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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
4&5
$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
2 Oct. 17, 2016 columns.uga.edu
UGA LIBRARIES
Around academe
Report: Average student takes five years to earn four-year degree
Across the nation, students are taking longer to earn their degrees, according to a recent report from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. On average, students attempting to earn their bachelor’s degree take a little more than five years to do so while those striving for an associate degree require more than three years. Not surprisingly, the report also found that students who transfer to other institutions during their academic careers take longer to complete their degree requirements.
University of Michigan gets NSF grant to create fertilizer from urine
Engineering researchers at the University of Michigan are using a $3 million National Science Foundation grant to create agricultural fertilizer out of human urine, according to The University Record, the school’s weekly newspaper for faculty and staff. Most commercially produced fertilizers rely on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium to aid plant growth. All these chemicals are naturally present in urine, making it an inexpensive and relatively easy-to-produce source for needed fertilizer components.
EITS and Franklin College to hold Computer Health and Security Fair Editor’s note: This information is being r epublished because of a headline error in the Oct. 10 issue of Columns.
A symposium at UGA will feature discussion about the history of mental health advocacy in Georgia, the impact of systemic, legal and legislative reforms, and a look at what recent events may mean for those living with mental illness. “The History of Mental Illnesses in Georgia: Moving Away from a Difficult Past” will be held Oct. 19 from 1-4 p.m. at UGA’s Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. Open free to the public (registration required), the symposium will be followed by a reception. The second annual event is cosponsored by UGA’s Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies and the Institute on Human Development and Disability. It is an initiative of the Georgia Disability History Alliance, a group of advocates, organizational leaders, archivists, researchers and others dedicated to preserving and protecting the state’s disability history. Kim E. Nielsen, professor of disability studies, history and women’s and gender studies at the University of Toledo, will be the keynote speaker. The author of A Disability History of the United States, Nielsen will provide historical context for how individuals with mental illnesses were treated in the U.S. during the late 19th and early
20th centuries. “In thinking about a theme for this year’s symposium, the alliance wanted to present an issue that is often overlooked in the context of disability history,” said Mat Darby, archivist and curator of the Georgia Disability History Archive, housed at the Russell Library. “The history of mental health in this state seemed like an important, and timely, subject.” Cynthia Wainscott, a former member of the National Council on Disability, and Ellyn Jeager of the Advocacy Connection will moderate two panel discussions, “Catalyst for System Reform in Georgia’s Recent History” and “Looking Ahead: Mental Health Advocacy and Support.” “In earlier times, people with mental illnesses were often institutionalized, but that is no longer necessary. Recovery is now possible,” said Wainscott. The key, she said, is getting access to the services and supports they need. Over the past several decades, changes in Georgia’s public mental health system have helped, with recovery now a stated goal; the state’s Peer Support, Wellness and Respite Centers are helping people stay well. “People with even the most severe disorders can and do live happy, productive lives in their communities,” Wainscott said.
Source: Enterprise Technology Information Services
FOR MORE INFO
For information, questions about accessibility or to request an accommodation, contact Mat Darby at matdarby@uga.edu or 706-542-0627. The panel discussions will outline this history of change and reform and highlight recent successes. Panelists include Sue Jamieson, lead attorney for the landmark case, L.C. v. Olmstead; Stan Jones, a partner at Nelson Mullins Riley & Scarborough; Mark Baker, former director in the Office of Recovery Transformation at the Georgia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities; Talley Wells, Atlanta Legal Aid; Yaasmeen Rhett-Nyjah, founder of Kids Like Moses Inc.; Cheryl Holt, former director of Integrated Healthcare, Cobb Community Service Board; Georgia Rep. Pat Gardner; Georgia Rep. Katie Dempsey; Jen Banathy, Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network; and a speaker from Georgia’s RESPECT Institute. An exhibit highlighting documents, photographs and memorabilia related to mental health history from the archive and works by Jerome Lawrence, an artist who uses painting as a therapeutic tool in his mental health recovery, will be on display.
INSTITUTE
News to Use
EITS and the Office of Information echnology in the Franklin College of Arts and T Sciences will offer free computer assistance at the Computer Health and Security Fair. The fair is Oct. 18 and 19 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on the second floor of the Miller Learning Center. Technical volunteers will conduct security checkups, update programs and operating systems, remove malware, install software and address any other problems. UGA students, faculty and staff are welcome to bring their personal PC and Mac laptops. Service can take between 30 and 60 minutes, and work is done on a first-come, firstserve basis. For issues that will take more than an hour to resolve, the volunteers will instruct guests on how to fix those issues themselves. Hardware repairs will not be offered, and university-issued computers will not be checked at the event. Students, faculty and staff are encouraged to take steps to keep their computers secure by running regular anti-virus scans, using strong passwords and never sending their MyID and password in an email. To learn more, visit eits.uga.edu.
Symposium examines state’s history of mental health reform, advocacy
Credit: Jeopardy! Productions
UGA STUDENT FINDS HIMSELF IN ‘JEOPARDY!’—Seth Wilson, right, a UGA doctoral candidate in Franklin College’s theatre and film studies department, poses with Alex Trebek, host of “Jeopardy!” While on the game show, Wilson collected $267,000 in prize money. Now teaching in Texas as an adjunct professor while working on his dissertation, Wilson plans to pay off his student loans and take a trip. Wilson’s 12game win streak—the fifth longest since “Jeopardy!” allowed endless streaks in 2003—qualifies him for the game show’s Tournament of Champions later this year.
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example of UGA’s interdisciplinary approach to solving the major challenges facing society,” said College of Engineering Dean Donald J. Leo. In addition to the College of Engineering, the new institute will feature faculty collaborations with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a public service and outreach unit; the College of Environment and Design; the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant; the Odum School of Ecology; the College of Public Health; and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. The new institute plans to develop and offer graduate and professional certificate programs in resilient infrastructure. Institute faculty will design an interdisciplinary concentration in infrastructure systems under the existing doctoral degree in engineering. Partners and experts from business, industry, government and other fields will play a role through two external advisory boards.
