College of Environment and Design and chair of the policy and planning committee of the Graduate Council; • Shelley Hooks, associate professor of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences in the College of Pharmacy and associate vice president in the Office of Research; • Lawrence Hornak, professor of electrical and computer engineering in the College of Engineering and associate vice president for integrative team initiatives in the Office of Research; • Angela Hsiung, doctoral student in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources; • Peter Jutras, professor and director of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music; • Erin Lipp, professor of environmental health science and associate dean for academic affairs in the College of Public Health; • Thomas Mote, Distinguished Research Professor of geography and associate dean in the Franklin College; • Mike Pfarrer, professor of management and associate dean for research and graduate programs in the Terry College of Business; and • Franklin West, associate professor of animal and dairy science in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Ron Walcott, a professor of plant pathology in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences who has served as associate dean of the Graduate School since 2017, is currently serving as interim dean of the Graduate School.

The former dean of the Graduate School, Suzanne Barbour, was named dean of the Graduate School at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill.

STUDENTS from page 1 lives,” said Helen Smith Price, president of The Coca-Cola Foundation. “We are excited to be partners in the promise of education, helping students pursue their academic dreams and realize their full potential.”

The scholarship program goes beyond financial aid, surrounding students with a wealth of resources through UGA’s Division of Academic Enhancement, including mentoring programs, academic workshops and tutoring services, to help them adjust to college life and support their academic, cultural and financial success. Coca-Cola First Generation Scholars also have access to unique extracurricular experiences such as team-building activities, group retreats and field trips.

Cyrus Townsend, a Coca-Cola First Generation graduate, currently works for WarnerMedia’s Turner Studio. In the spring, he had the opportunity to speak to his fellow UGA Coca-Cola First Generation classmates and encouraged them to reach beyond their limits.

“Thanks to the Coca-Cola First Generation Scholarship, I was able to do things I never would have imagined,”Townsend said. “The Coca-Cola Foundation gave me my first step at pursuing my career and gave me the opportunity to believe that my dreams are achievable.”

OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL DIVERSITY

Freedom Breakfast speaker: Be understanding of the past and be appreciative of the future

By Victoria Vanhuss

Victoria.Vanhuss@uga.edu

U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones attributes some of the success he has enjoyed in his career to Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for equality. That’s one reason he encourages people to be more understanding of the past so that they can be more appreciative of the future.

“The work and sacrifice of Dr. King changed society and helped make today possible,” said Jones, the keynote speaker for the 17th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Freedom Breakfast, held Jan. 17. “We sometimes take for granted what we have today. We think that it has always been this way, but I want to tell you that 65 years ago, we would not be sitting here like we are today. Sixty-five years ago, I would not be speaking to you today. The unity that I see here was not possible.”

Jones, who holds a bachelor’s degree and Juris Doctor from UGA, has been a longtime supporter of the university. He previously served as the president of the UGA Alumni Association and currently sits on the UGA Athletic Foundation board of directors and the UGA Foundation board of trustees.

The theme for this year’s breakfast was “The Power of the Dream: Freedom and Justice for All.” And Jones’ speech encouraged those in attendance to continue fighting for harmony and equality among all people.

“Dr. King once said, ‘The ultimate tragedy is not the oppression and cruelty by the bad people but the silence over that by the good people,’ ” said Jones.

“In order to build a better world, silence

Dorothy Kozlowski

Pictured, from left, are Freedom Breakfast keynote speaker U.S. District Judge Steve C. Jones, Dream Award recipients Marvin J. Nunnally Jr., Cesar Escalante, Marques Dexter, Caleb Kelly, Sherontae Maxwell and UGA President Jere W. Morehead.

cannot be part of the building process.”

Jones likened that building process to a partially built house.

“Our work is not complete,” he said.

“We have the foundation, but the house is not done yet. In order to build a better world, we need people who want to become involved … [Dr. King] did not intend for us to become spectators but participants.”

Five individuals were presented the President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award during the breakfast. The award recognizes the efforts of people on campus and in the community who are actively striving to make King’s dream of racial justice and equality a reality.

The 2020 Dream Award recipients are Marques R. Dexter, a fourth-year doctoral student in the College of

Education; Cesar L. Escalante, a professor of agricultural and applied economics in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; Caleb Kelly, thirdyear student in the College of Education; Sherontae Maxwell, assistant director of Access Programs in the Division of Academic Enhancement; and Marvin J. Nunnally Jr., sales executive with the Classic Center and CEO of In Touch Management Group.

As part of the program, the Clarke County School District also presented a video showcasing 10 students whose art and writing best honored King’s legacy. Among those students was a kindergartner.

“I think that everyone should sit at the same table and eat together,” said the student as he held up his drawing.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

UGA sparks STEM education research across Southeast

By Mike Wooten

mwooten@uga.edu

The University of Georgia will serve as a catalyst for research in the emerging field of STEM education thanks to a $1 million grant from the National Science Foundation.

“When we think of a college classroom, we often picture a professor in front of a large hall giving a lecture,” said Joachim Walther, director of UGA’s Engineering Education Transformations Institute and an associate professor in the College of Engineering. “You might have asked yourself, why is this the way we do education or what are alternatives to help students learn?”

Universities are asking the same questions at a time when student learning needs to evolve to keep up with an increasingly complicated world.

Reforms of instructional approaches, underway at institutions around the world, require one thing to succeed, according to Walther: reliable information on how learning works, in different contexts and for different students.

UGA’s Engineering Education Transformations Institute will use the NSF grant to help STEM professors and lecturers at universities and colleges in the U.S. conduct research on student learning at their institution.

The project will focus special attention on institutions in the Southeast that serve large numbers of underrepresented students in their STEM programs.

“The overarching goal of this project is to expand the community of scholars who have the skills to conduct high-quality, qualitative and mixed methods research in STEM education,” said Walther. “We want to help people move away from

Andrew Davis Tucker

Joachim Walther talks with students during a research group meeting.

trial-and-error and into a more systematic, research-informed process of educational innovation.”

This project builds on the success of EETI at UGA in creating an active community of professors across the College of Engineering who work together to innovate and better understand education in the context of their engineering programs.

“EETI is an innovative, nextgeneration unit that seeks to transform engineering education through building social capital and shared capacity around the scholarship of teaching and learning in engineering,” said Walther.

The NSF grant will allow EETI to create the ProQual Institute for research methods in STEM education.

The ProQual Institute will engage faculty from universities in the Southeast and draw half of its participants from minority-serving institutions. Walther notes faculty at these colleges and universities often don’t have access to the

same resources as colleagues at larger institutions. In addition, he believes the conversation about educational research will benefit from the perspectives of instructors and researchers at minority-serving institutions.

“There have been efforts to increase diversity in STEM disciplines for decades, but the numbers haven’t changed much, so that suggests we need to understand this challenge at a much more fundamental level,” he said.

The ProQual Institute will include weeklong summer and winter schools hosted by UGA, as well as ongoing support for STEM education researchers through online communities, social media and other resources.

“We want to create communities of practice that people continually engage with, instead of a one-off event,” said Walther. “We also want people who participate in the summer and winter schools to become resources and change agents in their local settings.”

RESEARCH NEWS

columns.uga.edu Jan. 27, 2020

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Digest UGAAlert test will be held on Feb. 5

GREAT COMMITMENTS Andrew Davis Tucker

David Okech, center, associate professor of social work, talks with graduate students Linda Emanor, left, and Janie Bullard, right.

Okech, along with an international consortium, received a $15.75 million grant to study human trafficking.

Out of the shadows

School of Social Work faculty member shines spotlight on hidden world of human trafficking

By Leigh Beeson lbeeson@uga.edu

Sometimes it happens like it does on TV. Women and children kidnapped, transported across international borders in trucks and sold to the highest bidder.

