UGA Columns March 20, 2017 by UGA Columns

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UGA scientists use robots, drones to accelerate plant genetic research RESEARCH NEWS

Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center presents ‘French Virtuosity’ Vol. 44, No. 29

March 20, 2017

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4&5

Terry College report: Minority groups now driving US economy By Matt Weeks

mweeks@uga.edu

Andrew Davis Tucker

Jaewoo Lee, assistant professor of computer science, is designing and teaching a new course on data privacy to graduate students, making UGA one of the few universities offering instruction in data privacy.

Preserving privacy

In 2016, U.S. Hispanic buying power was larger than the gross domestic product of Mexico. That’s just one of the telling statistics that illustrates the unprecedented economic clout of U.S. minority groups in the latest Multicultural Economy Report from the University of Georgia Terry College of Business. Published by the Selig Center for Economic Growth, the report estimates the nation’s total buying power reached $13.9 trillion in 2016 and predicts it will hit $16.6 trillion by 2021,with minority

groups making the fastest gains. For example, African-American buying power, estimated at $1.2 trillion in 2016, will grow to $1.5 trillion by 2021, making it the largest racial minority consumer market. Buying power is the total personal income of residents that is available for spending after taxes. It does not include money that is borrowed or saved from previous years.The Selig Center estimates its buying power statistics by applying economic modeling and forecasting techniques to data from various federal sources. The full report is available for

See ECONOMY on page 8

ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION

Informatics faculty member works to protect Georgia Athletic Association personal information used for group analysis Professor in Engineering named By Alan Flurry

aflurry@uga.edu

When Jaewoo Lee joined the computer science department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in fall 2016, he brought expertise in a growing new field to UGA as part of the Presidential Informatics Hiring Initiative: data privacy. “In 2009, when I started talking about data privacy, people would ask what is data privacy and what is that for?” said Lee, who arrived at UGA from a postdoctoral position at Penn State University. It was at the beginning of his doctoral studies at Purdue University in 2009 that Lee began working in privacy-preserving data analysis, a field so new that it boasts few experts. Data privacy is often confused

with data security, which frequently uses encryption techniques to send and share data with authorized parties. Authorized recipients are provided a key or other ability to decrypt the message and use the data. “So data security is binary—the encryption is either secure or it’s broken,” Lee said. Data security protocols are designed to protect data from an adversary. “But with data privacy, the audience or recipient is the public.” People send personal information to services they use, whether eating or movie-viewing habits, and even health information. This information is used for marketing but also to improve services like mapping or restaurant reviews and to improve health diagnoses. Data sets of private information such as medical records are regularly

shared to provide statistical information about the data. Analysts survey the data to identify patterns to benefit companies or large groups of people. The challenge is to share the statistical information to learn as much as possible about a group without revealing information about individuals represented in the group. The statistical science of learning about the group while protecting the information of individuals in the group is called differential privacy. “So the information, when released, may potentially benefit many people,” Lee said. “But information is also stored now in many places at once, so the disclosure of the See INFORMATICS on page 8

UNIVERSITY SYSTEM OF GEORGIA BOARD OF REGENTS

By Mike Wooten

mwooten@uga.edu

K.C. Das, a professor in the UGA College of Engineering, has been named the Georgia Athletic Association Professor in Engineering. The GAA established the endowed professorship to encourage leadership in multidisciplinary projects that address global challenges. Das’ research focuses on food security and increasing the sustainability of agriculture, including the more efficient use of water, energy and nutrients. He is the director of UGA’s Biorefinery and Carbon Cycling Program as well as the founder and president of Sustainable Solutions International, which develops and deploys technologies related to biomass energy and

organic waste management. “I consider it a tremendous honor to be named the GAA Professor in Engineering, and I am extremely K.C. Das grateful for this opportunity,” said Das. “I would like to express my appreciation to the Georgia Athletic Association for everything it is doing to support UGA’s academic mission.” During his 21 years at UGA, Das has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on more than 75 externally funded research projects. He teaches See ENGINEERING on page 8

GRADY COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION

Public affairs communicator Founder of university’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases named Regents’ Professor appointed first Tieger Professor By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu

Rick Tarleton, Distinguished Research Professor and UGA Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Biological Sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has been named Regents’ Professor, effective July 1. Regents’ Professorships are bestowed by the University System of Georgia’s Board of Regents on faculty members whose scholarship or creative activity is recognized nationally and internationally as innovative and pace-setting. Tarleton, who is a professor

in the department of cellular biology and founder of UGA’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, has made research Rick Tarleton advances that have the potential to transform the lives of the 10 million to 20 million people suffering from Chagas disease, a potentially deadly parasitic infection that primarily affects people in Central and South America.

“Through the founding of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases in 1998, Dr. Tarleton has helped make the University of Georgia a leader in promoting global health,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. “His research into Chagas disease has implications for millions of people and inspires hope in the fight against one of the world’s most neglected parasitic diseases.” Tarleton’s laboratory established the Chagas Drug Discovery Consortium, which has brought together international researchers, See REGENTS’ on page 7

UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication has appointed Joseph Watson, Jr. as the first Carolyn Caudell Tieger Professor of Public Affairs Communications. In this role, Watson will oversee the first program in the nation to provide students with practical training in the strategy and practice of public affairs communications focused on public policy and politics. “The Tieger Professorship is the direct result of the vision and the generosity of Carolyn Caudell Tieger who wanted to give Grady students a leg up in public affairs

communications careers,” said Charles N. Davis, dean of Grady College. “We are beyond thrilled to have someone Joseph Watson, Jr. of Joe’s experience join us to help bring this vision to fruition. Grady students for generations to come will benefit from this unique and timely program.” Watson brings 20 years of experience in public affairs, campaigns See TIEGER on page 8

2 March 20, 2017 columns.uga.edu

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

Around academe

UGA VP named interim president at Armstrong State University

UGA’s vice president for public service and outreach will serve as the interim president of Armstrong State University, according to a University System of Georgia press release. Jennifer Frum currently oversees UGA’s outreach and engagement and economic development efforts throughout the state. She will assume her post at Armstrong State on July 1 upon the retirement of President Linda Bleicken. As interim president, Frum will lead Armstrong State in its consolidation with Georgia Southern University.

Amazon promotes voice technology, creates fellowship for research

Amazon is investing in voice technology research with a new fellowship, according to a new blog post on the company’s website. The Alexa Fund Fellowship will supply Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Waterloo, the University of Southern California and Johns Hopkins University with cash funding, electronic devices containing the company’s voice-activated personal assistant known as Alexa and mentors to help develop curricula tailored to the research.

How to tell a scammer from an agent

News to Use

Tax season is scam season. Many scammers will contact you, posing as real Internal Revenue Service agents to get your information. Be aware that actual IRS agents will not: • Leave a phone message demanding immediate payment; • Use intimidation or threaten to have you jailed; • Ask for a specific type of payment (cashier’s check, cash, money order, bank transfer, prepaid debit card, etc.); • Ask you to pay over the phone with a credit card; • Call you to verify tax information or personal details; • Ask for your social security number in an email, text or phone call; • Ask for your bank account number in an email, text or on the phone; • Call to let you know you are eligible for a refund (usually a huge one); • Email you telling to update your e-file account; • Direct you to a webpage that begins with anything other than irs.gov.; or • Send you a tax transcript you did not request (getting one may indicate you’re an identity theft victim). The tax deadline this year is Tuesday, April 18. (April 15 will fall on a Saturday and Monday, April 17, is a holiday in Washington, D.C.).