SIGNATURE LECTURE
Signature Lecture speaker advocates international collaboration to face economic, social pressures By Leigh Beeson lbeeson@uga.edu
Source: discover.uga.edu
Janet Beckley
Frequent terrorist attacks, interracial tension, an unstable global economy and a refugee crisis the likes of which the world hasn’t seen before combine to make this generation one of the most volatile in recent history, according to the president of the University of Oxford’s Trinity College. “These are particularly worrying times,” said Sir Ivor Roberts, a former British diplomat with almost 40 years of service, “but through international collaboration, we can persevere.” Roberts spoke Sept. 28 in a lecture sponsored by the UGA Press, the School
of Public and International Affairs and UGA at Oxford. During his tenure in the British Diplomatic Service, Roberts was ambassador to several countries, deputy head of the Foreign Office’s press department and head of counterterrorism. Recent populist movements in Western nations, such as the “Little Englanders” in the United Kingdom and the far right-wing movements in the U.S. and countries like Germany, have advocated a domestic-centered approach to politics and a decreased role for their countries on the world stage. This approach, Roberts said, is not only detrimental to those countries themselves but also to the larger stability
of the world. “The reality is that we live in a dystopian world where many, if not most, parts of it are facing acute political, economic or social pressures,” Roberts said. “It’s tempting to insulate oneself from the worst effects of this dystopia because the lessons of the 1930s, so distant yet with so many economic and political parallels with the modern day, serve to demonstrate disengagement merely stores up nightmarish future problems.” Countries benefit from international collaboration, which enables them to make a larger impact than would be possible on their own. Policies of isolationism, especially in powerful countries like the U.S., are dangerous, Roberts said.
RESEARCH NEWS
columns.uga.edu Oct. 17, 2016
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Digest Campus community invited to Nov. 10 kickoff for public phase of campaign
Assistant professor Xiaozhong “John” Yu, left, and scientist Lei Yin, both from the University of Georgia’s College of Public Health, conducted research that shows dental amalgam can contribute to prolonged mercury levels in the body.
Heavy metal
Dental fillings raise levels of mercury in the body, College of Public Health study finds By Elizabeth Fite ecfite@uga.edu
Dental surface restorations composed of dental amalgam, a mixture of mercury, silver, tin and other metals, significantly contribute to prolonged mercury levels in the body, according to new research from UGA’s environmental health science department in the College of Public Health. This research, which analyzed data from nearly 15,000 individuals, is the first to demonstrate a relationship between dental fillings and mercury exposure in a nationally representative population. The results were published online earlier this month and will be available in the print edition of the journal Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety in December. “Tooth decay is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases,” said Lei Yin, a scientist in the environmental health science department and the study’s lead author. “I think a majority of people have experienced dental fillings, but the kind of materials the dentist uses isn’t something that’s really discussed.” Mercury exposure from dental fillings is not a new concern, but previous studies were inconsistent and limited, according to Xiaozhong “John” Yu, an
assistant professor of environmental health science and co-author of the study. “This study is trying to provide the most accurate levels of exposure, which will form the scientific basis to make future risk assessments,” Yu said, adding that the study was the first to also control for age, education, ethnicity, race, gender, smoking and seafood consumption, which is a known contributor to mercury levels in the body. The researchers further analyzed exposure by specific types of mercury and found a significant increase in methyl mercury, the most toxic form of mercury, related to dental fillings. Yu said this result suggests the human gut microbiota, a collection of microorganisms living in the intestines, may transform different types of mercury. Dental amalgam has been the go-to dental filling material for more than 150 years because it’s affordable and durable. However, about half of the compound contains mercury, a heavy metal known to be toxic at high levels, causing brain, heart, kidney, lung and immune system damage. New research suggests that methyl mercury may cause damage even at low levels. “As toxicologists, we know that
mercury is poison, but it all depends on the dose,” Yu said. “So, if you have one dental filling, maybe it’s OK. But if you have more than eight dental fillings, the potential risk for adverse effects is higher.” People with numerous dental fillings who also are exposed to mercury from other sources, such as seafood or work environments, are most at risk. The results show that individuals with more than eight fillings had about 150 percent more mercury in their blood than those with none. The average American has three dental fillings, while 25 percent of the population has 11 or more fillings. The study also looked at dental composite resins, a mercury-free alternative for dental fillings that can release small amounts of bisphenol A, or BPA, which may cause developmental or reproductive damage. The results found no association between dental fillings and urinary BPA, but further research is needed to understand BPA exposure from resin-based materials. “It’s important for doctors and patients to be informed in their selections,” Yin said. “We now have an excellent starting point to evaluate the potential risk of dental material on human health.”
ODUM SCHOOL OF ECOLOGY
Scientists use genetic analysis of vampire bats to forecast spatial expansion of rabies in Peru By Beth Gavrilles bethgav@uga.edu
Rabies is likely to appear on the Pacific coast of Peru, an area where it currently does not occur, within four years, according to a report by an international team of researchers just published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. The authors, led by Daniel Streicker of the University of Glasgow and UGA, combined genetic analysis of vampire bats and rabies virus strains from across Peru to gain insights into how the virus spreads. They found that it is most likely carried from one area to another by infected male vampire bats that leave their original colonies upon reaching maturity.
Because tracking infected vampire bats in real time is logistically impractical at best, Streicker and his colleagues collected molecular genetic data from bats and the rabies virus to explore historical patterns of the virus’ spread. To analyze vampire bat genetics, they used tissue samples from 468 bats collected from across Peru between 2008 and 2013. They looked at two kinds of DNA: nuclear DNA, which is inherited from both parents, and mitochondrial DNA, inherited only from the mother. The researchers found that bats with the same nuclear DNA signature were clustered into just three separate geographic regions. The spatial distribution of these three lineages was strikingly similar to the three genetic
groups of rabies virus. “In a nutshell, this shows that male vampire bats are likely responsible for dispersing rabies across the landscape at the continent level,” said study coauthor Sonia Altizer of the UGA Odum School of Ecology. By taking into account the collection dates of rabies virus samples, Streicker and his colleagues were able to reconstruct the velocity of the historical spread of the virus across the country. Using these estimates combined with detailed maps of Peru’s landscape features, they developed a forecast for likely future rabies invasions. Based on the historic rate of spread, the researchers calculated that rabies virus could reach Peru’s Pacific coast by June 2020.
All members of the University of Georgia community—staff, faculty, students and local alumni and friends—are invited to attend a celebration Nov. 10 to kick off the public phase of the university’s comprehensive capital campaign. The drop-in event will be held in the Tate Student Center Grand Hall from noon-2 p.m. The program, which will begin at 12:45 p.m., will include remarks from UGA President Jere W. Morehead. Attendees will learn more about the purpose and fundraising priorities of the campaign. They also will enjoy complimentary refreshments, an appearance by Hairy Dawg and a photo booth. No registration is required.
Nominations being accepted for 2017 President’s Medal through Nov. 6
UGA will award the 2017 President’s Medal to recognize the longstanding, extraordinary contributions of former employees who have supported deserving students and meaningful academic programs, advanced research that creatively explored solutions for the challenges of the times and inspired community leaders to engage in enhancing the quality of life of Georgians through their support of the university. The medal, conceived by the UGA Emeriti Scholars, will be presented during the 2017 Founders Day program on Jan. 17. The celebration will begin with a luncheon and be followed by the annual lecture, traditionally delivered by a member of the UGA Emeriti Scholars. Nominations are now being accepted for the President’s Medal. Nominees must have a connection to the university but cannot be a current UGA employee. Individuals currently serving as appointed and elected officials in local, state or federal positions also are ineligible. The President’s Medal recipient must be willing to be present at the Founders Day celebrations to receive the medal. Nominations must be received by the UGA Office of the President no later than Nov. 6. Submit a nomination letter, a resume or biography of the nominee and at least two letters of support to Arthur L. Tripp Jr., Office of the President, Administration Building, 220 S. Jackson St., Athens, GA 30602. Nominees not selected may be considered for the following two years.
