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Diagnostic tests for sinus infection leave much to be desired, study finds RESEARCH NEWS
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Romeros, ‘royal family of guitar,’ to perform Nov. 17 at Hodgson Concert Hall Vol. 44, No. 17
November 14, 2016
columns.uga.edu
UGA GUIDE
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Infectious disease authority appointed GRA Eminent Scholar By James E. Hataway jhataway@uga.edu
Dorothy Kozlowski
The small animal side of the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital has been renamed the Cora Nunnally Miller Small Animal Teaching Hospital, in honor of the animal lover and philanthropist who gave more than $13 million to the College of Veterinary Medicine. Pictured from left are Phoebe Booth, Peggy Weigle, Dean Sheila W. Allen and Susan and Jim Bolduc. Booth, Weigle and the Bolducs, all close friends of Cora Miller, traveled to Athens for the ceremony.
‘Incredible generosity’ University’s Small Animal Hospital renamed to honor animal lover, philanthropist
By Cindy Herndon Rice cindyh@uga.edu
The UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital has renamed its Small Animal Hospital in honor of Cora Nunnally Miller, a donor who gave more than $13 million to the College of Veterinary Medicine. The name change was made official Nov. 3 during a dedication ceremony that included the unveiling of a portrait of Miller that was painted when she was a teenager by Lamar Dodd. The portrait was donated to the college as part of Miller’s estate and now hangs in the hospital’s small animal lobby. “Cora Miller was a very distinguished woman who sought
no recognition for her generosity, taking great satisfaction in simply learning about the impact of her philanthropy,” Dean Sheila W. Allen said during the ceremony. “We proudly honor her transformational gifts to the college by naming the Small Animal Hospital the Cora Nunnally Miller Small Animal Teaching Hospital.” Miller, who passed away at her home in July 2015, loved horses, dogs and the field of veterinary medicine. Of her gifts, more than $7 million was designated for building the college’s new, state-of-the-art teaching hospital, which opened in March 2015. The remainder of her contributions
resulted in several endowed chairs and professorships for the college as well as the Service Animal Fund for animals devoted to serving people such as assistance dogs and military and police dogs. “We continue to benefit from her incredible generosity to the college and to the University of Georgia as a whole,” Allen said. Her gifts to UGA totaled more than $33 million throughout her lifetime and included contributions to the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, the Honors Program and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. She granted permission for the university to acknowledge her gifts only after her death.
FALL 2016 COMMENCEMENT
Dennis Kyle, one of the nation’s leading infectious disease researchers, will be UGA’s newest Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar. Kyle, currently a Distinguished Health Professor at the University of South Florida, will join UGA Jan. 3 as the GRA Eminent Scholar in Antiparasitic Drug Discovery. He also will serve as the new director of UGA’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases, which Daniel Colley, a professor of microbiology, has led since 2001. Established in 1998, CTEGD is made up of a range of research programs focused on the development
of medical and public health interventions for diseases, including malaria, sleeping sickness, cryptosporidiosis, schistosomiasis and Chagas disease, that contribute enormously to global death, disability and instability. “Dr. Kyle Dennis Kyle is one of the world’s foremost authorities on malaria and other parasitic diseases,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “I am pleased that he will be joining UGA to advance the worldwide reputation of CTEGD See SCHOLAR on page 8
DEVELOPMENT AND ALUMNI RELATIONS
Author, humorist will deliver keynote at Alumni Seminar By Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
Alumni and others interested in lifelong learning will converge on the UGA campus Feb. 17-18 for the 2017 Alumni Seminar, an educational gathering that will allow participants to experience firsthand what has changed—and what will always stay the same—at the nation’s first state-chartered university. The theme of the 2017 Alumni Seminar is “A Sense of Place.” Lectures, behind-the-scenes tours and other exclusive events during the two-day gathering will explore how individuals and communities build and experience a sense of place in today’s changing world.
UGA faculty and alumni will introduce participants to ongoing research on the values associated with place and how these are affected by external forces. Participants will consider the role that “place” plays Roy Blount Jr. in community and identity, from the nation’s 100-year history of national parks to the virtual worlds explored by millennials. The keynote speaker for the 2017 Alumni Seminar is Roy Blount Jr., the author of 24 books;
See SEMINAR on page 8
Pulitzer Prize-winning historian, ESPN executive COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING ‘Smart’ systems expert named will address graduates at fall Commencement By David Bill
dbill@uga.edu
Jon Meacham, a biographer and journalist who won a Pulitzer Prize for his book about President Andrew Jackson, will deliver the fall undergraduate Commencement address Dec. 16 in Stegeman Coliseum. The ceremony will begin at 9:30 a.m. with the graduate ceremony to follow at 2:30 p.m. They will be streamed live at http:// www.ctl.uga.edu/ctlcable. The graduate Commencement will feature UGA alumna Tonya H. Cornileus, vice president of learning and organizational development at ESPN.The student speaker
for the undergraduate ceremony will be Caleb Stevens, who will receive his bachelor’s degree in business Jon Meacham management from the Terry College of Business. For the undergraduate ceremony, Commencement candidates are allowed six tickets per student. Tickets are not required for the graduate exercise. Meacham is the author of two No. 1 New York Times best-sellers,
Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power and Destiny and Power: The Americ a n O dy s sey of George Herbert Walker Bush. Tonya Cornileus Meacham was awarded the 2009 Pulitzer Prize for his book American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House. “We are honored that Jon Meacham will serve as the University of Georgia’s undergraduate Commencement speaker this See COMMENCEMENT on page 8
Brown Engineering Professor By Mike Wooten
mwooten@uga.edu
WenZhan Song has been named the Georgia Power Mickey A. Brown Professor in Engineering at UGA. The appointment was approved by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia at its October meeting. The Brown Professorship in Engineering is part of a strategic investment on the part of the university and the college in the field of informatics. Song’s research focuses on advances in cyber-physical systems and security in energy,
e nvironmental and health applications. Cyber-physical systems, also known as the internet of things, are “smart” systems that link the physical world with the virtual world of information processing through sensor technology. Examples of CPS include medical WenZhan Song d evices and systems, building and environmental control, energy systems, See PROFESSOR on page 8
2 Nov. 14, 2016 columns.uga.edu
DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS
Around academe
University of Washington receives $210M gift for population health
The Population Health Initiative at the University of Washington, which focuses on improving health outcomes in both communities and the world through education and innovation, just received a $210 million gift from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to help achieve those goals, according to a news release from UW Today. The donation is meant to spur the growth of the initiative by funding a new building that will not only contain different population health-focused groups but also will provide a space for collaboration.
Duke Foundation grants will fund programs in biomedical research
The Doris Duke Charitable Foundation is giving more than $4 million in grants to help eight institutions grow their programs that introduce high school students to the world of biomedical research to also include continued research involvement for graduates of the programs in college, according to a foundation news release. The goal of the Clinical Research Continuum: High School to College program is to help underrepresented groups break into the biomedical sciences and become important members of the research community. Students are paid to work on research projects with the guidance of scientists at one of the institutions and also take courses meant to help them build necessary skills for success in the field.
