UGA Columns Oct. 28, 2019

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Researchers look at how abandoned Chernobyl villages help rare horses RESEARCH NEWS

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Hodgson Singers take stage for Ensemble Series performance on Nov. 7 Vol. 47, No. 14

October 28, 2019

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UGA partners with Google Books for more digital access

By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu

The renovated Ocean Sciences Instructional Center at Skidaway Island was dedicated Oct. 22.

Dorothy Kozlowski

Dedicated to discovery Ocean Sciences Instructional Center at Skidaway officially opens

By Mike Sullivan

mike.sullivan@skio.uga.edu

A 71-year-old cattle barn was repurposed as a modern classroom and laboratory building in a dedication ceremony on Oct. 22 at the University of Georgia’s Skidaway Institute of Oceanography. UGA President Jere W. Morehead presided over the ceremony, which capped the yearlong renovation of the reinforced concrete and steel beam structure that is now known as the Ocean Sciences Instructional Center.

“Today marks the beginning of

a new era at the Skidaway Institute as this renovated facility will greatly enhance the educational and outreach capacity of this unique part of the University of Georgia,” said Morehead. “We are especially grateful to our state and local leaders for their support of the project.

The Ocean Sciences Instructional Center will support every program at the institute, helping our faculty, staff and students carry out UGA’s vital sea-grant mission.”

The ceremony also included comments from Board of Regents Chair Don Waters, who represents the 1st Congressional District

on the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia, and department of marine sciences doctoral student Kun Ma, who is based at Skidaway.

With the support of the Chatham County Legislative Delegation, the Georgia General Assembly appropriated $3 million in 2016 to remodel and repurpose the cattle barn. The new Ocean Sciences Instructional Center contains two state-of-the-art digital classrooms.

These can be used by Skidaway Institute-based department of marine sciences faculty to teach See SKIDAWAY on page 8

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

Professor of small animal surgery named first Bradbury Professor in Feline Health The College of Veterinary Medicine recently received approval from the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia to create the Alison Bradbury Chair in Feline Health, one of only two such endowed professorships in the nation. Dr. Chad Schmiedt, professor of small animal surgery, will be the first to hold the position.

Schmiedt is internationally known for his work in feline renal disease and transplantation. He has published 53 journal articles over the last five years, 22 of which addressed feline topics and 10 of which focused specifically on feline renal disease and transplantation.

In 2007, he combined his clinical and research interests to establish a renal transplantation program at the University of Georgia—and today it remains one of only three programs of its kind in the U.S. He is sought out for his expertise and has performed renal transplants

all over the world, including cats in Israel and Russia.

“Dr. Schmiedt is an excellent choice for this groundbreaking position,” said Lisa K. Nolan, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine. “His outstanding accomplishments in feline research and treatment, along with his commitment to understanding and bettering the lives of the feline species, will undoubtedly move the CVM forward as a leader in the field of feline health.”

The position was endowed thanks to a gift from Lauren Amos and Tyler Clayton and named for Dr. Alison Bradbury, CVM class of 2004. Amos and Clayton intend for the gift to elevate the field of feline health in Georgia, both in research and practice.

“There is the need for additional research in all areas of feline health,” said Amos. “I would like the UGA CVM to be at the forefront.

Personally, I am passionate about the feline species.

The University of Georgia and Dr. Alison Bradbury at the Cat Doctor in Atlanta have Chad Schmiedt cared for my own cats. It is my desire to create an environment where all cats in Georgia have the opportunity for the highest level of care.”

As the Bradbury chair, Schmiedt will continue to be engaged in research, teaching and public service.

Together with his team, he will work to identify new therapeutic targets that may provide new hope for sick cats, to expand studies on why and how feline diseases begin and progress and to offer worldclass patient care with currently available therapies.

University of Georgia Libraries’ books will soon transcend shelves and be available online to students, faculty and members of the community in Athens and around the world.

Through a new partnership with Google, about 120,000 of the Libraries’ 4.5 million volumes will be digitized, allowing further access to literary, historic, scientific and reference books and journals through UGA’s library catalog as well as one of the largest digital book collections in the world.

“The University of Georgia

Libraries’ collection of 4.5 million volumes is a vast resource for students and scholars at our campuses, and the Google Books partnership extends those benefits to people across the globe,” University Librarian and Associate Provost Toby Graham said. “The ability to search through the full text of these digitized materials will make it even easier for researchers to gain access to the knowledge that helps them to better understand our world.”

