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‘Bridges being built’: Informatics Symposium draws 150 participants CAMPUS NEWS
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Curtain to rise Nov. 3 on University Theatre’s reimagined ‘Jane Eyre’ Vol. 44, No. 14
October 24, 2016
columns.uga.edu
communications@usg.edu
Dorothy Kozlowski
Young Dawgs intern Suvitha Viswanathan, right, performs a laboratory experiment under the guidance of research technician Pamela Kirby.
Early experience
Young Dawgs program provides more than 110,000 internship hours to high school students aahale@uga.edu
The first scientific laboratory experience for Michael Pierce, director of the UGA Cancer Center, wasn’t glamorous. He got a job cleaning glassware and mixing solutions as an undergraduate at Oklahoma Baptist University. It was grunt work, but the lab was a place of discovery for Pierce, now a Distinguished Research Professor of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. It’s where he decided that he wanted to be a researcher. “The lab experience is really important,” Pierce said. “You’re
probably not going to read a book and figure out that this is what you’re going to do.” Pierce and other UGA faculty are paying forward that valuable laboratory experience to highachieving high school students through the UGA Young Dawgs program. Run by the university’s Human Resources office, the program offers experiential learning opportunities in the form of internships to high school juniors and seniors with a GPA of 3.6 or higher. “They are doing research and learning what it’s like doing that work in college,” said Jim Geiser, director of the program. “It gives them something to think about as
a career.” During the fall and spring semesters, the program largely serves Athens-area students; it is open to students across the state during the summer. Many Young Dawgs students are accepted and enroll at UGA and some go on to participate in the university’s Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities. About half of the students choose an internship in a science, technology, engineering or mathematics, or STEM, field, offering them science education opportunities that few students get in high school. Now in its ninth year, the Young Dawgs program has provided more See DAWGS on page 8
COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES
UGA’s presence felt at Sunbelt Agricultural Expo; President Morehead visits for fourth straight year By Clint Thompson cbthomps@uga.edu
UGA President Jere W. Morehead and other university administrators celebrated the opening of the 2016 Sunbelt Agricultural Expo by visiting the opening day of the three-day trade show Oct. 18 in Moultrie. This is the fourth consecutive year Morehead has taken part in the Expo festivities since becoming president of UGA in 2013. As he has in previous years, Morehead toured the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences building at Spence Field where he spoke with student ambassadors and visited with key
4&5
Wrigley, former UGA senior vice president, appointed chancellor By Charles Sutlive
By Aaron Hale
UGA GUIDE
agricultural leaders in Georgia. “I always enjoy returning to South Georgia for this exciting event and seeing firsthand the critical role that the University of Georgia plays in supporting the state of Georgia’s agriculture industry,” Morehead said. “Coming to Sunbelt is a highlight of mine every year, and I am thankful to have had the opportunity to show support for our wonderful College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.” Expo visitors to UGA’s exhibit this year learned about experiential learning at the agricultural and environmental sciences college. As part of a new UGA graduate requirement that went into effect this
fall, all undergraduate and transfer students in the college must engage in hands-on, experiential learning within a domestic or global setting. These opportunities could be internship courses, research courses or study abroad courses. CAES Dean Sam Pardue said Sunbelt is a valuable opportunity to showcase the experiential learning aspect to students in the Southeast. “Our students tell us that one of the most valuable aspects of their education in the college is the hands-on learning experience they gain,” Pardue said. “Our students are in such high demand by the industry because they enter the workforce prepared to go to work. See EXPO on page 8
The board of regents has named Steve Wrigley chancellor of the University System of Georgia. Wrigley had been named interim chancellor Aug. 10 after Chancellor Hank Huckaby announced at the August meeting of the board of regents his plans to retire Dec. 31. Wrigley has served as executive vice chancellor of administration for the USG since June 2011. He will assume the role of chancellor Jan. 1 after Huckaby retires as previously announced. “With our leadership transition plans well underway, the board has named Steve Wrigley chancellor of the University System of Georgia effective when we start
the new year,” said Chairman Kessel Stelling Jr. “As we began the transition, it became clear Steve is ready to lead the university system Steve Wrigley and has the full confidence of the board. Having a strong bench of talent with Steve already in place in the university system has made all the difference in helping this leadership transition be as smooth and seamless as possible.” “I am grateful for the opportunity to serve as chancellor of the
See CHANCELLOR on page 8
SIGNATURE LECTURE SERIES
Aging, life-extension researcher will give fall 2016 Charter Lecture By Kristina Griffith
kristina.griffith17@uga.edu
Cynthia Kenyon, one of the world’s foremost authorities on the molecular biology and genetics of aging and life extension, will return to UGA to deliver the fall 2016 Charter Lecture. Her lecture, “Aging and the Immortal Germline,” is open free to the public. It will be held Nov. 7 at 2:30 p.m. in the Chapel. Kenyon, who graduated as valedictorian with bachelor’s degrees in chemistry and biochemistry from UGA in 1976, is the vice president of aging research for Calico LLC, a Google-funded company focused on aging research and
therapeutics. She has been a global pioneer in aging research since her team’s 1993 discovery that a singlegene mutation could double Cynthia Kenyon the lifespan of C. elegans (roundworms). This discovery led to the realization that such a pathway exists and influences aging rates in many species. Kenyon earned her doctorate from MIT in 1981 and later became a postdoctoral fellow with Nobel Laureate Sydney Brenner in Cambridge, England, where she
See CHARTER on page 8
TERRY COLLEGE OF BUSINESS
CEO of 1996 Olympic Games to give Mason Lecture Nov. 3 By Matt Weeks
mweeks@uga.edu
Billy Payne, who served as chief executive of Atlanta’s 1996 Olympic Games, will deliver UGA’s Mason Public Leadership Lecture Nov. 3 at 11 a.m. in the Chapel. He is currently chairman of the Augusta National Golf Club, host of the Masters Tournament. Payne, who is a founding member and chairman of Centennial Holding Co. and a former UGA football player, led the bid for Atlanta to host the Centennial Olympic Games. He made history by
becoming the only person in modern times to continue uninterrupted as president and CEO of the games themselves. The Mason Billy Payne Public Leadership Lecture is supported by a grant from Keith Mason, a lawyer and alumnus of UGA’s Terry College of Business. It features prominent business leaders who have
See LECTURE on page 8
2 Oct. 24, 2016 columns.uga.edu
HUMAN RESOURCES
Around academe
More than half of parents saving for children’s college education
More than half of parents are saving up for their children’s college education, according to the annual How America Saves for College 2016 survey by student loan provider Sallie Mae. Most parents reported saving around $16,000, over $6,000 more than parents reported saving in last year’s survey. Millennial parents, those parents who are 35 or younger, report saving more than Generation X and Baby Boomer parents. However, only half reported saving for college at all.
Johns Hopkins University receives $95 million in NIH research funding
Johns Hopkins University and a nonprofit research firm will spend seven years and $95 million from a National Institutes of Health grant to examine how environment affects children’s health outcomes, according to a release from the university’s Office of Communications. The Bloomberg School of Public Health will analyze data from its Environmental Influences on Child Health Outcomes program, which incorporates responses from more than 50,000 children.