Equal Opportunity Office adds new optional training program
News to Use
UGA is committed to creating an environment that respects the dignity of all members of the university community and promotes the safety of everyone. In its 2015 Campus Safety and Security Committee Report, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia identified training for employees on issues of sexual misconduct as a priority. According to the report, employees should “receive specific education and training with regard to reporting responsibilities, requests for confidentiality and other matters related to the prevention of sexual misconduct.” As part of this initiative, UGA’s Equal Opportunity Office is complementing its existing sexual misconduct training through the online module Haven for Employees. Haven for Employees consists of two parts, which in total take between 45 minutes and one hour to complete. Participation in the training program is optional, but those who wish to do so should complete the first module by Dec. 2. They will then receive a reminder to complete the second module by Feb. 3. Haven for Employees is at eoo.uga.edu/ everfi/faculty-staff. Contact the Equal Opportunity Office 706-542-7912 for more details. Source: Equal Opportunity Office
Source: discover.uga.edu
Janet Beckley
Dorothy Kozlowski
The Disability Resource Center recently honored 27 students and faculty during its annual awards event.
Disability Resource Center honors 27 at annual recognition program By Jim Lichtenwalter
james.lichtenwalt25@uga.edu
The Disability Resource Center honored 27 of UGA’s most hardworking, determined students during its annual Student and Faculty Recognition Reception Oct. 20 at the Classic Center Grand Hall. The reception recognized students receiving private scholarships from donors supporting the DRC and its efforts. These scholarships help students by allowing them to address their health concerns while also succeeding academically. Upon accepting their awards, students not only thanked the donors but also told the audience their own stories, highlighting their struggles, achievements and goals. Thomas Woodyard, this year’s recipient of the Joe Coile Memorial Scholarship, is a sophomore studying
Japanese language and literature and plans to attend the UGA School of Law. Woodyard has no vision in his left eye and only partial vision in his right. “My vision impairment presents a number of access challenges in both everyday and academic life on campus,” he said. “This makes things like even figuring what is for dinner in the dining commons difficult at times.” While some aspects of campus life are difficult for Woodyard, he believes “that with a coordinated plan I will succeed.” “I hope you know how proud we are of you, how impressed we are by you and how inspired we are by you,” Provost Pamela Whitten told the students. “When we see you, when we teach you in the classroom and when we interact with you on campus, we do not see your disabilities. What we see is a University of Georgia student.” Erin Richman, the director of
academic partnerships and initiatives in the Division of Student Affairs, presented the Outstanding Faculty award to Sandie Bass-Ringdahl, director of the communication sciences and special education program and a clinical assistant professor in the College of Education. “I am privileged to work with the students that I work with,” she said. “They push me to be a better professor, to be a better person and to do a better job each and every day.” The Disability Resource Center helps more than 1,700 students who are completing their education while also managing various disabilities. The center provides assistive technology, transportation, note-takers and other means of support to students. Editor’s Note: This story was cut to fit the available space. Read the entire story online at columns.uga.edu.
TERRY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
By Matt Weeks
By Jim Lichtenwalter
Promising to convey an unconventional approach to leadership, UGA alumnus and former Atlanta Olympics CEO Billy Payne told a packed Chapel audience at the Nov. 3 Mason Public Leadership Lecture that “the difference between leading and following isn’t all that clear.” “It is, in my opinion, a mistake to always default to the criteria of leadership when describing someone’s capability, a mistake to assume that we must all rise to the top rung of the ladder to be successful,” said Payne, who serves as chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, which hosts the Masters Tournament. “Often I think that following, not leading, is the key to a successful life. It can produce the greatest personal satisfaction and reward.” Payne recounted how a talk with his wife, Martha, early in their marriage changed his view of success and reframed his approach to leadership. What she told him was devastating: You don’t have any friends; you’re just too competitive. Billy Payne “I was making a mistake of always equating winning with leadership, and by doing so, sacrificing future successes that depended on the efforts, skills and collaborations of others,” he said. “My wife was right. Since that day I have tried to walk that line between being aggressive at times or surrendering to the leadership of others significantly more skilled than I am.” Securing the 1996 Centennial Olympic Games in Atlanta could be traced back, Payne said, to that moment. “I have now become certain that success and satisfaction in life come from sharing goals rather than from achieving individual goals,” he said. The Mason Public Leadership Lecture is supported by a grant from Keith Mason, a lawyer and alumnus of the Terry College. It is part of the Terry Leadership Speaker Series presented by the college’s Institute for Leadership Advancement. The institute was established in 2001 to develop values-based, impact-driven leaders who serve their communities and organizations.
More than 150 years ago, the American Civil War nearly tore this country apart. While that conflict certainly changed America, it’s often overlooked how it also affected other countries. Don H. Doyle, a history professor at the University of South Carolina and an author, spoke Oct. 27 about that very specific view of the Civil War for the sixth Gregory Distinguished Lecture. Doyle is a renowned historian whose academic interests include the Civil War and the American South. Fluent in several languages including Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, he has conducted research all over the world and has published a number of books on a variety of topics ranging from the Civil War to the city of Nashville. “If Doyle is not an international man of mystery, he is at least one of the history profession’s great globe-trotters, always reminding us that American history never occurs in a vacuum,” said Stephen Berry, the Gregory Professor of the Civil War Era in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. The Gregory Lecture is an annual event supported by the Amanda and Greg Gregory Graduate Studies Enhancement Fund in the Franklin College. This year’s Gregory Lecture focused on the international reaction and response to the Civil War, which Doyle covered in his most recent book, The Cause of All Nations: An International History of the American Civil War. “What I tried to do in my book is step back from this war, and look at it from overseas—Europe, Latin America—and see it as part of a larger conflict or contest over the future of not just slavery but of democracy itself,” Doyle said. Many foreign countries were interested in the war and its outcome, Doyle said. Many industrialized European countries relied on cotton produced in the Southern states, and the Confederacy’s King Cotton diplomacy caused unemployment in these countries. More importantly, many people were watching to see how the still-young American republic would survive this conflict. “This was seen as a trial of democracy,” Doyle said. “The republican experiment would prove to be a failure or success.”
Alumnus shares approach Gregory lecturer explores to leadership at Mason effect Civil War had Public Leadership Lecture outside United States mweeks@uga.edu
james.lichtenwal25@uga.edu
RESEARCH NEWS
columns.uga.edu Nov. 14, 2016
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Digest UGA to celebrate its first GIS Day Nov. 16
Andrew Davis Tucker
Dr. Mark Ebell, a professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health, led a team studying ways to diagnose sinus infections.