UGA Libraries’ contribution to the Google Books database includes items that are not widely available online. The volumes span

See GOOGLE on page 8

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH College of Public Health faculty member to serve on state health care task force

By Lauren Baggett lbaggett@uga.edu

The University of Georgia’s Dr. Toni Miles was invited to join a new state Task Force on Healthcare Access and Cost, led by Georgia Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan.

In late August, Duncan announced the formation of the task force and outlined the goals for the 15-member group, which includes five elected officials.

The group will pinpoint improvements that can be made to tackle the cost and access burdens to health care across Georgia.

Specially, the task force will evaluate price transparency and other free market solutions, data

and technology utilization, and employer innovation, according to Duncan’s office.

Miles, a faculty member in UGA’s College of Public Toni Miles Health, said she is excited about bringing the perspective of public health to the discussion of health care cost reduction to the group.

“My work during the past five years has focused on post acute care, which is delivered outside of the hospital,” she said. “In the

See TASK FORCE on page 8

FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION

UGA developing a new Staff Competency Model The University of Georgia Human Resources department is leading the charge in developing a new staff competency model that will benefit UGA staff in the coming years.

A staff competency model organizes job responsibilities into clusters that help to frame the knowledge, skills, abilities and other attributes needed to perform effectively in any staff role across the university. A clearly defined staff competency model not only provides clarification for job roles but also ensures a competencybased performance management and measurement process.

“As a university community, we are excited to be able to roll out the new competency model beginning in early 2020,” said Juan Jarrett, associate vice president for human

resources. “A well-developed, accurate staff competency model provides clear performance standards for staff and leadership so that staff members know exactly what tasks to perform in their role and how to perform those tasks to be successful.”

The UGA staff competency model is the result of significant university involvement, from staff engagement to academic input. Integral to this process are members of the psychology department’s Professional IndustrialOrganizational Psychology Master’s Program, which is under the direction of Brian Frost.

The central HR team also contracted with outside consultants to help collect and analyze data, collaborated with an advisory See STAFF on page 8

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INNOVATION DISTRICT

COLLEGE OF ENVIRONMENT AND DESIGN

Nancy Evelyn

Whitney Barr received the first Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Honor Scholarship for Inclusive Community Design.

Landscape architecture student receives Honor Scholarship for design

By Melissa Tufts mtufts@uga.edu

The boat to Sapelo Island one morning this summer included an avid gardener and aspiring landscape architect: Whitney Barr, a Master of Landscape Architecture candidate at UGA’s College of Environment and Design.

Barr spent her summer in immersive research, planting and caring for two traditional heritage crops of the Saltwater Geechee community: red peas and sugar cane. Her work was conducted under the direction of Nik Heynen, professor of geography and a member of UGA’s Marine Institute faculty. Heynen recently co-founded the Cornelia Walker Bailey Program on Land and Agriculture based on Sapelo.

“I wanted to fully immerse myself in the culture and develop genuine relationships with members of Sapelo’s community,” Barr said. “I combined my love of gardening with my appreciation of the community and its history and set out to learn as much as I could about the complicated yet beautiful story of resilience within this amazing place.”

As a researcher and an African American woman raised by sharecroppers in South Carolina, Barr has an especially keen insight into what is meant by “community” in places often overlooked and underserved.

“I continue to be inspired by the resilience of the people of Sapelo,” she said, “and every time I come on the island, I realize that there is so much more for me to learn about this place, the African Diaspora and our deep connections to food and land.”

Sapelo Island is about 11 miles long and sits almost exactly halfway between Tybee and Jekyll islands, just south of St. Catherines. Unlike the highly developed tourist destinations of Tybee and Jekyll, Sapelo remains removed from the mainland. In the small community of Hog Hammock, there is one convenience store and no schools, no medical facility and no grocery store. Residents rely on themselves for food and medicinal needs, or go to the mainland by ferry as those needs arise. Approximately 70 people reside there full time, all of them direct descendants of West Africans who were enslaved and brought over from Africa more than 150 years ago. Barr plans to make her research at Sapelo part of her thesis.

Barr is a recipient of the first Landscape Architecture Foundation’s Honor Scholarship for Inclusive Community Design, a $10,000 scholarship that supports students who have shown a commitment to underserved urban communities and who want to address community-scale design. While working for Delta Air Lines after graduating from Spelman College in Atlanta, Barr volunteered for urban garden work. She also worked as a digital marketer for a social enterprise owned by Open Hand Atlanta, a nonprofit that prepares and delivers more than 5,000 nutritious meals a day to seniors battling chronic health conditions. Outside of the office, Barr also reignited and led the on-site garden. Produce was used to supplement cooking matters and nutrition workshops with culturally relevant crops. She plans to make a career in landscape design that is dedicated to approaching healthier food systems by creating healthy community garden systems that celebrate the African Diaspora throughout urban and rural settings.