Women brought to the U.S. under the pretense of getting a job only to end up shackled in someone’s basement.

More frequently, human trafficking is more complex, said David Okech, associate professor of social work at the University of Georgia.

It’s orphaned children who disappeared in the aftermath of the earthquake in Haiti, picked up by child traffickers who took advantage of the chaos and the fact that no one would notice the children missing until it was too late.

It’s ISIS fighters taking Yazidi women and children captive as they conquered land in the Middle East. It’s the extreme poverty of Eastern Europe that drives poor citizens to foreign countries where they are sold as maids and housekeepers but expected to work longer hours than any employee should. It’s children being forced out onto the streets of African cities, keeping them out of school and jeopardizing their future.

It’s hard—if not impossible—to pin down the numbers. Experts estimate

there are tens of millions of people trapped in what they call modern slavery. The U.S. Department of State defines trafficking as an umbrella term that encompasses both sex trafficking and forced labor. Women and girls are disproportionately affected, comprising almost three of every four victims.

About 10 million trafficked persons are children.

But these figures are really just informed guesses.That’s something Okech wants to change.

Okech, along with the UGAfounded international consortium Africa Programming and Research Initiative to End Slavery, recently received a $15.75 million grant from the U.S. Department of State, Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons, to study how, why and how frequently trafficking occurs in West Africa.

The grant scales up a $4 million grant Okech previously received to collect data on the prevalence of human trafficking in parts of Sierra Leone and Guinea and enables Okech’s team to study the prevalence of trafficking in Senegal as well. The grant also gives organizations sorely needed funding to implement preventive programs and provide support to trafficking survivors. The grant will also launch a first-of-its-kind forum that will enlist scholars around the world to test

and develop the best ways to estimate the prevalence of human trafficking.

Learning more accurate estimates of trafficked people can provide a sense of scale that does not yet exist. The study will fill a sizeable gap in the human trafficking literature, in addition to providing a framework for future efforts to combat trafficking and reintegrate survivors so that they are on a path to stability and productivity. Members of the consortium have developed a model for reintegration, increasing transparency in labor supply chains in the cocoa and garment industries, and helping former child soldiers reacclimate to civilian life.

In 2018, former Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal required notices to be posted in all public buildings with a number for people to report trafficking of themselves or others. The signs have started conversations about trafficking and helped people see that the issue is closer to home than they may think.

Okech aims to magnify that conversation by providing concrete evidence that moves us further toward ending trafficking.

Editor’s note: This story is part of the Great Commitments series, which focuses on cutting-edge research happening on UGA campuses. Read more about UGA’s commitment to research that changes lives at greatcommitments.uga.edu.

GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART

Founders Day speaker: Change takes time, leadership Museums are looking for balance,said William Eiland, director of the Georgia Museum of Art at the 2020 Founders Day Lecture on Jan. 15.

In the lecture, “Colonization and Its Discontents,” he spoke about the thorny issues currently facing museums—issues that colleges and universities are also encountering: equity, diversity, inclusion and accessibility.

Museums, Eiland said, are keepers of history—history that’s often offensive.

Coupled with changing beliefs, museums are thoughtfully considering what to do with collections, labeling, outreach to underserved communities and more.

Part of the difficulty is that the roots of museums are in the collections of the elite: monarchs, clergy and noblemen.

But ultimately, “they hold artifacts and specimens in trust for society, safeguard diverse memories for future generations and guarantee equal rights and equal access to heritage for all peoples,”

according to a proposed definition at the International Council of Museums’ 2019 conference.

“Today’s formal notion of a museum did not emerge until the 18th century,” Eiland said. “Collections of objects date back thousands of years, and I would argue to an even earlier age, when the cave dwellers created and collected highly sophisticated drawings, images of antelope and horse, bison and bear, eye and hand.”

These collections play an important role in culture and thought—and in learning from past generations.

“What do we learn applicable to contemporary life from seeing or studying the art of previous centuries?” he said.

“If you answer nothing, or very little, I urge you to ask yourselves how you can be cutting edge if you don’t know where the edge is.”

Eiland also spoke of the consequences of the selfie generation and careless

tourism.

“How many times have we read of objects in museums damaged or destroyed by the careless visitor who cares more for his or her selfie than for the human heritage he or she is desecrating?” asked Eiland, who said the problem extends to American parks, Machu Pichu and more.

He quoted Olga Viso, the director of the Walker Art Museum in Minneapolis on her thoughts on how to deal with these issues: “Systemic change takes time, vision and nuanced leadership at every level, most especially among donors and museum boards. Selfless investment and fortitude are required. So is a willingness to endure discomfort. To move forward, the entire ecosystem must devote itself to a longer game.”

“Museums can be defined quite literally and succinctly, as the memory of mankind,” Eiland said quoting Philippe de Montebello. And he hopes museums continue to awe and inspire guests.

In conjunction with the statewide severe weather drill, a full test of UGAAlert,the university’s emergency notification system, has been scheduled for 9 a.m. on Feb. 5.

Campus outdoor warning sirens will sound, and members of the UGA community should either pause to reflect upon where they would shelter in the event of an actual tornado warning or proceed to their building severe weather shelter locations to ensure that these locations are known by building occupants.

For a list of severe weather shelter areas, visit www.prepare.uga.edu. Prior to the test, students, faculty and staff should review their contact information (phone numbers and email addresses) in the UGAAlert system.

Hargrett Library exhibition celebrates 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage

The University of Georgia’s Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library is paying homage to the centennial anniversary of women’s suffrage this spring. An exhibition titled The Strategies for Suffrage: Mobilizing a Nation for Women’s Rights is on display through July 2 at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.

The exhibition, curated by Sidonia Serafini, a doctoral student in the English department of UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, explores the nearly centurylong story of how women secured enfranchisement and campaigned for women’s civil rights in the U.S. It features newspapers, magazines, books and pamphlets that demonstrate the ways in which women harnessed the power of print culture as an instrument of agency. The display recreates the visual culture that propelled women’s rights to the forefront of the national consciousness and led to the adoption of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920.

The exhibition and connected events, many of which are scheduled to coincide with Women’s History Month in March, are supported by the Lucy Hargrett Draper Center and Archives for the Study of the Rights of Women in History and Law.

Food Marketing Institute Foundation Scholarship goes to UGA graduate student

University of Georgia food science graduate student Ikechukwu “Ike” Oguadinma has been awarded the Food Safety Auditing Scholarship from the Food Marketing Institute Foundation in partnership with the Safe Quality Food Institute.

Oguadinma is one of 15 students who received the award at the SQF International Conference held last October in San Antonio, Texas. Each student received a $3,000 scholarship and an all-expense-paid trip to attend the conference with more than 850 food safety professionals.

A native of Nigeria, Oguadinma came to the U.S. to study food science after earning an undergraduate degree in biochemistry. He selected UGA after researching leading food science teaching and research programs in the U.S. Oguadinma came to the UGA Athens campus in 2017 and moved to the UGA Griffin campus in 2018 to conduct research under the guidance of UGA professor Ynes Ortega, a world-renowned parasitologist, at the UGA Center for Food Safety.

His work with Ortega focused on two major parasites (Cyclospora cayetanensis and Cryptosporidium parvum) on parsley and cilantro. The parasites can contaminate herbs and fresh produce and cause severe diarrhea in infected individuals.

After completing his master’s degree in food science in fall 2019, Oguadinma began his doctoral studies with UGA Center for Food Safety microbiologist Govind Kumar. His project focuses on antibiotic resistance in microbes, like E. coli and salmonella; their susceptibility to antimicrobials; and their behavior on different food matrixes.