College of Pharmacy’s Ansel Symposium will focus on safe medication use
The UGA College of Pharmacy will hold its 2016 Howard C. Ansel Symposium, “Patient Safety and the Future of Pharmacy,” Oct. 22 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Named in honor of the dean of the pharmacy college from 1977-1991, the symposium will highlight the essential roles pharmacists play in the prevention, identification and reporting of medication safety issues. In addition, participants will consider emerging opportunities for p harmacists to ensure patient safety and effective medication. Greg Reybold, vice president of public policy and association counsel for the Georgia Pharmacy Association; Michael Crooks, pharmacy interventions technical lead for Alliant Quality; Jennifer Shannon, owner and pharmacist at Lily’s Pharmacy in Johns Creek; Michael Azzolin, chief operating officer for PharmD on Demand; and Sharon Clackum, president of Rx Answers, will provide attendees with a study of best practices in medication safety. To be held at the pharmacy college, the symposium will cost $60 for pharmacists and $30 for technicians. To register or for more information, call 706-542-6232 or visit http://tinyurl.com/z4tg94b.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE STATEMENT Columns (USPS 020-024) is published weekly during the academic year and
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For a complete listing of events at the University of Georgia, check the Master Calendar on the Web (calendar.uga.edu/). The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified. Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.
EXHIBITIONS
UGAGUIDE
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. G eorgia 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, OCTOBER 17 BROWN BAG SESSION: UGA LOGO Bring your lunch and hear more about guidelines for use of the new logo and what to expect during the transition. Noon. Peabody Board Room, Administration Building. 706-542-8083. AN EVENING WITH JAMES FARMER Enjoy this evening with James Farmer, editor-atlarge for Southern Living and frequent guest on television and radio, which will include a book signing, a reception with hand-crafted treats and a wine tasting by Healthy Gourmet. $30; preregistration required. 5:30 p.m. Visitor Center and Conservatory, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. garden@uga.edu HUGH HODGSON FACULTY SERIES Anatoly Sheludyakov, resident accompanist at the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music, performs as part of the Hugh Hodgson Faculty Series. $12; $6 with a UGACard. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 18 WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE For fall semester. STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONFERENCE Convening influential leaders from the state’s public health community, the conference is a daylong gathering focused on meaningful, constructive dialogue and practical solutions for Georgia’s public health challenges. Registration is closed. 9 a.m. Georgia Center. 706-542-4369. davism@uga.edu WORKSHOP “A Holistic View of Teaching, Learning and Assessment.” Led by Kate McConnell, senior director for research and assessment at the American Association of Colleges & Universities. 10 a.m. 372 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-8802. lcoco@uga.edu COMPUTER HEALTH AND SECURITY FAIR 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Through Oct. 19. Second floor rotunda, Miller Learning Center. 706-542-8831. kerriuga@uga.edu (See News to Use, page 2.) LUNCHTIME GALLERY TALK Printmaking and Book Art MFA candidate Megan Burchett and Athens-based textile artist Maddie Zerkel will discuss their collaborative exhibition Comfort Tub. Noon. Suite Gallery, Lamar Dodd School of Art. 773-965-1689. kgeha@uga.edu
October. Must bring UGA ID and current insurance card. The Taqueria 1785 food truck will be at UHC from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Filed with insurance (often no out-of-pocket cost); $45 or $65 (high dose vaccine if 65 or older) if uninsured/ cash. Available for UGA students, faculty, staff and dependents (13 and older). 9 a.m. Check in at front registration desk. University Health Center. 706-542-8690. kgroft@uhs.uga.edu POE-TOBER: POE BOOK DISCUSSION Book discussion focusing on Edgar Allan Poe. This event is part of the NEA Big Read: Poe-tober. 10:30 a.m. Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter St. kathleen.mcgovern25@uga.edu
PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE WATCH Join the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies for Debate Watch 2016. Doors will open at 8 p.m., followed by discussion led by UGA political science professor Paul Gurian at 8:30 p.m., and the debate at 9 p.m. Part of Ready, Steady, Vote! Auditorium, special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. jhebbard@uga.edu
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 20 DRC STUDENT AND FACULTY RECOGNITION RECEPTION The Recognition Reception honors student recipients of Disability Resource Center scholarships and the recipient of the outstanding faculty award. 3 p.m. Grand Hall, Classic Center. MANCINI LECTURE Thomas Dishion of Arizona State University will discuss intervention strategies for families including his research and testing of “The Family Check-Up,” a tiered, needs-based approach for families. 3:30 p.m. 137 Tate Student Center. VISUAL ARTS THIRD THURSDAY Seven of Athens’ established venues for visual art hold “Third Thursday,” an event devoted to art in the evening hours, on the third Thursday of every month. The Georgia Museum of Art, the Lamar Dodd School of Art, Lyndon House Arts Center, Glass Cube & Gallery@Hotel Indigo, Cine, the Classic Center and ATHICA will be open to showcase their visual-arts programming. Full schedules are posted at 3Thurs.org. 6 p.m. 706-542-4662. BROOKLYN BRIDGE FILM SERIES Brooklyn Bridge. In this documentary, Ken Burns captures the physical majesty of this greatest of all achievements of the industrial age, the dramatic story of the larger-than-life men who imagined and built it and the immense charm this granite and steel structure has exerted on generations of city dwellers. 1981, 58 min. 7 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. THURSDAY SCHOLARSHIP SERIES $20; $6 with a UGACard. 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20 and 21. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu (See story, bottom right.) PERFORMANCE Black Theatrical Ensemble presents A Raisin in the Sun, which tells the story of a poor AfricanAmerican family living on the south side of Chicago. When given the opportunity to escape from poverty (in the form of a $10,000 life insurance check), compromises must be made to decide what the money will be used for. At 7:30 p.m. Oct. 20, 21 and 22, 2:30 p.m. Oct. 22. $5, pre-sale/student; $6, pre-sale/alumni; $10 pre-sale/nonstudent; $8, door/student; $9, door/alumni; $12, door/ nonstudent. Cellar Theatre, Fine Arts Building. bte@uga.edu
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 21
WORKSHOP “Sharing Our Gen Ed Story: How Assessment Can Empower Faculty and Promote Learning.” Led by Kate McConnell, senior director for research and assessment at the American Association of Colleges & Universities. 1:30 p.m. 372 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-8802. lcoco@uga.edu
INNOVATION IN TEACHING CONFERENCE The Innovation in Teaching Conference highlights innovative teaching practices among educators. During this one-day conference, participants share and attend presentations designed to showcase outstanding teaching and new pedagogical approaches in all educational domains. $150, participant; $75, UGA faculty and students. 8 a.m. Georgia Center. bmassey@uga.edu
COMMUNITY FORUM Join the “America’s Future–What Should Our Budget Priorities Be?” forum for a deliberative discussion where participants weigh the benefits and tradeoffs of three approaches to this issue using an National Issues Forums issue guide. Part of Ready, Steady, Vote! 2 p.m. 258 special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. jhebbard@uga.edu
PUBLIC PRESENTATION Finalists for the Office of Online Learning director will share how their backgrounds have prepared them to be successful as the director of the Office of Online Learning and to take the online learning program where they believe it needs to be in four years. 9:30 a.m. 480 Tate Student Center. 706-542-3588. shawnh@uga.edu
SEMINAR “Family Values and Life-History Evolution: Lessons from (some of) the Rest of Life,” Rick Grosberg, University of California, Davis. Reception precedes seminar in lobby at 3:30 p.m. 4 p.m. 201 ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu
CONCERT ON THE LAWN Noon. North Campus quad. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu (See story, middle left.)