“When I was managing the produce garden in Atlanta, I became intrigued by the idea of how to get people to come to the garden and stay, not just pick up produce and leave.

I wanted to learn how to design places to scale, with an understanding of how spatial definition affects a person’s experience, how we can encourage interaction and the creation of community,” Barr said.

“I hope to bring my appreciation of food and gardening to a new level using my design skills,” she said.“My time on Sapelo this past summer was both rewarding and inspiring; I will especially treasure my experience there under the guidance of knowledge handed down to me from the island’s matriarch, Cornelia Walker Bailey, whose book God, Dr. Buzzard and the Bolito Man is an excellent portrait of life on Sapelo.”

UGA innovators showcase ideas for commercialization

Andrew Davis Tucker

UGA doctoral students Emma Troth (left) and Kelly Scheulin present plans for their project Dog Seizure Therapeutic during the I-Corps Showcase on Oct. 21 at the Jackson Street Building.

Thirteen teams of innovators—composed of UGA faculty, students and community members—took their big ideas and entrepreneurial aspirations and pressure tested them for commercial potential this fall. Innovation Corps, or I-Corps, was developed by the National Science Foundation to help scientists and engineers in the U.S. translate their research out of academia for economic and societal benefits.

At UGA, I-Corps teams go through an intensive six-week accelerator program to identify whether there is a market need for their idea.

Simply put, the teams identify potential customers and interview them to determine what problems and frustrations exist with current solutions.

At the I-Corps Showcase on Oct. 21, the teams presented their findings from customer discovery and their plans to work toward commercializing their technology.

This cohort was the seventh to go through UGA’s I-Corps program. In addition to therapy for dogs with seizures, ideas included a treatment for brain cancer and an automated system for approving university courses.

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING

CAES

By Mike Wooten

By Sharon Dowdy

K.C. Das, the Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Agricultural and Environmental Engineering at the University of Georgia, has been named a 2019-2020 Jefferson Science Fellow. Das will spend a year in Washington, D.C., and in countries around the world, working with the U.S. Agency for International Development to engage American academic science and engineering expertise in U.S. foreign policy.

The program is administered by the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine. Das is one of only 11 tenured professors from across the nation selected for this year’s class of Jefferson Science Fellows, an initiative of USAID and the U.S. Department of State.

“This is a tremendous honor, of course,” said Das.“For me, it’s a recognition that the government values the importance K.C. Das of bringing in science and academia to advise on policy. It’s very powerful.”

As a Jefferson Science Fellow, Das will work to develop a deep understanding of local food systems in developing countries and to design strategies to make these local food systems more sustainable while enhancing the nutritional security of the communities.

“I have always wanted to give back to the developing world, a world that I was born into and grew up in. Agricultural development is one means by which people can come out of dire economic circumstances. USAID is the premier agency of international development in the world, and it is an honor to be a part of this work,” said Das. Das joined the faculty of the University of Georgia in 1995. His research focuses on organic waste management, conversion of waste to value-added products including biofuels, and on improving the sustainability of agricultural and food systems. He teaches courses in engineering unit operations, systems thinking and systems engineering, and entrepreneurship and technology transfer. He has conducted collaborative, applied research projects in India, Colombia and Mexico.

“I can’t think of a better choice for the Jefferson Science Fellows program than K.C.,” said Donald Leo, dean of the UGA College of Engineering. “Through his multidisciplinary research and innovative partnerships with scientists and communities around the world, he has been an outstanding ambassador for UGA and our college. It’s exciting to see him have the opportunity to serve our country in this way.”

Das earned his undergraduate degree in mechanical engineering at Anna University in Chennai, India, and earned his doctorate in food, agricultural and biological engineering from The Ohio State University. He is a life member of the American Society of Agricultural and Biological Engineers.

Three University of Georgia food scientists are among the recipients of grants awarded by the Center for Produce Safety as part of its $2.7 million program. The grants will fund projects focused on food safety issues related to fruits and vegetables.

“Right now, you hear a lot about cyclospora causing issues with fresh produce or about how transference of pathogens in water is initiating problems in general in our industry,” said Dave Corsi, chair of the CPS board of directors and vice president of produce and floral at Wegmans Food Markets, Rochester, New York. “If you take a step back and look at the Center for Produce Safety’s latest grant recipients, their project topics address the most pressing, relevant produce food safety issues.”

Xiangyu Deng, an associate professor in the UGA Center for Food Safety on the Griffin campus, will receive $186,733 to continue his research into foodborne pathogens, specifically Listeria monocytogenes, and the tolerance it may develop to sanitizers used to destroy it in food processing facilities.

