UGA Columns Oct. 24, 2016

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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

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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


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