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

706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

Beautiful and Brutal: Georgia Bulldogs Football, 2017.

Through Feb. 28. Rotunda Gallery, Special Collections Libraries.

706-542-6170. hasty@uga.edu.

Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection.

Through May 10. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu. (See story, below.)

Master, Pupil, Follower: 16th- to 18th-Century Italian Works on Paper. Through March 8. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

Experiencing Cortona: Celebrating 50 Years of UGA Study Abroad. Through May 29. Hargrett Library Gallery, Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries. 706-583-0213. jhebbard@uga.edu.

Rachel Whiteread. Through March 8. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

Hye Kyung Han. Through March 8. Visitor Center, Great Room, State Botanical Garden of Georgia. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

Material Georgia 1733-1900: Two Decades of Scholarship.

Through March 15. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.

The Monsters Are Due on Broad Street: Patrick Dean.

Through March 29. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

Kevin Cole: Soul Ties. Through April 19. Georgia Museum of Art.

Thursday Scholarship Series concert provides new listening experience

By Camille Hayes

The Strategies of Suffrage: Mobilizing a Nation for Women’s Rights. Through July 2. Hargrett Library Gallery, Richard B. Russell Special Collections Libraries. 706-583-0213. jhebbard@uga.edu. (See Digest, page 3.)

Drama and Devotion in Baroque Rome. Through Aug. 23.

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

MONDAY, JAN. 27 WORKSHOP Being an instructor requires an intentional thoughtfulness in reflecting on teaching practices in ways that move everyone productively forward. In “Becoming a Critically Reflective Practitioner,” learn more about the tools and strategies for becoming a truly reflective practitioner. 2:25 p.m. 372 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-1355. jamie.adair@uga.edu.

TUESDAY, JAN. 28 TOUR AT TWO Tour, led by docents, of highlights from the permanent collection. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

ceh822@uga.edu

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music will present a Thursday Scholarship Series concert on Jan. 30 at 7:30 p.m. in Hodgson Hall, featuring a program titled “Common Hour” by Jaclyn Hartenberger, associate director of bands.

The program was inspired by her conducting classes. The variety of music and collection of performers from across the music building makes the concert so unique, according to Hartenberger.

“I chose works that would be fun for the audience to hear in a new way and built the first half of the concert to feature these familiar pieces with a twist,” she said. “My hope is to provide a new listening experience for the audience” The first half of the concert will feature works by Mozart, Jaclyn Hartenberger Debussy and Tchaikovsky.

Adrian Childs, professor and associate director of research and graduate studies, created an adaptation of Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” for chamber strings with Harmonie ensemble (two oboes, two clarinets, two horns and two bassoons), combining elements of the “orchestra” and “band” heard in Mozart’s time. The Debussy piece is a chamber version created by Schoenberg including piano and harmonium, a small version of an organ. Finishing out the first half is a wind ensemble transcription by Peter van Zandt Lane, assistant professor, of the Tchaikovsky violin concerto featuring Shakhida Azimkhodjaeva on solo violin.

The second half of the program will feature piano soloists David Fung and Liza Stepanova on John Adams’s “Grand Pianola Music,” a piece which calls for an ensemble tour-de-force: orchestral winds, percussion, three women’s voices and two pianos. Other guest faculty artists joining the students and graduate performers on stage will be Michael Heald, Maggie Snyder, Elizabeth Knight, Angela Jones-Reus, D. Ray McClellan, Martha Thomas, James Naigus, Josh Bynum and David Zerkel.

“Ensemble music is like a mosaic work of art” said Hartenberger. “ You have the individual musicians working together to breathe life to a singular work. Individually, these musicians are uniquely masterful performers and the collective can be awe inspiring, just like a mosaic.”

The Adams piece serves as another version of this piece of art, a soundscape passing of phrases through which audiences witness the individual tiles.

“By the end of the piece, you are finally able to experience the full spectrum of the mosaic soundscape,” said Hartenberger.

The UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music sponsors more than 350 performances every year and continues the legacy started by its namesake, Hugh Leslie Hodgson. The Thursday Scholarship Series began in 1980 and continues the tradition of music appreciation programs Hodgson started.

Proceeds from these concerts are the primary source of funds for School of Music general student scholarships.

Tickets for the event are $20 for adults and $3 for students and children and can be purchased online at pac.uga.edu.

For more information, visit music.uga.edu.

For up-to-date concert announcements and other events at the School of Music, subscribe to the weekly email list. Those unable to make it to the concert can watch the live stream at music.uga.edu/live-streaming.

Georgia Museum of Art exhibition to showcase collection of Tiffany glass

By Keyonna Brannam

Keyonna.Brannam@uga.edu

Although best known for his work in glass, Louis Comfort Tiffany worked in nearly all the media available to artists and designers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

A celebration of his works, Louis Comfort Tiffany: Treasures from the Driehaus Collection, featuring more than 60 objects and spanning more than 30 years of his career, is coming to the Georgia Museum of Art from Feb. 1 to May 10. This exhibition, focusing on Tiffany’s stained-glass windows, floral vases, lamps, and accessories, revels in the artistry and craftsmanship of objects from Chicago’s distinguished Richard H. Driehaus Collection.

Born in New York City on Feb. 18, 1848, Tiffany began his career as a painter, studying at the National Academy of Design in New York City. Around 1875, he became interested in glassmaking. He preferred to use inexpensive materials because their impurities resulted in the effects he wanted and eventually opened a glass factory to create his own material. In 1894, he patented the term “favrile,” from the Latin word “fabrilis,” meaning handmade, to describe the iridescent blown art glass he was producing. While the quality of Tiffany glass made this medium the most significant of his career, he continued to innovate, expanding into enamels, pottery and jewelry.

Despite the success he experienced in his many interrelated businesses over his career, Tiffany’s work went out of vogue with the advent of modernism, as the influence of art nouveau waned.

The mid-20th century brought his work renewed appreciation, and it continues to be associated with unparalleled quality and beauty to this day. Annelies Mondi, the museum’s deputy director, is in-house curator for the traveling exhibition organized by the Richard H. Driehaus Museum and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C. David A. Hanks served as curator of the exhibition.

Related exhibition events include: • the 10th Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts: “Georgia Matters: Celebrating Two Decades of Scholarship,” at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel from Jan. 30 to Feb. 1 ($100-$325; details at georgiamuseum.org/greensymposium); • 90 Carlton: Winter, the museum’s quarterly reception, on Jan. 30 from 5:30-8:30 p.m. (Free for current members, $10 for Friends of the Museum and Supporters, $15 for Not Yet Friends; galleries open until 9:30 p.m.); • a glass mosaic workshop led by artist Jane Wright on Feb. 8 from 1-4 p.m. ($40; registration is required; call 706-542-4883 or email madison.hogan@uga.edu to reserve a spot); • a public tour with Mondi on Feb. 18 at 2 p.m.; • a Toddler Tuesday on March 17 at 10 a.m. (free but space is limited; call 706-542-4883 or email madison.hogan@uga.edu after Feb. 1 to reserve a spot) •Art Cart (After Class),a drop-in program for children, on March 18 from 3-4:30 p.m.; • a Family Day with a glass-blowing demonstration on April 11 from 10 a.m. to noon; and • a public program for all ages to celebrate the exhibition with glassworking demos, a gallery tour with Mondi and more, also on April 11, from 2-4 p.m.

All events are free and open to the public unless otherwise noted.

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 Jan. 27, 2020

4&5

SEMINAR Seminar by Danielle Lee, assistant professor of biological sciences, Southern Illinois University, Edwardsville. A reception follows the seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the Ecology Building lobby.

Host: Ecology Graduate Student Organization. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, Ecology Building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu.