Right on the nose
Diagnostic tests for sinus infections leave much to be desired, College of Public Health study says By Leigh Beeson lbeeson@uga.edu
Many patients who see physicians for sinus infections expect to be prescribed an antibiotic. But for the majority of them, that course of treatment won’t be effective because their infections aren’t caused by bacteria. Unfortunately, there aren’t great tools to determine which patients will or won’t benefit from antibiotics, but UGA’s Dr. Mark Ebell is determined to change that. Ebell, a professor of epidemiology in the College of Public Health, led a team of researchers in analyzing 30 studies of outpatients with respiratory tract infections to see which diagnostic criteria, if any, were most accurate for diagnosing sinus infection. The findings weren’t encouraging, he said. The biggest issue was with the studies’ reference standards, which are ideally perfectly accurate in identifying sinusitis and are used to gauge other tests’ accuracy. Currently, the best reference standard is called antral lavage, a procedure that involves using a needle to puncture the sinus cavity located under the eye next to the nose. If there is fluid in this cavity, the physician draws it out and can culture it to see if bacteria are present, enabling the doctor
to definitively determine whether the patient has a sinus infection. Understandably, many patients aren’t keen on having a needle pierce their faces, Ebell said. “It’s always been a challenge with sinusitis research that the best reference standard is often impractical, and you end up doing studies that use a tarnished gold standard, as we call it,” he said. These tarnished standards include the use of X-rays and CT scans that do detect fluid fairly accurately but can’t confirm that the fluid is indicative of a sinus infection and also can’t differentiate between bacterial and viral sinusitis. Only the former responds to antibiotics. “I think people have the idea that tests are more accurate than they actually are in general,” Ebell said. “Sometimes what we learn through studies like ours is that tests we’ve always thought about using or thought were accurate turn out to not be so helpful, and we need different or better tests to guide us.” The studies he analyzed did offer some promising alternatives for detecting sinus infections, such as the use of the C-reactive protein, or CRP, test that measures protein levels in the blood and indicates an infection when those
levels are high. “The use of C-reactive protein is promising as a point-of-care test to reduce the overuse of antibiotics,” Ebell said. “There’ve been several studies in Europe showing that in the primary care setting, having the CRP results that show a patient is unlikely to have bacterial sinusitis, doctors are more confident about not using antibiotics and they’ve reduced inappropriate antibiotics use.” While approved for point-of-care use in primary care offices in Europe, the same devices are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for use at the point of care in the U.S., which Ebell finds baffling. Instead physicians have to order the tests to be performed elsewhere, costing both the physician and the patient extra time and more appointments. The goal behind this research is to help physicians reduce the prescription of antibiotics for illnesses that don’t require, and often don’t respond to, them. Reasons for prescribing unnecessary antibiotics include habit, the inability to distinguish viral from bacterial infections and patient expectations. Published in the British Journal of General Practice, the study is online at http://tinyurl.com/jy8ozvm.
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
UGA researchers battle antibiotic-resistant bacteria By Mike Wooten
special polymer coating to prevent bacteria and other organisms from sticking to the catheter surface. UGA researchers will use a grant The CDC estimates up to onefrom the Centers for Disease Con- third of all indwelling catheters betrol and Prevention to create next- come infected, resulting in as many as generation medical device coatings that 28,000 deaths per year. Catheters with combat antibiotic-resistant bacteria. antibiotic coatings are available but The CDC will award more than they have not proven completely effec$14 million to 34 research teams across tive at preventing infection. In addition, the nation to develop new approaches bacteria are developing resistance to to combat antibiotic resistance. College many antibiotics. of Engineering faculty members Hitesh Handa, an assistant professor in Handa and Jason Locklin will receive the College of Engineering, believes $266,000 for their one-year project. nitric oxide, a gas known as a potent The UGA researchers plan to antimicrobial agent among its many develop a coating for intravascular other biological roles, is a promising catheters that inhibits infection by re- alternative to antibiotics in medical leasing nitric oxide, an endogenous gas device applications. molecule, while employing a durable, “Our lab has been developing new mwooten@uga.edu
biomedical polymers that can mimic the nitric oxide release that occurs in our bodies, such as in sinus cavities and by neutrophils and macrophages, which act as a natural broad spectrum antimicrobial agent,” said Handa. “We are very excited about this CDC proposal which gives us an opportunity to combine our technology with Dr. Locklin’s polymeric coatings to produce a synergistic effect and ultimately create the next generation of antimicrobial catheters.” In addition to fighting potential infections with nitric oxide, the UGA researchers said it’s important to inhibit bacteria and other organisms from adhering to catheters because their presence can trigger blood clotting and other complications.
The first GIS Day at UGA will be observed Nov. 16 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the main library. It will showcase how students and faculty use geographic information system technology to visualize, analyze and interpret data in teaching, research and outreach. Open free to the public, the event will include a drone demonstration, talks on real-world GIS applications, tours of the UGA Map and Government Information Library, information on internship opportunities and booths highlighting projects from departments and organizations around campus. Light snacks and interactive activities will also be provided. GIS refers to software that captures, analyzes, displays and shares spatial or geographical data. Through maps, spatial modeling and other applications, GIS provides critical information for public health, government planning, neighborhood real estate, national defense, business, transportation and many more fields. Students, faculty and staff who are interested in learning more about GIS and resources at UGA for spatial analysis are especially encouraged to attend. For more information about the event, visit www.facebook.com/GISdayUGA or contact Dorris Scott at dorris.scott25@uga.edu.
UGA president appointed to NCAA presidential leadership group
UGA President Jere W. Morehead has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Presidential Forum. Comprised of one president or chancellor from each of the 32 Division I Conferences, the forum is the primary presidential advisory governance body to the NCAA Division I board of directors, with particular focus on issues of strategic importance in intercollegiate athletics. Morehead will represent the Southeastern Conference and serve through 2019. Morehead also continues to serve as chair of the Southeastern Conference Working Group on Compliance, Enforcement and Governance.
UGA-led consortium and conservation agencies host ocean-themed film contest
A team of UGA-based marine researchers investigating the impacts of the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill on the Gulf of Mexico are teaming up with local and statewide conservation agencies to present the 2017 Ripple Effect Film Project. 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, Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences in UGA’s marine sciences department. 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. The Ripple Effect Film Project is accepting short films and public service announcement submissions through Jan. 31 that focus on the 2017 theme “ocean connections.” Submissions are open to filmmakers of all ages and abilities from around Georgia. Finalists’ films will be showcased March 25 at the Morton Theatre in Athens. This year submissions are not restricted to Athens-Clarke County residents or water conservation and stormwater protection topics but are open to films from around the state on topics that connect human behavior to the health of the world’s oceans. More information about ECOGIG and Ripple Effect Film Project is at www.ecogig.org and www. rippleeffectfilmproject.org. Film entries may be submitted through https://filmfreeway.com/festival/ RippleEffectFilmProject.
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4 Nov. 14, 2016 columns.uga.edu
RESEARCH NEWS
Digest Russian conductor, composer working with music students during campus visit
Lt. Gen. Valery Khalilov, former chief conductor and senior director of music of the Military Band Service of the Armed Forces of Russia, is visiting UGA until Nov. 16, sitting in on classes, working with students, conducting ensemble performances and taking in the Classic City. Khalilov, who composes as well as conducts, is internationally recognized as Russia’s most distinguished military band and orchestra conductor. He holds the title of Honored Artist of Russia and has conducted performances in many countries throughout the world, including Austria, Belgium, Germany, Hungary, Korea, Lebanon, Mongolia, Poland, Finland, France, Switzerland Valery Khalilov and Sweden. Khalilov has overseen the music for many spectacular events in Moscow. In 2010, he conducted a massed band of more than 1,200 musicians at the Victory Parade in Red Square. At the conclusion of the event, he led a performance that included bands from the U.S., Great Britain and France. Since 2007, Khalilov has been the music director of the International Military Music Festival at Spasskaya Tower in Red Square. The two-week festival draws an audience of approximately 100,000 people each year and has featured more than 140 performing groups from 40 countries during its 10-year history. Khalilov’s visit, which began Nov. 9, is a multi-faceted tour of the university, including educational opportunities with School of Music students, performances with the UGA Symphony Orchestra and Hodgson Wind Ensemble, which will perform three of Khalilov’s own works in a Nov. 15 concert at 8 p.m. in Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. Tickets for the concert are $6 for UGA students and $12 for everyone else.