Student Government Association reception honors faculty members By Don Reagin

dreagin@uga.edu

The UGA Student Government Association recognized 10 faculty members at its annual Professor Recognition Reception, held March 1 at the Miller Learning Center. Faculty members, their disciplines, and schools and colleges are Maryann E. Gallagher, international affairs, School of Public and International Affairs; David Gattie, environmental engineering, College of Engineering; Frank Harrison, philosophy, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; Holly Kaplan, communications sciences and disorders, College of Education; Carolyn Keogh, ecology, Odum School of Ecology; Vera LeeSchoenfeld, Germanic and Slavic studies, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; David Martinez, Romance languages, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; Jennifer Rivers, accounting,Terry College of Business; Gregory Robinson, chemistry, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; and Eddie Watson, Center for Teaching and Learning. The faculty members were selected from nominations submitted by students. From the initial pool of

Shown, from left, are Houston Gaines, Jacob Fucetola, Eddie Watson, Vera Lee-Schoenfeld, Maryann Gallagher, Jennifer Rivers, Carolyn Keogh, David Martinez, Holly Kaplan and Sehar Ali. Not pictured are Gregory Robinson, Frank Harrison and David Gattie.

nominations, members of SGA’s Cabinet selected the honorees based on numerous criteria, including clear articulation of impact and evidence of dedication to the education of UGA students both in and out of the classroom. “The student body is so grateful for our incredible faculty, and the Student Government Association is honored to recognize some of the finest professors

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH

Patagonia VP discusses environment at UGA Zero Waste Extravaganza By Jim Lichtenwalter

james.lichtenwal25@uga.edu

Emily Woodward

Congressman Buddy Carter visits UGA Oyster Hatchery By Emily Woodward ewoodward@uga.edu

Source: Enterprise Information Technology Services

UGA STUDENT-ATHLETES

As of fall 2016, more than 500 students also are intercollegiate athletes at UGA. A breakdown of male and female student-athletes by sport:

SPORT

MEN

WOMEN

Baseball

—

Basketball

15 11

Equestrian — 72 Football

129

—

Golf

10 8

Gymnastics — 16 Soccer

—

Softball

—

Swimming 31 33 Tennis

Track

39 60

Volleyball

—

TOTAL

271 275

— = No UGA intercollegiate team Source: 2016 UGA Fact Book

at our institution,” said Houston Gaines, SGA president. “Our faculty continue to change the world with their groundbreaking research while changing lives on campus through mentorship and teaching.” The Student Government Association is a registered student organization within UGA’s Division of Student Affairs.

Congressman Buddy Carter toured the oyster hatchery at the University of Georgia Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant and met with a shellfish grower who is working with UGA to grow single oysters in an effort to diversify the coastal economy. Carter, along with Jared Downs, a member of U.S. Sen. Johnny Isakson’s staff, spent Feb. 24 at the hatchery on Skidaway Island, learning about UGA’s effort to revive the oyster industry in Georgia. Carter and Downs met with Mark Risse, director of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant; Tom Bliss, director of the Shellfish Research Lab; and extension agents at the hatchery to learn about their efforts to produce spat, or baby oysters, and grow them into single oysters for the half-shell market. Since its launch in 2015, the hatchery has produced 700,000 spat, which have been given to 10 shellfish farmers on the coast who grow the oysters on sites they lease from the state Department of Natural Resources. The potential harvest value of the oysters is $140,000 to $245,000. By 2018, the hatchery is expected to produce between 5 million and 7 million spat per year, with an annual estimated harvest value between $1 million and $2 million. The goal is to attract a commercial hatchery and businesses related to oyster production to the area, which would provide jobs and greater economic development opportunities on the coast. “I am glad to have had the opportunity to see the great work going on at the hatchery, and I look forward to seeing the oyster harvesting business grow in our community and state,” Carter said. UGA Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant also is helping the oyster growers connect with seafood distribution companies and restaurants to raise awareness of the Georgia single oyster, Risse said.

Manufacturing any product inevitably causes environmental harm, according to Rick Ridgeway, vice president of public engagement at Patagonia. But what sets the outdoor clothing company apart from other companies is its attempts to lessen the harm it causes and improve the environment. Speaking at the UGA Zero Waste Extravaganza, Ridgeway detailed not only Patagonia’s history and mission, but he also discussed ways the company is trying to make the world a better place. His talk was part of the university’s Signature Lecture Series. The Zero Waste Extravaganza was an event that sought to educate UGA students and faculty on ways they can live lifestyles of limited waste. Beginning the morning of Feb. 21 on Tate Plaza, the event featured Patagonia’s Worn Wear Tour truck, which travels to college campuses around the country, repairing damaged clothing and gear, including products that weren’t made by Patagonia. The point being that the longer something like a jacket lasts, the fewer number of jackets are made, which decreases the environmental impact of jacket production. An estimated 1,000 people visited the Worn Wear truck to have their clothing repaired. That evening, Ridgeway was one of three speakers discussing environmental issues in Grand Hall of the Tate Student Center. Environmental activist Adam Werbach discussed the political side of the environment, and Scott Briscoe, a member of the first African-American team to summit Denali, talked about his experience on that expedition. Ridgeway discussed Patagonia’s mission, history and efforts to combat melting glaciers and eroding grasslands. “When you see things like this, you feel morally obligated to do something about it,” he said. “And if you’re in the business, you ask yourself how you can use your business as a tool for environmental protection.” Ridgeway discussed ways Patagonia curbs its environmental footprint, like replacing a component of the company’s neoprene products in an effort to reduce greenhouse emissions and the number of rubber trees harvested. Patagonia also partners with 1% For The Planet, a business network where each member donates 1 percent of its total annual sales to nonprofit environmental causes. “Whether we are having a good year or a bad year, rain or shine, we take that 1 percent off the top and put it into a fund,” Ridgeway said. In the end, Ridgeway sees Patagonia’s purpose as not only to make durable and quality products but also to implement solutions for the environmental crisis.

RESEARCH NEWS

columns.uga.edu March 20, 2017

Digest UGA Libraries to hold panel discussion about life and legacy of baseball’s Ty Cobb

Kyle Johnsen

Changying “Charlie” Li, a professor in the UGA College of Engineering, calibrates a prototype all-terrain robot while a drone hovers nearby at the Iron Horse Plant Sciences Farm.

High-tech farm tools UGA scientists use robots and drones to accelerate plant genetic research, improve crop yield

By Mike Wooten

mwooten@uga.edu

It may be a while before robots and drones are as common as tractors and combine harvesters on farms, but the high-tech tools may soon play a major role in helping feed the world’s rapidly growing population. At UGA, a team of researchers is developing a robotic system of all-terrain rovers and unmanned aerial drones that can more quickly and accurately gather and analyze data on the physical characteristics of crops, including their growth patterns, stress tolerance and general health. This information is vital for scientists who are working to increase agricultural production in a time of rapid population growth. “By the middle of this century, scientists estimate the world’s population will reach 9.1 billion people, which is a 30 percent increase in a little more than 30 years,” said Changying “Charlie” Li, a professor in UGA’s College of Engineering and the principal investigator on the project. “This increase in population will demand that we nearly double our current food production. That’s a tall order but one solution is to use genomic tools to develop highquality, high-yield, adaptable plants.”