Ailey II dance company to make Athens debut

CONCERT Levon Ambartsumian is joined by Evgeny Rivkin for an evening of music from the Romantic period, featuring composers Clara Schumann, Robert Schumann and Brahms. This selection of works, originally composed for different instruments, has been arranged for a violin/piano duo. Co-sponsored by Friends of the Garden. $12, general admission; $10.80, members; $3 for students. 4 p.m. Day Chapel, State Botanical Garden.

706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

UGA Presents is bringing Ailey II to the Fine Arts Theatre on Jan. 31 for a 7:30 p.m. performance.

The company will make its Athens debut with a program that includes Alvin Ailey’s 1960 classic, Revelations, along with newer works by current artistic director Troy Powell and emerging choreographers.

Started in 1974 as the Alvin Ailey Repertory Ensemble, Ailey II embodies Alvin Ailey’s pioneering mission to establish an extended cultural community that provides dance performances, training and community programs for all people.

Ailey personally selected the veteran dancer Sylvia Waters to lead this junior company, and as its artistic director for 38 years, she developed Ailey II into one of America’s most popular dance companies. In June 2012, Waters retired and named Powell, her longtime associate, the new artistic director.

A native New Yorker, Powell began his dance training at age 9 as a scholarship student at The Ailey School. Following his graduation from the High School of Performing Arts, he became a member of Ailey II and then joined Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater in 1991.

In addition to choreographing ballets for America’s leading dance companies, Powell has choreographed episodes of Sesame Street, America’s Next Top Model and the Polish version of So You Think You Can Dance. He has been featured in an American

WEDNESDAY, JAN. 29 2020 STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY President Jere W. Morehead will deliver the 2020 State of the University address to the campus community. 3:30 p.m. Chapel.

THURSDAY, JAN. 30 SYMPOSIUM OF THE DECORATIVE ARTS Through Feb. 1. The theme for the 10th Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts is “Georgia Matters: Celebrating Two Decades of Scholarship.” The keynote address, “Drama on the Dining Room Walls: Anxiety, Abolitionism and Subversion on the Walls of a Columbia County, Georgia, Home,” will be given on Jan. 30 at 5:30 p.m. by Daniel Ackermann, curator of collections, Museum of Early Southern Decorative Arts. Sponsored by Georgia Humanities, the lecture will be followed by a reception at the museum. The symposium on Jan. 31 and Feb. 1 will include presentations on Georgia portraiture, early Washington County potters, colonial Georgia silver, Masonic symbolism in Georgia, porcelain decoration, historic preservation on the UGA campus and more. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

assistant professor of environmental science at Louisiana State University. 8 a.m. Auditorium, Ecology Building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu.

WORKSHOP “Effective Assessment of Student Learning Outcomes: Why and How to Close the Loop” will provide recommendations from assessment experts on “closing the loop” of an assessment cycle, or in other words, making use of the data. Participants will learn how assessment can strengthen programs as well as increase retention and graduation rates. The workshop is open to all faculty and staff involved in program-level assessment and/or curriculum development. Facilitator: Madeline Smith. Register via the T&D Professional Education Portal. 3 p.m.

380 Tate Student Center. mary.carney@uga.edu.

LECTURE The anthropology department will host Andrew Martindale, University of British Columbia, for a talk titled “The Stories We Tell: Evaluating Historical Claims in Tsimshian Oral Traditions in the Context of Aboriginal Rights and Titles.” 3:30 p.m.

264 Baldwin Hall.

LECTURE “Irish Modernism, Memory and Narrative: The Examples of Bowen and Beckett,” John Greaney, NUI-Fulbright postdoctoral scholar, University of Pennsylvania. 4 p.m. 136 Park Hall. davemarr@uga.edu.

SOCIOLOGY COLLOQUIUM SERIES “Stress, Growth and Emotion: The Role of Group Membership,” James Igoe Walsh, political science department, University of North Carolina at Charlotte. 3:30 p.m. 214 Miller Learning Center.

90 CARLTON: WINTER The Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art present this reception featuring the winter exhibitions. Enjoy light refreshments, door prizes and “Ask the Experts” from 7-8 p.m. RSVP to gmoarsvp@uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4199. $10 for Friends of the Museum and Friend + Supporters; $15 for Not Yet Friends. Free for current members and registrants of the Henry D. Green Symposium of the Decorative Arts. 5:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. READING Philip Lee Williams, a member of the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame, will be honored on his 70th birthday with a reading from his new novel on its publication date, a book signing and a party at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.

Registration is requested. A reception will follow. The new novel, his first since 2012 and 20th published book, is called Far Beyond the Gates and will be published by Mercer University Press. The event is co-sponsored by the Georgia Writers Hall of Fame and the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library.

5:30 p.m. 285 Special Collections Libraries. 706-542-6367. kdotson@uga.edu.

DISCUSSION AND READING The Georgia Review will celebrate the launch of its winter 2019 issue by hosting a reading and discussion. Kazim Ali and Lee Cornell will each read from their respective work. Then they will have a conversation, moderated by Joshua Patterson, Ph.D. candidate at the University of Georgia’s Institute of Higher Education and co-organizer of the Willson Center research seminar Religion and the Common Good. A book signing to follow. ASL interpretation will be provided. Visit www.thegeorgiareview.com or call 706-542-3481 for more information. 7 p.m. Chapel.

FRIDAY, JAN. 31 APPLICATION DEADLINE The Center for Teaching and Learning invites applications for UGA’s third annual Active Learning Summer Institute. Open to all full-time faculty at UGA, ALSI is an intensive course (re)design experience aimed at increasing student engagement and success through the implementation of active learning techniques.

During the three-week institute, daily sessions will include discussion of active learning pedagogy and other evidencebased teaching practices, workshops to explore the application of pedagogical techniques, and structured work time where participants will make process on the design of their course.

Apply at https://bit.ly/2t87rOr by 5 p.m. 706-542-0525. ruth.poproski@uga.edu.

ECOLOGY GRADUATE STUDENT SYMPOSIUM Through Feb. 1. The Odum School Graduate Student Symposium is a chance to hear short oral presentations about the latest research from the graduate student community and view research posters by undergraduates in the Odum School. It is an interdisciplinary conference including students from the Integrative Conservation (and Interdisciplinary Disease Ecology Across Scales doctoral programs. This year’s keynote speaker is Rebeca de Jesús Crespo, Ph.D. ’15 ICON and ecology, an

PHILOSOPHY DEPARTMENT COLLOQUIUM “Ernst Cassirer and the Autonomy of Mythological Thought,” Greg Moss, Chinese University of Hong Kong. 3:30 p.m.

115 Peabody Hall. 706-542-2823. nhines@uga.edu.

SATURDAY, FEB. 1 SPRING TEACHING SYMPOSIUM This annual symposium for all graduate students and postdoctoral scholars provides information related to UGA teaching policies and helpful techniques to improve teaching, including keynotes from faculty and peer-led sessions and panels on practical skills and resources. For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/UGAsts. 9:30 a.m. Miller Learning Center.

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

SWIMMING & DIVING vs. Emory University. 11 a.m. Gabrielsen Natatorium.

WOMEN’S TENNIS vs. Clemson University. Noon. Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Texas A&M. $15. 1 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

ORCHID MADNESS: OPENING RECEPTION Celebrate Orchid Madness throughout February, starting with this reception that includes hors d’oeuvres, live music by the UGA Men’s Glee Club and special orchids on display for the evening’s fundraiser for the horticulture endowment. Attendees

Express commercial with the Ailey company and has appeared on television in George C. Wolfe’s The Colored Museum and on PBS’s Great Performances: Dance in America.

Tickets for Ailey II start at $55 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 $10 with a valid UGA ID (limit one ticket per student).