Tips offered for preparing three-day family food box for emergencies
News to Use
Having an emergency food supply will ease some of the stress of emergencies and natural disasters, according to Elizabeth Andress, a food safety specialist with UGA Cooperative Extension. “Flash floods, tropical storms, blizzards— whatever the disaster, it pays to be prepared,” Andress said. “Every family should have at least a three-day emergency food supply to fall back on. Natural disasters can prevent you from running to the grocery store to pick up supplies for dinner.” The size of your emergency food supply depends on the size of your family and home storage area. Select foods that are nonperishable and require no refrigeration, little or no cooking, and little or no water. Include ready-to-eat canned meats, fruits and vegetables. Select containers that can be used in one meal or snack, since you most likely won’t be able to refrigerate leftovers. Add canned juices, soups, and canned or powdered milk. Include bottled water for drinking and extra water for mixing powdered milk and diluting soups. Supply enough fluids (milk, juice, water, etc.) so each family member has at least one gallon per day. Include staple foods, like sugar, salt and pepper, and high energy foods like peanut butter, jelly, crackers, granola bars and trail mix. Source: UGA Cooperative Extension
Source: discover.uga.edu
Janet Beckley
Open benefits enrollment for UGA employees set to begin on Oct. 31 By James Lichtenwalter
james.lichtenwalt25@uga.edu
The two-week open enrollment period is Oct. 31-Nov. 11 for benefits-eligible UGA employees. Main points for this year’s open enrollment are: • The shared leave program is changing. Eligible employees can donate between eight and 80 hours of sick leave to the shared sick leave pool for other UGA employees to use. Only participants in the program are eligible to receive donated hours. Employees who wish to be in the sick leave pool in 2017 must donate a minimum of eight hours of sick leave during open enrollment. The donation is prorated for part-time employees. • No action is required for employees who wish to make no changes to their benefits choices for 2017, with the exceptions of the required annual enrollment for flexible spending accounts and the decision required of those who have the UGA critical illness plan or the UGA accident plan. The UGA critical illness and accident plans will be replaced by new
USG critical illness and accident plans. Employees who wish to participate in the new USG critical illness and accident plans must enroll in those plans. Employees who choose to use this passive enrollment for other benefits will have the same coverage in 2017 as they have in 2016. • Increases in deductibles and out-ofpocket family maximums for the Consumer Choice HSA plan and increases in co-payments for emergency room and specialist visits on the BlueChoice HMO plan. The benefits plan in 2017 includes four new insurance plans: • The critical illness plan that provides cash benefits paid directly to employees for insured individuals suffering from critical illnesses. • The accident plan that pays benefits for specific injuries and accidents. • The hospital indemnity plan that helps out with hospital stays by paying a daily amount to cover time in a hospital, critical care unit or rehabilitation facility. • The legal plan that provides aid and protection from personal legal issues. Benefits-eligible employees must
indicate their tobacco usage using the MyBenefits@UGA system. They also must disclose tobacco usage for any dependents older than 18. Failure to comply will result in a $75 surcharge, which will be added to health plan premiums. If there is no change in tobacco usage from the previous year, no action is needed. A general information session for current employees about the open benefits enrollment process will take place Oct. 27 from 1-3 p.m. One-hour information sessions for pre-65 retirees will be held Oct. 28 at 11 a.m. and 1 p.m. All sessions will be held in Masters Hall of the Georgia Center. Employees may review their benefits choices for 2017 by visiting the HR home page at www.hr.uga.edu and selecting “2017 benefits open enrollment” under the HR News heading. To view a comprehensive list of all the provided health care options, visit www.usg.edu/assets/hr/benefits_docs/ BOR_Comparison_Guide_NEW.pdf. Employees who need assistance or have any questions about open enrollment should contact HR at benefits@ uga.edu or 706-542-2222.
2017 CAMPAIGN FOR CHARITIES
Fundraiser for charitable organizations underway By Aaron Hale
aahale@uga.edu
The Campaign for Charities is underway at UGA to collect pledges and money for local and state charitable organizations. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Unity, Hope, Desire: Making Dreams a Reality.” The Campaign for Charities, which runs until Dec. 15, is an opportunity for faculty and staff to donate to a variety of charitable organizations that are part of the State Charitable Contributions Program. Many of the organizations are engaged in the local community. “The most important reason to join this effort is to unite as a team to help our neighbors in need,” said Victor Wilson, vice president for student affairs and this year’s honorary campaign chair. “Time and again, I have seen the incredible impact that even small gifts have made in our community. ” This year’s kickoff breakfast highlighted the work of the Cancer Foundation of Northeast Georgia, which aims to alleviate the financial burden of cancer. Based in Athens, the foundation will give out $1 million in financial support to cancer patients and their caregivers this year, said Kimberly Liebowitz, executive director of the foundation. Lynn Malcolm, whose mother, Joyce Malcolm, recently completed breast cancer treatment and is now cancer-free, spoke at the kickoff breakfast about the help she and her mother received. The Malcolms were homeless when Joyce learned of her cancer diagnosis. As her mother’s caretaker, Lynn searched for help and found the Cancer Foundation, which offered financial assistance with rent, utilities, gas and groceries during her mother’s treatment. Cancer can be stressful on caregivers as well as patients, but the foundation’s help gave Lynn strength to support her mother through treatment. “Every need we had, they met,” Lynn said. “If I can tell you one thing about the foundation, it’s that they helped me to be stress-free.” All UGA employees have received materials about this year’s campaign
through campus mail. Faculty and staff are encouraged to return a pledge card by campus mail or make a pledge online. Cards and donation amounts are anonymous. To learn more about the charitable agencies and how to contribute, go to
https://campaign.uga.edu. For those who participate in this year’s campaign, the university will hold weekly drawings beginning in November for prizes such as parking credits, athletic event tickets and bookstore gift cards.
GRADY COLLEGE, UGA LIBRARIES, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION
Panel will discuss ‘Foxfire at Fifty’ By Gabrielle Cowand gcowand13@uga.edu
A panel will discuss “Foxfire at Fifty: Stories of Culture” Oct. 26 at 11:15 a.m. at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries. The discussion is sponsored by the Office of Outreach, Engagement and Service in the College of Education, the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication and the special collections libraries. Published biannually, Foxfire Magazine is written by students at Rabun
Gap High School in Tiger about the community, culture and citizens in southern Appalachia. Panelists include Carl Glickman, professor emeritus of education at UGA; Christian Lopez, the lead Oral History and Media Archivist at the Russell Library for Political Research and Studies; and Katie Lunsford, a senior at UGA who wrote for Foxfire in high school and continues to work with the magazine. Parking for off-campus visitors will be available in the Hull Street deck across from the special collections libraries.
OBITUARY Bill Johansen William “Bill” Robert Johansen, a retired faculty member in the Lamar Dodd School of Art, died Oct. 1 at age 79 after a battle with cancer. A native of Chicago, Johansen lived in Manchester, England; Corpus Christi, Texas; and Kansas City, Missouri. He resided for 46 years in Athens prior to his passing. Johansen attended William Jewell College in Liberty, Missouri, and earned his Bachelor of Fine Arts degree at the Kansas City Art Institute. He also attended and taught at Michigan State University where he earned an MFA in specialized studies. During his career, Johansen was assistant to the head of collections of the Nelson Art Gallery in Kansas City, an instructor of art at William Jewell College, where he started the first graduating art department. Johansen joined the UGA faculty in 1970 as
an associate professor of painting and drawing and later became a full professor of art. He retired from UGA in 2000. Johnansen is survived by his daughters CathBill Johansen erine Leigh Johansen, of Atlanta, and Christine Ann Johansen, Patrick of Taylors, South Carolina. He is also survived by sonin-law Samuel S. Patrick and grandchildren Phillip Michael Patrick and Heather Leigh Patrick, all of Taylors, South Carolina; by former wife Margaret Johansen, of Athens; and by former wife Welynda Wright, also of Athens. A celebration of Johansen’s life will be held with close family and friends in Athens at a date to be announced.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
columns.uga.edu Oct. 24, 2016
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Digest Athens to host three-day Southeastern Archaeological Conference Oct. 26-29
Dorothy Kozlowski
Xianqiao Wong, assistant professor of engineering, and Dorothy Carter, assistant professor of psychology, discuss their research interests with group members during the “InfoMashup” at the Informatics Symposium.