Former US ambassador’s papers now part of collection at Russell Library
David Adelman, a former U.S. ambassador to the Republic of Singapore and a former Georgia state senator, has agreed to donate his official papers, documenting his diplomatic and legislative service, to UGA’s Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. Adelman served from 2010 to 2013 as the 15th U.S. ambassador to Singapore. During that time, he led eight trade missions in the region including the first American trade mission to Myanmar. He also established the U.S.-Singapore Strategic Dialogue and successfully negotiated the terms by which U.S. Navy littoral combat ships would be deployed to Singapore. Adelman is the recipient of the U.S. Department of State’s Superior Honor Award and the U.S. Navy Distinguished Service Award, the highest award given by the Navy to nonmilitary personnel. Adelman was a state senator from Georgia’s 42nd District from 2003-2010. He was minority whip and chair of the Senate Urban Affairs Committee. Adelman’s diplomatic papers include speeches, notes, meeting materials, travel itineraries, strategic planning documents, official correspondence, daily schedules, photographs and press files covering the duration of his ambassadorship. The collection is rounded out with material from his time in the Georgia Senate including files related to legislation and committee work, correspondence from constituents, and campaign material. Adelman is a graduate of UGA’s Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication as well as the Emory University School of Law and the Georgia State University School of Policy Studies. His interview as a student with Dean Rusk in 1985 is also part of the Russell Library collection. Adelman returned to the private practice of law at the conclusion of his tour in Singapore. He continues to speak and write on U.S.-Asia issues and is a part-time professor teaching international relations at New York University.
Andrew Davis Tucker
UGA Regents Professor Andrew Paterson is leading an international team working toward more sustainable sorghum production.
Feeding the world
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences geneticist enhancing sorghum’s drought resiliency By Allison Floyd aafloyd@uga.edu
When UGA plant geneticist ndrew Paterson started to look for A lines of sorghum that might survive in some of the most parched places in the world, he didn’t plant trials in the desert. He started out by researching which plants could survive a winter in Georgia. “We don’t see a lot of correlation between surviving cold and surviving drought,” Paterson said. But when sorghum that could withstand a Georgia winter was planted half a world away, the results were stunning: 48 percent survived eight months without rain in the north African nation of Mali. Paterson, a Regents Professor in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, heads up the Feed the Future Innovation Laboratory for Climate-Resilient Sorghum. The $4.98 million U.S. Agency for International Development Feed the
Future project is aimed at creating varieties of sorghum that can survive extreme drought and appeal to those who eat the cereal as part of their traditional diet. Sorghum, a crop sometimes called the “camel of cereals” because of its ability to withstand drought, requires about one-third less water than wheat and half of the water maize needs. It is a native plant and traditional staple crop in some African countries where climate change is exacerbating food insecurity, so providing farmers with an even more drought-resilient sorghum could give them a crop to count on, even in the driest years. In the U.S., sorghum is used mostly for animal feed and fuel. It’s also a component in syrup and gluten-free versions of otherwise starchy products (like beer), but it’s not a major food crop. In its third year, the climateresilient sorghum project has made progress in its mission to use genomics tools to create even hardier varieties of sorghum, all the while promoting sustainable farming by preserving and
restoring soil and water resources. The work started in Georgia when Paterson began to look for sorghum lines that could grow perennially. The ability to survive both cold and drought is connected to the plant’s ability to make rhizomes, underground shoots that may seem like roots but are actually stems that can store energy for the plant and grow into an aboveground stem. Its ability to grow rhizomes led Paterson to another plant that might lend some of its resiliency to sorghum: Johnsongrass. “We made a backcross to sorghum, so the progeny are 75 percent sorghum, 25 percent Johnsongrass,” he said. By the end of the project in 2018, plant breeders in Mali, Ethiopia and elsewhere in Africa will have adapted lines of sorghum that are based on their local varieties but with new mechanisms of drought resiliency bred into them. “That will be the biggest single deliverable of the project,” Paterson said.
GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART
Speaker discusses gifts of Russian Imperial Court By Krista Richmond krichmond@uga.edu
Jewelry tells many stories—love stories between spouses, stories of reaching significant milestones and even stories of pieces shared through generations. For Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm, jewelry also tells the stories of important historical figures. Tillander-Godenhielm’s greatgrandfather, Alexander Tillander, worked as a goldsmith in St. Petersburg, Russia, and started his own jewelry business in 1860 that is still in her family. Today, Tillander-Godenhielm is an advisory council member of the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg and CEO emerita and board member
of A. Tillander Jewelers in Helsinki and London. Of note, the Tillander family created many items for the Russian Imperial Court, and Tillander-Godenhielm discussed those pieces in “The Russian Imperial Awards and Their Recipients,” held Nov. 1 at the Georgia Museum of Art as part of the fall 2016 Signature Lecture series. Tillander-Godenhielm spoke about the ranks, orders, titles and gifts bestowed to members of the military, members of civil service, members of the church and members of the Imperial Court under a new ranking scale and awards system devised by Peter the Great. “The aim was to create a new and efficient service nobility in place of the ancient society that had ruled the
country before,” she said. Each order, title and gift indicated one of 14 classes, with more ornate objects going to higher classes. In 1698, Peter the Great created the Order of St. Andrew with diamonds, which remained the highest order one could receive. The highest gift one could receive was a diamond portrait badge. In total, 1,055 received the Order of St. Andrew and around 200 people received a diamond portrait badge. Examples of the orders and gifts are on display at the Georgia Museum of Art as part of the Gifts and Prayers: The Romanovs and Their Subjects exhibition through Dec. 31. “The exhibition has a glorious way of describing them,” TillanderGodenhielm said.
UGAGUIDE
columns.uga.edu Nov. 14, 2016
For a complete listing of events, check the Master Calendar on the Web (calendar.uga.edu/). The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified. Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.
EXHIBITIONS
Icon of Modernism: Representing the Brooklyn Bridge, 1883-1950. Through Dec. 11. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu
The Stands: Environmental Art by Chris Taylor. Through Dec. 13. The Circle Gallery, Jackson Street Building. 706-542-8292. Keep Your Seats, memorabilia celebrating the 110-year history of the UGA Redcoat Marching Band. Through Dec. 23. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. Gifts and Prayers: The Romanovs and Their Subjects. Through Dec. 31. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Living Color: Gary Hudson on the 1970s. Through Jan. 8. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Storytelling: The Georgia Review’s 70th Anniversary Art Retrospective. Through Jan. 29. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Driving Forces: Sculpture by Lin Emery. Through April 2. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu 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, NOVEMBER 14 SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS INITIATIVE SEMINAR “Why Genetically Modified Crops May Not Solve World Hunger: Lessons from Argentina,” Pablo Lapegna, sociology. 3:30 p.m. 103 Conner Hall. 706-542-8084. sustainag@uga.edu HODGSON GRADUATE STRING QUARTET 3:35 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall. ccschwabe@uga.edu MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. UNC Asheville. Part of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. $15. Stegeman Coliseum. 706-542-1231. FULL MOON HIKE: BEAVER MOON Be prepared to hike up to 2 miles. $5 per person; $15 per family. 7 p.m. Meet at the fountain in front of the Visitor Center. State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156. garden@uga.edu FALL CONCERT The African American Choral Ensemble. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall. ccschwabe@uga.edu
TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 15 CELEBRATING OUR ETHICAL CULTURE WEEK LECTURE “Mindset of a Hacker,” Laura Heilman, IT security analyst associate, EITS, and Brian Huth, application analyst principal, EITS, and certified ethical hacker. 11 a.m. 271 special collections libraries.