While scientists can gather data on plant characteristics now, the process is expensive and painstakingly slow, as researchers must manually record data one plant at a time. But Changying Li the team of robots developed by Li and his collaborators will one day allow researchers to compile data on entire fields of crops throughout the growing season. The project addresses a major bottleneck that’s holding up plant genetics research, said Andrew Paterson, a co-principal investigator. Paterson, a world leader in the mapping and sequencing of flowering-plant genomes, is a Regents’ Professor in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. In addition to multispectral, hyperspectral and thermal cameras, the robots will be outfitted with Light Detection and Ranging, or LiDAR, a remote sensing method that uses light in the form of a pulsed laser to measure distances. The technology will allow the researchers to create precise three-dimensional

images of the plants they study. With teams of autonomous vehicles rumbling through rows of crops and hovering overhead, algorithms also will play a key role in making sure the robots and drones perform their assigned tasks while staying out of each other’s way. Javad Mohammadpour Velni, a co-principal investigator on the project and an assistant professor in the College of Engineering, is developing a suite of analytical tools that will allow the ground and aerial vehicles to operate independently but collaboratively to efficiently cover fields and collect different types of data. The UGA researchers believe their work will provide a platform for plant geneticists to gather massive amounts of phenotype data and empower advances in crops that sustain the planet’s population. The team’s project is supported by a $954,000 grant from the National Robotics Initiative, a program jointly sponsored by the National Science Foundation, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the U.S. Department of Energy, NASA and the National Institutes of Health.The goal of the National Robotics Initiative is to accelerate the development and use of next-generation robots in the U.S.

FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Old into new: Geneticists track evolution of parenting By Alan Flurry

aflurry@uga.edu

UGA researchers have confirmed that becoming a parent brings about more than just the obvious offspring—it also rewires the parents’ brain. The study, published last month in Nature Communications, finds that the transition from a non-parenting state to a parenting state reflects differences in neuropeptides generally associated with mating, feeding, aggression and increased social tolerance. Neuropeptides are small proteins that allow neurons in the brain to communicate with each other; they also influence behavior. The team’s research—tested on an insect, the burying beetle Nicrophorus vespilloides—provides a predictive framework for studying the genetics of parenting and social interactions. The burying beetle is intimately involved in raising its children,

including regurgitating food to its begging offspring. “We tested the idea that we could predict the genetic pathways involved in parenting based on old predictions from ethologists in the 1960s and 1970s,” said the study’s lead author Allen Moore, Distinguished Research Professor and head of the genetics department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “When [burying beetle] parents feed their babies, they are feeding others rather than themselves and so genes that influence food-seeking behavior are likely to be involved.” Behavioral scientists predicted that genetic changes occur over time to develop parenting in a species. Based on this hypothesis, Moore’s team sequenced and assembled the genome of the burying beetle and measured the abundance of neuropeptides. They theorized that behaviors related to parenting stemmed from alterations in existing genes rather than the evolution of new ones.

By looking at parenting and nonparenting beetles, their tests indicated that neuropeptides changed in abundance during parenting. The research, Moore said, suggests that many of the genes influencing parenting will be the same across many species. The commonality among organisms will help researchers identify genetic pathways important to parenting. “It is exciting science when you take a step toward predicting the genetic changes involved in a behavior as complicated as parental care,” he said. “And it was pleasing to collaborate with colleagues in genetics and Complex Carbohydrate Research Center, which allowed us to apply techniques that wouldn’t otherwise be available to test our ideas.” The study, “Ethological principles predict the neuropeptides co-opted to influence parenting,” is at http://www. nature.com/articles/ncomms14225.

The UGA Libraries will host a lecture and panel discussion to highlight the life and legacy of Ty Cobb March 23 at 4 p.m. in the auditorium of the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. Charles Leerhsen, author of Ty Cobb: A Terrible Beauty, will discuss his book, which the Boston Globe has called “a fascinating and authoritative biography of perhaps the most controversial player in baseball history.” Following the lecture, historian Jim Cobb, author Terry Kay and sports broadcaster Loran Smith will participate in a panel discussion. A reception and book signing will follow at 5:30 p.m.

School of Law’s Red Clay conference to focus on issues in environmental law

“Emerging Issues in Environmental Law” is the title of the 29th annual Red Clay Conference to be held March 24 in the UGA School of Law’s Larry Walker Room in Dean Rusk Hall. The daylong program will include three panel discussions focusing on the management of coal ash in the wake of changes to Environmental Protection Agency and Environmental Protection Division rules pertaining to solid waste management, transboundary water issues stemming from the Florida v. Georgia litigation and the future of the Clean Power Plan and other air regulatory matters. Judson H. “Jud” Turner, the former director of the Georgia Environmental Protection Division, will deliver the keynote address. Community Newspapers, Inc. President Dink NeSmith also will provide a special address. The conference, which runs from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and includes breakfast and lunch for registered attendees, is open to the public and is free for members of the UGA community. The cost for nonUGA attendees is $10. For attorneys seeking continuing legal education credits of 5 hours, the cost is $60. For more information or to register for the conference, visit https://t.uga.edu/24r.

Finalists from ocean-themed short film contest to be screened March 25

Finalist films from the 2017 Ripple Effect Film Project ocean-themed video contest will be showcased March 25 at 5 p.m. at the Morton Theatre. The contest was launched last fall as a partnership between a team of UGA-based marine scientists and several local and statewide conservation agencies to promote increased understanding of the connection between human activities and ocean health. The research consortium Ecosystem Impacts of Oil and Gas Inputs to the Gulf includes 29 researchers from 15 institutions and is led by Samantha Joye, UGA Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences in Franklin College’s department of marine sciences. In addition to cutting-edge scientific research on the Gulf of Mexico, a primary goal of the consortium is to engage with the public about the group’s scientific activities and the importance of healthy ocean systems. Filmmakers from around the state were asked to submit short films on a range of topics that connect human behavior to the health of the world’s oceans, including transportation choices, clean waterways and the impact of choices around food, water and energy consumption. The Ripple Effect Film Project was founded in 2013 by the Athens-Clarke County Office of Water Conservation in conjunction with EcoFocus Film Festival. Since then hundreds of filmmakers have had their films included in the annual “Blue Carpet Premiere” event in Athens. In addition to ECOGIG and Athens-Clarke County Water Conservation, presenting partners include Athens-Clarke County Stormwater Division and Keep Athens-Clarke County Beautiful. Tickets to the event $5 and are available for advance purchase at www.mortontheatre.tix.com. More information may be found at www.ecogig.org and www.rippleeffectfilmproject.org.