“Through this project, we want to help settle the debate on whether Listeria monocytogenes develops tolerance to common sanitizers,” said Deng, a faculty member in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. “We will further explore if such tolerance is relevant to sanitizing practices in the produce industry by studying its possibility, duration and genetic predictors.”

Ynés Ortega, also an associate professor at the UGA Center for Food Safety and CAES faculty member, will receive $231,861 to determine the prevalence and persistence of cyclospora in California and Florida, the two major producegrowing states in the U.S. Ortega’s goals are to determine the best method for environmental testing for the parasite, to identify where it is being distributed in the U.S. and to implement monitoring and intervention strategies in the U.S. and other countries where the parasite is prevalent.

Cyclosporiasis, an intestinal illness, is caused by consuming food or water contaminated with the parasite. Historically, cyclospora outbreaks have been associated with the ingestion of imported fresh produce, but the number of cases linked to produce grown in the U.S. is on the rise, Ortega said.

Laurel Dunn, assistant professor of food science and technology at CAES, will examine the environmental microbial risks associated with vented produce in distribution centers.

She will receive $317,563 to evaluate pathogen prevalence in facilities that handle unsealed produce and industry practices that might contribute to increased or decreased food safety risks.

Produce is typically packed in vented bags, plastic tins or boxes that are vented to accommodate the gas and vapor exchange that occurs naturally after fruits and vegetables are harvested. Dunn will partner with more than 20 produce distribution centers with a goal of developing guidelines to reduce any potential hazards.

Engineering professor named Center for Produce Safety Jefferson Science Fellow funds 3 research projects mwooten@uga.edu

sharono@uga.edu

RESEARCH NEWS

columns.uga.edu Oct. 28, 2019

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Digest Texas Southern University museum director to give 2019 Holbrook Lecture

Andrew Davis Tucker

James Beasley, associate professor at SREL and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, is the senior author of a study on how abandoned dwellings in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone provide shelter for endangered equine.

Wild horses

Abandoned Chernobyl villages could save rare equine species

By Vicky L. Sutton-Jackson vsuttonj@srel.uga.edu

According to a research team at the University of Georgia, abandoned dwellings in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone provide shelter for an endangered equine species and a resource for conservationists who want to ensure their survival.

Peter Schlichting, a former postdoctoral researcher at the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, used motionactivated cameras to capture more than 11,000 images of Przewalski’s horses using abandoned structures as shelters, particularly barns, that were deserted after the 1986 nuclear accident.

Named after the Polish-born explorer Nikołaj Przewalski, who stumbled upon the species in Mongolia, the horses’ bodies range from reddish brown to dark beige with distinctive white bellies and muzzles. Previous research indicates that the Przewalski’s horse is the last remaining subspecies of wild horse.

Thirty-six Przewalski’s, pronounced “psuh-vahl-skeez,” were brought to the restricted landscape bordering Belarus and Ukraine about 15 years ago.

That population almost doubled by 2008, but lead investigator Schlichting, now at Arizona State University, said those numbers are likely too low to sustain a population.

The study, published in the journal Mammal Research, suggests that future research prioritize obtaining an accurate count of the population and determining genetic diversity.

“When the size of a population is reduced, it has lost a lot of natural variation,” Schlichting said.“The goal of conservation programs is to maintain as much diversity as possible and prevent inbreeding, ensuring a population can withstand changes in the environment and survive long term.”

James Beasley, senior author of the study, said pinpointing the horses’ frequent use of the structures was vital.

“Our results indicate Przewalski’s horses routinely use abandoned structures in the CEZ,” said Beasley, associate professor at SREL and the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. “As a result, these structures can serve as important focal points for research and management to obtain key demographic information such as age, sex ratio, population size and genetic structure.”

Cameras were set up at the structures to record continuous activity for a portion of a winter and a summer season.

The horses were recorded 35 times at nine of 10 monitored structures during winter months and 149 times at all eight monitored structures during the

summer.They were frequently recorded using the structures for more than five consecutive hours.

The images that were captured indicate that the horses use the structures in much the same way as the former occupants did—loafing, sleeping and breeding. The researchers also suspect the horses use the structures as refuge from insects during summer months.

The team also detected other mid- to large-size mammals using the abandoned structures during summer: brown hare, red deer, moose, wild boar, red fox, raccoon dogs, Eurasian lynx and wolves, as well as several avian and bat species.

Future studies on the Przewalski’s horse could gather additional information, like the number of groups and the definitive numbers within groups, according to Schlichting.

“Video footage could be a useful tool to track individuals during visits and be used in conjunction with cameras to fill in those gaps,” he said.