BOOK SIGNING The College of Public Health will host a book signing for Mary Guinan’s recent CDC memoir, Adventures of a Female Medical Detective, during the State of Public Health Conference. 4:30 p.m. Georgia Center. 706-542-2662. alea@uga.edu
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 19 WALK-IN FLU SHOT CLINIC Members of the UGA community will be able to walk in for a flu shot on Wednesdays during
FHCE RESEARCH SEMINAR Sophia Anong will discuss “Financial Adversity and Health Status” and present two papers. 12:15 p.m. 216 Dawson Hall. 706-542-4655. Miller.J@uga.edu SIGNATURE LECTURE “The Water Microbiome: Expanding Our Knowledge of Safe Water,” Joan B. Rose, Michigan State University. Georgia Power College of Public Health Endowed Seminar in Environmental Topics. Sponsored by the environmental health science department in the College of Public Health. 12:20 p.m. 175 Paul D. Coverdell Center for Biomedical and Health Sciences.
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
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 22
By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
POE-TOBER: NIGHTFALL WITH EDGAR ALLAN POE Join the Rose of Athens Theatre for a performance of Nightfall with Edgar Allan Poe and talk-back with the actors. This event is part of the NEA Big Read: Poe-tober. $10 for adults; $5 for students. 7 p.m. Seney Stovall Chapel, 201 N. Milledge Ave. kathleen.mcgovern25@uga.edu
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 23
MONDAY, OCTOBER 24 WORKSHOP The intensive, three-day biological TEM workshop will provide a practical and basic theoretical introduction to the Transmission Electron Microscope and biological sample preparation techniques. $600, UGA; $800, nonprofit organizations; $1,200, for-profit organizations. 154 Barrow Hall. jpshield@uga.edu PUBLIC PRESENTATION Finalists for the Office of Online Learning Director will share how their backgrounds have prepared them to be successful as the director of the Office of Online Learning and to take the online learning program where they believe it needs to be in four years. 9:30 a.m. 480 Tate Student Center. 706-542-3588. shawnh@uga.edu PUBLIC MEETING A public meeting for the UGA Communication Sciences and Disorders Program Reaccreditation Forum. 4:30 p.m. G-23, Aderhold Hall. 706-542-4561. sbassrin@uga.edu CONCERT Mike Mills’ Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra. $67-$77. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4400. (See story, top left.)
COMING UP
Mike Mills, left, and Robert McDuffie present the Georgia premiere of Mills' concerto on Oct. 24.
STUDENT COMPOSERS ASSOCIATION CONCERT Oct. 25. 5 p.m. Dancz Center for New Music, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. ccschwabe@uga.edu GUEST ARTIST CONCERT Oct. 25. Performance by violist Jacob Adams. 6 p.m. Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu MUSIC FROM THE GOLDEN AGE OF RUSSIAN CULTURE Oct. 25. Liza Stepanova, assistant professor of piano, plays Sonata for Violin by Mikhail Glinka and Variations in F major, op. 19, no. 6 by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu POE-TOBER: LECTURE AND TALK Oct. 26. Dana Walrath, award-winning author and TEDx speaker, will host a discussion of the role stories and images play in healing and care and connects the writing of Edgar Allan Poe to his struggles with mental illness and addiction. Part of the NEA Big Read: Poe-tober. 5 p.m. S151 Lamar Dodd School of Art. kathleen.mcgovern25@uga.edu GREGORY HISTORY LECTURE Oct. 27. In this sixth annual Gregory Distinguished Lecture, Don H. Doyle, McCausland Professor of History, University of South Carolina, discusses his recent prize-winning book The Cause of All Nations: An International History of the American Civil War. 4 p.m. Chapel. 706-542-8848. berry@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Georgia premiere of the new Mike Mills concerto Oct. 24 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. Mills, a founding member of R.E.M., composed the Concerto for Violin, Rock Band and String Orchestra for his longtime friend Robert McDuffie, a Juilliard-trained and Grammy-nominated violinist. “It is a pleasure and honor to have composed and to perform this amazing project alongside my old friend Bobby, whose imagination and encouragement got the whole thing off the ground in the first place,” Mills said. The Rock Concerto received its world premiere in June in Toronto, performed by Mills, McDuffie and the Toronto Symphony Orchestra. The Athens performance will feature Mills on piano and bass, McDuffie on violin and the Fifth House Ensemble. The band also will include guitarists John Neff and William Tonks and percussionist Patrick Ferguson. The program will open with Road Movies by John Adams and Symphony No. 3 by Philip Glass. Tickets for the concert are $67 to $77 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.
Concert on the Lawn brings UGA Golden Age Band to North Campus Clarke Schwabe
ccschwabe@uga.edu
UGA’s historic North Campus will play host to midday music when the UGA Golden Age Band performs the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s annual Concert on the Lawn near the Arch Oct. 21 at noon. This free event on the North Campus quad will give attendees the chance to combine the sights of one of the country’s most beautiful campuses with the sounds of the golden age of American bands. “This is a musical trip down memory lane featuring the UGA Golden Age Band, a joint venture with Hodgson Wind Ensemble students and School of Music faculty, including Brandon Craswell and Phil Smith, our trumpet professors,” said Cynthia Johnston Turner, director of bands. Hosted by Hodgson School faculty member and UGA Performing Arts Center Director George Foreman, the concert will be similar to the band’s Aug. 25 performance, which featured works by renowned composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries like John Philip Sousa, Edwin Franko Goldman, Herbert L. Clarke and Arthur Pryor. “George is an internationally recognized expert of band music of the golden age, so I can think of no better person to guide the audience through the music of that era,” said Johnston Turner. The Concert on the Lawn aims to delight audiences in a variety of ways—audience participation, guest conductors and period-accurate costumes are just a few things planned for the midday performance. “Bring your lunch, a lawn chair or blanket, and enjoy the fun,” said Johnston Turner. To learn more, go to music.uga.edu.