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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

Driving Forces: Sculpture by Lin Emery. Through April 2. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu To Spin a Yarn: Distaffs, Folk Art and Material Culture. Through April 16. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Advanced and Irascible. Through April 30. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Expanding Tradition: Selections from the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Collection. Through May 7. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Equality Under the Law: History of the Equal Rights Amendment. Through May 12. Hargrett Library Gallery, special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu Necessary Words & Images: 70 Years of The Georgia Review. Through May 12. Hargrett Library Gallery, special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu Michael Ellison: Urban Impressions. Through May 21. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu A Championship Tradition: The NCAA Tennis Tournament in Athens. Through May 30. Rotunda, special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. hasty@uga.edu (See story, far right). On the Stump—What Does it Take to Get Elected in Georgia? Through Aug. 18. Special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. jhebbard@uga.edu

MONDAY, MARCH 20 WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE For spring semester. INTEGRATIVE RESEARCH AND IDEAS SYMPOSIUM Integrative Research and Ideas Symposium is an interdisciplinary research conference. The day’s events will include dozens of research presentations, poster sessions and professional development opportunities as well as talks by industry professionals. The keynote address will be given by author and podcast host “Science Mike” McHargue. $15; $25 with all-day parking. 9 a.m. Tate Student Center. 706-542-6396. snell91@uga.edu EMPLOYEE WALKING INITIATIVE The UGA Work/Life Balance Program is hosting the walking initiative “Commit to U.” Join coworkers and campus celebrities for a half-mile walk on one of the campus walking routes. 11:30 a.m. 706-542-7319. worklifebalance@uga.edu GUEST ARTIST CONCERT Bassoon guest artist Reed Hanna will perform. 6:30 p.m. Edge Recital Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu

Performing Arts Center to present Academy of St. Martin in the Fields By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields March 26 at 7 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The concert, which will open with Aaron Copland’s Quiet City, will feature two works by Mozart, the Piano Concerto No. 9 and the Symphony No. 29. The program also will include the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Shostakovich. Award-winning pianist Inon Barnatan will join the orchestra as guest soloist for the Mozart and Shostakovich concertos. A recipient of both the Avery Fisher Career Grant and Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award, Barnatan has performed with many of the world’s foremost orchestras including the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, Deutsches SymphonieOrchester Berlin, the Royal Stockholm Symphony Orchestra and the Gulbenkian Orchestra of Lisbon. The Academy of St. Martin in the Fields is one of the world’s most respected chamber orchestras, renowned for its fresh interpretations of classical music. Formed by Sir Neville Marriner from a group of leading London musicians, the Academy gave its first performance in its namesake church in 1959. In addition to extensive international tours, the Academy boasts a vast recording output, highlights of which include the 1969 best-seller, Vivaldi’s Four Seasons, and the soundtrack to 1985’s Oscar-winning film Amadeus. Tickets for the concert are $31 to $41 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400. UGA students can purchase tickets for $6 with a valid UGA ID, limit one ticket per student. A pre-concert lecture will be offered 45 minutes prior to the performance in Ramsey Concert Hall in the Performing Arts Center.

WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH FILM SCREENING Screening of No Job for a Woman: The Women Who Fought to Report WWII, an award-winning documentary about three tenacious war correspondents who forged their now legendary reputations during WWII at a time when battlefields were considered no place for a woman. 6:30 p.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-542-2846. tlhat@uga.edu

TUESDAY, MARCH 21 TODDLER TUESDAY: MOVEMENT Join others for story time, a special tour of Lin Emery’s kinetic sculptures in the Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden and an art-making activity just for little ones. This free, 40-minute program is designed for families with children ages 18 months to 3 years. Space is limited; email callan@uga.edu or call 706-542-8863. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Outbreak Dynamics and Detection in Human Social Networks,” Lauren Ancel Meyers, University of Texas at Austin. A reception follows the seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the ecology lobby. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu SIGNATURE LECTURE “The War Against AIDS, 35 Years and Counting: Are We There Yet?,” Deborah L. Birx, ambassador-at-large, U.S. global AIDS coordinator and U.S. special representative for global health diplomacy, U.S. Department of State. Global Diseases: Voices from the Vanguard series. Part of the Signature Lecture series. Sponsored by the Knight Chair in Health and Medical Journalism and the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases. 5:30 p.m. Chapel. CONCERT The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center celebrates the music of France with a program titled French Virtuosity that includes works by Jean-Marie Leclair, Jean Francaix, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel and Ernest Chausson. $42; $6 for UGA students with student ID. 8 p.m. Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. ugaarts@uga.edu (See story, top right).

By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center March 21 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The program, French Virtuosity, will include works by Claude Debussy, Jean-Marie Leclair, Maurice Ravel, Jean Francaix and Ernest Chausson. The Performing Arts Center is partnering with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to present an entire season of concerts on the Franklin College Chamber Music Series. Members of CMSLC are visiting Athens six times during the 2016-2017 season, establishing the greatest presence in one location for the Chamber Music Society outside of New York City. CMSLC is the nation’s premier repertory company for chamber music with a rotating roster of outstanding instrumentalists. For the French Virtuosity program, Chamber Music Society CoArtistic Director Wu Han (piano) will be joined by violinists Kristen Lee, Yura Lee and Arnaud Sussmann; violist Richard O’Neill; and cellist Nicholas Canellakis. Tickets for the concert are $42 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-5424400. UGA students can purchase tickets for $6 with a valid UGA ID, limit one ticket per student. The concert will be recorded for broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today, heard by 1.4 million listeners across the country. Patrick Castillo from CMSLC will give a pre-concert lecture at 7:15 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall.

Members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center visit the Performing Arts Center to perform French Virtuosity.

Exhibit showcases championship tennis in Athens

ARTFUL CONVERSATION In celebration of Women’s History Month, assistant curator of education Sage Kincaid will lead an in-depth gallery conversation focusing on several works by women artists in Expanding Tradition. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662.

By Jason Hasty

UNIVERSITY COUNCIL MEETING 3:30 p.m. Tate Theater, Tate Student Center. 706-542-6020.

hasty@uga.edu

DOCUMENTARY SCREENING CODE Debugging the Gender Gap looks at the number of American female and minority software engineers and explores the reasons for this gender gap. Auditorium, special collections libraries. 706-542-7670. stsharp@uga.edu

CONCERT The UGA Wind Symphony, one of the university’s largest wind bands, will perform a concert with the MOD[ular] ensemble. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu

THURSDAY, MARCH 23 MICROBIOLOGY SEMINAR “What Lies Beneath: The Microbial World of Deep, Hot Bedrock,” Jim Holden, University of Massachusetts-Amherst. 11 a.m. 404D Biological Sciences Building. khbrown@uga.edu 5TH ANNUAL METHVIN LECTURE “‘Engulfed in the Fiesta’: Reading Our Souths and the Gulf at the Rhythm of Maracas in the Time of Trump,” professors Keith Cartwright, University of North Florida, and Dolores Flores-Silva, Roanoke College, who are collaborating on a new book on the connections between the U.S. and Mexico. 4 p.m. 265 Park Hall. 706-542-8952. jwlowe@uga.edu READING The University of Georgia Creative Writing Program presents a reading with writer Rodney Morales, whose latest novel, For A Song, is forthcoming from the University of Hawaii Press. He is also the author of When the Shark Bites, a novel, and The Speed of Darkness, a short story collection. 7 p.m. Cine, 234 W. Hancock Ave. 706-542-2659. cwp@uga.edu HUGH HODGSON FACULTY SERIES CONCERT Author, performer, scholar and teacher Stephanie Tingler, an associate professor of voice at the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music, will perform a recital as part of the Hugh Hodgson Faculty Series. $12; $6 with UGA student ID. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu

FRIDAY, MARCH 24 UGA’S VETERINARY CONFERENCE & ALUMNI WEEKEND 8 a.m. Georgia Center. 706-542-7415. teidson@uga.edu, melissak@uga.edu LECTURE “From Korean Adoptee to Spectacular Other,” presented by Jieun Lee, women’s studies and theatre and film studies. Part of the Women’s Studies Friday Speaker Series. 12:20 p.m. 214 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-2846. tlhat@uga.edu ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Animal Migrations and Resource Subsidies Influence River

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

4&5

Chamber Music Society to perform March 21

WEDNESDAY, MARCH 22

SIGNATURE LECTURE “The Conservative Intellectual Movement in America,” George H. Nash, senior fellow, Russell Kirk Center for Cultural Renewal. Sponsored by the Office of Academic Programs. 6 p.m. 248 Miller Learning Center.

columns.uga.edu March 20, 2017

The U.S. Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants will perform March 27 at 7 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall.

