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UGA entrepreneurship program helps students turn ideas into reality CAMPUS NEWS
7
Dance department to give its spring concert, ‘Change in Motion,’ April 5-7 Vol. 45, No. 29
March 26, 2018
www.columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
4&5
University recognized for its international collaboration efforts
By Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
From left: Patricia Richards, Santanu Chatterjee and Michael Marshall have been named Meigs Teaching Professors.
‘Best of the best’
Three UGA faculty members honored as Meigs Professors By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
The University of Georgia has honored three faculty members with its highest recognition for excellence in instruction, the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorship. “At a university with an unrivaled commitment to student success, Meigs Professors are the best of the best,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten, whose office sponsors the award. “They educate and inspire University of Georgia students to achieve their full potential.” The 2018 Meigs Professors are Santanu Chatterjee, associate professor of economics and director of the full-time master’s in business administration and master of science in business analytics programs in the Terry College of Business;
Michael Marshall, professor of art in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; and Patricia Richards, professor of sociology and women’s studies in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Chatterjee has partnered with financial technology corporations in Atlanta to provide students with meaningful experiential and project-based learning opportunities to prepare them for jobs in the rapidly growing FinTech sector of the economy. Since assuming the role of director of the Full-Time MBA Program for the Terry College in August of 2014, Chatterjee has worked to expand interdisciplinary offerings through the creation of five new dual-degree programs. Chatterjee has received the George P. Swift Award for Outstanding Teaching in Undergraduate Economics three times and also has been named
Outstanding Teacher for the Terry College of Business. Marshall has taught every course in the photography curriculum of the Lamar Dodd School of Art, redesigning the program of study to integrate new technology and the medium’s changing role in visual culture. He utilizes servicelearning to hone students’ skills while engaging the concerns of Georgia communities and the environment. As associate director of curriculum for the art school, Marshall has placed the needs of students at the forefront of curriculum development with new programming emphasizing ideation and interdisciplinary practice. Marshall received the 2017 Honored Educator Award from the Society for Photographic Education Southeast Chapter as well as the Sustainability Outstanding Faculty Award and the 2015 Service-Learning Teaching See MEIGS on page 8
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
The University of Georgia is one of eight universities nationwide to be recognized for its exemplary international programs and partnerships by NAFSA, the world’s largest nonprofit association dedicated to international education. The university’s network of partnerships within the Brazilian state of Minas Gerais has received NAFSA’s 2018 Senator Paul Simon Spotlight Award, which is named after the late Illinois senator who was a strong advocate for international education and
cross-cultural learning. “The University of Georgia is a global enterprise, with reach and impact that span the world,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead, “and I want to congratulate the faculty at UGA whose dedication to international research and collaboration is being recognized by this significant award.” UGA has long considered Brazil a strategically important country based on the quality of its higher education system, and the UGA-Minas Gerais partnership was launched in 2015 after a datadriven analysis of research activity revealed that an outsized portion
See COLLABORATION on page 8
COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Education grant project aims to enhance teacher’s toolbox By Kristen Morales kmorales@uga.edu
As a graduate student in educational psychology, Laine Bradshaw developed a psychometric method to assess students’ comprehension of key concepts. Now, thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Institute of Education Sciences, she is able to apply her work to classrooms, combining research with practice. The $1.4 million grant, “Diagnostic Inventories of Cognition in Education,” investigates a new way to create an assessment to figure out which misconceptions students have based on which incorrect answers they pick—information that is typically disregarded in assessments. The aim of the assessment is to give teachers a useful resource to understand where their students are
struggling and address the root of the problem. Bradshaw, an associate professor in the University of Georgia College of Education’s educational psychology department, and her research team are working to develop data science tools that will allow students to take an online assessment and determine the probability that they have a particular misconception. The tools analyze patterns of student responses to pick up on specific types of reasoning students show across a set of meaningful problems. The bits of reasoning are smaller than what is typically assessed in schools. The purpose of assessing these specific bits of reasoning, Bradshaw said, is to give feedback to teachers and students that’s not easy to see during typical classroom activities. See TOOLBOX on page 8
GRADUATE SCHOOL
UGA to develop peer faculty mentoring program CNN political analyst will give By Tracy N. Coley tcoley@uga.edu
The University of Georgia is moving forward with plans to create a new faculty mentorship program and introduce tools to allow a common course evaluation. The plans stem from the final report of the President’s Task Force on Student Learning and Success, which included 12 recommendations to enhance the undergraduate learning environment at UGA. A working group comprised of six members of the UGA Teaching Academy, a longstanding community of faculty devoted to promoting teaching excellence, will develop proposals for the
new initiative. Academy members William Vencill, who serves as the university’s associate vice president for instruction, and Marisa Pagnattaro, associate dean for research and graduate programs in the UGA Terry College of Business, will co-chair the working group. The focus of the faculty mentorship program will be on expanding peer evaluation across campus to further promote teaching excellence, support faculty growth and development, and measure student learning in the classroom. The working group will develop a framework for faculty leaders both to assess existing evaluation processes and to pilot new peer evaluation methods specific to their
Task Force on Student Learning and Success READ THE REPORT: president.uga.edu/report
school or college. “Developing a collaborative process for peer mentoring and evaluation is essential to the professional growth of our faculty as instructors,” said Vencill. “Facultyto-faculty guidance through the mentoring and evaluation process will fundamentally and positively change instruction across all schools and colleges. Administrators and pedagogy See MENTORING on page 8
Mary Frances Early Lecture
By Kristen Cameron kcam@uga.edu
Bakari Sellers, CNN political analyst and attorney, will deliver the 18th annual Mary Frances Early Lecture April 2 at 3 p.m. in Mahler Hall of the University of Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. He will speak on “Education, Civil Rights and Equality: Cornerstones for Our Future.” Open free to the public, the lecture will be followed with a reception. The Mary Frances Early Lecture honors the first AfricanAmerican student to earn a degree
Bakari Sellers
from UGA and her legacy at the university. Early graduated with a master’s degree in music education in 1962 and completed her specialist in education
degree in 1967. The lecture series recognizes Early’s dedication toward making UGA an institution of higher learning for all people. It also strives to demonstrate the progress that has
See LECTURE on page 8
2 March 26, 2018 columns.uga.edu
AUGUSTA UNIVERSITY/UGA MEDICAL PARTNERSHIP
Around academe
International student enrollment drops at American universities
The number of international students enrolling at American universities has dropped, according to a survey of more than 2,000 institutions. The “Open Doors” survey found that nearly half of the universities surveyed saw a decrease in student enrollment in fall 2016. The survey also asked nearly 500 colleges and universities about their international enrollment numbers for fall 2017 and reported an average decline of 7 percent. Based on survey responses, the leading causes of lower international enrollment rates are the visa application process or visa denials and delays, social and political environment in the U.S., tuition costs and fees, and competition from international universities. During the 2016-2017 school year, about half of all international students in the U.S. were from China and India, studying engineering, business and management, and math and computer science. The survey also looked at the number of American students studying abroad, noting a 3.4 percent increase since 2015. During the 2015-2016 school year, the majority of American students who studied abroad traveled to the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe.