A pre-performance talk will be given by Nena Gilreath of East Athens Educational Dance Center.

Open to the public, the talk will begin at 6:45 p.m. in Room 201 of the Fine Arts Building. will take home a live, blooming orchid. $100 per couple; $60 individuals; free for children 12 and younger. 6 p.m. Visitor Center & Conservatory, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-1244. garden@uga.edu.

SUNDAY, FEB. 2 GYMNASTICS vs. Auburn. $10. 4 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

MONDAY, FEB. 3 HOLMES-HUNTER LECTURE Justice Robert Benham, the longest serving and first African American member of the Supreme Court of Georgia, will present the 2020 Holmes-Hunter Lecture. Named in honor of Charlayne Hunter-Gault and Hamilton Holmes, the first African American students to attend UGA, the lecture is sponsored by the Office of the President and focuses on race relations, civil rights and education. It has been designated a spring Signature Lecture.

2 p.m. Chapel. (See story, page 1.)

LEANN BIRCH MEMORIAL CHILDHOOD OBESITY LECTURE The inaugural Leann Birch Memorial Childhood Obesity Lecture honors the significant career contributions of Birch, who was a faculty member in the department of foods and nutrition within the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the time of her death in May 2019. Birch was an internationally renowned researcher and pioneer in the study of children’s eating behavior. Her most recent work advanced the science of early obesity prevention. 3 p.m. Auditorium, Special Collections Libraries. 706-542-4256. folate@uga.edu.

COMING UP TA CAFÉ Feb. 4. Join teaching assistants to discuss what a diversity statement can include and get help starting to write one. Lunch provided. Registration is helpful, but drop-ins are welcome. TA Cafés are opportunities to meet other graduate and professional students from across campus and get support for teaching in a casual environment. These events are hosted monthly in departments across campus and are free and open to all graduate students. This event series is supported by the Center for Teaching and Learning and the Graduate School. 12:30 p.m.

372 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-1355. gradteach@uga.edu.

Curtis Symphony Orchestra sets Feb. 3 performance

By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The Curtis Symphony Orchestra, showcasing 100 exceptional young musicians from the renowned Curtis Institute of Music, is embarking on its first U.S. tour and will visit Athens on Feb. 3 for a 7:30 p.m. performance in Hodgson Concert Hall.

The seven-city tour, led by conductor Osmo Vänskä, will feature pianist Jonathan Biss performing Beethoven’s “Emperor” Concerto in celebration of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s birth. The program will also include Sibelius’s Symphony No. 2.

Founded in 1924 in Philadelphia, the Curtis Institute of Music is acclaimed for its “otherworldly ensemble and professional level of sophistication” (The New York Times). With a small student body of about 175, the institute selects only 4% of applicants each year on average, representing more than 20 nations. The faculty of 113 allows for highly personalized attention, and to ensure that admissions are based solely on artistic promise, Curtis makes an investment in each student so that no tuition is charged for their studies.

Vänskä has been music director of the Minnesota Orchestra for more than 15 years and begins his new role as music director of the Seoul Philharmonic in 2020. He formerly was chief conductor of the BBC

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.

Ailey II will present Alvin Ailey’s 1960 classic, Revelations, along with works choreographed by current artistic director Troy Powell.

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.

Scottish Symphony Orchestra and music director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra, and he holds honorary doctorates from the universities of Glasgow and Minnesota.Vänskä was named Musical America’s Conductor of the Year in 2005, and in 2013, he received the Annual Award from the German Record Critics’ Association for his recordings of the complete works of Sibelius.

A Curtis alumnus, Biss created the first massive open online course offered by a classical music conservatory, “Exploring Beethoven’s Piano Sonatas,” which has reached more than 150,000 people in 185 countries. He is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Leonard Bernstein Award, Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2003 Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.

Biss is returning to UGA, where he performed an all-Beethoven Ramsey Hall recital in 2018.

The Curtis Symphony Orchestra’s Athens concert will be recorded for broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today, the most popular classical music program in the U.S. Tickets for the concert start at $42 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 $10 with a valid UGA ID (limit one ticket per student).

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Jan. 29 (for Feb. 10 issue) Feb. 5 (for Feb. 17 issue) Feb. 12 (for Feb. 24 issue)

6 Jan. 27, 2020 columns.uga.edu

Abigail Borron, associate professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences’s agricultural leadership, education and communication department, recently received best new teacher honors as part of the Association of Public and Land-grant Universities’ national teaching awards recognizing excellence in agricultural sciences teaching and student engagement.

The awards, which Abigail Borron celebrate university faculty for their use of innovative teaching methods and service to students, were presented at the 132nd APLU annual meeting in San Diego.

Yan Jin, assistant head of the advertising and public relations department in Grady College, is the recipient of the Kitty O. Locker Outstanding Researcher Award, presented at the annual international Association for Business Communication conference on Oct. 25 in Detroit.

Jin is also associate director of the Center for Health & Risk Communication, Athletic Association Professor and professor of public relations.

The award, sponsored by McGraw-Hill Education, honors and promotes excellence in business communication research.

Jin’s work serves as a framework for crisis and risk communication in a rapidly evolving media landscape and amid emotionally charged conflict situations, ranging from organizational crises to disasters and public health emergencies.

Jin’s research program in crisis communication, conflict management and health risk communication contributes to the advancement of strategic communication theory and provides insights for public relations practice.

Jin has authored more than 80 peer-reviewed journal articles and over 20 book chapters. She is the co-editor of the scholarly book Social Media and Crisis Communication. She has presented more than 100 refereed papers at leading domestic and international conferences.

The Georgia Cotton Commission recently recognized two University of Georgia Cooperative Extension professionals for their work in the cotton industry.

Stephanie Hollifield, Brooks County Extension coordinator, was presented the Senior King Cotton Award. Ty Torrance, Grady County agricultural and natural resources agent, was presented the Allen B. Fulford Award. Both were recognized at the 2019 Georgia Association of County Agricultural Agents annual meeting held Nov. 4-6 in Dublin.

Hollifield, who also serves as an agriculture and natural resources agent, hosts producer education programs regarding agronomics and defoliation and conducts county research on cotton. Her research trials focus on issues important to local growers, including areolate mildew, planter downforce and defoliation tank mixes.

Torrance joined UGA Cooperative Extension in 2015 and previously served producers in Decatur, Schley and Marion counties. He serves as a member of the Georgia Cotton Commission’s Research Advisory Committee, which analyzes and makes recommendations on research programs funded by the commission. He also participates in the UGA Cotton Team’s on-farm variety trials, a program designed to inform producers on yield and fiber quality data from the numerous commercial cotton varieties available to farmers statewide.

This is the 19th year the Georgia Cotton Commission has sponsored the awards.

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.

FACULTY PROFILE

Dorothy Kozlowski

Laura Little, center, specializes in organizational behavior—why people react a certain way at work and how that behavior affects performance, motivation, communication and well-being.

Associate professor researches workplace behavior while teaching effective leadership

By Ed Morales

eduardo.morales@uga.edu

When Laura Little sits at her desk in Moore-Rooker Hall, she’s researching.

When she’s teaching a class on leadership and personal development, she’s researching.

She’s researching when she goes to lunch with colleagues, meets with students or simply walks through the halls of the Terry College Business Learning Community.

Because Little, an associate professor of management and Synovus Director of the Institute for Leadership Advancement, specializes in organizational behavior—why people react a certain way at work and how that affects performance, motivation, communication and well-being.

She does what she studies.

“The students, the environment here is where my research informs my life, and my life informs my research,” Little said. “It’s called ‘mesearch,’ trying to better understand the things I’m dealing with, and what the people around me are dealing with as well.”