Performing Arts Center to present US Air Force Band and Singing Sergeants March 27 By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the U.S. Air Force Concert Band and Singing Sergeants March 27 at 7 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The concert is free, but tickets are required. The U.S. Air Force Concert Band is the premier symphonic wind ensemble of the U.S. Air Force. Featuring 53 active duty Airmen musicians, the Concert Band performs a variety of music ranging from classical transcriptions and original works Ecosystem Dynamics,” Amanda Subalusky, postdoctoral scientist at the Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies. A reception will follow the seminar at 3 p.m. The seminar is cosponsored by the UGA River Basin Center and Odum School of Ecology. 2 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu BASEBALL vs. Auburn. $5-$8. 7 p.m. Foley Field. 706-542-1231.

SATURDAY, MARCH 25 OCONEE RIVERS AUDUBON SOCIETY SPRING BIRD RAMBLE 8 a.m. Upper parking lot, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu CLASS “Building Your Own Natural Furniture with Bim Willow.” Fee varies based on which project participants choose. 8:45 a.m. State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156. ckeber@uga.edu CONFERENCE A conference on potential theory and arithmetic dynamics in honor of Robert Rumely. 328 Boyd Graduate Studies Research Center. 706-542-2578. lorenzin@uga.edu 5TH ANNUAL FUN RUN TOWARD SUSTAINABILITY An unofficial 5K to raise money for Small Dreams Foundation, the UGA Office of Sustainability and the State Botanical Garden. Runners, walkers and strollers welcome. $30; $20 students. 9 a.m. Check in at Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden.

to light classics, popular favorites and patriotic selections. The Concert Band will be joined by the Singing Sergeants for this special event. With a roster of 23 vocalists, the Singing Sergeants present more than 200 concerts annually, performing a range of musical styles from traditional Americana, opera and choral standards to modern Broadway and jazz. Tickets to the concert are available at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400. There is a limit of four tickets per order. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu

SUNDAY, MARCH 26 CONCERT: ACADEMY OF ST. MARTIN IN THE FIELDS One of the world’s premier chamber orchestras is joined by pianist Inon Barnatan for a program featuring two Mozart works. $31-$41; $6 for UGA students with ID. 7 p.m. Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. ugaarts@uga.edu (See story, left).

MONDAY, MARCH 27 SIGNATURE LECTURE “Intelligent Systems: Design and Ethical Challenges,” Barbara Grosz, Higgins Professor of Natural Sciences, Harvard University. Phi Beta Kappa Visiting Scholar. Sponsored by Phi Beta Kappa and the Office of Academic Programs. 3:30 p.m. Mahler Hall, Georgia Center. WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH FILM SCREENING Screening of Made in L.A., a documentary film that follows the journey of three Latina immigrants working in L.A.’s garment factories and their long battle to bring a major clothing retailer to the negotiating table. 6:30 p.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-542-2846. tlhat@uga.edu

COMING UP WORKSHOP March 28. Creative use of free web-based tools such as Google

TO SUBMIT A LISTING FOR THE MASTER CALENDAR AND COLUMNS Post event information first to the Master Calendar website (calendar.uga.edu/). Listings for Columns are taken from the Master Calendar 12 days before the publication date. Events not posted by then may not be printed in Columns.

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

A Championship Tradition: The NCAA Tennis Tournament in Athens, an exhibit marking the 29th time the NCAA tennis tournament has been held in Athens since 1972, is on view at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. The exhibit is co-sponsored by the ITA Tennis Hall of Fame at the University of Georgia. This exhibit explores the teams and players who have shaped the rich tradition of collegiate tennis in the Classic City through photographs and objects relating to the NCAA tournament using materials from the archives of the UGA Athletic Association and the Hargrett Rare Book and Manuscript Library. “The NCAA tournament has long been one of the best sporting events in town for diehard tennis fans and casual sports fans alike,” said John Frierson, curator of the ITA Men’s Tennis Hall of Fame and a former NCAA tennis ball boy. “The quality of play is exceptional and the drama and intensity during the team tournament are second to none, and since the championships first arrived in 1972 the Athens community has embraced and supported the event. If you like fight and grit and drama, simply great theater, the NCAAs in Athens have been right up your alley for many, many years now. “There were a lot of us that grew up around the event, knew every player and coach by name and wouldn’t miss a single shot during the tournament if we could help it,” he also said. “That was especially true in the 1980s and ’90s when the championships were held here pretty much annually, but it remains true today when the NCAAs return every couple of years. A lot may have changed in collegiate tennis over the years, as all sports have changed, but the spirit of the NCAA championships in Athens remains the same.” A Championship Tradition: The NCAA Tennis Tournament in Athens will be on display in the Rotunda Gallery through May 30. The exhibit galleries are open free to the public weekdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Saturdays from 1-5 p.m. Earth Tour Builder and Google Hangouts On Air can lead to virtual experiential learning and provide opportunities for students to develop Intercultural Communicative Competence by interacting with people and places from around the world. During “Going on Tour: Using Technology to Support Experiential Learning and Project Based Learning,” participants will take a look at how these and other tools are being used in SPAN 2001e and discuss methods of implementation. Part of the Franklin Faculty Teacher Speaker Series. Led by Annie Rutter Wendel, Spanish linguist and instructor. 5 p.m. 113 Gilbert Hall. 706-542-1898. jclaxton@gmail.com WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH KEYNOTE ADDRESS March 28. The keynote address for the 2017 Women’s History Month will be presented by Christine L. Williams, University of Texas at Austin. 6:30 p.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-542-2846. tlhat@uga.edu

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES March 22 (for April 3 issue) March 29 (for April 10 issue) April 5 (for April 17 issue)

6 March 20, 2017 columns.uga.edu

Thomas A. Baker III, an associate professor of sport management in the College of Education, was recognized as an SRLA Research Fellow during the Sport and Recreation Law Association’s annual conference, held March 1-4 in Las Vegas. The designation recognizes scholars’ achievement in legal aspects of sport and recreationrelated scholarship. This honor also notes and encourages high standards of research and other scholarship within the organization. In 2013, SRLA awarded Baker the Young Professional Award for excellence in research, teaching and service devoted to sport and recreation law. This year at the conference, Baker’s former doctoral student Natasha Brison was presented with the same award. Linda Campbell, a professor in the College of Education’s counseling and human development services department, was recently recognized as the West Virginia University Eberly College of Arts and Sciences’ 2017 Outstanding Alumna in the psychology department. Each year, Eberly College recognizes outstanding alumni from across the college to acknowledge the important contributions they have made within their professions and Linda Campbell communities. The selection process begins at the departmental or program level and is approved by the dean of the college. The Eberly College will honor Campbell in April at its annual alumni awards banquet. Dr. Gary Baxter, a faculty member in the College of Veterinary Medicine, is serving as chair of the American College of Veterinary Surgeons Board of Regents through October. Baxter is director of the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital and the college’s associate dean for clinical services. Noel Fallows, Distinguished Research Professor of Spanish in the Romance languages department and associate provost for international education, has been elected a Fellow of The Royal Historical Society. The Royal Historical Society was founded in 1868 and is the United Kingdom’s foremost society dedicated to advancing the scholarly study of the past. Fellowships are awarded to those whose original contribution to historical scholarship Noel Fallows “looks beyond the immediate subject of the inquiry to offer insights and findings that contribute to our understanding of broader historical problems and issues.” Fallows’ research focuses primarily on the medieval and early modern periods, and he is the author of nearly 50 journal articles and eight books. John Ruter, a faculty member in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, has received the Georgia Green Industry Association’s Vivian Munday and Buck Jones Memorial Lifetime Achievement Award, the most prestigious honor given by GGIA. The Allan M. Armitage Endowed Professor of Horticulture, Ruter teaches classes in plant breeding, plant identification and environmental issues in horticulture and serves as director of the Trial Gardens at UGA. Before moving to Athens in 2012, Ruter served as the nursery crop research and extension specialist at UGA’s Tifton campus where he was also the chairman of the Coastal Plain Research Arboretum focusing on the native flora of the Georgia coastal plain. 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

Peter Frey

Daniel Perez studies what causes the influenza A virus to catch and spread through avian hosts and how to prevent it from spreading to other species.