The team’s research was conducted in the Belarusian portion of the CEZ in the Polesie State Radiation Ecological Reserve. Schlichting said for a management plan to be successful in saving the species, future research must include the Ukraine section of the zone where the population was initially introduced.

COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Study: A ‘thoughtful’ workout goes beyond physical benefits

By Kristen Morales kmorales@uga.edu

Running and lifting weights might be a crucial step in helping delay the effects of aging, but those exercises may be only part of the story.

In a new article published in Psychological Bulletin, a University of Georgia researcher found that the type of activity a person chooses may also have an effect on the brain’s response to aging—and, according to the data reviewed, may even help improve cognitive function.

Phillip Tomporowski, co-author and professor of kinesiology in the UGA College of Education, and Caterina Pesce of the University of Rome in Italy researched more than 70 reviews of previous studies comparing the benefits of exercise alone with the benefits of exercise plus some type of cognitive

component.They found more improvement among participants when exercise was paired with some type of skill than with exercise alone.

“The people who were in training programs that were more complex performed better on tests of executive function and memory,” compared with tests that only involved exercise, he said.

This means that an activity that requires some sort of extra thought or skill while a person does it—for example, choreographed dancing, running through an obstacle course, mountain biking or even low-impact activities, such as juggling—can be beneficial not only in that they get people moving, but they also help improve brain function.

“People navigate a complex world in those activities, and it’s the navigation of your body as you move that we are hypothesizing, that’s influencing how

people process information, problem solve and remember things,” he added.

“The fundamental factor is the amount of mental engagement that’s in the task.”

The research aligns with an afterschool program Tomporowski has championed for several years called PAL, or Physical Activity and Learning, where elementary-age children learn games that require specific skills or problem solving, as well as physical activity.While Tomporowski and his colleagues haven’t evaluated the success of the program on children’s mental functioning, he said similar programs do have the studies to back them up.

Bottom line, it’s not just running or lifting weights—along with doing crossword puzzles—that may slow the aging process. Rather, he said, it’s the combination of the mental and physical activity that seems to hold the most benefit.

Alvia Wardlaw, professor of art history and director of the University Museum at Texas Southern University, will give the 2019 Alfred Heber Holbrook Memorial Lecture. Open free to the public, Wardlaw’s lecture, “All of One Piece: The Life and Art of Mary Lee Bendolph,” will be held on Nov. 7 at 5:30 p.m. in the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium of the Georgia Museum of Art. A leading expert in African and African American art, Wardlaw serves on the Scholarly Advisory Committee of the Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture. Prior to joining the faculty of TSU, she served as curator of modern and contemporary art at the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston for 22 years and organized more than 75 exhibitions on African and African American art.

Sponsored by the Georgia Museum of Art, the Holbrook Memorial Lecture also has been designated as one of the university’s Signature Lecture Series, which features speakers noted for their broad, multidisciplinary appeal and compelling bodies of work.

University of Georgia receives 2019 Premio Cortonantiquaria Award

The University of Georgia recently received the Cortonantiquaria 2019 Award for 50 years of collaboration with the city of Cortona, Italy. The award was presented in early September to Chris Robinson, director of UGA Cortona, during the Cortona Antiques Fair, the oldest antique fair in Italy.

The Cortonantiquaria Award was first presented in 2001 as a part of the fair to recognize men, women and institutions that model a commitment to culture and art and have a continuing relationship with the city of Cortona.

The University of Georgia and Cortona began their unique relationship when UGA professor Jack Kehoe founded a studio art program in the summer of 1969. Since that time, more than 10,000 students have participated in the program, which has expanded its offerings year-round, in art, the humanities, sciences and business.

“UGA Cortona is more than a learning facility; it has become a part of Cortona and its people,” said Robinson, who has directed UGA Cortona since 2011.“There would be so many things to say about 50 years of friendship and collaboration with Cortona: I summarize by saying that the achievements have been both cultural and social, and there has been understanding between two cultures and their people.”

Terry College students place first at national insurance case competition

A team of risk management and insurance majors from the Terry College of Business captured first prize at the 2019 Talent Development Competition hosted recently by the National African American Insurance Association in Atlanta.

UGA seniors Jacqueline Patterson, Kerry Martin and Serena Aluko won $500 each after judges determined they had the best solution to a case study about how to properly assess the “internet of things” to improve risk management decisions. The team received the case in April and began weekly phone calls with mentors from Liberty Mutual and faculty advisor Jenny Atkinson.

The National African American Insurance Association was organized to create a network for people of color and others employed in or affiliated with the insurance industry. The ­association has 15 chapters throughout the ­nation, and its members represent every sector of the insurance industry.

