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College of Public Health study: Dental fillings raise level of mercury in body RESEARCH NEWS
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R.E.M.’s Mike Mills to perform ‘Rock Concerto’ in Hodgson Concert Hall Vol. 44, No. 13
October 17, 2016
columns.uga.edu
laurie@uga.edu
Peter Frey
Scientists in the new Center for Vaccines and Immunology seek to improve global health by working on vaccines to battle emerging and re-emerging diseases.
Improving global health UGA Center for Vaccines and Immunology targets deadly global diseases
erica.hensley25@uga.edu
UGA’s new Center for Vaccines and Immunology is dedicated to improving global health by creating vaccines to fight emerging and re-emerging diseases such as influenza and Zika. UGA President Jere W. Morehead and Vice President for Research David Lee joined Sheila W. Allen, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine, Sept. 29 for a tour of the CVI, guided by Ted M. Ross, the center’s inaugural director and the Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Infectious Diseases. Mike Cassidy, president and CEO of the Georgia Research Alliance, and Susan Shows, GRA senior vice president, also joined the group for the tour.
“The University of Georgia continues to build its capacity for conducting translational research to prevent and cure some of the world’s most deadly diseases,” Morehead said. “We are excited about the many ways the new center will support our worldrenowned faculty who are committed to improving global health.” Research conducted in the CVI will be dedicated to the understanding of vaccines, vaccinestimulated immune responses, basic immunology of infectious diseases and translational trials to assess vaccines that impact both animals and humans. CVI researchers will work closely with industrial, public health and academic partners on the control and eradication of pathogens deemed to be a high priority by interna-
tional public health organizations. Initial projects by four complementary research teams are now underway, including development of a Zika vaccine in partnership with GeoVax Labs Inc. and a new generation of influenza vaccines that trigger a broader defense against seasonal and pandemic flu viruses for both humans and animals. As previously announced, the flu vaccine is being developed with Sanofi Pasteur, the world’s largest manufacturer of influenza vaccine. “The center already is enabling or enhancing relationships with major industry partners that can ensure access of new UGA vaccines and related products to world markets,” said Lee. “The center also is encouraging new levels of collaboration with academic See CENTER on page 8
COLLEGE OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES
Leaders in fabric, textiles area to gather at AFFOA Industry Day, scheduled for Oct. 20 By Cal Powell
jcpowell@uga.edu
Leaders from the fabric and textile industry will join researchers and military officials in Athens Oct. 20 to discuss the future of the Advanced Functional Fabrics of America partnership as part of the inaugural AFFOA Industry Day. AFFOA, a public-private partnership launched this spring and funded in part by a $75 million commitment from the U.S. Department of Defense, seeks to accelerate innovation involving fibers and textiles through advances
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$2.6M grant supports scholarships for UGA social work students By Laurie Anderson
By Erica Hensley
UGA GUIDE
in manufacturing and engineering. UGA is hosting the event in partnership with Clemson University. Fellow Southeastern www.fcs.uga.edu/affoa Conference schools Tennessee and Kentucky, among others, also will startup incubators from around participate. the U.S. to drive a manufacturingAmong the many compa- based revolution by transforming nies planning to participate are traditional fibers, yarns and fabrics Kimberly-Clark Corp., Oxford into highly sophisticated systems Industries, and Brrr!, a company and devices for both consumer and co-founded by UGA College of defense applications,” said Gajanan Family and Consumer Sciences Bhat, the UGA Athletic Association graduate Tosha Hays that produces Professor of Fibers and Textiles cooling fabrics. within the FACS textiles, merchan“We’re joining with companies dising and interiors department. large and small, universities and See INDUSTRY on page 8
ON THE WEB
Graduate students in the UGA School of Social Work who face financial challenges while earning a degree are receiving help, thanks to the re-establishment of a federally funded scholarship program. The school was recently awarded $2.6 million by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Service Administration, as part of its Scholarships for Disadvantaged Students program. The funds will be distributed to students in need over the next four years, contingent upon the program’s annual review by the federal agency. The award is the largest to be received by the school for the program. The school
previously received four years of funding for the scholarships that ended in June 2016. The school, which began distributing the grant money in August, will continue to award the scholarships to students who are enrolled full time in the clinical practice concentration of the social work graduate degree program. Scholarship applicants also must demonstrate they come from a disadvantaged background and intend to serve in primary care settings with underserved populations. Award amounts vary and are determined based on the level of demonstrated need for each applicant. Awards may be up to $30,000 per year and cover at least half the cost of tuition.
See SCHOLARSHIPS on page 8
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
New institute seeks solutions to infrastructure challenges By Mike Wooten
mwooten@uga.edu
UGA has created a research institute that will work to help communities rethink, transform and adapt their infrastructure in a time of rapid environmental and social change. The Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems will be administered by the College of Engineering and will include faculty members from more than nine academic units across campus. Faculty in the new institute will explore ways to strengthen traditional “gray” infrastructure systems, such as water and sewage treatment, urban drainage, energy and transportation, and to integrate
them with “green” and “blue” infrastructure—green spaces, bodies of water and ecosystems that perform vital functions such as buffering storms and cleansing water and air. “The institute will be nationally unique in that it unites engineering with ecology, environmental design and planning, atmospheric science, law and policy, public health and other disciplines to effectively combine green and gray infrastructure solutions for resilience to weather and climate-related extremes,” said Brian Bledsoe, the UGA Athletic Association Professor in Resilient Infrastructure and the institute’s inaugural director. “The Institute for Resilient Infrastructure Systems is a perfect
See INSTITUTE on page 2
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
Researchers work with CDC in battle against resistant bacteria By Mike Wooten
mwooten@uga.edu
Researchers at UGA will use a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to create next-generation medical device coatings that combat antibioticresistant bacteria. The CDC will award more than $14 million to 34 research teams across the nation to develop new approaches to combat antibiotic resistance. College of Engineering faculty members Hitesh Handa and Jason Locklin will receive $266,000 for their one-year project. The UGA researchers plan to
develop a coating for intravascular catheters that inhibits infection by releasing nitric oxide, an endogenous gas molecule, while employing a durable, special polymer coating to prevent bacteria and other organisms from sticking to the catheter surface. “Antibiotics are life-saving medicines, but the overuse of antibiotics threatens their future effectiveness through the selection of resistance,” said Clifford McDonald, associate director of science for the CDC’s Division of Healthcare Quality Promotion. “As a means to promote the better
See BACTERIA on page 8