ID pests before applying pesticides
News to Use
UGA Cooperative Extension urges all Georgians to learn more about the safe use, storage and disposal of pesticides, which include insecticides, fungicides, herbicides and more. To reduce the unnecessary use of pesticides, remember that not every bug is a pest. Integrated pest management is a science-based decision-making process focused on controlling insects through biological, mechanical, cultural and chemical methods. The first step in the IPM process is pest identification. If an insect, weed or suspected plant disease causes trouble in your landscape or garden, bring a sample of the pest or email a photograph to your local UGA Extension office. Agents can identify the suspected pest and recommend low-risk treatment options, if treatment is needed. UGA Extension agents use their knowledge and experience, and the home and garden edition of the 2018 Georgia Pest Management Handbook, to give control recommendations. The home and garden edition of the handbook, along with the commercial edition, provides current information on selection, application and safe use of pest control chemicals. To purchase a print copy of either edition, visit UGAExtensionStore.com. The commercial edition is $50 and includes both volumes. The home and garden edition is $20. Source: UGA Cooperative Extension
GRADUATE ASSISTANCE The Graduate School awarded 250 graduate fellowships and assistantships in fall 2017. A breakdown of the assistantships and fellowships by type and number: Type
Number of assistants
National Science Fellows Graduate School Assistants
36 171
Dissertation Completion Awards
14
Presidential Graduate Fellows
29
TOTAL 250 Source: 2017 UGA Fact Book
Post-graduate plans: New Medical Partnership students find ‘match’ Resident applicants at the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership gathered March 16 at noon in George Hall on the UGA Health Sciences Campus for Match Day, an event celebrating the next step in their medical careers. An annual event, Match Day takes place after students participate in interviews and visits to residency programs in Georgia and across the country. “This is the fifth successful match in Athens at the Augusta University/ University of Georgia Medical Partnership,” said campus Dean Shelley Nuss. “Thank you to the faculty, administrators, staff and mentors in our community who have devoted their time to educating our future physicians.” AU/UGA Medical Partnership participants and their residency appointments : Stephen Ballis, Medical University of South Carolina, pediatrics; Justin Belk, Massachusetts General Hospital/ Harvard, internal medicine; Jonathan Bradberry, Carilion Clinic-Virginia Tech Carilion, internal medicine; Matthew Broggi, Emory University, orthopedic surgery; Andrew Brooks, University of Texas at Austin Dell Medical Center, pediatrics; Joseph Burch, Carolinas Medical Center, internal medicine; Ebony Caldwell, Howard University Hospital, psychiatry; Andrew Caudill, U.S. Naval Hospital Jacksonville, family medicine; Lucia Cotten, Emory University, internal medicine; Amelia Donlan, University of Washington Affiliated Hospitals, pathology; Wesley Durgin, Kent Hospital Program, emergency medicine; Waldo Floyd, New York Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia & Cornell, emergency medicine; Caroline Geiger, University of Massachusetts Medical
Chad Osburn
During the Kentucky Derby-themed Match Day event, Lucia Cotten, left, shares with Medical Partnership Campus Dean Shelley Nuss the appointment letter matching her with Emory University’s internal medical residency program.
School, obstetrics-gynecology; Angela Holder, Emory University, family medicine; Dane Johnson, University of Alabama Medical Center-Birmingham, internal medicine; Louis Kerkhoff, WellStar Kennestone Regional Medical Center, internal medicine; Arjun Kumar, University of Massachusetts Medical School, medicine-pediatrics; Kevin Lee, Brookwood Baptist Health, transitional, and University of Ala bama, radiation oncology; Hamzah Mansoura, Florida State University, general surgery; Kyla Mohler, Halifax Medical Center, family medicine; Bradley Parke, Oregon Health & Science University, internal medicine; Deeran Patel, Grand Strand Regional Medical Center, transitional, and Rhode Island Hospital/Brown University, anesthesiology; Kayla Perry-Walker, Pennsylvania Hospital, o bstetrics-gynecology;
David Phillips, University of New Mexico, family medicine; Anne Robinson, University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, family medicine; Blake Rudeseal, Anderson Medical Health, family medicine; Jonathon Seawright, University of Florida–Shands Hospital, internal medicine; Erin Shumans, University of Florida–Shands Hospital, pediatrics; John Thomas, University of Alabama Medical Center-Birmingham, internal medicine; Alexandra Vagasi, South Nassau Community Hospital, general surgery; Jordan Ward, Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University, medicine-preliminary; Christopher Witt, Duke University Medical Center, internal medicine; Kathryne Wood, Mayo Clinic School of Medicine, Rochester, neurology; and Mark Zapata, Boston University Medical Center, general surgery.
WILLSON CENTER, FRANKLIN COLLEGE
SCHOOL OF LAW
Yale University scholar to give April 6 public lecture
Law school to host Rural Healthcare Symposium
By Cindy Hahamovitch cxhaha@uga.edu
James C. Scott, one of the best known academic authors in the world, will give a public lecture on “Barbarians and the Evasion of History” April 6 at 4 p.m. in the Seney-Stovall Chapel. The free event is hosted by Dirty History, the University of Georgia’s Interdisciplinary Workshop in Agriculture, Environment and Capitalism; the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts; the history department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; and the Spalding Chair in History. Scott is the Sterling Professor of Political Science, professor of anthropology and director of the Program in Agrarian Studies at Yale University. He is the author of multiple books, includJames Scott ing Weapons of the Weak: Everyday Forms of Peasant Resistance (1985), Seeing Like a State: How Certain Schemes to Improve the Human Condition Have Failed (1998) and Against the Grain: A Deep History of the Earliest States (2017). Weapons of the Weak “is a kind of bible” for those who study resistance, according to The New York Times, which called Scott “the last of a breed of wide-angled 20th-century social theorists…to marry the insights of social science to the broad sweep of history, even as he cautions against putting too much faith in theory.” A Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, Scott has been awarded resident fellowships at the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences, the Institute for Advanced Study, and the Science, Technology and Society Program at MIT. He has received research grants from the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Guggenheim Foundation. He also is a past president of the Association for Asian Studies.
By Heidi Murphy
hmurphy@uga.edu
The University of Georgia School of Law will host the third annual Rural Healthcare Symposium April 5 starting at 9 a.m. in the Larry Walker Room of Dean Rusk Hall. Health care policymakers, executives, entrepreneurs and scholars will explore a range of issues addressing local and national rural health care disparities. There will be four panels focusing on rural health care administration and management by those “in the trenches,” transformative ideas in rural health, mental and behavioral health shortages, and the intersection of rural health and rural economic development. The keynote speaker will be the National Rural Health Association’s Maggie Elehwany, who serves as the group’s vice president of government affairs and policy. The goal of the Rural Healthcare Symposium is to serve as an annual focused policy discussion on the rural health care crisis in the U.S., emphasizing possible solutions, according to conference organizer and law school associate professor Fazal Khan. “As an academic institution, the University of Georgia School of Law aims to bring attention to the past, present and future of rural health care in our state,” he said. The symposium is open free to the public. Continuing legal education credit, for attorneys licensed in Georgia, is available for a fee. For more information and to register, visit law.uga.edu/events/49608. The event is co-presented by the School of Law and Boling & Company and is made possible with support from the Healthcare Georgia Foundation. This conference demonstrates the law school’s commitment to preparing its students for real-world practice by connecting them to policymakers, practitioners and legal leaders seeking to improve our state and society, according to law school Dean Peter B. “Bo” Rutledge.