Avian flu expert advances College of Veterinary Medicine’s research By Erica Hensley

erica.hensley25@uga.edu

Daniel Perez’s research is driven by one question: What exactly makes the influenza virus tick? Particularly, he studies what causes the influenza A virus to catch and spread through avian hosts and how to disrupt the virus and prevent it from jumping to other species. Perez is part of the Poultry Diagnostic and Research Center in the population health department at the College of Veterinary Medicine. His work focuses on interspecies transmission, specifically stemming from avian reservoirs, and how the pathogenesis of the virus affects said transmission. Understanding surface-level protein interaction of the avian flu, the largest reservoir with the most viral diversity, is key to understanding how it jumps within its own species. The next step is to understand how it jumps to other species and can potentially cause a human pandemic, according to Perez. “Flu is not jumping species to make you sick, flu is jumping to survive,” he said. “And, we don’t immediately have an outbreak just because one chicken gets it, but the proteins dictate what a virus can and cannot do.” For the virus to develop in a host and potentially cause an outbreak in other species, the virus needs a perfect storm of the right strain at the right time, according to Perez. “There are many hits and misses within transmission, so we need to figure out what exactly makes the virus hold onto a new host,” he said.

Originally from Argentina, Perez earned a doctorate from the University of Nebraska Medical Center in 1995 and has been focusing on influenza ever since. It was at Nebraska that he started focusing on the protein level of the virus. Understanding how the viral proteins interact with one another aids researchers in disrupting this interaction. If you disrupt the protein interaction, he said, you can disrupt the virus replication. If you can disrupt the replication, you have a better chance at intervention. At UGA, Perez holds the Caswell Eidson Chair in Poultry Medicine where he executes studies that support PDRC’s threefold mission of teaching, research and service in poultry medicine. His lab is part of the Center for Research on Influenza Pathogenesis, one of five Centers of Excellence for Influenza Research and Surveillance funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases. In addition, the Perez lab carries out active surveillance in birds and pigs in collaboration with institutions in Guatemala and Argentina. Perez also maintains active collaborations with investigators at the USDA’s National Animal Disease Center, in Ames, Iowa, and the Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory in Athens. Working at the animal-human interface at the PDRC helps drive research and resources, he said. Though the PDRC prioritizes understanding avian transmission to protect population health and develop alternative poultry vaccination strategies, the information is directly related to human and other species’ susceptibility because influenza A

FACTS Daniel Perez Professor Department of Poultry Medicine College of Veterinary Medicine Ph.D., Molecular Virology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, 1995 B.Sc., Biochemistry, Universidad Nacional de Cordoba, Argentina, 1989 At UGA: 2 years

has an avian reservoir, he said. Perez’s latest publication shifted away from avian hosts and toward Argentinian pigs. He worked with Argentinian researchers on a twoyear surveillance of the evolution of influenza A in swine. Published in Comparative Immunology, Microbiology and Infectious Diseases in February, the study found herds with endemic influenza A infection on a single farm, which enabled the population to generate genetic mutations that elude host immune responses and further the viral evolution. (The study is available online at tinyurl.com/zrtoboz). Based on Perez’s prior work, this study reaffirms the importance of isolating the evolution of influenza A in swine due to the risk of reestablishment of novel viruses into the human population. Because the 2009 H1N1 pandemic likely originated in swine, the study further reinforces the need for understanding how viruses circulate and develop vaccines based on locally circulating strains to stop further transmission.

ENTERPRISE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY SERVICES

Myers named chief information security officer After a national search, Ben Myers has been named the chief information security officer for UGA. His appointment takes effect immediately. Myers has been serving as interim CISO at the university since July 2016, where he previously served as an IT associate director for UGA’s Office of Information Security. In that role, Myers directed vulnerability management, risk management and security compliance measures from UGA’s Office of Information Security. Myers also served as chief information security officer for the Georgia

Student Finance Commission, which administers student financial aid for postsecondary education, including the HOPE programs. While at the Georgia Student Finance CommisBen Myers sion, Myers led the corporate information security program and the security strategy for the agency. “The University of Georgia has made tremendous strides in adding

additional layers of security to protect its information assets. Ben has been an important part of developing and implementing these controls, and I am delighted that he is willing to take on a greater leadership role,” said Timothy M. Chester, UGA’s vice president for information technology. The CISO serves as UGA’s senior information security executive who advises senior leadership on emerging security threats; changes in regulatory requirements to protect research, student and financial data; and designs strategies to protect the university’s data.

OFFICE OF SUSTAINABILITY

columns.uga.edu March 20, 2017

REGENTS’ from page 1

Dorothy Kozlowski

Office of Sustainability intern Tommy Lehner collects compost as part of Zero Waste UGA’s efforts to send less organic material to the landfill.

Waste not

Student-run composting program turns food scraps into fertilizer By Saleen Martin

saleen.martin25@uga.edu

It’s an all-too-common sight: banana peels, coffee grounds and other organic waste going straight into the trash bin in offices across the UGA campus. That doesn’t have to be the case, though. The Campus Composting project makes it easy to turn food scraps into fertilizer for campus plants, trees and flowerbeds. “It’s pretty much taking waste that would usually go to a landfill, letting it decompose and turning it into compost for soil,” said Melissa Gurevitch, a senior environmental engineering major and intern with the UGA Office of Sustainability. The program is part of Zero Waste UGA, an effort to send 65 percent less waste to the landfill in 2020 than the campus did in 2010, which is part of UGA’s Strategic Plan. Through this and other sustainability programs, UGA diverts about 10,000 cubic yards of organic material from the landfill each year. Food scraps from the compost bins ultimately go to the Bioconversion Center on Whitehall Road to become compost. After about a year, facilities management can use the scrap mixture to enhance the soil on campus grounds. About 30 buildings on campus participate in

the departmental composting program, which usually collects between 200 and 300 pounds of food waste a week. In 2016, 6,000 pounds of compost were collected from departments across campus. Green composting bins lined with compostable brown bags are set up in participating buildings’ break rooms near where people put their lunches and trash. An Office of Sustainability intern collects the bins once a week. This spring, the composting program is also trying out a new bike program for pickup and delivery. Kevin Kirsche, UGA Sustainability’s director and a landscape architect, and Jason Perry, a sustainability specialist in the Office of Sustainability who manages the bike program, designed a wagon to carry the compost that is pulled behind an electric bike. Produce such as apple cores and cucumber peels, grains like leftover bagels and coffee grounds are ideal for composting. “Coffee grounds are fantastic because they are high in nitrogen content and biodegrade easier than other scraps,” said Tommy Lehner, a junior journalism major and sustainability intern who is currently collecting the bins. “And if you’ve ever held coffee grounds in your hands, they already feel like dirt and smell like coffee.” In general, foods or items that are