WOMEN OF UGA LUNCHEON Oct. 25. Join the UGA Alumni Association and the University Woman’s Club for a Women of UGA luncheon with UGA Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. $25, includes lunch and a gift to the Women of UGA Scholarship Fund. Noon. Athens Country Club, 2700 Jefferson Road. gms89@uga.edu COMMUNITY FORUM Oct. 25. Join the Divided States of America forum for a deliberative discussion weighing the benefits and tradeoffs of three approaches to the issue of polarization in America today. Part of Ready, Steady, Vote! 2 p.m. 258 special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. jhebbard@uga.edu
4&5
R.E.M.’s Mike Mills to perform ‘Rock Concerto’ in Hodgson Concert Hall
EMERGING SCHOLARS SYMPOSIUM The symposium is held in conjunction with the Icon of Modernism: Representing the Brooklyn Bridge, 1883-1950 exhibition. Current graduate students and other emerging scholars will expand the scope of the exhibition by addressing the broader implications of symbolically saturated constructions throughout the history of visual and material culture. Co-sponsored by the Association of Graduate Art Students. 8:30 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662.
GEORGIA YOUTHSPEAK FORUM YouthSpeak is a movement in which youth are given the opportunity to voice their opinions and take actionable steps to make a difference in the world. This year, Georgia YouthSpeak is holding an event in which delegates will be given the opportunity to conceptualize actionable steps, engage in panel discussion and network with a variety of influential speakers. 10:30 a.m. Tate Student Center. eem56502@uga.edu
columns.uga.edu Oct. 17, 2016
The U.S. Marine Band will perform on Oct. 26 as part of its 125th anniversary tour.
Performing Arts Center to present U.S. Marine Band By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present “The President’s Own” U.S. Marine Band Oct. 26 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. Admission to the concert is free, but tickets are required. The Marine Band’s mission is to perform for the president of the U.S. and the commandant of the Marine Corps. Founded in 1798 by an Act of Congress, the Marine Band is America’s oldest continuously active professional musical organization. Today, “The President’s Own” is celebrated for its role at the White House and its dynamic public performances, which total more than 500 annually. This is the 125th anniversary of the Marine Band tour. The tradition began with Director John Philip Sousa in 1891 when his soaring popularity gave him the confidence to ask President Benjamin Harrison if the band could go on a tour outside of the Washington, D.C., region. Sousa’s initial requests for permission to take the band on such a trip were denied due to a busy concert schedule in Washington and the responsibilities at the White House. But Sousa persisted and eventually presented his request directly to the commander-in-chief. The Marine Band’s current tour features a blend of patriotic, popular and orchestral music with works by Sousa, John Williams, Richard Wagner, George Gershwin and Leonard Bernstein. Tickets to the concert are available at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400.
The Hodgson Wind Ensemble, shown during the 2015 Concert on the Lawn, returns to UGA’s North Campus quad for the 2016 Concert on the Lawn on Oct. 21.
Thursday Scholarship Series to feature two operas in October performances By Clarke Schwabe ccschwabe@uga.edu
The UGA Opera Theatre returns to Hodgson Concert Hall for the Thursday Scholarship Series, performing two one-act comic operas—Mozart’s “The Impresario” and Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi”—in two performances Oct. 20 and 21 at 7:30 p.m. The Opera Theatre will join with the UGA Symphony Orchestra to perform these opera masterpieces, semi-staged with English supertitles. This is the first time the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s opera ensemble has performed two operas for its major fall production. “Being able to bring these delightful masterpieces to our students and audiences is extremely gratifying and a project I have hoped to present for the past 10 years of my tenure here at UGA,” said Frederick Burchinal, the Wyatt and Margaret Anderson Professor of the Arts at the School of Music and director of the UGA Opera Theatre. “The Impresario,” or “Der Schauspieldirektor,” leads off the production, taking aim at theater culture with a story about a frustrated theater manager, an equally frustrated but hopeful nonsinging singer and a wealthy “benefactor” whose only real interest in the theater is to promote his two recent love conquests. “What makes this even more amusing is the awareness that from the 1750s to today, nothing has really changed in the theater/opera world,” said Burchinal. Following intermission, the Opera Theatre performs Puccini’s “Gianni Schicchi,” which Burchinal said “is, without question, one of the greatest comic operas ever written.” Originally devised as one of three one-act operas to be performed together, “Gianni Schicchi” uses Dante’s “Inferno” and actual historic figures to create an enduring, hour-long amusement that takes a comic look at family intrigue, deception and love. “ ‘Gianni Schicchi’ has been one of my personal favorites as a character to play and an opera to enjoy throughout my entire career as an opera professional, and this performance is a rare opportunity for our audience to see this masterpiece brought to life with our excellent singing actors,” said Burchinal. Those interested in an in-depth look at the production can attend a preperformance lecture at 6 p.m. before the Oct. 21 performance. An RSVP sent to semery@uga.edu is required for this pre-concert event. Tickets are $20 each or $6 with a UGA student ID and are available at pac. uga.edu, 706-542-4400 or at the Performing Arts Center box office. The Oct. 21 performance will be streamed live for internet audiences via the School of Music’s website music.uga.edu/streaming.
The UGA Opera Theatre, pictured during a 2010 performance of “Cosi fan tutte” in the UGA Fine Arts Theatre, returns to Hodgson Concert Hall for the Thursday Scholarship Series Oct. 20 and 21.
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NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Oct. 19 (for Oct. 31 issue) Oct. 26 (for Nov. 7 issue) Nov. 2 (for Nov. 14 issue)
6 Oct. 17, 2016 columns.uga.edu
CAMPUS CLOSEUP
Against the stream
Bloomberg Technology published a profile about David Lowery, a musician and lecturer for the Terry College of Business, and his efforts to promote musicians’ rights in the streaming music world. Lowery, who teaches in the Music Business Certificate Program, has filed a copyright infringement suit against the music streaming service Spotify. In the Bloomberg profile, “One Cranky Rocker Takes on the Entire Streaming Music Business,” Lowery said he does not oppose the streaming music service and the role technological innovation plays in the industry. “I’m not looking backwards to some perceived golden age of the music business,” Lowery said. “There wasn’t a golden age of the music business.” What Lowery believes, he told Bloomberg, is that streaming music services must be fair for artists and songwriters.