WOMEN’S LEADERSHIP INITIATIVE
columns.uga.edu March 26, 2018
3
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT
UGA programs move up in national rankings Angela Birkes
Marti Brick
Maria de Rocher
Kara Fresk
Shannon Hinson
Meg Mittelstadt
Lindsey Van Note
Nakia Wade
Kristy Walker
Jana Wiggins
Leading ladies
Ten individuals selected for second cohort of Women’s Staff Leadership Institute By Emily Webb
sew30274@uga.edu
Ten University of Georgia staff members have been selected to participate in the second cohort of the Women’s Staff Leadership Institute. Launched in 2017, the WSLI is an annual program aligned with the Women’s Leadership Initiative launched in 2015 by President Jere W. Morehead and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. The program is administered through the Office of Human Resources’ Training and Development with the support of executive sponsor Jennifer L. Frum, vice president for public service and outreach. Allie Cox, director of training and development, coordinates the institute. “Developing the talents of our staff members and supporting women leaders at UGA strengthens the university as a whole,” said Frum. “When individuals grow their leadership abilities and make their fullest contributions in their careers here, we are better able to fulfill the mission of the university and serve the citizens of Georgia.” Juan Jarrett, associate vice president for human resources, agrees. “We hope that participants who graduate from the institute will use the skills they have acquired to guide their career choices and seek out opportunities offering greater responsibilities in higher education,” he said. The cohort includes employees from seven units and three schools and colleges. The 2018 program runs from March to November. Participants will meet monthly to attend workshops and take part in discussions. “The participants in this year’s cohort will learn from successful leaders and scholars across UGA and will have experiences that hone their leadership skills and abilities,” said Frum. “Equally important, they will learn from each other and create a support network as they progress in their careers at UGA. I hope they will take every advantage of this opportunity and share their learning with others.” Members of the 2018 class are: Angela Birkes, the alliance director for the Peach State Louis Stokes Alliance for Minority Participation in the Office of Institutional Diversity. She joined UGA in 2010. She manages and oversees the alliance-wide activities for the program
and provides fiscal management of the program budget and ensures that all reporting requirements are met. Marti Brick, the director of external affairs at the College of Veterinary Medicine. At UGA since 2000, Brick is responsible for managing relationships with the college’s stakeholders. She drives communications, including partnering with constituents to create and implement communication strategies to convey positive positioning and initiatives. Maria de Rocher, assistant director of the Honors Program. She is responsible for managing many of the enrichment programs and scholarships offered by the Honors Program, including summer internships, financial support for travel abroad, lecture series, book discussions and student organizations.At UGA since 2008, she also serves as the campus U.S. Student Fulbright Program advisor. Kara Fresk, director of learning and strategic initiatives in the Division of Student Affairs. She came to UGA in 2009 as a doctoral candidate with a graduate assistantship and became a full-time employee in 2011. She is responsible for overseeing initiatives to improve the organizational effectiveness of the division, including management of strategic planning and reporting processes, coordination of data activities, implementation of the division’s student learning framework and administration of division-wide staff development activities. Shannon Hinson, associate director of admissions and director of dual degree programs in the School of Law. Hinson assists in overseeing all phases of the admissions process for the Juris Doctor and M.S.L. programs, including marketing and recruitment, application review, decision making, notification and the awarding of academic scholarships. As the director of dual degree programs, she helps develop new dual degree opportunities. She joined UGA in 2014. Meg Mittelstadt, assistant director for faculty development and recognition in the Center for Teaching and Learning. At UGA since 2017, Mittelstadt designs and implements educational development programs for faculty, with the goals of positively impacting student learning through the adoption of evidence-based teaching practices and increasing the likelihood of faculty career success and efficacy in the classroom. She is the program director for UGA’s Faculty Learning Communities, several
faculty fellows programs and the CTL workshop and seminar series. Lindsey Van Note, senior director for human resources strategic management and special projects in the Office of Human Resources. At UGA since 2005, she provides leadership and support for HR’s long-term business goals and outcomes. She provides direction for the University Search Group, Staff Recruitment & Hiring, Classification & Position Management, HR Faculty Support, Onboarding & Records, HR Systems and HR Data & Reporting. Nakia Wade, human resources senior manager in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. A member of the college’s administrative leadership team, Wade advises the dean on all human resources-related matters. She provides guidance for department heads, directors and other supervisors in resolving employee relations matters and assists them on issues related to recruitment and selection, compensation and classification and training. She joined UGA in 2015. Kristy Walker, associate director for business and human resources in University Housing.Walker, who joined UGA in 2008, is responsible for the administration of a $50 million operation budget, a capital budget and more than 700 part-time and full-time staff members to conduct the operations of a comprehensive and integrated housing and residential life organization. Jana Wiggins, director of communications for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a public service and outreach unit. At UGA since 2016, Wiggins is responsible for the institute’s branding and messaging, marketing, public and media relations, publications, social media, online presence and special event planning. She leads a team of graphic designers, webmasters, copywriters and editors. They work with the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach to highlight the institute’s impact across the state of Georgia. “The 10 women selected for this outstanding program represent a broader effort to foster a culture of leadership, where individuals are empowered to think broadly about how they can advance the institution as a whole,” said Whitten. “They and their colleagues across our campuses play a vital role in making the University of Georgia one of the nation’s leading public universities.”
Several programs at the University of Georgia moved up significantly in U.S. News & World Report’s latest national ranking of best graduate schools. The rankings are in the 2019 edition of U.S. News & World Report’s Best Graduate Schools guidebook, which was released March 20. The largest upward movement was by the School of Social Work’s MSW program. It leaped 14 places to No. 24 among institutions that offer a master’s degree in social work. The school is one of three social work graduate programs in the Southeast and the only one in Georgia to be ranked among the top 25 social work programs. The others are at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, which was ranked fifth, and the University of Maryland, which was No. 17. “This rise in ranking is reflective of our school’s energy and drive to excellence,” said Anna Scheyett, dean of the School of Social Work. “Our productive researchers, dedicated instructors and school-wide commitment to social justice make us a truly up-and-coming school of social work.” On the best business schools lists, the Full-Time MBA Program at the UGA Terry College of Business rose eight spots to No. 40 and climbed to 19th among public institutions. It was the largest gain of any business school that was ranked in the top 50 last year by U.S. News. “Our improvement in the most closely watched MBA ranking reflects outstanding employment outcomes that align with our graduates’ career goals,” said Terry College Dean Benjamin C. Ayers. “It further affirms the innovations we have introduced to our curriculum and certainly is supported by the fact that our facilities in the new Business Learning Community are second to none. I am very pleased to see the hard work of our faculty, staff and students recognized.” Last year, 93 percent of Georgia’s Full-Time MBA graduates were employed within three months of graduation, which matched a record for the program, and graduates reported to U.S. News an average starting salary and bonus of more than $100,000. The 93 percent employment rate ranked 17th overall among business schools ranked in the top 50, according to U.S. News. Terry College’s Professional MBA Program maintained its top 50 placement at No. 44 overall in U.S. News’ parttime MBA ranking, and among public business schools it ranked 25th. For its academic reputation among peers, Terry’s Professional MBA program ranked 29th overall and 18th among public business schools. Graduate programs in higher education administration offered by the Institute of Higher Education at UGA were ranked among the top five in the nation. IHE offers the Ph.D., Ed.D. and M.Ed. degrees, and its graduate programs in higher education administration have ranked among the top 10 in the nation for more than a decade. In the latest ranking, the programs were tied for fifth place with those at Indiana University-Bloomington. UGA and Vanderbilt (ranked eighth) are the only Southern schools among the top 15 programs. “The top 15 ranked schools include prestigious institutions, both public and private,” said IHE Director Libby V. Morris. “The fact that we climbed two spots in the rankings this year is a reflection of the quality of our faculty and programs at the institute and the work we do collectively to explore critical issues in higher education and prepare future leaders. Recent graduates are climbing the ranks of the professoriate ladder, while other alumni are working in senior leadership positions across post-secondary education.” Programs in two other schools and two additional colleges at UGA also were included the Best Graduate Schools guidebook. The School of Law was ranked No. 32 among law schools and ranked No. 15 for international law. The School of Public and International Affairs was ranked No. 6 among public affairs graduate programs with specialty rankings in public management and leadership (2), public finance and budgeting (3), local government management (11), nonprofit management (14) and public policy analysis (15). In the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, programs ranking within the top 50 graduate programs are biological sciences (46), clinical psychology (36), fine arts (48), printmaking (7), history (44) and sociology (47). The College of Education was ranked 37th for graduate programs, with specialty rankings in student counseling and personnel services (2), secondary teacher education (4), elementary education (8) and curriculum and instruction (9).