A psychology undergrad at Vanderbilt, Little “loved trying to figure out why people do the things they do,” but felt the need to add a business focus to her skill set. She earned an MBA at the University of Texas at Austin, and the merging of psychology and business pointed her to Oklahoma State to pursue a Ph.D. in organizational behavior.

During her doctoral program, she hit upon a topic that would remain central to her research agenda—pregnancy in the workplace. She has written several papers, which have won awards and

appeared in top management journals, about the difficulties women have while navigating pregnancy and employment.

“As soon as I told people I was pregnant, they thought I wasn’t serious and seemed less likely to want to work on research with me,” Little said.

“When I told one of my professors that I was pregnant the second time, he said, ‘Well, you’ll never get tenure now.’ I think he meant it in a playful way, but I was taken aback. So I started looking at how pregnant women manage this idea that people don’t take them seriously at work.”

After Oklahoma State, she moved to UGA as an assistant professor.

Little continued publishing papers about emotional management, stressful demands in the workplace and work-family issues, all while teaching courses in organizational behavior, human resources and management performance. Along the way, she started teaching graduate-level classes on effective leadership. Her knowledge of leadership ­development opened a new door in 2014 when Dean Benjamin Ayers asked her to direct the Institute for Leadership Advancement. She welcomed the opportunity.

ILA is a university-wide program that develops values-based leaders to serve their organizations and communities. Students take courses that focus on gaining leadership skills beyond the classroom, and those who complete the curriculum earn a Certificate in Personal and Organizational Leadership. One of Little’s main jobs as director is to ensure the program’s longevity.

“ILA is privately funded, so there’s a focus on aligning our program’s

FACTS Laura M. Little

Synovus Director of the Institute for Leadership Advancement and Associate Professor of Management Terry College of Business Ph.D., Organizational Behavior, Oklahoma State University, 2007 MBA, University of Texas at Austin, 2001 B.A., Psychology, Vanderbilt University, 1996 At UGA: 12 years

strengths with the private support to endow and sustain them,” said Little, who has seen the program’s endowment quadruple in the last three years. “ILA faculty and staff have worked very hard and made great progress. Now, because of their dedication, we are looking at possible growth.”

Beyond her teaching and administrative duties, Little’s professional activities include being an editorial board member for Personnel Psychology and the Journal of Applied Psychology. She also presents and serves at meetings and consortiums around the country. Her involvement in so much only helps to bolster her research, which aims to understand the workplace problems people face every day.

“The other day, my students were talking about how women are penalized for being aggressive, and yet, they pointed out, you have to be aggressive to get anywhere,” Little said. “How do you handle that? How can I help them do this? The things they struggle with inform what I study. And I love what I do.”

OFFICE OF RESEARCH

Hornak named to new associate vice presidential role

By Allyson Mann tiny@uga.edu

The Office of Research, with support from the Provost’s Office, has recruited College of Engineering professor Lawrence Hornak to serve in a new position: associate vice president for research, integrative team initiatives.

His appointment was effective Jan. 2.

Hornak most recently served as associate dean for research and graduate studies in the College of Engineering.

In his new role, he promotes interdisciplinary team research at UGA, with the aim of increasing the university’s share of large and complex grants. He is supporting both new and existing interdisciplinary faculty teams in ideating, planning and writing large grant proposals,

and subsequently in managing the challenges of executing such grants.

“It is essential that we compete aggressively and successfully for large, complex Lawrence Hornak grants and contracts in order for UGA to reach its full potential and have maximal impact on the grand challenges we face as global citizens,” said David Lee, vice president for research.

“The Office of Research should play a larger role in catalyzing these efforts, and with Larry dedicated to this effort, I believe we will.”

Hornak is working with Office of

Research colleagues, including Sponsored Projects Administration and the Office for Proposal Enhancement, as well as other UGA units like the Provost’s Office and the Graduate School.

“The University of Georgia has emerged as a national leader in scholarship and research, and we continue to innovate for the benefit of our students,” said S. Jack Hu, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost. “Under Larry’s leadership, UGA’s research partnerships and collaborations will continue to expand and further enhance our global recognition.”

An electrical engineer with a research focus on photonic devices, integrated optics, sensor systems and biometrics, Hornak joined the UGA faculty in 2014.

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

columns.uga.edu Jan. 27, 2020

7

WARNELL SCHOOL OF FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Andrew Davis Tucker

Tong Li, a doctoral student in the department of career and information studies in the College of Education, uses magic to help students understand science.

Grad student’s magic sparks creativity

By Sara Freeland freeland@uga.edu

“What is the magic to making science learning meaningful and engaging?”

That question is at the heart of University of Georgia doctoral student Tong Li’s research and teaching.

Li, who grew up Shandong, China, became interested in magic about a decade ago. A friend showed him a card trick where he made a card vanish. Li was fascinated and spent a few days practicing to replicate the trick.

“It wasn’t easy at all. It took a lot of practice. I tried to figure out how did the magician do that.”

After a few days, the friend revealed how he did the trick, and Li was hooked. “I realized that’s what made magic special—trying to figure out how the magician did that.”

He started learning magic tricks—coin tricks and magic with small props he often makes himself.

And in 2013, his hobby and his career intertwined.

That year, he did a study abroad program through Central Connecticut State University. There, he worked as a teaching assistant at an elementary school where the teacher was teaching gravity. Using his magic skills, he simulated an environment without gravity by suspending a table in the air. “The students were immediately engaged. They asked a lot of questions about gravity.”

After his stint in Connecticut, he knew he wanted to come back to America. Specifically, he wanted to attend UGA, as the College of Education’s learning, design and technology program is internationally renowned.

He earned a Master in Education

Technology degree from Shandong Normal University in Jinan, China, and in 2015, he started working on his Ph.D. at UGA. Initially, he showed his research plan to his professors, and they seemed pretty interested and encouraged him to come to UGA. His dissertation is on “Using Magic and Performance as a Way to Facilitate Creative Design Thinking.” He recently defended his prospectus and is working on the data collection now.

His program gives him an amount of freedom and flexibility that he didn’t have before. “We have a very supportive environment, very open. My professors are very encouraging.”

He teaches a design course called Technology for Innovation in the Workplace, and his students are supposed to design an app. The class is focused on teaching students design-thinking, creativity and entrepreneurship.

“I use magic tricks as a way to inspire students to learn how to think outside of the box, how magicians create amazing and touching moments for their audience and how to incorporate the principles of magic into their design process,” he said. “It encourages them to be creative and make the impossible things possible.”

He still likes to perform magic when he can and posts videos to his YouTube channel.

He performed at Family Day at the Special Collections Libraries earlier this year, where he taught children magic tricks.

He plans to finish his Ph.D. this year and is open to opportunities, including being a professor. One day, after he’s established himself in his career, he’d like to bring magic back to China.

WEEKLY READER

Law school plans discussion of ‘Rap on Trial’

Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics and Guilt in America Andrea L. Dennis and Erik Nielson The New Press Hardback: $17.29 Ebook: $13.99

The School of Law will host a discussion of the recently published book Rap on Trial: Race, Lyrics and Guilt in America, which was co-authored by Andrea L. Dennis, the holder of the law school’s John Byrd Martin Chair of Law. The discussion will be held Jan. 30 from 3:30-4:30 p.m. in the Larry Walker Room of Dean Rusk Hall. The event is open free to the public.

Speakers will include Dennis and Bettina L. Love with UGA’s College of Education.

Published by The New Press, Rap on Trial examines the use of “rap lyrics as criminal evidence to convict and incarcerate young men of color” based on hundreds of court cases from across the country.