WEEKLY READER

biodegradable, or can be broken down safely into raw materials and disappear into soil, are OK for the bins. “We’re putting up signs above the bins that say what you can and can’t put in,” Lehner said. Sandrika Walker, an administrative specialist in the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, said she likes that the compost helps UGArden, a student-run organic farm that shares produce with families in need in the Athens community. Her office has been composting for two years, donating old bread, egg shells, coffee grounds, collard green stems, fruit and much more. She often brings food scraps from home, and she and her co-workers compete to see who can collect the most. Her office won the first departmental competition last year and received a custom tin of Jittery Joe’s coffee called “Green Beans.” “If anyone wants to compost or send their food scraps to us, we’ll happily take them,” Lehner said. “If we can create solutions that are easy and that everyone can do, then we’re moving forward.” To request a bin for your office or building, contact the Office of Sustainability at compost@ uga.edu. For more information on Campus Compost’s activities and events, visit https:// t.uga.edu/33Z.

pharmaceutical companies and notfor-profit groups to improve existing drug protocols and to establish new protocols for Chagas disease. Tarleton’s research has resulted in findings that explained the host-parasite relationship regarding the immune system, and he has continued his research to encompass the development of diagnostics and the evaluation of drugs and vaccines. “Dr. Tarleton’s superb, innovative research has revolutionized our understanding of Chagas disease and is guiding efforts to translate that scientific revolution into practice both in vaccine production and drug discovery, as well as treatment for the affliction,” Kojo Mensa-Wilmot, professor and head of the department of cellular biology, wrote in a nomination letter. Tarleton’s work has resulted in five patents and the founding of a proteomics software company known as BioInquire, which was acquired by biotech firm NuSep Holdings, as well as numerous public-private partnerships. As the founding director of the Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, Tarleton was instrumental in recruiting additional world-renowned researchers and attracting funding that has enhanced field research in 20 countries. The center has garnered more than $135 million in research funding over the past 15 years and has 24 faculty members from eight units across campus. “This center has garnered international recognition through Professor Tarleton’s research, as well as his vision and ability to attract key talent to expand the scope of research conducted in CTEGD,” Robert T. Jacobs, vice president of Anacor Pharmaceuticals, wrote in his nomination letter. “The impact of CTEGD goes beyond the science conducted by its researchers, as it has increased the international reputation of the University of Georgia as an important player in the scientific research community.” In addition to holding the title of Distinguished Research Professor, Tarleton is a recipient of the 2012 Lamar Dodd Award. The Regents’ Professorship includes a $10,000 salary increase and is granted for an initial period of three years, which may be renewed. No more than one Regents’ Professorship is given in any year at UGA.

CYBERSIGHTS

ABOUT COLUMNS

Art museum exhibition catalog available

Icon of Modernism: Representing the Brooklyn Bridge, 1883-1950 By Sarah Kate Gillespie, Janice Simon, Meredith E. Ward and Kimberly Orcutt Georgia Museum of Art Hardcover: $55

The Georgia Museum of Art’s hardcover catalog for one of its recent exhibitions, Icon of Modernism: Representing the Brooklyn Bridge, 1883-1950, is available for purchase. The exhibition, which closed Dec. 11, focused on the Brooklyn Bridge as a symbol of modernity and included nearly 40 paintings, works on paper and photographs by major American and European artists, borrowed from private and public collections across the U.S. The catalog includes scholarly essays by Sarah Kate Gillespie, the art museum’s curator of American art and organizer of the exhibition; Janice Simon, Meigs Distinguished Associate Professor of Art History at UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art; Kimberly Orcutt, the Andrew W. Mellon Curator of American Art at the Brooklyn Museum; and Meredith Ward, director of Meredith Ward Fine Art. All images in the exhibition are reproduced full page in full-color and many supplementary images flesh out the discussions.

Columns is available to the community by subscription for an annual fee of $20 (secondclass delivery) or $40 (first-class delivery). Faculty and staff members with a disability may call 706-542-8017 for assistance in obtaining this publication in an alternate format. Columns staff can be reached at 706-542-8017 or columns@uga.edu

Editor Juliett Dinkins

Commencement website offers new features commencement.uga.edu The UGA Commencement website recently underwent a redesign. In addition to aligning with the new university branding campaign, the site also includes a new video animation of past Commencements. The website also was made more mobile phone friendly, allowing users to access it more easily on the go. In an effort to streamline

information and avoid confusion, the website’s content was completely reorganized. The total number of pages and tabs was reduced, and duplicate information was eliminated. Visitors to the Commencement website can find information about the ceremonies, parking maps and links to useful resources.

Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Senior Writer Aaron Hale Communications Coordinator Krista Richmond The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. The University of Georgia is a unit of the University System of Georgia.

8March 20, 2017 columns.uga.edu

INFORMATICS

ECONOMY from page 1 purchase on the Selig Center’s website. “As America grows more diverse, minority groups are reaping great economic dividends, and business owners would do well to pay attention,” said Jeff Humphreys, author of the report and director of the Selig Center. “Minority buying power is growing at a faster pace than the white consumer market for a number of reasons, such as demographics, increases in educational attainment and entrepreneurial activity.” The report breaks down buying power by both racial and ethnic groups as well as by states and territories.The Asian and Hispanic markets are also segmented by country of origin. Population figures used in the study are taken from U.S. Census data, which counts every person regardless of immigration status. The combined buying power of blacks, Asians and Native Americans is estimated to be $2.2 trillion in 2016, a 138-percent gain since 2000. The same time period saw the buying power of Asian-Americans grow by 222 percent, Native Americans by 164 percent and blacks by 98 percent. All of those markets are expanding faster than the buying power of whites, which increased by 79 percent.

Hispanic buying power

More than one in six Americans claims Hispanic origin, which helps explain rapid gains over the past few years. From a buying power estimate of $495 billion in 2000, the group has increased its economic clout 181 percent to $1.4 trillion in 2016. That accounts for nearly 10 percent of total U.S. buying power in 2016 and means the U.S. Hispanic market is larger than the GDP of Mexico and bigger than the economies of all but 14 countries in the world. The report provides national buying power estimates for seven selected groups of Hispanic consumers, with MexicanAmericans representing the largest group and accounting for $797 billion worth of buying power, followed by Puerto Ricans, who account for $146 billion. While each of these subset groups has a distinct purchasing trend, their growth has some things in common, Humphreys said. “The most important trend in favor of Hispanic buying power growth is favorable demographics,” Humphreys said. “The Hispanic population is growing much more rapidly than the total population, thanks to natural increases and strong immigration.

The population is also increasingly better educated and has increased its entrepreneurial activity.” The Hispanic population in the U.S. is also very young, with 35 percent under the age of 18.This bodes well for increased economic prosperity in the future with proportionally more Hispanics either entering the workforce for the first time or advancing in their careers.

Black buying power

African-Americans constitute the nation’s largest racial minority market; however, the buying power of Hispanics (an ethnic minority group) is larger. Black buying power increased 98 percent from 2000 to 2016 and will comprise 8.8 percent of the nation’s total buying power in 2021, according to the Selig Center. “We’re seeing many more AfricanAmericans starting and expanding their own businesses, with the number of blackowned firms growing 34 percent between 2007 and 2012 alone,” Humphreys said. “African-Americans also continue to become more highly educated, which should allow proportionally more blacks to enter occupations with higher salaries.”