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

EXHIBITIONS

Immortal Beloved. Through Nov. 8. Bridge Gallery, Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-0069. kgeha@uga.edu.

Baci from Cortona. Through Nov. 16. Margie E. West Gallery, Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-0069. kgeha@uga.edu.

Codified Color. Through Nov. 16. Suite Gallery, Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-0069. kgeha@uga.edu.

Kiki Kogelnik, Julia Scher, Erika Vogt, Lisa Williamson. Through Nov. 16. Lupin Foundation Gallery, Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-0069. kgeha@uga.edu.

Before the War: Photographs of Syria by Peter Aaron. Through Dec. 1. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.

Beth Thompson, Photography. Through Dec. 1. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

The New South and The New Slavery: Convict Labor in Georgia.

Through Dec. 13. Hargrett Library Gallery, Special Collections Libraries. 706-542-6367. kdotson@uga.edu.

Growing Through Art: Athens Art Association Artists Celebrate Their Centennial Year. Through Dec. 22. Gardenside Room, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

Moon Rocks! Through Dec. 24. Russell Gallery, Special Collections Libraries. 706-542-5788. washnock@uga.edu.

Now and Then: 1979. Through Dec. 24. Russell Gallery, Special Collections Libraries. 706-542-5788. washnock@uga.edu.

Mary Lee Bendolph: Quilted Memories. Through Dec. 29.

Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.

Storytelling in Renaissance Maiolica. Through Jan. 5. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. gmoa@uga.edu.

Beautiful and Brutal: Georgia Bulldogs Football, 2017.

Through Feb. 28. Rotunda Gallery, Special Collections Libraries.

706-542-6170. hasty@uga.edu.

MONDAY, OCT. 28 DIWALI Through Oct. 31. Hindu religious observance.

CTEGD RESEARCH IN PROGRESS: TARLETON LAB Moderators: Bowen Deng and Jessica Ramadhin. Advanced students, postdocs, technicians and PIs from CTEGD labs present “in progress” work and discuss preliminary data and ideas for collaboration. Refreshments are provided by CTEGD and the host lab. 8:30 a.m. 175 Coverdell Center.

CONFERENCE “The Future of Space Governance” takes a stakeholder

Mitchell to discuss new book at Nov. 4 event

By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu

Pat Mitchell, a renowned journalist who broke barriers as the first female president of PBS and the first president of CNN Productions, will discuss her career at an event, hosted by the University of Georgia Libraries, to launch her new book.

A UGA alumna, Mitchell has earned 37 Emmy Awards and five Peabody Awards. Her book, Becoming a Dangerous Woman: Embracing Risk to Change the World, explores what it means to be a “dangerous woman” today and offers insight from her life and career.

During the event, scheduled for 6 p.m. Nov. 4 at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Libraries auditorium, Mitchell will read from her book and then converse with UGA alumnus Tom Johnson, former president of CNN and chairman approach to emerging questions of outer space governance. It seeks to understand the perspective and concerns of classic space powers, new entrants, nonspace faring nations and international organizations like the Committee on the Peaceful Uses of Outer Space as well as civilian space agencies, national militaries and commercial actors. It asks for views on the sufficiency of existing law and governance structures and probes the legal needs of new and existing stakeholders. It will explore the agendas of the growing collection of actors and attempt to find new prospects for governance. Registration required.

8:45 a.m. Larry Walker Room, Dean Rusk Hall. 706-542-9697. catrina.martin@uga.edu.

LECTURE “Ahmad al-Hajarî, Worldmaker,” Oumelbanine Nina Zhiri, University of California San Diego. Zhiri’s lecture is hosted by the Early Modern Studies Research Group, an Andrew W. Mellon Foundation grant-funded research project in the Global Georgia Initiative of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. Matching funds are provided by Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the departments of English, history, Romance languages and theatre and film studies. 5 p.m. 118 Gilbert Hall. fernan.gomezmone25@uga.edu.

LECTURE Gene Baur, activist and bestselling author, discusses the impact of food choices on the health of the planet and the human body and how to create a more sustainable and compassionate food system. Baur is president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, America’s largest farm animal rescue and protection organization. Baur will also be signing copies of his books, which will be available for purchase at the event. Sponsored by Speak Out for Species and the UGA Office of Sustainability. 7 p.m. 248 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796. sos@uga.edu.