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FACULTY CONCERT Maggie Snyder, associate professor of viola in UGA’s Hugh Hodgson School of Music, will be joined by a number of guest artists for a special recital that will be streamed live at music.uga.edu/streaming. 6 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall. ccschwabe@uga.edu
DISCUSSION: SWIPE RIGHT Learn to date smart in the digital age. Join a panel for an interactive discussion on topics such as online dating, dating apps and campus resources. Free T-shirts for the first 50 attendees and freebies for all those who attend. 7 p.m. 204 Caldwell Hall. 706-5428690. mpassonno@uhs.uga.edu PERFORMANCE The Thalian Blackfriars along with The Black Theatrical Ensemble will present Eclipsed, a play written by Danai Gurira (Michonne from The Walking Dead). $5, students; $8, nonstudents. 7 p.m. Also runs at 7 p.m. Nov. 16. Cellar Theatre, Fine Arts Building. bte@uga.edu LECTURE Former NFL player David Carter, “the 300-Pound Vegan,” will share his story of how a plant-based diet made him a healthier and stronger football player and the benefits of veganism for your health, the planet and animals. Sponsored by Speak Out for Species and the UGA Office of Sustainability. 7:30 p.m. 102 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796. sos@uga.edu
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 16 STATE OF TECHNOLOGY ADDRESS Timothy M. Chester, vice president for information technology, will give his annual State of Technology at UGA presentation. 10:30 a.m. Auditorium, special collections libraries. 706-542-8831. kerriuga@uga.edu CELEBRATING OUR ETHICAL CULTURE WEEK LECTURE “Doing What’s Right—Reporting What’s Wrong,” Beth Bailey, senior associate director, Office of Legal Affairs. 11 a.m. 258 special collections libraries. UNIVERSITY COUNCIL MEETING 3:30 p.m. Theater, Tate Student Center. 706-542-6020. hathcote@uga.edu WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. BYU. $5. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 17 WORKSHOP “Best Practices in Quantitative Data Collection: Designing Surveys Students Want to Take” will cover researchbased recommendations for both the design and implementation of survey methodology, giving attendees practice in designing clear, effective survey questions for students. 9:30 a.m. 372 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-1713. ckuus@uga.edu CONCERT Performances of solo and chamber music by UGA faculty and Rote Hund Muzik featuring the work of Melinda Wagner. 6:30 p.m. Edge
Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s Master Calendar, maintained by Marketing & Communications. Notices are published as space permits, with priority given to items of multidisciplinary interest. The Master Calendar is available at calendar.uga.edu/.
ROMEROS, ‘ROYAL FAMILY OF GUITAR,’ TO PERFORM NOV. 17 By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Romeros guitar quartet Nov. 17 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The program will include works by Manuel de Falla, Isaac Albeniz, Georges Bizet and Heitor Villa Lobos, along with a suite by Romeros founding member, Pepe Romero. Known as “The Royal Family of the Guitar,” the Romeros were founded by legendary guitarist Celedonio Romero with his sons, Celin, Pepe and Angel. Today the quartet consists of the second (Celin and Pepe) and third generations (Lito and Celino) of the Romero dynasty. In 1957, the family left Spain and immigrated to the U.S. where they became the first classic guitar quartet while the boys were still teenagers. The New Recital Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. ccschwabe@uga.edu MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Furman. Part of the CBE Hall of Fame Classic. $15, 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum. 706-542-1231 OPENING RECEPTION As part of her Georgia Poetry Circuit tour, award-winning poet Rachel Eliza Griffiths will read work at the opening reception for The Georgia Review’s Storytelling exhibition. Light refreshments will be served, and the exhibition will be open. 7 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. CONCERT Hugh Hodgson School of Music woodwind students will play chamber music. 8 p.m. Edge Recital Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. ccschwabe@uga.edu
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 18 CELEBRATING OUR ETHICAL CULTURE WEEK LECTURE “Impact of Culture on Ethical Behavior,”
York Times has said, “Collectively, they are the only classic guitar quartet of real stature in the world today; in fact, they virtually invented the format.” The Romeros have performed on multiple occasions at the White House, and in 1983 they appeared at the Vatican in a special concert for Pope John Paul II. In 2000 King Juan Carlos I of Spain knighted Celin, Pepe and Angel, and in 2007 the Romeros were honored by the Grammys with the President’s Merit Award for artistic achievements. Tickets for the Romeros concert are $26-$47 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. Patrons are invited to Make It An Evening with a tour and free dessert at the Georgia Museum of Art at 6 p.m.
Capt. Wes Huff, UGA Police Department. 11 a.m. 277 special collections libraries.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 19 FOOTBALL vs. Louisiana-Lafayette. Noon. Will be televised on SEC Network. Sanford Stadium. 706-542-1231.
SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 20 SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT TOUR Tour of the highlights from the permanent collection led by docents. 3 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662.
MONDAY, NOVEMBER 21 STUDENTS’ THANKSGIVING BREAK Through Nov. 25. Classes resume on Nov. 28.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 24 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY No classes; offices closed Nov. 24-25.
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.
SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 26 FOOTBALL Nov. 26. vs. Georgia Tech. Time to be announced. Sanford Stadium. 706-542-1231.