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
James Rose: The Mid-Century Experience. Through April 21. Circle Gallery, Jackson Street Building. 706-542-8292. Opera in Print: Fin-de-Siecle Posters from the Blum Collection. Through April 22. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu. Crafting History: Textiles, Metals and Ceramics at the University of Georgia. Through April 29. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu. Ingrid Bolton. Through April 29. Visitor Center, Classroom 1, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu. FACS 100 Centennial. Through May 18. Special collections libraries. 706-542-3386. connicot@uga.edu. Wrestling Temptation: The Quest to Control Alcohol in Georgia.
columns.uga.edu March 26, 2018
MARCH
4&5
APRIL
Through Sept. 21. Special collections libraries. 706-542-7123. alexis.morgan@uga.edu.
TUESDAY, MARCH 27 TODDLER TUESDAY This 40-minute program is designed for families with children ages 18 months to 3 years and will focus on the permanent collection. Space is limited; email sagekincaid@uga.edu or call 706-542-0448 to reserve a spot. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. LUNCHTIME TIME MACHINE This installment of the history department’s undergraduate lecture series, “Why Did So Many Crossdressers Fight in the American Civil War?,” features doctoral candidate Kate Dahlstrand. Dahlstrand won this year’s graduate student competition in the Lunchtime Time Machine guest speaker contest. Free pizza will be served. 12:30 p.m. 101 LeConte Hall. 706-542-2053. history@uga.edu. WORKSHOP In “To Participation Grade or Not?,” a panel of faculty experts will answer questions and share their methods for encouraging, recognizing and grading undergraduate student participation. Open to all faculty, post docs and graduate students. 2 p.m. 372 Miller Learning Center. 706-583-0067. megan.mittelstadt@uga.edu. ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Genetics of Divergence in Drought Response Between Sympatric Species of Mimulus,” Andrea Sweigart, assistant professor of genetics. A reception will follow at 4:30 p.m. in the ecology building lobby. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu. BASEBALL vs. Charleston Southern. $5-$8. 6 p.m. Foley Field.
The March 29 Thursday Scholarship Series performance will celebrate Women’s History Month.
Thursday Scholarship Series program honors Women’s History Month By Camille Hayes ceh822@uga.edu
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the faculty, students and alumni of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music bring to the stage Woman to Woman, the next performance in the Thursday Scholarship Series March 29 at 7:30 p.m. in Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. “Women’s history will come alive in this concert,” said faculty member and harpist Monica Hargrave, who decided last year she wanted to present a concert during Women’s History Month that would showcase UGA faculty and students. “These women play a vital role in our lives with their contributions, dreams and accomplishments.” In addition to Hargrave, the evening will feature performances by The Yargo Trio, featuring faculty members Angela Jones-Reus, flute; Connie Frigo, saxophone; and Liza Stepanova, piano. Other faculty performers include Amy Pollard, bassoon; Maggie Snyder, viola; Jean Martin-Williams, horn; Martha Thomas, piano; Kathryn Wright, voice; and Catherine Kilroe-Smith, horn. Alongside the faculty, several HHSOM students also will perform, including Taylor Lents, marimba; Serena Schibelli, violin; Alissa Benkoski, soprano; and Vivian Doublestein, piano.Also performing will be Kitchen Sync, a faculty-student trio composed of Kilroe-Smith and students Akiko Iguchi on piano and Katherine Emeneth on the flute. The program will explore various pieces, both old and new, all written by female composers. One of the contemporary pieces was written by UGA’s own assistant professor of composition Emily Koh. Joining Koh’s bass playing in the performance of her composition will be Serena Schibelli on violin and Maggie Snyder on viola. Logos was commissioned by the Boston Athanaeum after the restoration of their seven-volume copy of Primus Liber. Hargrave is featured as the soloist in Dance, a piece commissioned for her and composed by UGA alumna Sharon J. Willis. Movement IV from the larger work has Hargrave accompanied by a chamber group made up of mezzo soprano, flute and clarinet. “Set in five short movements, the composer paints a ‘cool’ ballet and each movement embraces some unique Afro-centric idiomatic expression that uplifts,” said Hargrave. Keeping with the evening’s theme, Jean Kidula, ethnomusicology professor and co-director of the Athens Music Project, will lead a drumming piece titled “A Play on Atsia and Kpanlogo” with several of her students. Atsia is a type of dance-drumming dialogue where women are the speakers, composers and choreographers. Tickets for the concert are $20 for adults and $6 for students and can be purchased online at pac.uga.edu or by phone at 706-542-4400. For those unable to attend this event, the concert will be streamed at music.uga.edu/streaming.
SWING DANCE NIGHT Learn new dance steps, dance under the palms or watch talented and enthusiastic dancers from seating beside the dance floor. Choose between an East Coast Swing or Lindy Hop lesson from 7-8 p.m., then everyone is welcome for an open dance from 8-10 p.m. No previous dance experience or partner is necessary. $6, general admission; $4, students. 7 p.m. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden.
WEDNESDAY, MARCH 28 WORKSHOP This is the fourth in a series of five National Garden Club units focusing on designs incorporating fruits and vegetables. Participants will be provided with a list of materials to bring to class. Limited to 20 participants. $45. 9 a.m. Gardenside Room, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156. cscamero@uga.edu. ISSUES IN INFORMATION SEMINAR This will be a lecture/discussion about the legal aspects defamation and libel, specifically in the context of the recent publication of Fire and Fury and attempts to prevent this book’s release. The presenter is William Lee from UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, and the event is sponsored by the UGA Libraries as part of the Issues in Information seminar series. 5:30 p.m. 248 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-0703. ithomas@uga.edu.
DANCE COMPANY TO PRESENT SPRING CONCERT—Change in Motion, the 2018 Spring Dance Concert, will be presented by the University of Georgia dance department
April 5-7 at 8 p.m. and April 7 at 2 p.m. in the New Dance Theatre, located in the Dance Building between Soule and Green Streets (off Sanford Drive). The performance will feature original works created by dance faculty and guest artists for UGA dance students. For tickets, call the UGA Performing Arts Center box office at 706-542-4400, online at pac.uga.edu or purchase at the Tate Student Center cashier’s window. Tickets will be available at the door one hour before each performance.
FABRICATE COMPETITION FINALE What team will win the grand prize and be crowned the Fabricate winner? All faculty, staff and students are welcome to come out to enjoy the competition, indulge in heavy hors-d’oeuvres and vote for their favorite team. 6 p.m. Conner Hall. 706-542-4909. dgallen@uga.edu. SOFTBALL vs. Kennesaw State. 6 p.m. Jack Turner Stadium. CREATIVE WRITING PROGRAM FACULTY READING Faculty members taking part in this year’s event include Eidson Distinguished Professor in American Literature LeAnne Howe, assistant professor of English and creative writing Aruni Kashyap, Hamilton Holmes Professor Reginald McKnight and assistant professor of English and creative writing Magdalena Zurawski. 7 p.m. Cine. 706-542-2659. cwp@uga.edu.
LECTURE “Looking for Parallels and Intersections in U.S. and Mexican History,” Tore Olsson, University of Tennessee-Knoxville. Olsson’s new book is Agrarian Crossings). 4 p.m. 221 LeConte Hall. 706-542-2053. history@uga.edu. CLASS Discover how to use photography equipment more effectively to capture the best images of flora and fauna. Explore composition strategies, exposure and lighting techniques, shutter speed, macro and telephoto photography and more. Two field trips are included along with visits outdoors during regularly scheduled classes for practical exercises. Bring a SLR digital camera and the owner’s manual to each class. The instructor will inform participants of other equipment they will need. $199. Classes will be held on Thursdays through May 24 from 6-8 p.m. Georgia Center. 706-542-3537. questions@georgiacenter.uga.edu. WOMEN’S TENNIS vs. Alabama. 6 p.m. Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
THURSDAY, MARCH 29 NATURE RAMBLERS Join Nature Ramblers and learn more about the natural areas, flora and fauna of the garden. Sessions will start with an inspirational reading by a nature writer. Participants will stop to view interesting plants, insects, butterflies, mushrooms, etc., along the way. 9:30 a.m. Visitor Center & Conservatory front fountain, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156. ckeber@uga.edu.