Shared history
In most of the U.S., home-school parents “tend to be dual-parent and middle- or upper-income,” according to a story about homeschooling in The Christian Science Monitor, “enabling one parent to stay home and teach the kids.” It’s different in Georgia, said Cheryl Fields-Smith, an associate professor of early childhood education in UGA’s College of Education. Most states only allow parents to teach their own children. Georgia does not, which has led to home-schooling co-ops, in which single black mothers have teamed up to give their children an education. The mothers take turns teaching, based on their skills and interests, in ways that reflect their values and offer greater depth to African-American history.
America’s ‘first age of terror’
In an op-ed for Bloomberg, UGA associate professor of history Stephen Mihm looked back at an early version of homegrown terrorism in the U.S. perpetuated by radical anarchists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In an attempt to overthrow capitalism and the state, Mihm wrote, radicals used “readily available” dynamite and other explosives in terroristic attacks. Media hysteria ensued and so did a “brutal crackdown” on anarchists. The trend continued for decades, and in some major cities bombings were a regular occurrence. “Terrorism had become such a fact of life by this time that newspapers ran articles blithely discussing the evolution of anarchist bombing techniques, which the Washington Post described in 1911 as having been ‘reduced to a science,’ ” Mihm wrote.
‘Value added’
Fish urine, believe it or not, can play an important role in creating biodiversity in coral reefs, according to an article in National Geographic. And overfishing, particularly of the largest fish, can affect the health of reefs. “It’s kind of a funny thing to say that we would conserve for fish pee,” said Jake Allgeier, who received his doctorate in ecology from UGA in 2013 and now is a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Washington. “But it is hopefully setting a precedent to think about these reefs differently.” Allgeier’s finding about coral reefs was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. Amy Rosemond, an associate professor in the UGA Odum School of Ecology who was not associated with the study, told the magazine that accounting for fish size may be an important component to consider in fishery regulations. “So many times, we see negative feedbacks of human modification of systems, where we lose ecosystem services,” Rosemond said. “In this case, we can get value added.”
Dorothy Kozlowski
Stan Johnson, logistical support manager for the Terry College of Business, helps keep faculty, staff and students on track by making sure they have the printouts they need.
Logistical support manager helps push Terry’s large volume of paper By Jim Lichtenwalter
james.lichtenwal25@uga.edu
Stan Johnson is the official “paper pusher” for the Terry College of Business. Each semester, the faculty, staff and students there go through a large volume of paper: handouts, tests, assignments, quizzes and final exams. As the college’s logistical support manager, Johnson helps to oversee the production of these documents with his one and only staff member Tamara Smith, who also sorts through the college’s incoming mail for delivery. Originally hired in 1983, Johnson worked in the business college’s print shop where he operated the offset printing press before he transitioned into his current position. Throughout his career, Johnson has seen many aspects of his job change as technology has improved, and the computer became relevant in the workplace. “The workload is the same,” he said. “We’re just constantly copying class handouts and exams.” In addition to his duties in the print shop, Johnson is part of Terry’s Staff
OBITUARIES Ira Aaron
Ira Edward Aaron, a retired faculty member in UGA’s College of Education, died Sept. 27. He was 97. A native of Jenkins County, Aaron was stationed in Alaska d u r i n g Wo r l d War II serving as a second lieutenant in the Army Air Corps. An awardwinning public Ira Aaron school teacher and administrator, Aaron brought those same leadership qualities to UGA classrooms and administrative positions. As the elected president, he led the International Reading Association and that organization’s Hall of Fame. He was the recipient of awards from local and international professional associations. The author of teaching materials used by students and teachers throughout the world, Aaron was a productive scholar and teacher.
Representative Group along with other members of the college’s staff. He also helps each year to organize the Terry Toys for Tots bicycle donation, which he helped start in 2006. This past December, college employees collected $3,746 and purchased approximately 70 bicycles. In his spare time, Johnson researches his family’s roots. “I’m into genealogy,” he said. “So I do a lot of traveling to surrounding states trying to find family records and cemeteries.” Johnson’s preoccupation with his lineage is no passing hobby. Instead, it’s been a decade-long journey. Using ancestry.com and similar websites, he tracks down the records, birth certificates, death certificates and burial places of his distant relatives. Currently, he can definitively trace his roots back four generations and has tenuous connections with five and six generations back. “I’ve been doing this for 10 years,” Johnson said. “But I’ve always been interested in it since I was a kid.” He often checks the burial places of his parents, brother, grandparents,
A graveside service was held Oct. 3 in Millen for Aaron, who is survived by a host of nieces, nephews, a great-niece and great-great nephews. Memorial donations may be made to the Ira Aaron Award for Teaching Excellence and Collegiality (https://t.uga.edu/2GL) or the Ira Aaron International Study Scholarship (https://t.uga.edu/2GM).
Melanie Andrews Burden
Melanie Andrews Burden, 56, a retired staff member, died Sept. 13. Formerly of Newport, Rhode Island, Burden was an Athens resident for more than 30 years. During her 30 years at UGA, Burden worked in various departments and Melanie Burden roles until her retirement in 2012 as the assistant to the dean of the College of Pharmacy. After
FACTS
Stan Johnson Logistical Support Manager Terry College of Business At UGA: 33 years
great-grandparents, aunts and uncles. He’s also interested in different kinds of tombstones, the different symbols engraved on tombstones and the various sections in some cemeteries. “Cemeteries are another one of my passions,” Johnson said. “If I’m visiting a town and see an old cemetery, I’ve got to ride through to see the different sections and the different levels of people’s prosperity. You can tell by these huge monuments that those folk were somebody and had money. Then you’ll go and see a pauper’s grave not too far away.” Johnson, who has been a UGA staff member for 33 years, still enjoys his work at Terry. “I love dealing with all the different people,” Johnson said. “It’s always been a good place to work.”
retiring from UGA, Burden dedicated her time to the Athens Nurses Clinic helping the organization provide free medical services to those in need. During her time in Athens, Burden also volunteered with various community organizations including, but not limited to, the YMCA, the Morton Theatre, Relay For Life, the Athens Area Arts Council, Saint Joseph Catholic Church and The Links Inc. Survivors include her husband Sige Burden Jr., a senior managing HR director at UGA; her sons, Jason Andrews, Brandon Andrews and Trenton Andrews; her sister and brother, Cheryl and Joel McCray, and her father, Harold McCray. A remembrance service was held Sept. 17 at The Graduate in Athens. Donations in Burden’s memory may be made to the Athens Nurses Clinic. A page has been set up in her name at http://tinyurl.com/hkbjr4p or donations can be made directly to the organization by contacting Paige Cummings at 706-613-6976.