COMING UP ANNUAL HOLIDAY BOOK SALE Nov. 29-Dec. 2 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. CONCERT Nov. 29-30. Students from each discipline within the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s strings area will perform over three performances showcasing the area’s excellence at 3:30 and 5 p.m. Nov. 29 and at 3:35 p.m. Nov. 30. Edge Recital Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. ccschwabe@uga.edu SEMINAR Nov. 29. “Untangling Drivers of Biodiversity Across Ecological and Biogeographic Gradients,” Jonathan Myers, Washington University. 4 p.m. 201 ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Nov. 16 (for Dec. 5 issue) Dec. 7 (for Jan. 9 issue) Jan. 4 (for Jan. 17 issue)
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FACULTY PROFILE
Nathan S. Chapman, an assistant professor in the School of Law, won the inaugural Harold Berman Prize for his article “The Establishment Clause, State Action and Town of Greece” in 24 William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal 405 (2015). The Association of American Law Schools Section on Law and Religion created the honor to recognize untenured scholars on the tenure track for excellence in law and religion scholarship. Chapman will receive the award Jan. 4 at the AALS annual meeting. Anna Goodbread, a third-year doctoral student in the College of Education’s educational psychology department, will receive the annual Dr. Louise McBee Scholarship from the Athens Area Psychological Association at the organization’s legislative breakfast in December. Goodbread is studying student engagement in early elementary school students and hopes that by working closely with teachers and administrators, she can help shape a new approach to working with struggling students. AAPA is a nonprofit, professional organization of licensed psychologists focused on delivering psychological services to the larger community. In addition to serving as an advocate for area professionals, the organization strives to promote professional development through continuing education programs. Established in honor of McBee for her service in numerous roles at UGA, the scholarship is awarded each year to the top female graduate student in one of the three counseling preparation programs at UGA, which include counseling, school and clinical psychology. In addition to her 25-year tenure at UGA, McBee also worked as a psychologist and served six terms in the Georgia House of Representatives. A College of Education professor was recently honored by one of the country’s leading associations of mental health professionals focused on the Latina/o population. The National Latina/o Psychological Association recognized Edward DelgadoRomero with the “Padrina/o Award,” naming him one of the organization’s elders. This recognition acknowledges the Edward Delgado-Romero recipient’s lifetime contribution to Latinas/os psychology as well as the organization. Delgado-Romero is a professor in the college’s counseling and human development services department. He was one of four people who received the award at the organization’s recent conference in Orlando and, said conference chair C ristalis Capielo, it honors his successes within the organization as well as professionally. “Ed in particular is one of the founding members of NLPA and has been a pivotal part of advancing NLPA’s agenda and visibility,” said Capielo, who received her doctorate from UGA in 2016 and is an assistant professor at Arizona State University. “Ed is also a padron for many of our NLPA members, myself included,” she also said. (“Padron” translates to “godparent” or “elder.”) “Personally, I believe this award recognizes his commitment, passion and selflessness to mentor and support all Latina/o psychologists and psychologists-in-training.” Capielo received her own honor, the Outstanding Dissertation Award, during the conference. Her dissertation, “A Bilinear Three-Dimensional Model of Acculturation for Central Florida Puerto Ricans,” was part of her doctoral studies at UGA. Kudos recognizes special contributions of staff, faculty and administrators in teaching, research and s ervice. News items are limited to election into office of state, regional, national and international societies; major awards and prizes; and similarly notable accomplishments.
Dorothy Kozlowski
Heidi Harriman Ewen splits her time between research and teaching housing for aging populations and family demographics within FACS and on the biopsychosocial aspects of aging and health in the Institute of Gerontology.
Professor’s interdisciplinary research strives to answer age-old questions By Cal Powell
jcpowell@uga.edu
The middle of an Illinois cornfield, it turns out, can prove fertile ground for a career in academic research. Heidi Harriman Ewen spent her formative years there in the Midwestern quiet, shaped by regular journeys to the local nursing home and senior center where her mother taught quilting and gardening classes and by daily conversations with her nearby grandparents. Those early years spent sitting under a quilting frame or on the porch in conversation with her grandparents provided the foundation for Ewen’s eventual career as an aging-in-place and relocation expert. “I spent the majority of my childhood with older people,” she said. “It had a huge influence on me.” Now an assistant professor in the financial planning, housing and consumer economics department of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, Ewen also has a joint appointment in the Institute of Gerontology in the College of Public Health. Her primary scholarly work deals with the ways in which older adults make decisions about where to live, whether aging-in-place in their own homes or relocating; how they adapt their environment or themselves as they age; and stress and adaptation. Her current research focuses on low-income older adults and how they manage finances, housing and health. Those seeds were planted early, she said. “I learned a lot of things I don’t think my peers knew about,” Ewen said of those early days. “A lot of it was just listening to them talk. The women’s
stories were fascinating to me. The old women used to tell me, ‘You need to take every opportunity given to you. We didn’t have those kinds of things.’ ” As part of her master’s work in the late 1990s, Ewen began interviewing residents of low-income housing facilities about how they developed coping strategies for dealing with stress. “I became fascinated with how people made the decisions to move,” Ewen said. “Either they planned 10 years in advance or it was the result of a huge crisis. There wasn’t a whole lot in between.” Ewen later went on to receive a doctorate in gerontology and behavioral science from the University of Kentucky, one of only seven gerontology programs in the country at the time. Ewen began at UGA in 2014, and splits her time between research and teaching housing for aging populations and family demographics within FACS and on the biopsychosocial aspects of aging and health in the Institute of Gerontology. The joint appointment makes for an interesting dynamic in the classroom, where issues of aging and housing intersect. “A lot of our (gerontology) students are master’s of public health/master’s of social work dual-degree students, so they’re the front line people who are out there helping older adults transition from home to hospital to rehabilitation and back home,” Ewen said. “They also work in hospice and provide support to those who are dying and their families.” Her methodology for the FACS housing classes is a little different, focusing more on the need for senior housing, home and community-based services, and housing modifications to enable
FACTS Heidi Harriman Ewen Assistant Professor College of Family and Consumer Sciences and College of Public Health Ph.D., Gerontology/Behavioral Science, University of Kentucky, 2006 M.A., Experimental Psychology, University of Tennessee-Knoxville, 1996 B.A., Psychology, Eastern Illinois University, 1994 At UGA: Two years
older people to stay in their homes. Ewen said she feels fortunate her career has coincided with the emergence of the senior housing industry, particularly the enormous growth of retirement communities for both independent and assisted living, driven largely by the retirement of the baby boomers. “Back when my grandparents were alive, about the only options were nursing homes and trailer park communities in the Sun Belt states,” Ewen said. “Now we have these varied facilities for healthy, active older people as well as those who need more support. A lot of those have dementia care attached to them, too. It has been rewarding to see it change.” Ewen added she’s grateful to have found a home at UGA where interdisciplinary work is valued and encouraged. “I cannot imagine a better fit for my research and teaching,” she said. “It’s the perfect blending for imparting knowledge and skills to our students so they may address the needs of an aging population.”
RETIREES November
Twelve UGA employees retired Nov. 1. Retirees, their job classification, department and years of service are: Anna Boyette, senior graphics designer, Skidaway Institute of Oceanography, 35 years; Harsh Kumar Jain, design and production manager, College of Veterinary Medicine-Dean’s Office, 35 years; Jonas Johnson Jr., utility worker II, UGA Cooperative Extension-Physical Plant, 14 years; D. Clarke Kesler, project superintendent,
Facilities Management DivisionConstruction Department, 23 years; Elizabeth Deanna Palmer, administrative associate I, language and literacy education, 18 years; Robin S. Phillips, digital print technician II, Bulldog Print + Design, 29 years; Nancy R. Power, assistant to the dean, School of Public and International Affairs, 35 years; Minnie B. Ransom, building services worker II, Facilities Management Division-Building Services (North campus), 20 years; Kathy A.
Simmons, building services supervisor, Facilities M anagement DivisionBuilding Services (North campus), 24 years; Karen M. Sorrells, accountant, continuing legal education, 29 years; Robert T. White, utility distribution coordinator, Facilities Management Division-Energy Services Department, 9 years; and Annie D. Winfrey, building services worker II, Facilities Management Division-Building Services (South campus), 13 years. Source: Human Resources
2017 CAMPAIGN FOR CHARITIES
Making dreams a reality
columns.uga.edu Nov. 14, 2016
Dorothy Kozlowski
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Rick O’Quinn
Jordann Tiras, a fourth-year finance major in the Terry College of Business, volunteers for the American Red Cross along with donating blood.