Pianist Jonathan Biss to give all-Beethoven concert
BASEBALL vs. Texas A&M. $5-$8. 7 p.m. Foley Field. THURSDAY SCHOLARSHIP SERIES The School of Music’s faculty and students collaborate to celebrate women in music in this bonus Thursday Scholarship Series performance in honor of National Women’s History Month. $20; $6 student/child. 7:30 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752. (See story, far left.)
FRIDAY, MARCH 30 GOOD FRIDAY Christian religious observance. PASSOVER Through April 7. Jewish religious observance. CLASS In “Spring Wildflower of Upland Deciduous Forests of Georgia,” students will learn the botanical terminology to identify and describe plants and a variety of tools to identify spring-blooming plants. The class will then visit the Dunson Native Flora Garden and learn about a number of spring ephemerals and other early blooming plants. $50. 9 a.m. Visitor Center, Classroom 2, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156. cscamero@uga.edu. INTERNATIONAL COFFEE HOUR 11:30 a.m. Memorial Hall Ballroom. 706-542-5867. isl@uga.edu.
Jonathan Biss takes the Ramsey Concert Hall stage for an all-Beethoven program April 5 at 8 p.m.
By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present award-winning pianist Jonathan Biss April 5 at 8 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall. Biss will perform an all-Beethoven program featuring the Piano Sonata No. 23 in F Minor, Appassionata. Among the world’s leading interpreters of the music of Beethoven, Biss has embarked on a nine-year, nine-disc recording cycle of Beethoven’s complete piano sonatas; this year he releases the seventh volume. Upon the release of the fourth volume, BBC Music Magazine said, “Jonathan Biss will surely take his place among the greats if he continues on this exalted plane.” His bestselling eBook, Beethoven’s Shadow, which described the process of recording the sonatas, was the first Kindle Single written by a classical musician.
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/.
Throughout his two-decade career, Biss has been recognized with numerous honors including the Leonard Bernstein Award, Wolf Trap’s Shouse Debut Artist Award, the Andrew Wolf Memorial Chamber Music Award, Lincoln Center’s Martin E. Segal Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2002 Gilmore Young Artist Award. His recent albums for EMI won Diapason d’Or de l’annee and Edison awards, and he was the first American chosen to participate in the BBC’s New Generation Artist program. Tickets for the recital are $39 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400. The concert will be recorded for broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today, the most popular classical music program in the country. The Performing Arts Center is at 230 River Road on the UGA main campus in Athens.
LECTURE “International Solidarity: A First-Hand Account: UGA Students March in Support of Black Lives Matter, the Pulse Nightclub Shooting and PRIDE While Studying Abroad in London,” Diann Moorman, housing and consumer economics. Part of the Women’s Studies Friday Speaker Series. 12:20 p.m. 214 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-2846. tlhat@uga.edu. MRI SAFETY TRAINING Bio-Imaging Research Center provides MRI safety training for individual researchers and their teams who are directly using BIRC resources. Sign up for this course 48 hours prior to the preferred time/date. Register at https://birc.uga.edu. 2:30 p.m. 339 Coverdell Center. 706-583-5548. kmason@uga.edu. PHILOSOPHY COLLOQUIUM “Aristotle’s Bifurcation of Reality and Asouzu’s ‘Ibuanyidanda Ontology’: Complementarity Synthesis,” Alloys S. Ihuah, Benue State University, Makurdi-Nigeria. Reception will follow lecture. 3:30 p.m. 115 Peabody Hall. 706-542-2823. nhines@uga.edu. UGA HISTORY BOOK CLUB Mehrsa Baradaran, associate dean for strategic initiatives and J. Alton Hosch Associate Professor of Law, UGA, will discuss her book The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap. Free copies of the book will be provided in advance
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.
to 25 participants. To sign up, email Susan Mattern at smattern@uga.edu. 3:30 p.m. LeConte Hall. 706-248-8897. SARAH H. MOSS FELLOWSHIP DEADLINE The Center for Teaching and Learning is accepting applications for Sarah H. Moss Fellowships, which provide funds for travel and related expenses for faculty pursuing advanced study in institutions of higher learning abroad and in the U.S. Information and application materials may be found at http://www.ctl.uga.edu/faculty/sarahmossfellowship. 5 p.m. megan.mittelstadt@uga.edu. MEN’S TENNIS vs. Mississippi State. 5 p.m. Dan Magill Tennis Complex. BASEBALL vs. Texas A&M. $5-$8. 7 p.m. Foley Field.
SATURDAY, MARCH 31 WOMEN’S TENNIS vs. Auburn. Noon. Dan Magill Tennis Complex. BASEBALL vs. Texas A&M. $5-$8. 2 p.m. Foley Field. KOREAN NIGHT Korean Undergraduate Student Association’s annual ethnic night will include dinner and a show highlighting Korean culture, history and traditions. Food will be served at 6 p.m. before the show begins at 7 p.m. Tickets are required. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center. FULL MOON HIKE: BLUE MOON See the garden come alive at night. Be prepared to hike up to 2 miles on the wooded trails and in the garden. Pre-registration is required. $5 per person or $15 per family. 8 p.m. Visitor’s Center fountain, State Botanical Garden. 706-583-0894. bwboone@uga.edu.
SUNDAY, APRIL 1 EASTER Christian religious observance. MEN’S TENNIS vs. Auburn. 1 p.m. Dan Magill Tennis Complex.
MONDAY, APRIL 2 INTERNATIONAL AGRICULTURE DAY The 2018 International Agriculture Day Reception and Awards program will feature the keynote address, “Efforts to Narrow the Gender Gap in Agriculture: One Woman’s Journey,” by Helga Recke. This annual event recognizes the college’s most globally-minded students and celebrates international scholarship, research and outreach. 3:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1073. ogp@uga.edu.
COMING UP INTERDISCIPLINARY TOXICOLOGY SPRING WORKSHOP April 3. Event showcasing student research. Guest speakers are Lois D. Lehman-McKeeman, vice president, Pharmaceutical Candidate Optimization, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and Patricia Ganey, professor, Michigan State University. 8:30 a.m. Atrium and 175 Coverdell Center. 706-583-0058. jlmauro@uga.edu. LUNCH AND LEARN April 3. Join the Richard B. Russell Library for Civic Knowledge, Civic Power, a weekly lunch and learn series focused on developing a better understanding of Congress. Anthony Madonna from UGA’s department of political science will speak about how a bill becomes a law, with a focus on recent efforts to reshape health care legislation. Bring a bag lunch. Coffee and dessert will be provided. 12:30 p.m. 277 special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. jhebbard@uga.edu.
NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES March 28 (for April 9 issue) April 4 (for April 16 issue) April 11 (for April 23 issue)
6 March 26, 2018 columns.uga.edu
Terry College of Business marketing professors Sundar Bharadwaj and Son K. Lam have been recognized among the top 50 marketing scholars worldwide by DocSIG, a special interest group of the American Marketing Association. DocSIG tracks scholarly publications by authorship and university affiliation and publishes its Research Productivity Reports annually. The new report tracks contributors to the top marketing research journals from 2008-2017. In a list ranking research productivity in the premier AMA journals, which includes the Journal of Marketing and the Journal of Marketing Research, Lam and Bharadwaj tied for 24th in the world. Bharadwaj holds the Coca-Cola Company Chair of Marketing at UGA and also serves as a senior research scholar at the Indian School of Business. He is an expert in marketing strategy, customer management, brand strategy and marketing-finance interface. Lam is an associate professor of marketing whose research interests include marketing strategy implementation with an emphasis on sales management and relationship marketing. James B. Kau, an emeritus professor and chairholder at the University of Georgia Terry College of Business, is the 2018 recipient of the John M. Quigley Medal for Advancing Real Estate and Urban Economics. He is the fifth scholar to receive the lifetime professional honor. Kau, who joined the UGA faculty member in 1973, is the longtime editor of the Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics. Along with many research articles, he is the co-author of a number of books including the textbook Real Estate, published by McGraw-Hill, which was widely adopted by business schools in James Kau the U.S. and abroad. Kau was appointed to the Terry Distinguished Chair of Business Administration, beginning in 1988. Awarded annually by the American Real Estate and Urban Economics Association, the Quigley Medal recognizes scholars whose work advances the academic fields of real estate, urban economics, public finance and regional science. Recipients of the award are known for opening new avenues of academic inquiry, a record of mentoring scholars who have flourished and changing private or public sector practices through the dissemination of their research. Kau was awarded the medal at the association’s 53rd annual meeting in Philadelphia. Linda Campbell, a professor in the UGA College of Education’s counseling and human development services department, has been named the chair of the 11-person committee charged with the first major revision to the APA’s “Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct” in 15 years. Members of the task force include faculty and professionals in private practice from across the country. The task force was chosen by the American Psychological Association’s Ethics Committee and approved by the organization’s board of directors. After receiving public comment, the task force will report its findings and recommendations to the Ethics Committee, which will forward a final version to the APA’s Council of Representatives. This update is an opportunity to set the course for the organization for years to come, said APA president Jessica Henderson Daniel in a news release from the organization. “The task force is charged with creating a code that is transformational and that remains a leading resource regarding ethics for psychological science, education and practice while retaining those aspects of our ethics code that serve the public and our discipline and profession well,” she added. Kudos recognizes special contributions of staff, faculty and administrators in teaching, research and service. News items are limited to election into office of state, regional, national and international societies; major awards and prizes; and similarly notable accomplishments.
CAMPUS CLOSEUP
Dorothy Kozlowski
Bryan Varin, executive director of Dining Services, oversees all dining operations on campus, including meal plan and retail dining operations, catering, warehouse and distribution, maintenance services, business services, administration and operation support.
Executive director of Dining Services finds that people make UGA special By Emily Webb
sew30274@uga.edu
Bryan Varin’s days at UGA are never the same. As the executive director of UGA Dining Services, Varin oversees all dining operations on campus, including meal plan and retail dining operations, catering, warehouse and distribution, maintenance services, business services, administration and operation support. “I work with an incredible team,” he said. “There are always new and exciting projects on the horizon. We’re always focused on serving campus to the best of our abilities and putting students first. We have an incredible opportunity to serve UGA every day.” Serving campus is something Varin has done for the past 16 years. Initially hired as a training specialist, he worked his way up the ranks at Dining Services to become executive director in 2017. “I found a home,” he said. “I’d been lots of other places before UGA, but then I landed here, and I’ve never looked back.” Varin’s culinary career started when he was an undergraduate at the University of Montevallo. Because he needed a job—any job—Varin became the delivery driver for a pizza eatery. At the start of each shift, he had to slice a 50-pound bag of onions. After working there for about a year, his next job was as a waiter at a different restaurant. When an opening in that restaurant’s
kitchen came up, he became a fry server. It was then that he knew he wanted to pursue a career in the culinary arts and restaurant industry. All the while, Varin was pursuing an undergraduate degree in political science. His original plan after earning his bachelor’s degree was to go to law school or graduate school. Instead, he decided to go to culinary school because he had a passion for cooking. After graduating, he initially thought he would continue in the restaurant business. Instead, he took a job at the University of Washington as a chef. “It was an incredible work environment,” he said. “The food was good. We had a great team. We had a great balance of life and work.” Varin wanted to move back to the South to be closer to his home state of Alabama, so he applied to UGA. His first job at UGA was a training specialist in dining services before becoming the chef for campus catering and retail operations. He then spent time at Snelling Dining Commons as chef, then unit manager. In 2011, he was named the assistant director of meal plan operations before becoming associate director. In 2014, he was asked to serve as interim director, and in February 2017, he was promoted to executive director. In addition to all five dining commons, Dining Services operates numerous retail self-branded and franchise restaurants on campus, which allows Dining Services to implement customer
FACTS Bryan Varin
Executive Director of Dining Services Auxiliary Services Division A.O.S., Culinary Arts, New England Culinary Institute, 1998 B.S., Political Science, University of Montevallo, 1995 At UGA: 16 years
feedback from UGA students, faculty and staff.According to Varin, the department has approximately 1,100 employees and is one of the largest employers of students on campus. In addition to his culinary skills, Varin has some musical chops. He plays bass for a bluegrass/Americana band called Border Hop with a group of his friends. They don’t perform as much as they used to, but a few years ago, Varin and his friends opened for the Del McCoury Band at the Georgia Theatre. Varin also plays the mandolin and the guitar. For Varin, UGA is a special place because of the people. “The people are the very best part of being at UGA,” he said. “We can’t do what we do without each other and our team. The team is first and foremost, and it’s about our efforts and how we support each other so we can support students, faculty and staff on campus.”
ODUM SCHOOL OF ECOLOGY
UGA faculty and alumni among 2018 ESA Fellows By Beth Gavrilles bethgav@uga.edu
University of Georgia faculty members Jeb Byers and Amy Rosemond, both professors in the Odum School of Ecology, have been elected Fellows of the Ecological Society of America. The ESA Fellows program recognizes outstanding contributions to the advancement or application of ecological knowledge; Fellows are elected for life. Byers and Rosemond are the sixth and seventh current or former Odum School faculty members so honored. This year’s class also includes UGA alumni Jianguo “Jack” Liu and Tyler Kartzinel, who was named an Early Career Fellow.The Early Career Fellows program recognizes members who have
Jeb Byers Amy Rosemond advanced ecological knowledge and applications and show promise of continuing to make outstanding contributions. They are elected for five years. Byers, Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor of Ecology, was elected for “major contributions to invasion biology, ecosystem engineering, ecological parasitology and the biogeog-
raphy of range boundaries, along with excellence in educating and mentoring students and in service to the national and international ecological community,” according to the announcement. Byers studies species interactions in nearshore, estuarine and marsh environments, with a focus on quantitatively measuring impacts of non-indigenous species on native biota in invaded marine communities. Rosemond was elected for “creative and influential experimental research on the food web, microbial and biogeochemical dynamics of aquatic ecosystems.” Rosemond studies freshwater ecosystems, with particular focus on understanding the functional response of rivers and streams to excess nutrients and other stressors to inform policy and management.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP PROGRAM
‘Managing the risk’
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columns.uga.edu March 26, 2018
Ideas become reality for UGA student entrepreneurs By Krista Richmond krichmond@uga.edu
It starts with an idea. Jesse Lafian’s idea promotes more efficient soil irrigation. Caleb Adams and Graham Grable’s idea translates highperformance computation into everyday uses. And UGA’s Entrepreneurship Program helped these ideas go from hasty math—on a napkin in Adams’ case—to viable prototypes. “We are providing a mechanism where students who have an idea can experiment, try it and see how it works,” said Bob Pinckney, director of the Entrepreneurship Program. “Really, with entrepreneurship, it’s not taking a risk, it’s managing the risk.” Approximately 400 students have learned how to manage those risks through the university’s Entrepreneurship Certificate Program, according to Pinckney. Many, like Lafian, Adams and Grable, also use other entrepreneurial initiatives at UGA to further develop their ideas. “The program is very experiential, and the various program options are an integral part of the experiential learning experience available to students at the University of Georgia,” Pinckney said. Lafian, who received his Bachelor of Science in agriculture in 2017, put his initial idea—a soil moisture sensor first mentioned in a soils and hydrology lab—through UGA’s Idea Accelerator, an eight-week “business boot camp” that takes place twice a year. His idea also went through the university’s I-Corps program, an intensive six-week program to help teams identify, test and validate customer segments and arrive at a value proposition that fits their product and market. Lafian said the funding he received through I-Corps was crucial because it allowed him to go to trade shows and talk with potential customers. “That is the heart of being an entrepreneur, in my opinion—allowing someone to tell you about their problem without you trying to show them your solution,” Lafian said. Those conversations led to a pivot. Now, Lafian is focusing his company, Reservoir, on creating valve attachments that allow landscapers and horticulturists to control valves remotely and wirelessly, saving time and money. Reservoir recently closed a seed round with Macon-based Central Piedmont Investment Group that will allow the company to complete field tests with 10 clients. Adams, who graduates with a Bachelor of Science in computer science this year,
Dorothy Kozlowski
Caleb Adams, left, and Graham Grable work on a satellite project in the Small Satellite Lab.