Asian buying power

Asian-Americans make up 6 percent of the population and control 6 percent of its purchasing power. Since 2000, Asian buying power has grown 222 percent to $891 billion, the biggest percentage increase of any U.S. minority group. U.S.Asian buying power exceeds the entire economies of all but 15 countries in the world. “The fast-paced growth of Asian consumers should create opportunities for businesses that pay attention to their needs and step in to serve niche markets,” Humphreys said. “What we can see from the data is that Asians tend to be better educated than the population as a whole, which boosts their earning potential.” The full Multicultural Economy Report gives buying power estimates for 17 segments of Asian consumers in the U.S., including Chinese, Korean and Vietnamese. California is the largest Asian consumer market in the U.S., but many states are seeing significant increases. In 2000, only six states had more than $10 billion in Asian-American buying power annually, but 18 states exceeded that mark in 2016, according to the report.

from page 1

information could go beyond the expected recipients. Privacy preserving data analysis provides control on what information can be inferred from the information that is released.” Lee said that privacy was less of a concern even 10 years ago, but with the development of deep machine learning (attempts to model high-level abstraction in data) and the ubiquity of big data, people have started to recognize the importance of privacy. “Data privacy has extended its scope to all the fields that involve the data, from computer science theorists to biologists and genomists. Machine learning conferences have their own session for data privacy papers,” Lee said. In service of training tomorrow’s analysts, Lee is designing and teaching a new course on data privacy to graduate students, positioning UGA among only a few universities offering instruction in data privacy. “Deep learning and neural networks are very popular and regarded as very promising areas, but the privacy issues have not been fully handled as yet,” Lee said. Graduates in this area will have knowledge

TIEGER

from page 1

and communications to Grady College. He served as an appointee in President George W. Bush’s administration as a senior adviser to former U.S. Sen. Peter G. Fitzgerald from Illinois, and also managed federal government affairs for Exelon Corp., a Fortune 100 energy company in Washington, D.C. Most recently, Watson, a graduate of Harvard Law School, led Exelon’s public advocacy group, where he managed issue advocacy campaigns. “I am both humbled and honored to serve as the first Carolyn Caudell Tieger Professor,” said Watson. “This endowed professorship offers me the opportunity to teach and mentor the next generation of public affairs communicators at one of the nation’s leading journalism and communications schools. “As someone who cares deeply about the future of our nation, I believe we need to do everything we can to encourage the best and the brightest to pursue careers in public affairs and to equip them with the skills they need to be successful,” he also said. “I am delighted that Joe has been appointed to the professorship that bears my name,” said Tieger. “While students are more interested than ever in politics and public policy, there is no established curriculum, outside of Grady, that equips students with

Bulletin Board Grant proposal deadline

The Office of International Education is accepting proposals until March 31 for the Croatia Support Fund Grant. An endowment established by Sarah Mae and Lawrence V. Phillips, the fund supports programs that develop and sustain relationships between UGA and Croatia. Programs supported by the fund should be designed to promote greater crosscultural, social and historical understanding of Croatia on the part of UGA faculty, students and administrators and to enhance the awareness of the university and its programs among Croatians. The award ceiling is $3,000. Awardees will be informed by April 11, and funds will be released shortly thereafter. Funds must be expended by June 30. For additional information or to submit a proposal, visit https://t.uga.edu/333.

Radio translator frequency change

Georgia Public Broadcasting, the licensee of WUGA 91.7 FM, announced WUGA’s translator or secondary channel, W250AC, was changed to 94.5 FM on March 19. WUGA’s primary broadcast signal, 91.7 FM, was not affected by this upgrade. The new 94.5 frequency will increase the current broadcast power (currently on 97.9) nearly tenfold

from 27 to 250 watts. GPB will be installing a new transmitter at WUGA studios that will ultimately increase the Athens city population service from 70,691 listeners to 117,565 listeners. WUGA’s translator was installed in 1995 to provide a supplementary broadcast signal to the campus of the university and downtown Athens. WUGA began broadcasts on the UGA campus in August 1987 and is currently celebrating 30 years of service as an NPR affiliate through a partnership with GPB.

UGA Night at Six Flags

of advanced data analysis techniques (neural networks, support vector machine and hidden markov models) and will be able to apply and implement them into computer programs. His research involves developing algorithms that train the neural networks and simultaneously protect the privacy of the individuals in the data set. One promising application of private learning algorithms is medical image analysis. Analyzing medical imaging data is essential not only in medical research but also in diagnoses of disease; however, concerns on privacy of subjects are the main obstacle for the analysis. Lee is currently working on a project with a multidisciplinary team that involves faculty in statistics and health communication departments at UGA. “The problem is, how much accuracy can you get? The popularity of the neural network is based on its high accuracy, with a capacity far beyond the existing machine learning algorithms,” Lee said.“But to handle the privacy issue, we need to sacrifice some accuracy. So the question is, how much do we need to sacrifice?”

The 14th annual UGA Night at Six Flags Over Georgia is March 31. UGA students, faculty, staff, alumni and their families will have exclusive access to the theme park from 6 p.m. until midnight. Tickets purchased March 20-31 will be $32.50, or $27.50 for UGA students with valid UGACards who pay activity fees on the Athens campus. Tickets purchased at the gate on the day of the event will be $37.50. All ticket purchasers will receive a voucher for a free return visit on June 4, 11 or 18. Parking is free, and children age 2 and younger will be admitted without charge. Tickets may be purchased at the Tate Student Center’s cashier window, open weekdays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., online at http://tate.uga.edu/sixflags or by

the ability to hit the ground running when entering jobs in these career fields. “Given Joe’s background and credentials, Grady has chosen the perfect person to lead this effort,” she also said. “There is no substitute for real-world experience when it comes to preparing our students for jobs, and I am thrilled to have had the opportunity to help Grady launch this program and even more thrilled to now have Joe there to shepherd it.”

ENGINEERING from page 1 senior-level engineering process design and environmental engineering courses. “K.C.’s work combines extraordinary research and teaching, and I’m extremely grateful the Georgia Athletic Association has chosen to recognize one of UGA’s best,” said Donald J. Leo, dean of the College of Engineering. Das earned his doctorate in biological and agricultural engineering from The Ohio State University. He received his master’s degree in biological and agricultural engineering from UGA and his bachelor’s in mechanical engineering from Anna University in India.

calling 706-542-8074. Student ticket prices are honored at the cashier window only. Tickets ordered online or by phone are subject to the nonstudent rate. Bus transportation is available at a cost of $15 for students and $27 for nonstudents. Bus passes are available for purchase at the cashier window only. UGA Night at Six Flags is sponsored by the Center for Student Activities and Organizations within the Tate Student Center, a department of UGA Student Affairs. For more information, call 706-542-8074 or see http://tate.uga.edu/sixflags.

Alumni Association nominations

The University of Georgia Alumni Association is accepting nominations for the 40 Under 40 Class of 2017 and the 2018 Bulldog 100. The 40 Under 40 program recognizes UGA graduates younger than age 40 who are making a difference in their professions and communities. The Bulldog 100 celebrates the fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni. Submit nominations for 40 Under 40 at alumni.uga.edu/40u40 and for Bulldog 100 at alumni.uga.edu/b100. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.