OFFICE OF VP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH, OFFICE OF VP FOR INSTRUCTION
columns.uga.edu Oct. 17, 2016
Academic service-learning
Nine UGA faculty members named 2016-17 Service-Learning Fellows By Shannon O. Wilder swilder@uga.edu
The Office of Service-Learning has selected nine faculty members for participation in its yearlong Service-Learning Fellows program. This program provides an opportunity for faculty members from a range of disciplines to integrate academic service-learning into their professional practice. Fellows meet regularly throughout the academic year and receive an award of up to $2,500 to develop a proposed servicelearning project. One way for students to fulfill UGA’s new experiential learning graduation requirement, academic service-learning integrates organized service activities that meet communityidentified needs into academic courses to enhance understanding of academic content, teach civic responsibility and provide benefit to the community. More than 100 faculty have participated in the program since it was established in 2006, creating diverse servicelearning projects that pair students with partners locally, across Georgia and throughout the world to address community issues such as youth development, food insecurity, sustainability and public health. The 2016-17 Service-Learning Fellows are: • Debra Alvis, a lecturer in the Division of Academic Enhancement. Alvis will develop a new UNIV course integrating mindfulness, leadership and service-learning. It will be open to all undergraduates. • Jodi Barnes, a lecturer in the Institute for Leadership Advancement at the Terry College of Business. Barnes will review and enhance best practices for implementing community-based, service-learning opportunities for undergraduate and MBA students across multiple courses in ILA programs. • Melinda Camus, an assistant professor of veterinary pathology in the College of Veterinary Medicine. Camus is investigating options for engaging veterinary medicine students with local schools’ ag tech and 4-H programming, particularly to enhance future veterinarians’ understanding of livestock animals and client communication skills. • Krista Capps, an assistant professor in the Odum School of Ecology and the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory. Capps is developing the service-learning course ECOL 3770S, “Urban Ecology,” and plans to organize sessions for local public and private environmental organizations to further develop service-learning collaborations with the Odum School. • Julie K. Gaines, an associate professor and librarian III in the campus library of the Augusta University/University of Georgia Medical Partnership. As head of the Medical Partnership campus library, Gaines plans to pilot a new method of critical reflection in the community health curriculum for first-year medical students as well as develop an assessment tool for measuring the impact of partnerships
Shown, from left, are 2016-17 Service-Learning Fellows Jodi Barnes, Kristi Schaller, Krista Capps, Debra Alvis, Melinda Camus, Laura German, Paula Mellom, Julie Gaines and Dainess Maganda.
on organizational change. She also plans to investigate the role of librarians in service-learning initiatives. • Laura German, an associate professor of anthropology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. German is co-developing an interdisciplinary graduate seminar and program with a service-learning component in the social sciences focused on social justice. • Dainess Maganda, a lecturer in the comparative literature department of Franklin College. Maganda plans to incorporate a service-learning component into her Swahili classes to enhance students’ language learning while also helping raise awareness of this African language in the broader community. • Paula Mellom, an associate research scientist in the College of Education’s Center for Latino Achievement and Success in Education. Mellom plans to develop a partially online graduate class that integrates service-learning best practices into an international teacher exchange program focused on culturally responsive pedagogy for linguistically and culturally diverse learners. • Kristi Schaller, a senior lecturer in the communication studies department of Franklin College. Students in Schaller’s COMM 3600S “Introduction to Small-Group Communication” course will implement group communication and leadership strategies into their work with
WEEKLY READER
Book features state poets, photographers Published by the University of Georgia Press, Inspired Georgia is a unique collection of Georgia’s contemporary poets and photographers. The book engages the history and culture of the state, while serving as a document of some of the best and most powerful pieces penned by Georgia poets and images shot by Georgia photographers in recent years. Representing a range of styles, attitudes and backgrounds, the poets Inspired Georgia either hail from Georgia or have spent Edited by Judson Mitcham, a considerable amount of time in their Michael David Murphy and Karen adopted state. Chosen from previously L. Paty published collections, representing University of Georgia Press various stages of the poets’ careers, these Hardcover: $34.95 poems exemplify the talent, insight and creativity present in Georgia letters. The interweaving of photographs with poems (and poems with photographs) creates spaces of possibility, where what’s in the mind’s eye might (or might not) meet what’s found in front of the camera’s lens.
AWARD NOMINATION DEADLINE The Office of Service-Learning is accepting nominations until Nov. 4 for the 2017 Service-Learning Teaching Excellence and Service-Learning Research Excellence awards. All full-time, permanent UGA faculty members are eligible for nomination. The awards recognize faculty for innovative service-learning course design as well as scholarship that stems from academic service-learning work. Award recipients receive a $2,500 faculty development award and will be recognized at the annual faculty awards banquet. Nominations by deans and department heads, faculty colleagues or self-nominations will be accepted. Nomination packets, award guidelines and lists of previous award winners are at http://servicelearning.uga.edu/awards/.
community partners, while at the same time learning more about the needs of individuals in the local community. The Office of Service-Learning is jointly supported by the Office of the Vice President for Instruction and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.
CYBERSIGHTS
ABOUT COLUMNS Columns is available to the community by subscription for an annual fee of $20 (second-class delivery) or $40 (first-class delivery). Faculty and staff members with a disability may call 706-542-8017 for assistance in obtaining this publication in an alternate format. Columns staff can be reached at 706-542-8017 or columns@uga.edu
Editor Juliett Dinkins
EITS relaunches tech systems update site
http://status.uga.edu
EITS has recently relaunched its status website. This site contains all the various systems EITS maintains and their individual statuses. It updates users about the systems’ maintenance, disruptions, outages and other ways the systems are affected. The site also shows each
system’s current and past incidents as well as a schedule of planned maintenance. Users can search for specific systems or sort and filter by system name and the status condition. The website also posts status updates and status changes automatically to Twitter.
Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Senior Writer Aaron Hale Communications Coordinator Krista Richmond The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. The University of Georgia is a unit of the University System of Georgia.
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CENTER
Functional Training Room provides area for new classes
SCHOLARSHIPS
partners around complementary interests and expertise.” Ross’ research work will focus on Zika, influenza, respiratory syncytial virus, HIV/ AIDS, dengue virus and chikungunya virus. The other three teams based in the CVI are headed by: • Karen Norris, the GRA Eminent Scholar in Immunology and Translational Biomedical Research. Norris’ work focuses on infectious and chronic diseases, including HIV, pulmonary diseases, inflammatory diseases and diabetes. • Eric T. Harvill, the UGA Athletic Association Professor in Medical Microbiology. Harvill’s research focuses on respiratory diseases and the various interactions that occur when invading pathogens overcome resident microbiota to colonize a host. • S. Mark Tompkins, a professor of infectious diseases, whose work focuses on human and avian influenza. The CVI will serve as a training ground for tomorrow’s scientists while also helping UGA forge new ground in translational research. Plans for the facility include offering research fellowships and annual symposia
The department of recreational sports began offering small group fitness classes in the new Functional Training Room in the Ramsey Student Center this fall. These new six-week classes include athletic conditioning, weight training and other options. Passes can be purchased by Ramsey members. For Ramsey membership and class information, visit recsports. uga.edu.