Jesse Lafian’s work centers on promoting more efficient soil irrigation.
and Grable, who also graduates this year with a Bachelor of Science in mechanical engineering, took part in UGA’s Summer Launch program, where four to six teams receive a dedicated workspace and $5,000 to grow their business and compete for an additional $5,000 at the end of the program. They’ve worked on their mission, the Multiview Onboard Computational Imager, since 2015. It has a high-performance computation unit and graphics processing unit on board. The goal is to take the type of technology that is used in autonomous driving and put it into space, where data transmissions tend to lag. It will allow analysts to retrieve data faster, such as photographing a mountain
WEEKLY READER
Dorothy Kozlowski
and reproducing a 3-D model of it. Their project is in Phase B with the Air Force Research Lab, and they will continue their work with a $750,000 grant through 2020. “We’re right on the forefront of where the industry is,” Adams said. “This funding we’ve received from the Air Force validates our lab not only nationally but also internationally as being something to be taken very seriously.” Adams and Grable also recently cofounded Hyve Robotics, which will focus on building autonomous robotics systems. For their first venture, they partnered with Cosmic Delivery, another product of UGA’s Entrepreneurship Program founded by Trent Walls and York Delloyd, who both graduate
with computer systems engineering degrees this year, on autonomous food delivery. According to Grable, their experience in computation and satellites translates easily into robotics systems. “This is where we can take our experience in the lab and translate it into something that can be easily commercialized and used on a wide scale,” Grable said. Lafian and Adams also participated in UGA’s Next Top Entrepreneur competition. During this event, teams pitch their existing business plans or business idea in front of a live audience and a panel of judges. At the end of the competition, one winning team is awarded $10,000. Lafian took the top prize in the 2017 competition, and the 2018 competition is set for April 12 from 5-8:30 p.m. at Hotel Indigo’s Rialto Room. The event is part of Athens StartUp Week, April 9-13. “I think you should look at all of your opportunities and constantly pick the best one to move forward,” Adams said. “The University of Georgia is really good at being able to provide opportunities for entrepreneurs or anyone, really, to do something cool,” Grable added. UGA’s Entrepreneurship Certificate Program prepares students to become successful and dynamic entrepreneurs in private, public and nonprofit sectors. It is open to all UGA undergraduates with at least 30 credit hours and a 3.0 GPA. The program is 15 credit hours—nine in the Terry College of Business and six in electives defined by the student’s school or college. “Employers love to see the entrepreneurship certificate on the college transcript of their potential hires,” Pinckney said. “It is an indication that the candidate has an entrepreneurial mindset, is a self-starter and is not afraid to think outside the box when looking at business issues.” Starting in fall 2018, 40 incoming freshmen will have an additional opportunity to network with fellow entrepreneurs. Two wings of the fourth floor of Creswell Hall will be turned into The Launch Pad, a living/ learning community dedicated to entrepreneurs. A co-working space with 3-D printers to build prototypes will be added to the lobby. These students will go through an application process and eventually be admitted to the Entrepreneurship Certificate Program. “Entrepreneurship comes in all flavors,” Pinckney said. “The best way to learn entrepreneurship is to actually do it, experience it and talk with others who have done it as well.”
CYBERSIGHTS
ABOUT COLUMNS
New book details historic Georgia gardens
Seeking Eden: A Collection of Georgia’s Historic Gardens By Staci L. Catron, Mary Ann Eaddy and James R. Lockhart University of Georgia Press Hardcover: $49.95
Being released by the University of Georgia Press April 15, Seeking Eden: A Collection of Georgia’s Historic Gardens, promotes an awareness of, and appreciation for, Georgia’s rich garden heritage. Updated and expanded here are the stories of nearly 30 designed landscapes first identified in the early 20h-century publication Garden History of Georgia, 1733–1933. Seeking Eden records each garden’s evolution and history as well as each garden’s current early 21-century appearance, as documented in photographs. Dating from the mid-18th to the early 20th centuries, these publicly and privately owned gardens include 19th-century parterres, Colonial Revival gardens, Country Place-era landscapes, rock gardens, historic town squares, college campuses and an urban conservation garden. Book proceeds from Seeking Eden will go toward the Garden Club of Georgia’s Historic Landscape Preservation Grant program.
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
Environmental health, safety manual online
http://bit.ly/2G3xFpH
The Environmental Health and Safety Executive Committee recently adopted UGA’s first Environmental Health and Safety Management System Manual, which is now available for download as a PDF. The University of Georgia is committed to protecting the environment and ensuring the health
and safety of students, faculty, staff and visitors. The manual provides an important framework for the university to focus proper attention on health, safety and environmental protection through compliance with existing regulations and standards, implementation of best practices, and the identification and mitigation of potential hazards.
Communications Coordinator Krista Richmond Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Writers Kellyn Amodeo Leigh Beeson The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. The University of Georgia is a unit of the University System of Georgia.
8 March 26, 2018 columns.uga.edu
TOOLBOX from page 1
COLLABORATION from page 1 of UGA’s international research collaborations could be traced to several institutions in Minas Gerais. “Some of the most important challenges facing researchers today are global in nature,” said Brian Watkins, director of international partnerships at the Office of International Education. “To rise to the challenge, we must bring together international researchers with overlapping strengths and provide them with the support they need to launch new and exciting collaborations. That is what the program in Brazil was designed to do.” Through the program, UGA has partnered with the Minas Gerais State Foundation for Research support to support international teams pursuing new research collaborations. Preliminary data gathered as a result of initial seed funding is used to make the case for larger grants from federal agencies, foundations and industry. “The breadth of collaborations between colleagues at UGA and institutions within the state of Minas Gerais is truly impressive and bodes well for the future of these institutional partnerships,” said Vice President for Research David Lee. Through the partnership, nearly 20 collaborative research projects have been identified in fields ranging from human health to linguistics and agriculture. Courtney Murdock, assistant professor with a joint appointment in the Odum School of Ecology and the College of Veterinary Medicine, is working with Tiago Mendes from the Federal University of Vicosa to study how temperature impacts the spread of the Zika virus among disease-carrying mosquitos. Pilar Chamorro Fernandez, an assistant professor with a joint appointment in the departments of linguistics and Romance languages in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has partnered with Fabio Duarte from the Federal University of Minas Gerais to document and develop educational tools
with Tentehara indigenous communities to preserve their native language. Another seed grant is allowing James Stanton, assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and Roselene Ecco from the Federal University of Minas Gerais to study ways to control digestive diseases that infect poultry flocks and reduce food production. Graduate and undergraduate students gain invaluable experience working alongside these faculty members, and the UGAMinas Gerais partnership builds on the UGA’s Portuguese Flagship Program, which is funded through the U.S. Department of Defense’s National Security Education Program. To date, more than 30 undergraduate students have studied or interned in Minas Gerais through the Portuguese Flagship Program. “The UGA-Minas Gerais partnership is a model of collaboration, both here on campus and internationally,” said Provost Pamela Whitten. She noted that several units have contributed seed funding, including the UGA Office of International Education, Office of Research, Office of the Provost, Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute, and individual schools and colleges. Other 2018 recipients of Simon Awards include Babson College, Baldwin Wallace University, Harper College, St. Lawrence University, Stony Brook University, Texas Tech University and the University of Florida. “As future leaders of our nation, it is vital that our students have the tools and experiences necessary to thrive in an increasingly interconnected global community,” emphasized Esther D. Brimmer, NAFSA executive director and CEO. “These eight institutions stand as excellent examples of how U.S. universities and colleges can effectively provide opportunities for cross-cultural competency using a varied set of methods.”