‘Bridges being built’ Informatics Symposium at UGA draws nearly 150 participants
By Sam Fahmy
sfahmy@uga.edu
Nearly 150 participants from 30 units across campus gathered earlier this month for a daylong symposium created to foster interdisciplinary collaboration following the creation of the Georgia Informatics Institutes for Research and Education. “A major goal of the GII is to bring us together, and this event is one of the ways that we’re doing that,” said associate professor of engineering Kyle Johnsen, the inaugural director of the GII. Johnsen explained that the Georgia Informatics Institutes are plural, like the National Institutes of Health, to reflect close collaboration with specialized units such as UGA’s Institute for Bioinformatics, the digital humanities initiative and departments such as computer science and management information systems. The mission of the GII is to be a “hub, integrator and incubator for informatics activities in Georgia,” he said. To accomplish its mission, the GII will identify and form teams for large, interdisciplinary research projects that tackle grand challenges with implications for human health, safety and security, and UGA’s land-grant mission of
service. In addition, the GII will increase informatics knowledge and skills among students through curricular offerings such as new undergraduate and graduate certificate programs in informatics that are currently in development. Johnsen said that employers across the state and beyond have emphasized their need for graduates with skills in data analytics, cybersecurity and related fields, and informatics is also helping scientists, engineers and other scholars create new knowledge and advance discovery. “Informatics is a key strategic direction at the university,” said Provost Pamela Whitten. She noted that approximately 160 faculty members at the university incorporate informatics into their work, and UGA recently completed a Presidential Informatics Hiring Initiative that has brought eight new faculty members to campus. She went on to explain that “UGA is unique in the interdisciplinary approach it is applying to informatics challenges.” The symposium, which was sponsored by the College of Engineering and the Provost’s Office, included keynote addresses from John Leslie King, the William Warner Bishop Collegiate Professor of Information at the
University of Michigan, and Carter T. Butts, a professor of sociology at the University of California, Irvine. Symposium participants shared their findings during a poster session and discussed potential research collaborations in seven broad areas—such as mind and body; security, cooperation and conflict; and world and economy—during an “InfoMashup” session. Six of the eight faculty members hired through the Presidential Informatics Hiring Initiative discussed their research, which ranges from the development of software and statistical tools to understand and predict political behavior to the use of informatics to speed the discovery of new drugs and drive quality and efficiency improvements in health care. “I saw a lot of bridges being built between different disciplines today,” said Alexander Bucksch, an assistant professor with joint appointments in the department of plant biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, the Institute of Bioinformatics and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. “I think that’s the strongest point here: exchanging ideas and methods to address scientific questions in different fields.”
SIGNATURE LECTURE SERIES
Federal judge discusses process of sentencing By Krista Richmond krichmond@uga.edu
To Lisa Godbey Wood, sentencing is the most fascinating thing that happens in a courtroom. “More than any other area of law, sentencing holds up a mirror to society and shows us who we are,” she said. “What we see in that sentencing mirror says a lot about us—who we punish, how we punish them and how long we punish them.” Wood, chief judge of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia and the inaugural B. Avant Edenfield Jurist in Residence at the School of Law, spoke about the importance of the sentencing process Oct. 13 as part of the fall Signature Lecture series. In her almost 10 years as a federal judge, Wood estimates that she’s
sentenced nearly 1,000 defendants for everything from stealing endangered turtle eggs to human trafficking, and the punishments have been just as varied. When considering a sentence, she turns to gifts from two mentors—an ancient Roman coin depicting Clementia, the Roman goddess of mercy, and a plaque bearing the Adam Smith quote “Mercy to the guilty is cruelty to the innocent.” “Even if we all agree on why we’re sentencing and what the factors should be, it’s hard to agree on what measure,” she said. “It’s a like a recipe that only tells you the ingredients.” According to Wood, sentences can have several purposes. They can suffice as retribution. They can serve as a deterrent. They can be used to rehabilitate defendants. Wood said that she does see promising reform for the sentencing process
on the horizon. She mentioned that several states, including Georgia, are experimenting with ideas and taking a lead in those reforms. “The public call Lisa Wood is no longer to be ‘tough on crime.’ The public call is now to be ‘smart on crime,’ ” she said. According to Wood, the person who will decide the sentencing matters. Sentencing guidelines have helped ease some disparity among sentences while still allowing judges to take into account personal things about the defendant or details about the crime. “One thing I’m urging my students to do is to consider that as a specialty,” she said.
Athens will host the Southeastern Archaeological Conference Oct. 26-29, an annual event that features lectures, workshops and social activities for archaeologists and archaeology enthusiasts as well as educational activities for the whole family. Anyone can attend lectures and other conference activities for a fee, including guest nonarchaeologists for a $25 rate that can only be paid on site. For archaeology fun for the whole family, the public is encouraged to attend the “Georgia, Can You Dig It?” Archaeology Fair Oct. 29, a free event hosted by the Society for Georgia Archaeology. Located at the horseshoe in front of the Classic Center, visitors can explore Abby the ArchaeoBus, a mobile archaeology classroom, and earn their junior archaeologist badge at the booth for UGA’s Center for Applied Isotope Studies. UGA’s Victor Thompson, an associate professor in Franklin College’s anthropology department and director of the Center for Archaeological Sciences, organized this year’s Athens-based meeting. For more information, visit http://www. southeasternarchaeology.org/annual-meeting/details/.
Internal Medicine Residency Program granted highest accreditation status
The Internal Medicine Residency Program, Northeast Georgia’s first medical residency program and a joint effort by the Augusta University/ University of Georgia Medical Partnership and St. Mary’s Health Care System, has been granted continued accreditation, the highest status possible, by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. The IMRP enables graduates of medical school to complete the final phase of their medical education. A maximum of 10 residents are recruited each year through a national process that matches medical school graduates with residency programs around the nation. The IMRP is accredited for a maximum of 30 residents, 10 for each year of the three-year program. The IMRP received initial accreditation in 2014, clearing the way for the first class of medical residents to begin their residencies in July 2015. Initial accreditation is valid for two years, so in summer 2016, ACGME conducted a rigorous site visit and review of the program to assess how well it is meeting requirements and goals for resident training and education. The process resulted in ACGME granting continuing accreditation, which provides for ongoing accreditation for 10 years with routine annual review of program data to ensure the IMRP continues to meet requirements.
University Housing receives four awards for its #OneUGA marketing campaign
At the recent annual business operations conference for the Association of College and University Housing Officers-International, UGA’s University Housing received four awards for its marketing efforts to students, including best of show. From an entry pool of more than 240, University Housing walked away with first-place recognition for best website, best social media campaign and best digital advertising campaign. The best of show award, chosen from the first-place winners in 14 categories, went to University Housing’s #OneUGA campaign, a social media effort with Multicultural Services and Programs to engage the campus community in open conversations about diversity, inclusion and activism. A foundation with a 65-year history, ACUHO-I advances the campus housing profession in service of students through the cultivation of knowledge to transform it into meaningful content expertise that guides the global campus housing profession.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE STATEMENT Columns (USPS 020-024) is published weekly during the academic year and
biweekly during the summer for the faculty and staff of the University of Georgia by the Division of Marketing & Communications. Periodicals postage is paid in Athens, Georgia. Postmaster: Send off-campus address changes to Columns, UGA Marketing & Communications, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Athens, GA 30602-1999.