Bulletin Board New remote access process
Beginning Oct. 17, users logging into UGA’s Remote Access Virtual Private Network will have a notice sent to their UGAMail each time they log in. The new process is intended to minimize fraudulent log-ins to the VPN. The notice will include the user’s MyID and the time they logged into the VPN. No action is required from users who log into the VPN and get the email notice. Users who have not logged into the VPN but get the email may have had their account compromised. If this happens, contact UGA’s Office of Information Security at infosec@uga.edu to provide information in the email from the VPN log-in session. For more information about this change, contact Ben Myers at bmyers@uga.edu.
Research study volunteers
The Exercise Psychology Lab is recruiting participants for an exercise and epilepsy research study. People age 18-29 who have been diagnosed with epilepsy and who also have a history of at least one seizure during the past 10 years are needed. Volunteers chosen for the study will visit the Exercise Psychology Lab on three separate days for 80 minutes each day. Maximal exercise (less than 20 minutes) and submaximal exercise (20 minutes) will be performed, and computer-based tests will be completed. Participants can earn up to $40 in gift cards. Anyone interested in participating should complete the online screening process at http://tinyurl.com/jqphys7. The screening should take less than 10 minutes to complete. For more information, email Kristen Johnson
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at kristen.johnson@uga.edu.
Art contest deadline
The State Botanical Garden, a public service and outreach unit, is accepting submissions for its 2016 statewide art competition until Dec. 1 at 5 p.m. Sponsored by the J.A. and H.G. Woodruff Jr. Charitable Trust, the competition recognizes student talent in Georgia and creates items for sale in the garden’s gift shop. The first-prize winner will receive $1,000, with second place winning $500 and third place getting $250. Certificates of merit also will be awarded. Artwork awarded cash prizes will become the property of the State Botanical Garden and will be used to create signature items sold in the garden’s gift shop. The competition is open to Georgia students in ninth grade through college. There is no entry fee for this competition. Winners will be announced in mid-December. Artwork must be original, twodimensional and no larger than 24 by 36 inches, in square, horizontal, round, oval or vertical formats. Acceptable forms of media include pencil, pen and ink, paint, photography, collage and computer-enhanced graphics. Onecolor designs are welcome and encouraged to create affordable gift shop products. The artwork does not need to be framed, but it should be signed. Submissions may be dropped off in the lower level of the Callaway Building at the Botanical Garden or mailed to Connie Cottingham, 2450 S. Milledge Ave., Athens, GA 30605. Complete guidelines and the entry form are at botgarden.uga.edu. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.
that will attract local, national and international leaders in research to share their work with Georgia’s biotech industry. In addition, the CVI will offer clinical trials to animal patients through UGA’s Veterinary Teaching Hospital and to people through the local UGA Clinical and Translational Research Unit. The CVI’s initial renovations began last winter and were completed earlier this year. Located in space previously used by the UGA Veterinary Teaching Hospital, which moved to its new campus in March 2015, the first phase of the CVI occupies about 13,000 square feet of space that has been renovated into four cutting-edge research laboratories. Additional renovations, scheduled to begin later this year, will enable the CVI to house up to two additional research teams and ultimately employ 100 scientific staff in 10 laboratories and supporting core facilities. Financial support for phase 1 of the renovations and equipment was provided by the Provost’s Office, the College of Veterinary Medicine, the Office of Research and other UGA units, and by the Georgia Research Alliance.
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“This scholarship should help at least 50 students each year through 2020,” said David Okech, director of the social work master’s degree program and the scholarship program. “This is a good thing, because there is a great need for clinical social workers in the state of Georgia and in the country.” This year, 52 of 63 applicants were awarded the scholarship. The scholarship will help students like Jessica Weeden, a UGA graduate who received funding in the 2014-2015 academic year. After her first year of graduate school, Weeden realized she would be unable to continue without some form of financial aid but was unwilling to take out a loan she felt she would have difficulty repaying. “I couldn’t justify going into greater debt and not be able to afford to repay it in my career,” Weeden said. She was considering an offer of a full scholarship for a master’s degree in business administration when she learned of the scholarship. “This scholarship allowed me to finish the MSW program,” said Weeden, who is now a full-time therapist for Transitional
Family Services, providing evidence-based counseling and therapy for children and families who have mental health diagnoses and are receiving Medicaid. “Now I can work where the greatest need is and not worry as much about my income.” The demand for people like Weeden is increasing. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, employment of mental health and substance abuse social workers is projected to grow 19 percent nationally from 2014 to 2024, much faster than the average for all occupations. The state of Georgia projects a 19.7 percent increase in social work jobs through 2022. The average growth rate for all occupations is 7 percent. Though the scholarship is only for full-time students, students enrolled in the extended-time social work master’s degree program at UGA’s Gwinnett campus are eligible to apply. Full-time enrollment is defined as nine hours in fall and spring semesters, which permits extended-time degree students to be eligible. In the one semester of six credit hours, extended-time degree students will need to enroll for an additional three credits.
INDUSTRY
BACTERIA
from page 1 Members of the AFFOA partnership include Fortune 500 companies as well as small- and medium-sized companies spanning the electronics, materials, apparel, transportation, fashion, defense, medical and consumer good manufacturing sectors. It also includes leaders of the fabric industry, such as Inman Mills, and leading research universities MIT, Cornell University, Drexel University, the University of Michigan, the University of California-Davis and the University of Texas at Austin. Among the speakers who will address the group is Ramanathan Nagarajan, a senior research scientist with the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center, who will discuss emerging textile material needs for the Department of Defense. Industry Day also will include interactive sessions on emerging market trends and the formation of a Fabric Innovation Network to rapidly move innovations from prototype to pilot production. Researchers from UGA and Clemson also will provide an overview of the latest developments in fiber science and engineering in the Southeast. A poster session will feature more than 20 posters highlighting the latest advances in fibers from the two institutions. Researchers from the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center who conduct research on biopolymers also will contribute to research and development of new technical textiles. Innovation Gateway, UGA’s commercialization and startup arm, will be instrumental in bringing new technologies to the market, including a portfolio of 10 existing textile, fiber and polymer technologies.
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use of antibiotics, this project is an example of applied research that has the potential to produce innovative public health approaches to better combat antibiotic resistance.” The CDC estimates up to one-third of all indwelling catheters become infected, resulting in as many as 28,000 deaths per year. Catheters with antibiotic coatings are available but have not proven completely effective at preventing infection. In addition, bacteria are developing resistance. Handa, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering, believes nitric oxide, a gas known as a potent antimicrobial agent among its many other biological roles, is a promising alternative to antibiotics in medical device applications. “Our lab has been developing new 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 acts as a natural broad spectrum antimicrobial agent,” Handa said. “We are very excited about this CDC proposal that 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. Locklin, a professor in the College of Engineering, has developed a polymer coating with properties that mimic cell membranes, allowing it to mask the presence of a catheter in the body.