Bulletin Board Nutrition study volunteers
Researchers at the UGA Bone and Body Composition Laboratory are conducting a study to determine how dietary protein influences bone health and cognitive function in children ages 9-13. Call 706-542-49180 or email bone@uga.edu for more information.
Faculty research grants
The Division of Student Affairs is accepting proposals until April 13 for FY19 funding for research partnerships. The grants support projects that incorporate a Student Affairs facility, program or service into their research. For more information, visit partner.studentaffairs.uga.edu or email Beate Brunow at b.brunow@uga.edu.
Learning technologies grants
The Center for Teaching and Learning is accepting proposals until April 13 for its 2018-2019 Learning Technologies Grants Program. Projects must focus on the innovative use of technology to assist students in meeting the educational objectives of their academic programs. This year, projects must employ the use of active learning and/or open educational resources. Grant award recipients will be announced by late June. Funds will be available after July 1. Complete details about the program, including proposal requirements, are at http://ctl.uga.edu/ltg.
Send questions about the program to Sherry Clouser, CTL assistant director of learning technologies, at sac@uga.edu.
Research study participants
Researchers at UGA and the Oak Ridge Associated Universities are conducting a study to understand how adults think about adult vaccines and to get their reactions to vaccine education materials. People ages 19-49 who did not get a flu shot or vaccine last year and do not plan to get one this year are being sought for the study. Eligibility will be determined through telephone screening. Eligible subjects will first be sent an online questionnaire to complete, then will be scheduled for a research visit lasting around 60 minutes. During the research visit, participants will view immunization-related education materials and complete study questionnaires. Subjects will receive compensation of $30 for completing the study. No vaccinations will be given as a part of this study. The study will be conducted at the Clinical and Translational Research Unit on the UGA Health Sciences Campus. For more information, call 706-713-2721 or email ctru@uga.edu. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.
Identifying the misconception helps the teachers understand how the student is reasoning. And sometimes, Bradshaw said, it’s helpful for students to have incorrect ideas about a concept than to have no ideas about the concept. For her dissertation at UGA, Bradshaw developed a psychometric method that detected misconceptions in mathematics by analyzing data that identified which wrong answer a student picked—not simply whether the item was right or wrong. The test was designed in such a way, she said, to include possible misconceptions among the answer choices. Other possible answers represented errors students might make in their calculations. While assessments that are designed in this way are not uncommon in educational research to evaluate interventions, the grant project is pushing the field forward by combining this style of assessment with new data science methods to help increase the validity and trustworthiness of the results. The new grant project builds upon Bradshaw’s past work to develop a diagnostic assessment about probability and chance in collaboration with researchers from North Carolina State University and Research Matters. Probability concepts are
foundational mathematical concepts taught to middle-grade students, said Bradshaw although misconceptions about probability and chance are not uncommon for adults to have as well. One common misconception about probability and chance is known as “the gambler’s fallacy.” Imagine you are on a streak of betting losses. The gambler’s fallacy says that the odds on the next bet are in your favor—you’re due to win. But because every roll of the dice represents an independent set of odds, that idea of turning your luck around is false. Because teachers are less familiar with teaching statistics topics compared with traditional mathematics topics, Bradshaw and her team are developing a web-based assessment to support instruction for this topic and making it freely available to all teachers. Bradshaw said her goal is to give teachers new information from an assessment. Often, teachers become frustrated with assessments because there is no nuance to the results—if a student isn’t performing well in, say, geometry, a poor score only reinforces that. A better way, said Bradshaw, would be to help teachers identify which concepts the students don’t understand, which is affecting their overall performance in the subject.
MEIGS
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Excellence Award at UGA. Richards has tailored her courses to enhance her students’ understanding of global issues while empowering students through classroom discussion to further engage with the material. Richards, who also is a member of the core faculty of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute and an affiliate faculty member of the Institute of Native American Studies, has designed a series of courses where students analyze disparate nations and societies to promote a critical understanding of the world. She has played an integral part in curriculum changes in LACSI and the Institute for Women’s Studies. Richards is a member of the UGA Teaching Academy and a recipient of the Sandy Beaver Excellence in Teaching Award and the Richard B. Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, the top early-career honor at UGA. The Meigs Professorship underscores the university’s commitment to excellence in teaching, the value placed on the learning experiences of students and the centrality of instruction to the university’s mission. The award includes a permanent salary increase of $6,000 and a one-year discretionary fund of $1,000. More information about the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professorships is at http://bit.ly/2HPxlrS.
MENTORING
been made in achieving her vision as well as to identify the work that remains to be done. Sellers launched a podcast, “Viewpoint with Bakari Sellers” on Westwood One, featuring Hillary Clinton, Mark Cuban and Charles Barkley as guests. He was a member of the South Carolina House of Representatives, and 2014 Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor of South Carolina. Currently, he is the first vice chairman of the South Carolina Democratic Party. Sellers made history in 2006 when, at age 22, he defeated a 26-year incumbent state representative to become the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African-American elected official in the nation. After earning his law degree from the University of South Carolina, Sellers has followed in the footsteps of his father, civil rights leader Cleveland Sellers, in his commitment to service championing progressive policies to address issues ranging from education and poverty to preventing domestic violence and childhood obesity. Sellers practices law with the Strom Law Firm, LLC in Columbia, South Carolina. The Mary Frances Early Lecture is sponsored by the Graduate School, Graduate and Professional Scholars and the Office of Institutional Diversity. For more information on the lecture, see grad.uga.edu.
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experts will be able to support the peer evaluation and mentoring process by encouraging opportunities for formative assessment practices, developing clear expectations for teaching effectiveness, sponsoring a process to support teaching skill development and structuring opportunities for confidential peer feedback. “As we launch this new working group, we are looking for early adopters to pilot the process and help us identify the best structure for faculty to develop helpful assessment practices,” said Pagnattaro. “We will look to them as the leaders in this endeavor to improve the learning experience for our students.” As part of its charge, the working group also will explore using a centralized, end-ofcourse evaluation system to elicit valuable student feedback for improving the quality of courses and elevating student learning and success. “Identifying and strengthening mechanisms to promote effective teaching through peer mentoring and evaluation is crucial to expanding our faculty’s professional development,” said Vice President for Instruction Rahul Shrivastav. “More informed data from these mechanisms will yield lasting, measurable impacts on instruction.” The Task Force on Student Learning and Success, co-chaired by Shrivastav and Vice President for Student Affairs Victor
Peer Mentoring Working Group Marisa Pagnattaro (Co-chair), Associate Dean for Research and Graduate Programs, Terry College of Business Bill Vencill (Co-chair), Associate VP for Instruction Peggy Brickman, Professor, Plant Biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Greg Broughton, Associate Professor, Music, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Gary Green, Assistant Dean of Academic Affairs, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources Karen Whitehill King, Professor, Advertising and Public Relations, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication
Wilson, was charged last February with taking a fresh look at the university’s undergraduate learning environment to identify new opportunities to further enhance the educational experience, inside and outside the classroom, for UGA students. The task force, comprised of a 20-member committee including senior faculty and administrators from a number of schools, colleges and units, provided 12 recommendations that were organized into three broad objectives: evolving the curriculum, enhancing teaching and learning, and expanding student support and mentoring. A full copy of the report is available for review at https://president.uga.edu/archive/.