For a complete listing of events at the University of Georgia, check the Master Calendar on the web (calendar.uga.edu/). The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified. Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.
UGAGUIDE
Dardanelles to perform traditional music of Newfoundland By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Dardanelles Nov. 7 at 8 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The Canadian group performs Newfoundland traditional music. The Dardanelles started out eight years ago playing bars in their native St. John’s, attracting an audience of young people who didn’t fit the mold of a traditional music fan. The band quickly became a favorite on the Canadian festival circuit, being featured at the Winnipeg, Vancouver and Mariposa folk festivals as well as headlining their home Newfoundland and Labrador Folk Festival. The Dardanelles are now touring throughout the United Kingdom, Australia and the U.S. Their music showcases the uplifting melodies and compelling stories of Newfoundland’s traditional music,
and a typical set list runs the gamut from unaccompanied ballads to sweat-inducing dance tunes. The Dardanelles feature Tom Power on vocals/guitar, Rich Klaas on bodhran/percussion, Matthew Byrne on vocals/bouzouki/guitar, Aaron Collis on button accordion and Emilia Bartellas on fiddle. Tickets for the concert are $36 to $41 and can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling the box office at 706-542-4400. UGA students can purchase tickets for $6 with a valid UGA ID, limit one ticket per student. The performance underwriters are Bob and Martha Noble and Dianne D. Wall. The media sponsor is WUGA 91.7/97.9 FM. The Dardanelles concert will be part of Spotlight on the Arts, a 12-day festival celebrating the arts at UGA.
Georgia Museum of Art to showcase Lin Emery’s kinetic sculptures By Morgan Tickerhoof mt03295@uga.edu
Lin Emery's work will be on display at the Georgia Museum of Art until April 2.
The Georgia Museum of Art will host the exhibition Driving Forces: Sculpture by Lin Emery through April 2. Four of Emery’s large kinetic sculptures will be in the Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden, and five smaller sculptures will be in the Alonzo and Vallye Dudley Gallery. Emery uses polished or brushed aluminum in her sculptures, which she designs to move gently in the wind. She takes inspiration from music, dance and natural forms, especially flowers and trees. Her work can be found throughout the city of New Orleans, her home for many years. Annelies Mondi, the museum’s
EXHIBITIONS Icon of Modernism: Representing the Brooklyn Bridge, 18831950. 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 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, OCTOBER 24 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.
TUESDAY, OCTOBER 25 WOMEN OF UGA LUNCHEON 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 “The Divided States of America” is a deliberative discussion weighing the benefits and tradeoffs of three approaches to this issue of polarization in America today. This event is part of
University Theatre reimagines ‘Jane Eyre’
By Scout Storey
deputy director and curator of the exhibition, came upon Emery’s work while in New Orleans. “It was incredible,” Mondi said. “She really is a big part of the city, and that intrigued me.” Playwright Edward Albee, who knew Emery from when they were children, compared her sculpture to that of Alexander Calder and George Rickey, both of whom also make use of movement in their work. Albee writes, however, that Emery’s “work can be confused with no one else’s; the world of kinetic art is healthy in her mind and hands.” Born in New York City in 1928, Emery studied under Russian sculptor Ossip Zadkine before settling in New Orleans. Her sculptures are featured in the collections of the National Museum of American
Ready, Steady, Vote! 2 p.m. 258 special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. jhebbard@uga.edu WORKSHOP “Improving Student Learning Outcomes with Critical Reflection” teaches fundamentals and best practices of reflection theory and puts this into practice through hands-on activities that explore written, verbal, group and visual reflection activities. 2 p.m. PSO Annex Conference Room, Office of Service-Learning Building. 706-542-0535. swilder@uga.edu STUDENT COMPOSERS ASSOCIATION FALL CONCERT 5 p.m. Dancz Center for New Music, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. ccschwabe@uga.edu LECTURE “Reading Lyric Form: The Written Hand in Literary Annuals,” Lindsey Eckert, Georgia State University. 5 p.m. 265 Park Hall. GUEST ARTIST CONCERT 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 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 NIGHTMARE ON BROAD STREET GHOST TOURS UGA’s Student Alumni Association is hosting its annual Nightmare on Broad Street Ghost Tours on North Campus. Through Oct. 26. Tours are free and begin and end at the Arch at 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. both nights. Stories heard throughout the tour range from the history of certain buildings on campus to paranormal activities that occur in some of the older sorority houses of-campus. A canned food donation is strongly encouraged. 706-542-2215. fbeusse@uga.edu
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 26 WALK-IN FLU SHOT CLINIC Members of the UGA community will be able to walk in for a flu shot on Wednesdays during 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. on these days. Filed with insurance (often no out-of-pocket cost); $45 or $65 (high dose vaccine if 65+ years old) if uninsured/cash-pay. Available for UGA students, faculty, staff and dependents (13+ years old). 9 a.m. Check in at front registration desk. University Health Center. 706-542-8690. kgroft@uhs.uga.edu
Art in Washington, D.C.; the New Orleans Museum of Art; the Walter P. Chrysler Museum in Norfolk, Virginia; the Delaware Museum of Art in Wilmington, Delaware; the Museum of Foreign Art in Sofia, Bulgaria; and the Flint Institute in Flint, Michigan. She received the Louisiana Governor’s Arts Award in 2001, an honorary doctorate from Loyola University of New Orleans in 2004 and the National Academy Museum of New York’s S. Simon Sculpture Award. The Jane and Harry Willson Sculpture Garden is devoted to the works of female sculptors. Previous exhibitions there have focused on sculpture by Alice Aycock, Patricia Leighton, Chakaia Booker and Steinunn Thorarinsdottir.
University Theatre will present Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre Nov. 3-5, 9-11 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 13 at 2:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre. The performance is adapted by Polly Teale and directed by David Crowe. Tickets are $16, $12 for students, and can be purchased at drama.uga.edu/box-office, by phone at 706-542-4400, or in person at the Performing Arts Center or Tate Center box office. The classic novel tells the story of Jane Eyre (played by second year MFA acting student Brittney Harris), an orphan raised by relatives who hold her in disdain for her poverty and plainness, then send her off to a severely austere charity school for girls. As an adult, she becomes a governess in a remote household. She learns to love its enigmatic owner, Mr. Rochester (played by second year MFA acting student John Terry), who sees past her quiet reserve to the passion and imagination that she has worked her whole life to repress. However, there is a complication: the mysterious madwoman in his attic, Bertha (played by senior theatre and English education double major Brandy Sexton). Teale’s adaptation focuses on the mysterious inner lives of Jane and Bertha as two sides of the same coin, with Bertha as the passionate side that is kept in check by a culture that suppresses all natural desires— especially those of women. Crowe calls the script “a bold and thrilling love note to Charlotte Bronte” that examines Jane’s journey of self-acceptance in astonishing new ways. The adaptation “draws from the best parts of the book and zeros in on the universal themes of identity, independence and the timeless struggle between desire and duty,” he said. “In a remarkably personal way, the play insists we ask: Is it possible Performances of Jane Eyre begin Nov. 3.