Charles Davis, dean of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, helped generate more student participation in the college’s annual Hunger Bowl food drive.
Donation from Red Cross student volunteer saves life of 6-year-old girl
Grady dean focuses on feeding area families through Hunger Bowl drives
By James Lichtenwalter
By Leigh Beeson
james.lichtenwalt25@uga.edu
Two months ago, Jordann Tiras saved someone’s life. It was a simple, undramatic act. She didn’t take a bullet for anyone or push someone out of the way of an oncoming bus. Instead, she donated her blood. “About a week after donating, I got an email from the American Red Cross saying that my donation went to a 6-year-old girl in Birmingham, Alabama,” Tiras said. “[My blood] saved her life.” This is just one of many stories that Tiras, a fourth-year finance major in UGA’s Terry College of Business, has from years of volunteering at blood donation services. After working with such a service during high school, Tiras became involved with the Red Cross at UGA, where she is now the executive director. The Red Cross at UGA is a branch of the American Red Cross, which works with the East Georgia chapter of the nonprofit agency. The Red Cross is one of the organizations supported by UGA’s Campaign for Charities, which ends Dec. 15.
Due to organizations like the Red Cross, people like the girl in Birmingham receive necessary blood donations when they most need them. The UGA chapter has about 250 members. While blood donation is a large part of the Red Cross at UGA, the organization does so much more in the community. It is split into four committees that fulfill different purposes across campus and throughout Athens: blood services, fundraising, marketing and public health and disaster relief. One of Tiras’ favorite parts of volunteering with Red Cross at UGA is spreading the word about donating blood and the American Red Cross. “Signing someone up to give blood can save three lives, and that’s absolutely incredible,” she said. “Giving blood is something that is so easy but also so meaningful.” Case in point is Tiras’ recent email about the girl in Birmingham whose life her blood helped. “For me to get that email saying ‘Hey, your blood donation saved someone’s life’ was awesome,” she said. “Something like that you will always remember.”
WEEKLY READER
lbeeson@uga.edu
When Charles N. Davis landed back in Athens roughly three years ago as the new dean of the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, he knew he wanted to find a way for the college to give back to the surrounding community. He’s proud to be a native Athenian, but growing up he noticed there seemed to be two versions of Athens—one with money and resources and the other without. “I’ve always been acutely aware of the fact that Athens and the North Georgia region experience really dramatic gaps in income between communities,” Davis said. “You have this thriving university community with lots of doctorate-holding scientists, lawyers, doctors and professionals. But then on the other side of that income gap, you have people who are really struggling.” Almost a decade before Davis arrived, Diane Murray, the college’s director of public service and outreach, got the Grady community involved in the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia’s Food2Kids program, which provides take-home meals for the
weekends for children in need during the school year. The food bank is one of the organizations supported by UGA’s Campaign for Charities, which ends Dec. 15. Pleased to find the college already involved in charitable giving, Davis decided to up the ante by becoming one of the major players in the food bank’s annual Hunger Bowl food drives. During the Hunger Bowl, groups and companies compete to see who can raise the most money and canned goods, and Grady has won the small group category three years in a row. Over the course of just three years, donations from the college have provided more than 21,000 meals to area families. But Davis always wants to grow participation in the food drive, so this year the organizing team for the drive aimed for more student participation by visiting classrooms and launching social media campaigns to spread the word about the Hunger Bowl. There also were several random drawings for giveaways for student donors. “It’s important for others to get involved because, if for no other reason, we’re all a tragedy or setback away from being faced with a real need—all of us,” he said.
CYBERSIGHTS
ABOUT COLUMNS
New book explores Florentine art, science
Renaissance Art and Science @ Florence By Susan B. Puett and J. David Puett Truman State University Press eBook: $29.99 (color images) Paperback: $35 (black and white images)
The creativity of the human mind was brilliantly displayed during the Florentine Renaissance when artists, mathematicians, astronomers, apothecaries, medical doctors, architects and others embraced the interconnectedness of their disciplines. Artists used mathematical perspective in painting and scientific techniques to create new materials, and hospitals used art to invigorate the soul. Art enhanced depictions of scientific observations, and innovators in construction made buildings canvases for artistic grandeur. Renaissance Art and Science @ Florence covers these topics and others, with a focus in each case on the intersection of art and science/technology in the broadest sense. The book was written by David and Susan Puett. David is Regents Professor and emeritus head of UGA’s biochemistry and molecular biology department, which is based in Franklin College. Susan is the author of one historical book and n umerous poetic works that have appeared in various journals.
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 Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts
Finance and Administration redesigns site fanda.uga.edu UGA’s Division of Finance and Administration recently updated its website so users can find services they need more easily. The website now gives visitors many places to access the services they need. There is also now an option for assistance if users don’t
know exactly what part of the division they need to go to for help. The home page is separated into six sections: faculty and staff, safety and security, students, sponsored project administration, facilities and Elevating the G, which details the division’s mission and its core values.
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.
8 Nov. 14, 2016 columns.uga.edu
SCHOLAR from page 1
SEMINAR from page 1 a columnist for Garden and Gun, Esquire, The New York Times and many others; and a panelist on NPR’s Wait, Wait … Don’t Tell Me. Blount is a 2016 Georgia Writers Hall of Fame inductee. “The Alumni Seminar is a great opportunity for alumni and friends of UGA to connect with each other and to hear from renowned faculty members and guest speakers,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “I look forward to welcoming our alumni and friends back to our vibrant campus for this exciting event.” In addition to the keynote address from Blount, the 2017 Alumni Seminar will feature: • A lunch with President Morehead during which he will discuss his perspective on UGA and its role in meeting the needs of the state and nation. • A presentation by Lucy Lawliss, a College of Environment and Design alumna, former historical landscape architect for the U.S. National Park Service, former park superintendent of Fredericksburg and Spotsylvania National Military Park and George Washington Birthplace National Monument, and co-chair of the National Association for Olmsted Parks. • A campus tour highlighting UGA’s new and recently renovated facilities. • A discussion on climate and place by J. Marshall Shepherd, the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor, director of the UGA Atmospheric Sciences Program and host of The Weather Channel’s Sunday talk show Weather Geeks. • An interactive session on virtual reality led by Grace Ahn, the founding director of the Games and Virtual Environments Lab in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. • A presentation on the tiny house movement led by Kim Skobba, an assistant professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences who co-teaches a service-learning course in which students design and build tiny houses to provide low-cost housing for rural communities. Meredith Gurley Johnson, executive director of alumni relations, said that her conversations with alumni in Georgia and beyond often touch on the strong connections that people have to the university, an institution that is always evolving but at the same time always feels like home. “There will always be a place for alumni—and really anyone who’s interested in higher education and lifelong learning—at the University of Georgia,” Johnson said. “I’m looking forward to reconnecting with my fellow alumni and other supporters of the university this February during the 2017 Alumni Seminar.” Registration for the two-day seminar is $275 per person, and space is limited. Those unable to attend the entire seminar may purchase individual dinner reservations for Friday evening with Lawliss or Saturday evening with Blount for $75 per evening. Lodging for the seminar is available at the Georgia Center’s UGA Hotel and Conference Center. For more information or to register online, see alumni. uga.edu/alumniseminar.