“The work of other creators—such as musicians in other genres, crime novelists, radical poets and horror film screenwriters—is not seen as a reflection of their real lives, contrary to what is happening with rap artists,” Dennis said.

Rap on Trial explores the breadth of rap lyrics being used in criminal prosecutions and the problems raised by the practice, and proposes solutions to achieve change.

Kristen Morales

Lab assistant Erik Donofrio drops a tree overboard in Lake Herrick.

Discarded Christmas trees used to create new habitat for fish in Lake Herrick

By Kristen Morales kmorales@uga.edu

Using the reds and oranges on his digital map as a guide, graduate student Wesley Gerrin guided the small motorboat over the drop spot.

Within seconds, the two other lab assistants in the boat were up and heaving wood and concrete over the side. There was a spray of needles and a whiff of pine, and the tree was gone.

The crew out on the University of Georgia’s Lake Herrick wasn’t engaged in some sort of contraband operation, though—they were actually helping to improve the fish habitat in the man-made lake. By dropping discarded Christmas trees in key portions of the lake, their branches become places of refuge for fish and, over time, help improve the quality of the lake bottom.

The tree-drop event is the brainchild of undergraduate Jordan Horvieth, a fisheries student who also works part time for AthensClarke County’s Stormwater Management division and as a lab assistant at the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources.

About a year ago, Horvieth was surfing the internet and considering the end of the Christmas season when she stumbled upon an idea: Using discarded Christmas trees as fish habitat.

“I really love Christmas trees, so I wanted to see ways they could be upcycled,” she said.

“And I stumbled upon this.”

Horvieth and her fellow students used sonar to map the bottom of Lake Herrick and determined there was a need for additional

fish habitat—over the years, the bottom had become awash in sediment, and the original woody structures had all decayed.

Warnell professor James Shelton said dropping trees into older lakes is one of the best ways to re-establish fish habitat. “We know, because we monitor these areas with sonar, that the woody structures actually attract fish,” he said. “The limbs and branches attract smaller fish—they offer them places to hide—and as the fish accumulate in those areas, they attract the predators. And so, in addition to being a better habitat for fish, it also tells anglers where to go to fish.”

Working with the county, Horvieth and her team received a delivery of several dozen discarded Christmas trees. They pulled the trees out of the pile two by two, stuck their trunks into concrete blocks and fastened them with a piece of scrap wood across the bottom. The trees were then lined up along the dock, where they were picked up by Gerrin and his crew to be dropped in specific places throughout the lake.

Even though this is the second year the team dropped trees, it will take several more years to determine how it affects the fish population. But, Shelton said, the lake is constantly monitored through several classes that meet there, including fisheries management, aquatic biology and population dynamics classes. “That allows us to maintain a database over time of the changes in the fish population,” he said.

All told, the team dropped about 30 trees.

“I just like to be proactive,” said Horvieth.

“I like doing things like this, that actually feel like I’m accomplishing something.”

CYBERSIGHTS

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

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

Editor Juliett Dinkins

Portal for free university images launches

http://mc.uga.edu/photo

Creative Services Digital Asset Resource, a portal of UGA images that can be downloaded for free, is now available.

The site was designed by the Division of Marketing & Communications to make branded images more accessible to faculty, staff, students, media outlets and others who need stock University of ­ G eorgia photos of campus

­ uildings, research projects, teachb ing and learning, outreach and athletics.

The gallery is divided into 14 sections, but all images can be filtered by category, type, affiliation, location and setting and keyword.

Currently, the site only features images but may expand in the future to include video clips like drone footage of campus.

Associate Editor Krista Richmond Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Writers Leigh Beeson Hayley Major The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action.

The University of Georgia is a unit of the University System of Georgia.

8 Jan. 27, 2020 columns.uga.edu LECTURES

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and open to the public, and students are encouraged to attend. For more information and updates on Signature Lectures, see https://bit.ly/2GeDIG8. Details on the spring 2020 Signature Lectures are below.

Justice Robert Benham of the Supreme Court of Georgia will give the Holmes-Hunter Lecture on Feb. 3 at 2 p.m. in the UGA Chapel.

Benham is the first and longest serving African American member of the Supreme Court of Georgia. He became the second African American to graduate from the UGA School of Law in 1970. He was later appointed to the Court of Appeals, where he served for five years before being appointed to the Georgia Supreme Court in 1989, earning his Master of Laws from the University of Virginia that same year. Benham serves as president for the Society for Alternative Dispute Resolution, a trustee of the Georgia Legal History Foundation, chairman of the Judicial Council and the Chief Justice’s Commission on Professionalism.

As part of the Innovation District Seminar Series, Purdue University’s Ajay P. Malshe will discuss “Nine Facets of a ‘Profeneur,’ A Professor Entrepreneur” on Feb. 5 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 130 (Critique Space) of the Jackson Street Building.

Malshe is a professor and director of the Materials, Manufacturing and System Integration Laboratory at the Purdue University School of Mechanical Engineering. He specializes in nanomanufacturing, bio-inspired systems, high-density electronic packaging and entrepreneurship in the university’s Institute for Nano Science and Engineering.

He was elected to the National Academy of Engineering, which honors those who have made significant contributions to engineering research and practice, as well as pioneering innovative approaches to engineering education.

Robert Johansson, USDA chief economist, will deliver this year’s J.W. Fanning Lecture,“U.S. Farm Outlook 2020: Policy and

Bulletin Board

WIP course proposals

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

The program aims to enhance undergraduate education by emphasizing the importance of writing by offering “writing-intensive” courses throughout the college.

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

The deadline for proposal submissions is March 7. Direct questions to Lindsey Harding, WIP director, at lharding@uga.edu.

Study participants needed

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

The foods and nutrition department seeks men and women ages 30-75 years with high cholesterol levels or a “bigger build.” Subjects must not take cholesterol-lowering medications, thyroid medications or exercise more than three hours per week. Subjects also must not have diabetes or food allergies/intolerances to pecans, gluten, dairy or meat.

Subjects must not habitually eat tree nuts more than twice per week.

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

Four visits require blood draws.

For more information, contact Liana Rodrigues at 423-596-7708 or liana.rodrigues@uga.edu.

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

Uncertainty,” on Feb. 17 at 10:30 a.m. in Room R of the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel.

As the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s chief economist, Johansson is responsible for the department’s agricultural forecasts and for advising the secretary of agriculture on economic implications of alternative programs, regulations and legislation. His research includes biofuels policy, water quality and quantity policies, regulatory economics, food security, and regional modeling of agricultural systems. Johansson also serves as the Federal Crop Insurance Corporation board chairman.

Marion Fedrick, president of Albany State University, will deliver the 20th annual Mary Frances Early Lecture on Feb. 25 at 2 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall of the Performing Arts Center.

Fedrick is the 10th president of Albany State University. Prior to her current role, she served as vice chancellor for human resources at the University System of Georgia.

Her professional background includes higher education administration, strategic planning, crisis management and strategic partnership management in both the private and public sectors. Fedrick is a graduate of UGA with a bachelor’s degree in adult education and a master’s degree in public administration.

At this year’s Ferdinand Phinizy Lecture, Lawrence Wright, staff writer for The New Yorker, will discuss “The Future of Terrorism” on Feb. 27 at 4 p.m. in the UGA Chapel.

Wright is an author, screenwriter, playwright and a staff writer for The New Yorker magazine. He won a Pulitzer Prize for The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11, which spent eight weeks on The NewYorkTimes bestsellers list.Wright’s most recent book, God Save Texas: A Journey into the Soul of the Lone Star State, was a finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award.

The 2020 Louise McBee Lecture in

Higher Education will be given by Joan Gabel, president of the University of Minnesota. She will discuss “The Evolving Social Contract of Higher Education” on March 18 at 11 a.m. in the UGA Chapel.