ings that bring people together to learn, share and discuss bioinformatics. This session: “Quantitative Metagenomics and Metatranscriptomics,” Mary Ann Moran, marine sciences. 12:20 p.m. 2401 Miller Plant Sciences. LECTURE “A Bird’s Eye View of Climate Change,” Robert Cooper, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. 1:25 p.m. 201 ecology building. cpringle@uga.edu POE-TOBER: LECTURE AND TALK Dana Walrath, award-winning author and TEDx speaker, hosts 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. This event is part of the NEA Big Read: Poe-tober. 5 p.m. S151 Lamar Dodd School of Art. kathleen.mcgovern25@uga.edu
THURSDAY, OCTOBER 27 LECTURE Jim Grossman, executive director of the American Historical Association, will discuss the AHA’s “Career Diversity for Historians” initiative, which explores whether and how graduate preparation in history can adapt to this changing landscape. 12:30 p.m. 101 LeConte Hall. 706 542-2053. history@uga.edu GREGORY HISTORY LECTURE Don H. Doyle, the McCausland Professor of History at the 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 POE-TOBER: FAMILY GALLERY AND POETRY EVENT Families and children of all ages are invited to participate in fun gallery games and a spooky scavenger hunt in the permanent collection and listen to readings of selected poems by Edgar Allan Poe. Participants also will write their own poems inspired by works in the museum’s collection and are invited to read them aloud in the lobby. This event is part of the NEA Big Read: Poe-tober. 5:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. kathleen.mcgovern25@uga.edu ENSEMBLE CONCERT Under the leadership of co-directors Timothy Adams Jr. and Kimberly Toscano Adams, the UGA Percussion Ensemble has gained popularity in the collegiate percussion community. 6 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu
WORKSHOP “Methods and Ethics of Collecting Data from Humans” will cover common types of data collection strategies in classroom research. 11 a.m. CTL North Instructional Plaza Classroom. 706-542-1713. ckuus@uga.edu
BROOKLYN BRIDGE FILM SERIES: ‘KATE AND LEOPOLD’ The Brooklyn Bridge plays an important role in this time-traveling romantic comedy starring Meg Ryan as a 21st-century New Yorker and Hugh Jackman as a 19th-century gentleman trying to understand the modern world. 2001, 118 min. 7 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662.
BROWN BAG: BIOINFORMATICS Brown Bag Bioinformatics lunch tutorials are informal gather-
POE-TOBER: AN EVENING OF SPOOKY STORIES Van Burns with the Athens-Clarke County Library will host a
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/.
to be loved and remain independent? Can we each embrace the darkness inside of us and still live a moral life? How can we offer and receive love without fully loving ourselves?” Crowe has been nominated for four Suzi Bass Awards over the past three years, and his productions are consistently ranked among the “Best Plays of the Year” by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Arts Atlanta and Creative Loafing. “David Crowe is currently one of the hottest, most sought-after directors in Atlanta,” said David Saltz, head of the theatre and film studies department. “I’m incredibly excited that Athens audiences will have the chance to see his work and that our students are getting the opportunity to work with him.” The often-studied classic isn’t “stuffy” in this staged version, Crowe said. “It feels more like a performance art piece than a movie of Jane Eyre,” he said. However, the human struggle beneath the finery proves that humanity’s needs, desires and “penchant for screwing up is timeless,” he said. “There’s nothing I love more than refined people in beautiful clothes making terrible choices.”
hobbit87@uga.edu
The Dardanelles will perform Nov . 7 at the Hodgson Concert Hall.
series of adult storytellers to get Athens in the mood for the macabre in the spirit of Edgar Allan Poe. Come dressed in your best Poe or Poe-inspired costume and be entered to win a book of Poe’s great spooky tales and poems. This event is part of the NEA Big Read: Poe-tober. 7 p.m. Athens-Clarke County Library, 2025 Baxter St. kathleen.mcgovern25@uga.edu ENSEMBLE CONCERT Fall Choral Ensemble Concert featuring the UGA Glee Clubs and University Chorus. J.D. Burnett and Lee Wright, conductors. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu
FRIDAY, OCTOBER 28 FALL BREAK For students. PEABODY SYMPOSIUM The “Television History, the Peabody Archives and Cultural Memory” Symposium is the second of a two-part conference and the culmination of a collaborative research initiative based on the archives and its holdings. Distinguished television studies scholars from across the country will present new research to expand current understandings of American cultural history as seen on TV and offer a range of critical perspectives on what Peabody Awards submissions have to teach us. The scholars’ findings will be the start of a new series on television history produced by the University of Georgia Press. Through Oct. 30. 8:30 a.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8983. Molly.Williams1@uga.edu
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 29 POE-TOBER: WILD RUMPUS PARADE Join a “conspiracy of ravens” wearing your raven mask, Poe costume or House of Usher hat to parade in Athens’ Wild Rumpus. This event is part of the NEA Big Read: Poe-tober. 8:30 p.m. Downtown Athens. kathleen.mcgovern25@uga.edu
SUNDAY, OCTOBER 30 DIWALI Hindu religious observance. PERFORMANCE Classic City Band performs music celebrating Halloween. 2 p.m. Visitor Center and Conservatory, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu
MONDAY, OCTOBER 31 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
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.
columns.uga.edu Oct. 24, 2016
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.
4&5
Chamber Music Society performance on Nov. 6 celebrates city of Vienna
Destination Vienna will be performed Nov. 6.
By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Nov. 6 at 3 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. The program, Destination Vienna, will feature music by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Arnold Schoenberg and Johannes Brahms. For centuries, Vienna stood as the cultural center of Europe, a rich melting pot of music, art and literature. The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center will trace the evolution of musical expression in the “city of dreams” through the works of three of its greatest voices with Mozart’s String Quintet in C Minor, Schoenberg’s Verklarte Nacht (Transfigured Night) and Brahms’ String Sextet No. 1. The CMSLC musicians performing will be violinists Sean Lee and Alexander Sitkovetsky, violists Matthew Lipman and Richard O’Neill, and cellists David Finckel and Keith Robinson. Tickets, which are $42, 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. The concert will be recorded for broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today, heard by 1.4 million listeners across the country. Patrick Castillo from CMSLC will give a pre-concert lecture at 2:15 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall. The CMSLC concert will be part of Spotlight on the Arts, a 12-day festival celebrating the arts at UGA.
BROWN BAG INFORMATION 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. SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS INITIATIVE SEMINAR “A Multidimensional Analysis of Global Food Security,” Maria Navarro, agricultural leadership, education and communication. This monthly seminar series, sponsored by the Sustainable Food Systems Initiative, is designed for UGA faculty to share their related research and activities with other faculty, staff and students. 3:30 p.m. 103 Conner Hall. 706-542-8084. sustainag@uga.edu ENSEMBLE CONCERT The UGA Bassoon Studio will present a recital of bassoon quartets and ensemble music with a special John Williams theme for Halloween. Costumes are encouraged. 6:30 p.m. Edge Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752. ccschwabe@uga.edu
COMING UP POE-TOBER: POETRY READING Nov. 1. Author of eight collections of poetry, Kimiko Hahn reads from her 2010 collection, Toxic Flower, which illustrates connections between scientific study and poetry. Special guest: The Consul General of Japan, who will provide introductory remarks before the poetry reading, “Tradition and Poetry in Japan: Tanka and the Imperial Family.” This event is part of the NEA Big Read: Poe-tober. 2 p.m. Smith Griffith Auditorium, Georgia Museum of Art. kathleen.mcgovern25@uga.edu SIGNATURE LECTURE Nov. 1. “The Russian Imperial Awards and Their Recipients,” Ulla Tillander-Godenhielm, advisory council member of the Faberge Museum in St. Petersburg, Russia, and CEO emerita of A. Tillander Jewelers in Helsinki and London. 5:30 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. GLOBAL WOMEN IN STEM LEADERSHIP SUMMIT Nov. 2. The Global Women in STEM Leadership Summit is a unique leadership development summit designed to empower women in the fields of science, technology, engineering and mathematics. $400, non-IEEE members; $380, IEEE members; $200, nonmember student; $180, student WIE member; $170 student IEEE member. Lowes Atlanta Hotel. 706-542-1973. thamrita@uga.edu LECTURE Nov. 2. “Overexploitation of Fruit-eating Fishes Disrupts Seed Disperals in Vast Neotropical Wetlands,” Jill Anderson, genetics and the Odum School of Ecology. 1:25 p.m. 201 ecology building. cpringle@uga.edu TOUR AT TWO Nov. 2. Shawnya Harris, the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art, leads a tour of works from the Thompson collection, on view in the permanent collection. Part of UGA’s 2016 Spotlight on the Arts. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662.
NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Oct. 26 (for Nov. 7 issue) Nov. 2 (for Nov. 14 issue) Nov. 9 (for Nov. 28 issue)
6 Oct. 24, 2016 columns.uga.edu
CAMPUS CLOSEUP
George Vellidis, professor of crop and soil sciences in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, received the Pierre C. Robert Professional Award from the International Society of Precision Agriculture, during the society’s conference in St. Louis. This annual award is given to a single individual each year who has made significant contributions to precision science and technology. The society is the leading professional society for scientists working to improve the sustainability and efficiency of agriculture through research into precision and automated agricultural practices. Timothy M. Chester, vice president for information technology at UGA, is the 2016 recipient of the EDUCAUSE Community Leadership Award. EDUCAUSE is a nonprofit association and community of IT leaders and professionals for higher education. The Community Leadership Award, which is presented annually, recognizes community leaders and active volunteers in professional service to the higher education IT community. Since his arrival at UGA in 2011, Chester has focused on strategies to elevate the work, influence and impact of the university’s central IT department and the Office of Institutional Research. He has revamped both units to ensure that their day-to-day work is aligned with the university’s strategic initiatives, and he has facilitated systematic, stakeholder-focused improvements in the delivery of IT services and data reporting and analytics. Award recipients receive a $3,000 contribution to the fund of their choice. EDUCAUSE will make a contribution to the Terry College of Business’s management and information systems department, where Chester serves on the faculty. Chester will be honored at the annual EDUCAUSE conference, Oct. 25-28, in Anaheim, California. Bonnie Cramond, a professor in the College of Education’s educational psychology department, was recently named to a group of six national advisors by the Innovation Collaborative, a national forum that fosters creativity, innovation and lifelong learning through research and effective practices. Known as Research Thought Leaders, the group is comprised of nationally known researchers who integrate innovation thinking in the sciences, arts, humanities, cognition and creativity with education. The advisors’ efforts and conversations will stimulate furBonnie Cramond ther research on how the intersections of the arts and STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) can promote creative thinking in K-12 and out-ofschool-time learning settings. As a Thought Leader, Cramond will network with numerous organizations working with the Innovation Collaborative, including the National Science Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, the U.S. Department of Education, the Congressional STEAM Caucus and many more. Cramond’s expertise is in creativity, especially in education. She is particularly interested in the identification and nurturance of creativity in individuals with emotional problems, ADHD and students who drop out of school. Her recent work, funded by the National Science Foundation, is directed toward infusing creativity into the STEM areas. Kudos recognizes special contributions of staff, faculty and administrators in teaching, research and service. News items are limited to election into office of state, regional, national and international societies; major awards and prizes; and similarly notable accomplishments.
Patrice Masterson’s work in human resources is meant to help others realize their own leadership potential.
Dorothy Kozlowski
HR professional helps employees navigate benefits, explore leadership By Leigh Beeson lbeeson@uga.edu
Vision oriented. Insightful. Critical. Decisive. These are all traits that characterize the INTJ type determined by the iconic Myers-Briggs Type Indicator personality test. For Patrice Masterson, the personality type isn’t just a combination of four letters; it’s an insight into her strengths and weaknesses in her role as a leader in higher education. Masterson may be new to UGA, stepping into her role as assistant director for benefits in Human Resources in January of this year, but by no means does she lack experience. After working for Hewlett-Packard Co. and developing a staff training program in her HR role at Quinsigamond Community College in Massachusetts, Masterson headed south, landing at Georgia Perimeter College. She served as the college’s HR director for more than 20 years. When she heard Georgia Perimeter was consolidating with Georgia State University, Masterson decided it was time for a change. Her role at UGA is similar to the one she held at Georgia Perimeter, but everything is on a much larger scale, she said. She works with a staff of 12 people, spending most days discussing retirement planning, new hire benefits, and leave and disability information with UGA employees and retirees. “It’s been a good change,” Masterson said. “UGA is a wonderful place. I left what I thought were the nicest
people in the world to work with for some more of the nicest people in the world to work with.” A career in human resources means constantly dealing with people and addressing their needs and concerns, something to which Masterson was always drawn. After teaching an introductory sociology course at the community college in Massachusetts, Masterson realized she could incorporate some basic sociological concepts into training programs for the college’s faculty and staff. She quickly discovered that she had a knack for leadership development and helping people realize their potential. Jacquelyn Belcher, president of Georgia Perimeter, encouraged Masterson to join a new leadership development program she created to help women of color advance in higher education. Masterson has been a faculty member at the Kaleidoscope Leadership Institute ever since. The institute culminates in an annual four-day program that brings together 50 women from across the nation to discuss their experiences as women of color working in higher education and helps them develop their leadership skills through workshops and guest speaker lectures. “A big part of leadership is knowing yourself,” Masterson said. “We spend a lot of time on self-awareness and do assessments so that participants get to know a little bit more about what their strengths are and what their weaknesses are. There are a variety of things you have to be able to do to succeed in higher
FACTS
Patrice Masterson
Assistant Director for Benefits Human Resources M.S., Management Studies, Northwestern University, 1981 A.B., Organizational Behavior, Brown University, 1979 At UGA: Nine months
education—you have to be able to deal well with people, you have to be able to create a high-performing team and you have to be able to deal with all of the political stuff that’s going on and figure out how to navigate through all of that.” The institute offers participants an opportunity to get to know themselves better through feedback from peers and career counselors that people often don’t get in the workplace, Masterson said. She knows firsthand how empowering that kind of information can be, having attended a “life-changing” conference at the Center for Creative Leadership in North Carolina years ago. “What I learned about myself from those assessments was really powerful for me,” she said. “It gave me a lot more confidence and allowed me to trust myself more and also not be afraid to use my voice. I was different after that.” Now her goal is to help others realize their leadership potential as well.
DIVISION OF MARKETING & COMMUNICATIONS
Trevor to head institutional media communications By David Bill
dbill@uga.edu
Greg Trevor will assume the duties of executive director for media communications in UGA’s Division of Marketing & Communications Oct. 24. Trevor served for more than 12 years as senior director of the Office of University News and Media Relations at Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey. Trevor will serve as the official media spokesperson for the university, responsible for institutional news releases and media queries. He will work
with academic and administrative units across campus to develop media communications strategies and determine the best outlets to deliver content about UGA’s teaching, Greg Trevor research and service missions. He also will direct crisis communications, oversee publication of the faculty-staff newspaper and supervise operations of the open records and trademarks department.
Trevor previously served as senior information officer for the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey and worked as a reporter for the Asbury Park Press in Trenton, New Jersey, and the Charlotte Observer in Raleigh, North Carolina. He has a Bachelor of Arts degree in government and foreign affairs from the University of Virginia, where he served as editor-in-chief of the school’s newspaper, The Cavalier Daily. “The University of Georgia is rapidly emerging as one of the premier public universities in the nation, and I look forward to this opportunity to help direct its future,” Trevor said.
ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
Priming the pump
columns.uga.edu Oct. 24, 2016
7
OFFICE OF EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS
By Farhana Rahman
Two local police officers receive 2016 UGA Kassinger Scholarship
UGA and England’s University of Liverpool are offering a third round of “pumppriming”seed grants to encourage research collaborations between the two institutions. Research proposals for this round are due Nov. 4. In the last two years, the program funded a range of projects, from novel developments of personalized cancer treatments to the development of phase change textiles used for solider combat uniforms, with each initiative receiving up to $9,000 to cover initial project costs. “The University of Liverpool has proven to be an excellent partner,” said Vice President for Research David Lee. “We are very pleased by how this multi-faceted, successful collaboration has already developed. With the aid of this new seed grant round, we look to expand our partnership even further.” A collaboration from the 2014-2015 cycle between UGA’s Natarajan Kannan and the University of Liverpool’s Patrick Eyers has already borne fruit in a $1.5 million grant from the NIH. The goal of their project, “Evaluation of the Cancer-Mutated Human Kinome,” is to provide cancer patients with personalized treatment strategies based on their individual genomic profile. By tackling the same critical issue— cancer—from two different approaches, their collaboration has provided a holistic approach to cancer treatment. Kannan, an associate professor of biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and Georgia Cancer Coalition Distinguished Cancer Scholar, and his UGA-based research team are mining data for cancer genomes to identify key mutations. Eyers and his research team in England are drug-testing cancer mutations to see what treatment works best for each type of mutation. This research partnership also has allowed Kannan and Eyers to visit each other’s universities, broadening the partnership and enhancing the education of all students involved. Seed grant funding is provided in equal shares from both institutions. At UGA, the Office of Research matches departmental or unit support at a 2-to-1 ratio. Funding from Liverpool is provided by the International Development Office and the researchers’
The Edward T. and Sarah Laurent Kassinger Scholarship board has awarded the 2016 Kassinger Scholarship to Cpl. Russell Davis with the UGA Police Department and Officer David Ian with the Athens-Clarke County Police Department in recognition of their academic achievements and work pursuits. Steve Harris with the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness presented the awards to Davis and Ian on behalf of the Kassinger Scholarship board. The scholarship is provided to graduate and undergraduate students who complete academic degrees while employed full time as a UGA police officer or as a working student in the criminal justice studies program at UGA. Russell Davis The scholarship is named for Edward Kassinger, director of the UGA Public Safety Division from 1969-1983, and his late wife, Sarah. It was established in 1984 by former employees and friends of the Kassingers who beDavid Ian lieve that students who work to help pay educational expenses should be recognized. Davis has been a member of the UGA Police Department since 2014. He received a master’s degree in criminal justice from the University of Cincinnati in April. Ian has been employed by the AthensClarke County Police Department since 2014. In August 2015, he received a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice/pre-law from UGA. Awarded annually, the Kassinger Scholarship is administered by the UGA Office of Emergency Preparedness.
Office of International Education accepting proposals for third round of funding for collaborative research grants farhana.rahman25@uga.edu
Peter Frey
Sergiy Minko, right, works with a doctoral candidate on research. Minko received a seed grant for the 2015-2016 cycle of UGA and the University of Liverpool’s research collaborations.
school or faculty. Among those selected in the 2015-2016 cycle is Sergiy Minko, the Georgia Power Professor of Fiber and Polymer Science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. He is collaborating with Dmitry Shchukin at the University of Liverpool on “Sustainable Nanocellulose Based Phase Change Textile Coatings” with the goal of creating “secondskin” soldier uniforms. Minko also has a joint appointment as a professor of chemistry in the Franklin College. Javad Mohammadpour, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering, is collaborating with Liverpool’s Paolo Paoletti on a project titled “Embedding Robustness in Swarm Robotics Control Algorithms.” Mohammadpour also is the director of the Complex Systems Control Lab in the college. This project was funded in the 20142015 cycle. Other 2015-16 cycle recipients include Brett Clementz and Jennifer McDowell, UGA department of psychology, and Paul Knox, University of Liverpool, on “Oculomotor Approaches to Behavioral Inhibition;” Ralph Tripp, UGA department of infectious diseases, and James Stewart, University of Liverpool, on “The Anti-Viral Function of
WEEKLY READER
SPLUNC1 during Influenza A Virus Infection of Normal Epithelial Cells;” Bingqian Xu, UGA College of Engineering, and Simon Higgins, University of Liverpool, on “New University of Liverpool/University of Georgia Atlanta Collaboration on Molecular Scale Electronics;” and John Mauer, Margie Lee, Monique Franca and Timothy Hoover, UGA department of population health, and Paul Wigley and Nicola Williams, University of Liverpool, on “Defining the Mechanism Competitive Exclusion of Enteropathogens.” Recipients from the 2014-15 cycle also included Benjamin Ehlers, UGA department of history, and Stephen Kenny, University of Liverpool on “Slavery and the 19thCentury Atlantic Economy;” R. Benjamin Davis, UGA College of Engineering, and Huajiang Ouyan, University of Liverpool, on “Vibrational Self-Assembly for Advanced Manufacturing Applications;” and Elisabeth Sattler, UGA department of history, and Mark Gabbay, University of Liverpool, on “Unmet Basic Needs and Health Disparity in Two Health Care Systems: Food Insecurity, Medication Non-adherence, Access to Health Care/Welfare and Chronic Disease Outcomes in Low-Income Adults in the U.S. and the U.K.”
CYBERSIGHTS
ABOUT COLUMNS
Book explores work of animated filmmaker
John Lasseter Contemporary Film Directors series By Richard Neupert University of Illinois Press Cloth: $95 Paper: $22 E-book: $19.80
Celebrated as Pixar’s Chief Creative Officer, John Lasseter is a revolutionary figure in animation history and one of today’s most important filmmakers. Lasseter’s films, from Luxo Jr. to Toy Story and Cars 2, highlighted his gift for creating emotionally engaging characters. At the same time, they helped launch computer animation as a viable commercial medium and serve as blueprints for the genre’s still-expanding commercial and artistic development. In his new book, Richard Neupert, UGA’s Charles H. Wheatley Professor of the Arts in the theatre and film studies department, traces Lasseter’s career arc from the time he joined Pixar in 1984. As Neupert shows, Lasseter’s ability to keep a foot in both animation and CGI allowed him to thrive in an unconventional corporate culture that valued creative interaction between colleagues. The ideas that emerged built an animation studio that updated and refined classical Hollywood storytelling practices and changed commercial animation forever.
Columns is available to the community by subscription for an annual fee of $20 (secondclass delivery) or $40 (first-class delivery). Faculty and staff members with a disability may call 706-542-8017 for assistance in obtaining this publication in an alternate format. Columns staff can be reached at 706-542-8017 or columns@uga.edu
Editor Juliett Dinkins
Benefits enrollment info on HR website hr.uga.edu/open-enrollment The two-week open enrollment period for benefits-eligible UGA employees is Oct. 31-Nov. 11 (see story, page 2). Details about benefits open enrollment for active employees and pre-65 retirees have been added to the Human Resources website. Visitors to the website can view the 2017 comparison guide for
all benefits, read the open enrollment benefits newsletter and summary, and view the schedule of open enrollment information sessions. The website has a link to the MyBenefits@UGA system so that employees can enroll for 2017, make benefits changes or change their tobacco status use online.
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.
8 Oct. 24, 2016 columns.uga.edu
CHARTER
Taking part in the research tours were, from left, Andrew Dill, UGA director of federal relations; Eric Elsner, superintendent of the Campbell Research and Education Center; CAES Dean Sam Pardue; Commissioner Gary Black; U.S. Rep. Mike Conaway; U.S. Rep. Rick Allen; state Sen. John Wilkinson; state Rep. Tom McCall; state Rep. Terry England; and Toby Carr, associate vice president for government relations at UGA.