and to strengthen the university’s partnerships across GRA institutions in the development of new drug therapies.” Kyle will have a joint appointment in the cellular biology department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the infectious diseases department in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Since 1999, the Georgia Research Alliance has partnered with Georgia’s research universities to recruit world-class scientists who foster science- and technology-based economic development. GRA also invests in technology in strategic areas, helps commercialize university-based inventions and facilitates collaboration among academia, business and government. Kyle will be the 17th active GRA Eminent Scholar at UGA and the fifth to join the university in the past two years. His research focuses on the mechanisms of antimalarial drug resistance and the discovery of new antiparasitic drugs for a variety of infectious diseases, including malaria and visceral leishmaniasis, respectively the world’s first and second most deadly parasitic infections. Kyle was part of an international research team that identified the new antimalarial drug ELQ-300, which has shown great promise in preclinical trials. The drug not only functions as a therapeutic but also blocks the transmission of malaria from mosquitoes to humans, potentially eradicating the disease entirely by breaking its
life cycle. With support from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Kyle led another project to develop human liver models that could more quickly and accurately test potential drug candidates for malaria. “We are very pleased to have Dr. Kyle join the GRA Academy of Eminent Scholars,” said C. Michael Cassidy, president and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance. “His research is bringing a greater understanding of the effects of parasitic diseases and helping to develop drugs to combat some of the world’s deadliest diseases.” Kyle’s laboratory also studies the brain-eating amoeba known as Naegleria fowleri, which causes a rare and devastating infection of the brain called primary amoebic meningoencephalitis, or PAM. PAM normally has a fatality rate of about 95 percent, but Kyle’s laboratory is making headway in the fight against this deadly disease. His laboratory recently discovered two new compounds that are 500 times more potent than drugs—most of which were developed to treat other diseases—currently used to treat PAM infections. His research could pave the way to new and desperately needed therapeutics. “Millions of people have a stake in the research that’s being conducted in our Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. “With the addition of Dr. Kyle to
this extraordinary group of faculty members, the University of Georgia is poised to play an even greater role in improving human health around the world.” Kyle received his bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and his doctorate from Clemson University. He subsequently worked as a postdoctoral research associate in UGA’s poultry science department. Before joining USF, Kyle served in a number of positions both in the U.S. and abroad. He was chief of the Malaria Research Laboratory at the Walter Reed Army Institute of Research; chief of parasitology for the Armed Forces Research Institute of the Medical Sciences in Bangkok, Thailand; and deputy director of the Division of Experimental Therapeutics for the U.S. Army’s Drug and Vaccine Development program in Washington, D.C. He also served as chair of the Genomics and Discovery Research Steering Committee and the Compound Evaluation Network for the World Health Organization. Among other awards, he received the U.S. Army Achievement Medal in 1990, the U.S. Army Commendation Medal in 1988 and the U.S. Army Meritorious Service Medal. He is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and he was named Scientist of the Year by Malaria Foundation International in 2006.
the internet has transformed the way people interact with information. “If you think of the internet as a circulatory system connecting the world, then cyber-physical systems are the nervous system sensing the world,” said Song. “CPS allow us to collect and extract timely data for efficient decision-making and quick corrective actions.” The professorship honors Mickey A. Brown, a UGA alumnus with a degree in engineering and a long-time senior executive with Georgia Power. Song joined UGA this semester from Georgia State University, where
he was a professor of computer science. He established the Sensorweb Research Laboratory in 2005, and his research has earned funding from the National Science Foundation, NASA, the U.S. Geological Survey, private industry and other partners. Song received an NSF CAREER Award in 2010. Prior to joining Georgia State, he served as an assistant professor at Washington State University. Song earned his doctorate in computer science from the Illinois Institute of Technology. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from Nanjing University of Science and Technology in China.
PROFESSOR from page 1 security systems, robotic systems and factory automation. “Dr. Song is a distinguished scientist and educator in cyber-physical systems with an outstanding record of leading large multidisciplinary research projects,” said Donald J. Leo, dean of the College of Engineering. “He will play a major role as the University of Georgia and the College of Engineering establish themselves as leaders at the interface of informatics, energy and power systems.” Scientists believe cyber-physical systems have the potential to transform the way people interact with engineered systems in the same way
COMMENCEMENT from page 1 December,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “He is an accomplished author whose writing has shed new light on some of the most important and complex figures in our nation’s history. I look forward to welcoming him to campus and hearing his insightful comments to our graduating students.” A contributing editor of Time magazine, Meacham is a former editor of Newsweek and has written for The New York Times
and for The Washington Post. He is a distinguished visiting professor of political science at Vanderbilt University and of history at The University of the South, his alma mater. While at Sewanee, he was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. A former trustee and regent of Sewanee, Meacham, a Fellow of the Society of American Historians, currently serves on the boards of the Thomas Jefferson Foundation, the Andrew Jackson Foundation, the
Bulletin Board ‘Columns’ publication break
Because of the Thanksgiving holiday, Columns will not be published Nov. 21. The final issue for fall semester will be published Dec. 5. Submit news items to columns@uga.edu by noon Nov. 16.
Holiday pottery sale
The UGA Ceramic Student Organization will hold its annual holiday pottery sale Nov. 30-Dec.1 from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the first-floor lobby of the Lamar Dodd School of Art, 270 River Road. Work on sale will include small, hand-built sculpture as well as functional pottery: teapots, mugs,
McCallie School and the Harpeth Hall School. Cornileus serves as an integral member of the ESPN senior human resources leadership team. She is responsible for the learning, talent management and organizational development strategies for ESPN employees around the world. She also serves as an adviser to senior management at ESPN on all matters pertaining to her field. Prior to joining ESPN,
ornileus served as director C of executive development and organizational effectiveness for Turner B roadcasting System Inc. from 2004 to 2009 and vice president of training and organizational development for Aegis Communications Group Inc. from 1998 to 2004. She began her career as an educator in various K-12 school systems from 1985 to 1996. Cornileus earned her doctorate in adult education, human
plates, vases and bowls. All work was made by ceramic students or faculty. Prices will range from $8-$100. Proceeds from the holiday pottery sale will support upcoming student educational field trips to ceramic conferences and to bring visiting ceramic artists to campus. Hourly parking is available at the parking deck next to the Performing Arts Center. For more information, contact Ted Saupe at tsaupe@uga.edu.
Alumni volunteers
The UGA Alumni Association is looking for
resources and organizational development from UGA in 2010. In 2004, she earned her master’s degree in human resources and organizational development from UGA. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in telecommunications from the University of Florida in 1985. She is a current member of the UGA College of Education Board of Visitors. For more information, visit http://commencement.uga.edu/.
passionate Bulldog alumni to serve on the leadership councils for the Women of UGA and Young Alumni affinity groups. If you are passionate about building a welcoming UGA community for all Bulldogs and enjoy helping fellow alumni connect to their alma mater, consider volunteering for an affinity group leadership council. Applications close Dec. 31. All applicants must live in metro Atlanta. For more information, visit alumni.uga.edu/networks. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.