UGA Theatre spotlights Georgia’s history of incarcerated labor with ‘By Our Hands’

By Clay Chastain wclay87@uga.edu

UGA Theatre presents By Our Hands from The Georgia Incarceration Performance Project, directed

by Amma Y. Ghartey-Tagoe Kootin, Emily Sahakian, Julie B. Johnson and Keith Bolden. Open free to the public, performances are Nov. 8 and 16 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 10 and 17 at 2:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre at 255 Baldwin St. The production is a first-of-its-kind, crossinstitutional collaboration between faculty, students and alumni at the University of Georgia and Spelman College of Atlanta and Common Good Atlanta, an organization that teaches college-level courses in prisons across Georgia. Developed through several courses in university-level curricula and in the production seasons of three departments, students and faculty from Spelman, UGA and incarcerated students of Common Good Atlanta generated original writing, composed songs, choreographed scenes and engaged in critical reflection on the history of incarceration in the state of Georgia.

In a joint statement,the directors pose the questions, “How do we gather a community of Georgia residents to openly look at and discuss the state’s difficult past (and present)? How do we honestly negotiate our own relationship to incarceration, issues of race and the impact of forced labor on our everyday experiences as Georgians? One answer we suggest is that we turn to performance.”

Through the use of dance, original and historical music, projections and interpretive performance, the team behind By Our Hands has created a wholly unique theatrical experience aimed at interrogating this crucial aspect of Georgia history.

The project brings together a diverse array of people and entities around the Georgia incarceration story to have a conversation, engage ethically and learn from this history and its impact on residents’ everyday lives.

Close by is the Hargrett Library’s exhibition The New South and New Slavery: Convict Labor in Georgia, a new exhibit chronicling the history of forced prison labor in the state of Georgia.

For the first time in at least 30 years, UGA Theatre is not charging admission for a season production.

“We felt that it was vital that everyone be able to attend this production,including people who may never before have set foot on the UGA campus,” said David

emeritus of the Lyndon B. Johnson Foundation Board of Trustees.

Tickets are $25 and will include a signed copy of Mitchell’s new book. Reservations must be made at https://gail.uga.edu/ BADW. During the reception after the discussion, attendees can Pat Mitchell view an exhibition of Mitchell’s memorabilia, including several of her Peabody Awards, her first Emmy Award and selected documents and photos from her career in media as well as from her time as a student at UGA. The exhibition, A Dangerous Woman: The Life and Career of Pat Mitchell, will remain on display in the Brown Media Archive and Peabody Awards Gallery marquee until May 10.

TUESDAY, OCT. 29 BAKE SALE FOR BATS Ecology Cares hosts a bake sale to benefit Bulldogs for Bats, an interdisciplinary bat conservation project. Funds raised will support building bat houses on and near campus, enhancing student learning and research opportunities related to bats and educating the general public about the importance of protecting bats in Athens and around the world. Bulldogs for Bats partners include the Odum School of Ecology, the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, the Center for Integrative Conservation Research, the UGA Office of Sustainability, the State Botanical Garden, the UGA Division of Facilities Management Grounds Department, the Georgia Museum of Natural History and Habitat for Bats. 10 a.m. Lobby, Ecology Building.

706-542-2968. wpaulsen@uga.edu.

I.T. FAIR Also Oct. 30. EITS is offering free tech help for personal laptop computers. They can help download Office 365, enroll a backup device in ArchPass, complete a MyID profile for password resets, sync mail accounts and more. Open to all UGA students, faculty and staff. 10 a.m. Second floor rotunda, Miller Learning Center. 706-542-7071. skathryn@uga.edu.

CELLULAR BIOLOGY SEMINAR “Beyond Critical Thinking: How to Promote Science Reasoning Among Diverse Learners,” Julie Reynolds, Duke University.

11 a.m. 404A Biological Sciences Building.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER EDUCATIONAL SERIES: PART 1 Innovation Gateway’s annual Technology Transfer Educational Series, “Bridging the Gap Between Academia and Industry,” is a four-part series that highlights how Innovation Gateway collaborates with UGA researchers to maximize the impact of their discoveries by partnering with industry, or helping to launch startup companies, to move discoveries from the lab or field to the marketplace. The first event in this year’s series, “The Interface Between Innovation Gateway and Innovation District,” will be a luncheon featuring Derek Eberhart, associate vice president for research and executive director of Innovation Gateway, and W. Kyle Tschepikow, special assistant to the president and director for strategy and innovation. Eberhart and Tschepikow will present information about the Innovation District and Innovation Gateway and how these two initiatives interact within the university’s innovation ecosystem. The event is open to UGA faculty, staff and students. Lunch will be provided. To register, contact Tyler Duggins at tduggins@uga.edu or 706-542-8969.

Noon. 119 Aderhold Hall.

TOUR AT TWO Tour, led by docents, of highlights from the permanent collection. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu.