Gabel is the first woman president in the University of Minnesota’s 167-year history.

Her scholarship focuses on the public higher education mission, ethical governance and women’s leadership. Gabel was previously the executive vice president for academic affairs and provost at the University of South Carolina. She has been recognized with numerous service, research and teaching awards, including a Fulbright Scholarship. Gabel holds a J.D. from UGA. As part of the College of Environment and Design Lecture Series, Adam Gopnik, staff writer for The New Yorker, will discuss “Reconnecting the Arts and Sciences” on April 3 at 3 p.m. in the UGA Chapel.

Also the author of several celebrated books, Gopnik has won the National Magazine Award for Essays and for Criticism three times, as well as the George Polk Award for Magazine Reporting and the Canadian National Magazine Award Gold Medal for arts writing. His work has been anthologized many times, in “Best American Essays,” “Best American Travel Writing,” “Best American Sports Writing,” “Best American Food Writing” and “Best American Spiritual Writing.” Gopnik received the medal of Chevalier of the Order of Arts and Letters from the French Republic.

On April 9 at 4 p.m. in the UGA Chapel, Gary Gallagher, professor emeritus at the University of Virginia, will give a lecture titled “The Road to Secession and Sumter: Was the Civil War Inevitable?”

Gallagher is the John L. Nau III Professor Emeritus in the History of the American Civil War at the University of Virginia. His current research is about the monuments on the battlefield at Gettysburg, with an emphasis

SERVICE from page 1

INNOVATION

safely, as a vast majority of my clients are seniors or disabled,” said Jody Graichen, Hands On Athens coordinator. “It is a great way to address gentrification that comes with historic preservation, which for HOA’s historic preservation purposes includes homes built in the 1970s.

“For low-income homeowners, sometimes basic maintenance falls outside of their very fixed incomes,” she said. “The ability to have volunteers do the work achieves two things: safer, more intact homes for residents and a learning opportunity for volunteers.”

Students rebuilt a staircase and primed one of the historic homes to begin the goal of getting the house fully painted by the end of the semester, Graichen said.

The volunteers also cleaned overgrown foliage in a historic home’s yard on a major corner to add to the vibrancy of the streetscape.

This work provides students an opportunity to see different parts of Athens and get a glimpse of nonstudent life for longtime residents who have contributed greatly in their lifetimes to the success of Athens, Graichen said.

Students also improved the streetscape of the Mae Willie Morton Community Garden on Julious Drive, which was founded to convert a location formerly used for illegal activity into a garden. The volunteers’ work building a handicap accessible planting bed will enable nearby senior residents to garden regularly, Green said.

Reflecting on the day, Sherrill said it was a great reminder for the student volunteers to show how excited they are to give the community of Athens the love it deserves.

“Students learned they can find pieces of themselves in the Athens community,” Sherrill said. “It’s great to see bonds strengthening between volunteers and organizations as partnerships become more sustainable and the progress in these sites becomes exponential over the years.”

The warmth that Athens felt from the hundreds of volunteers, hundreds of interactions, stories, connections was enormous, and it was a great start to the new year by honoring MLK’s legacy of service, she said.

my field of sports medicine beyond just publication in a scientific journal.”

Bootcamp participants came from all across campus and included tenure-track faculty, postdoctoral researchers and graduate students. Organizers also brought in a range of guest speakers to share their experiences in the business world. “[Most rewarding] for me was meeting other women entrepreneurs who understand the challenges women have in starting businesses and getting funding,” said Adrienne Baldwin White, assistant professor in the School of Social Work. “I’ve also enjoyed meeting women on campus I can reach out to after this is over and having relationships with colleagues outside [the School of] Social Work. Being an academic and a woman has its own challenges, so to meet other women in academia who are thriving and successful has been good.”

“Everyone’s stories and passions were inspiring to me,” said Kelly Catlin, DMA student in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music. “I’ve learned there is no linear path to success, and the tools we take from this program will help us no matter which project we set our sights on.”

Crystal Leach, director of industry collaborations in the Office of Research, was the chief organizer of the bootcamp, in collaboration with Innovation Gateway staff.

Leach said participants enjoyed the smallgroup, focused and personalized program and support the bootcamp provided, as well as the connections they made.

“We’ve got people from music and social work and infectious diseases and other departments, all now connected into programs like I-Corps and the Terry Entrepreneurship program. It’s really powerful,” said Leach.

UGA’s I-Corps program, the NSF-funded training initiative in support of STEM innovation, played a central role for Innovation Fellows Beer and Handa. “It opened my eyes to the I-Corps program, which was extremely useful for my students,” said Handa, whose startup, inNOveta Biomedical, is based on his research in antimicrobial coatings.

“We have many different directions for the

on the ways in which Union and emancipation figured in 19th century dedicatory speeches and inscriptions.Among Gallagher’s books are Becoming Confederates: Paths to a New National Loyalty and Forgotten: How Hollywood and Popular Art Shape What We Know about the Civil War. The university’s inaugural Food, Power and Politics Lecture will be given by Marion Nestle, professor emerita at New York University, on April 14 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 271 of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries.

Nestle is the Paulette Goddard Professor Emerita of nutrition, food studies and public health at New York University. She is also a consumer advocate, nutritionist and author of six award-winning books. Nestle’s research examines scientific and socioeconomic influences on food choice, obesity and food safety, with an emphasis on the role of food marketing.

This year’s Odum Environmental Ethics Lecture, “The Gulf of Mexico: History, Wisdom and Hope,” will be given by Jack E. Davis, Rothman Family Chair in the Humanities at the University of Florida on April 16 at 5:30 p.m. in Room 123 of the Jackson Street Building.

A professor of history, Davis specializes in environmental history and sustainability studies. He is also the Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Gulf: The Making of an American Sea and a recipient of the Andrew Carnegie fellowship award. His books include Race Against Time: Culture and Separation in Natchez Since 1930 and An Everglades Providence: Marjory Stoneman Douglas and the American Environmental Century.

Requests for accommodations for those with disabilities should be made as soon as possible but at least seven days prior to the scheduled lecture. Contact Sandra Osborn in the Provost’s Office at 706-542-5806 or at sosborn@uga.edu to request accommodations.

from page 1 company, and now I want people from my lab to do I-Corps every semester. In the future, I might have some ideas I’m not really sure about—let those ideas be part of I-Corps, so my students could find out whether those ideas are worth pursuing.”

Beer looks forward to serving as an informal ambassador for the Innovation District and UGA’s innovation-related programs back in her department. “I’ve learned such a useful and diverse set of skills. Without a doubt, I would not have gained this knowledge on my own, and I’m already applying it every day.

This experience has me completely rethinking my entire research program.”

“Our first Innovation Fellows cohort was truly successful,” said Ian Biggs, director of startups for Innovation Gateway. “While we will be making small updates to the course based on the experiences of Jenay and Hitesh, this is a great example of the expansion of the Innovation District programming to help faculty move their technologies to the widest possible uses and markets.”

Based on the success of the first session, another Innovation Bootcamp will be offered in spring 2020, starting in mid-February.

More information, including how to apply, can be found at https://research.uga.edu/ gateway/researchers/entrepreneurs/innovationbootcamp/.

ONLINE

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• 6 in Best Online MA Ed/Instructional Media Design; • 7 in Best Online MA Curriculum/ Instruction; • 10 in Best Online MA for Special Ed; and • 11 for Best Online MA in Administration.

“The University of Georgia’s commitment to being a leader in online education is evident by the high rankings this year,” said Rahul Shrivastav, vice president for instruction. “Our top-ranked faculty are dedicated to providing excellence in instruction online and in-class every day so that students can participate in the UGA experience no matter where they are.”