UGA hosts tour for federal, state government officials
UGA officials hosted Congressman Mike Conaway (R), chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Agriculture, Oct. 9 on a tour of the university’s local agricultural research facilities. Conaway has represented the 11th Congressional District of Texas since 2005. Joining Conaway were Congressman Rick Allen (R-GA), Georgia Senate Agriculture Chairman John Wilkinson (R-Toccoa), Georgia House Agriculture Chairman Tom McCall (R-Elberton), Georgia House Appropriations Chairman Terry England (R-Auburn) and Georgia Commissioner of Agriculture Gary Black. Led by Dean Sam Pardue of the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, the group visited the J. Phil Campbell Sr. Research and Education Center in Watkinsville. A former U.S. Department of Agriculture-Agricultural Research Service station, the 1,055acre facility was transferred to UGA in fall 2013 to be used for agricultural and natural resources research, instruction and extension. Conaway also visited the USDA-ARS Southeast Poultry Research Laboratory. The high-security facility focuses on influenza and other diseases affecting the poultry industry, which is the top agricultural product in Georgia. Last year, Congress appropriated the remaining $113.7 million to expand and update the $160 million facility.
EXPO
first began studying the development of C. elegans. In 1986, Kenyon joined the faculty at the University of California, San Francisco, where she served as a professor of biochemistry and biophysics for 27 years. At UC-San Francisco, she was named a Herb Boyer Distinguished Professor and served as director of the Larry L. Hillblom Center for the Biology of Aging. In 2014, Kenyon accepted her current position as vice president of aging research at Calico. Kenyon is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the National Academy of Medicine. She is also an American Cancer Society Professor and the former
LECTURE
They not only have a world-class education, but they have some real-world work experience under their belts.” Expo visitors also learned more about the agricultural and environmental sciences college and its campuses in Athens, Griffin and Tifton. Prospective students interacted with student ambassadors and learned about the college from academic recruiters. “Having the opportunity to be part of the Sunbelt Agricultural Expo is an honor that we at UGA do not take lightly,” said Breanna Coursey, a student recruiter at UGA’s Tifton campus. “With as many as 80,000 visitors who care about agriculture at this event, this was a prime opportunity to inform students and their parents about receiving an education at the state’s landgrant institution.” Visitors at Sunbelt also learned about key research being conducted at the 600acre working research farm on site. UGA scientists Gary Burtle, John Bernard, Paula Burke, Justin Fowler, Claudia Dunkley,
Lawton Stewart, Lee Jones, Dennis Hancock, Stanley Culpepper and Glen Harris spoke. Also present in the UGA CAES building were UGA Cooperative Extension agents, who were available to answer questions visitors had about the three focus areas in Extension: agricultural and natural resources, family and consumer sciences, and 4-H. UGA’s expertise during the three-day event was vital to the show’s success, according to Chip Blalock, executive director of the Sunbelt Expo. “Having UGA’s scientists discuss agriculture-related topics like aquaponics, beef cattle management, forages and harvesting of row crops, which are vital to the growth of agriculture in this state, was a great part of the Sunbelt Expo. Anybody who attended learned from the best researchers in agriculture,” Blalock said. “Want to know why agriculture is Georgia’s top industry? It’s because of world-renowned research like what’s conducted every year here at Sunbelt.”
Bulletin Board Capital campaign kick off
All members of the UGA 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.
Computer lab maintenance
The vLab, UGA’s virtual computer lab, will undergo maintenance over fall break weekend. The maintenance will begin Oct. 28 at 8 p.m. and will last until Oct. 29 at 8 p.m. During this time, vLab will be unavailable to users in labs on campus as well as users’ personal devices. The vLab is available on computer workstations throughout the Miller Learning Center. The MLC will be closed for fall break during this maintenance window. UGA’s vLab allows students, faculty and staff with a MyID and password to access a lab environment with applications to use on their work and personal devices, regardless
president of the Genetics Society of America. Charter Lectures are sponsored by the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, and Kenyon’s lecture is part of UGA’s Signature Lecture series. “Dr. Kenyon’s groundbreaking work exemplifies how fundamental insights gained through basic research can have a transformative impact on individuals and society,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. “We are delighted to welcome her back to her alma mater, where interest in the STEM fields among students is booming and a growing number of our faculty are focusing their research on inquiring and innovating to improve human health.”
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contributed significantly to their communities or spent time in a public service role. “I want to thank Keith Mason for his continued support of this outstanding lecture series,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “His generosity enables the university to create rich learning experiences for our campus community. We are excited to welcome Billy Payne back to his alma mater and look forward to hearing his insights on leadership and public service.” As chairman of Centennial Holding Co.,
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based in Atlanta, Payne has grown the real estate investment firm’s portfolio to more than $1 billion in asset value, encompassing 35 communities and over 10,000 units. Payne previously served as managing director of Gleacher and Co., vice chairman of Bank of America, vice chairman of PTEK Holdings and vice chairman of WebMD. He also serves on the board of directors of Lincoln National and Altec. Payne earned an undergraduate degree in political science in 1969 and a law degree in 1973 from UGA.
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than 110,000 internship hours through nearly 1,000 internships to date. That success, said Geiser, is because of faculty members, like Pierce, who agree to take these students and show them what research looks like in practice. “These are people with tons of other stuff to do, but they agree to create these life-changing experiences for the kids,” Geiser said. Suvitha Viswanathan, a junior at North Oconee High School, is one of the students studying in Pierce’s lab, which works to understand the function and structure of glycans, or complex carbohydrates, usually found on the surface of cells. The ultimate goal of much of Pierce’s research is to identify cancer markers. For Viswanathan, who wants to pursue a career in health care, the Young Dawgs program offers the ability to apply scientific research beyond what high school can afford her. “I wanted an opportunity to explore more than textbook material and the labs they
of whether they are on or off campus. Desktop users can access computer lab applications, such as MATLAB and Blender, directly through their web browser. Tablet or smartphone users must download and install the free Citrix Receiver app from the App Store or Google Play before accessing vLab.
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 at kristen.johnson@uga.edu Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.
assigned in class,” she said. “It’s fascinating to me, the whole research world.” And that is just what she’s gotten, first as a summer intern and now during the fall semester. In Pierce’s lab, students do a lot with their hands—focusing on wet lab experiments, which use biological materials and chemicals. Members of Pierce’s lab, especially research technician Pam Kirby, help guide the students during their internships. Viswanathan said the real fun comes from watching chemical reactions and realizing that these reactions happen in the body. “Sometimes I’ll find myself doing lab work and wondering, ‘Well, what’s all of this for?’ ” she said. She’ll observe how a group of antibodies connects with a group of cells and start to piece together what that means for an immune system. Viswanathan said, “It’s coming away with the big picture that’s my favorite part of it.”
CHANCELLOR
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University System of Georgia,” said Wrigley. “The faculty and staff bring our campuses to life every day to better serve our students and the state of Georgia, and I look forward to working with them to build on our momentum.” As executive vice chancellor of administration, Wrigley oversees the day-to-day operations of the system’s budget, facilities, information technology services, human resources, legal affairs and strategic planning units. Wrigley formerly served as senior vice president for external affairs, as well as vice president for government relations for UGA. He also served as director of the university’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government, a public service and outreach unit. Prior to his work in the university system, Wrigley worked in state government in Georgia, including five years as chief of staff to former Gov. Zell Miller. During his career, Wrigley has worked on a number of key issues including the creation of the state lottery and the HOPE Scholarship, along with campus consolidations within the USG. Wrigley earned his undergraduate degree from Georgia State University and his doctorate in history from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois. He and his wife, Lynne, have two children and reside in Atlanta and Oconee County.