Open free to the public, performances of By Our Hands are set for Nov. 8 and 16 at 8 p.m. and Nov. 10 and 17 at 2:30 p.m. in the Fine Arts Theatre.

Saltz, head of the theatre and film studies department in Franklin College. “This piece draws heavily on the stories of real people who experienced unspeakable exploitation and denigration, and we wanted to respect their contribution to the project by avoiding even the appearance that we were profiting from their suffering.”

UGA Theatre relies on box office revenue to fund its production costs and is able to waive the ticket charge as the result of contributions from the Ferman Fund, the McCay Fund and the Franklin Excellence Fund specifically for this purpose. This project was made possible with the additional support from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation through the Global Georgia Program of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts and a faculty research grant from the Office of Research. From Spelman College, it is supported by the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the dance performance & choreography department and the theatre & performance department.

More information about the performance can be found at ugatheatre.com/gaproject.

The performance is part of UGA’s Spotlight on the Arts, scheduled for Nov. 6-17. Presented by the University of Georgia Arts Council, Spotlight on the Arts includes dozens of exhibitions and performances in the visual, literary and performing arts. Many of the events are free or discounted for UGA students, and the annual Spotlight on the Arts Family Day will be presented free of charge Nov. 16.

More information on the 2019 Spotlight on the Arts festival, including a schedule of events, can be found at arts.uga.edu as well as on the Arts Council Facebook page (facebook.com/UGAarts), Twitter feed (@UGA_arts) or Instagram (instagram.com/uga_arts).

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/.

ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Immunological Variability: A Missing Link in Disease Ecology,” Mauricio Seguel, postdoctoral associate in UGA’s Odum School of Ecology. A reception follows the seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby. Host: Vanessa Ezenwa. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, Ecology Building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 30 DISABILITY HISTORY SYMPOSIUM The Disability History Symposium will highlight people and stories that are paving the way for an accessible and inclusive society. Speakers include Beth English, John McCarty, Barbara Fischer, Eric Ndouba, Kathi Frankel, Sandra Wilcox, Marian Jackson, Helen Johnson, Jill Alexander, Philip Jay, Shirley Brooks, Rachel Watson, Gail Bottoms, Sally Carter and Gillian Grable. The featured exhibition is an art installation by Rachel Watson, UGA student. Lunch will be served to those who RSVP for the event. For diet or disability accommodations or additional information, contact Robert Lay at robert.lay@uga.edu or 706-542-0627. A reception from 3:30-5 p.m. will follow the event. The reception honors the University of Georgia students who developed exhibits for the event from materials in the Georgia Disability History Archive, housed at the Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies. 9:30 a.m.

Special Collections Libraries. 706-542-3457. zo@uga.edu.

LECTURE Corey Madden is an award-winning writer and director, executive director of the Kenan Institute for the Arts and a faculty member at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

At the Kenan Institute for the Arts, Madden directs strategic initiatives that creatively blend the arts, enterprise and innovative practice to positively impact the lives and careers of artists.

Noon. S160 Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-7270. mark.callahan@uga.edu.

CONSERVATION SEMINAR “Cryptic Species are Hiding in Plain Sight,” Byron Freeman,

4&5

Hodgson Singers to open Ensemble Series on Nov. 7

By Camille Hayes ceh822@uga.edu

The University of Georgia Hodgson Singers will perform their first concert of the 2019-2020 Ensemble Series during the eighth annual Spotlight on the Arts on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Hodgson Hall.

Their program, “All Things Rush On,” comes from the title of a piece the ensemble commissioned from Canadian composer Kieren MacMillan. Set to text by Rabindranath Tagore, the piece highlights the general theme of the program, which involves humanity’s need to make peace with and even find the joy in the cycles of life and death. The program’s theme is most explicit in works by Bach, Hailstork, MacMillan and Averitt.

“With such an opportunity, I always strive to program and record new and interesting [pieces] that haven’t yet been recorded—so, much of the repertoire this year has been selected with that in mind,” said Daniel Bara, the John D. Boyd UGA Foundation Professor of Choral Music and director of choral activities at UGA. “The program is, at least in part, also a celebration of music recently composed or arranged.”

The Hodgson Singers will make their second professional recording for Gothic Records this spring.

In addition to the MacMillan piece, they will also premiere an arrangement set by graduate composition student Benjamin Dawson, who won a composition area competition to be named the composer-inresidence for the Hodgson Singers this year. His folk-tune arrangement “I’ll Take You Home Again, Kathleen” is the first of three pieces he will compose for the choir this academic year. Other recently composed works on the program include pieces by English composers Owain Park and Philip Stopford, both of whom write regularly for the collegiate chapel choirs of England.

Bara included Park’s “Beauti quorum via” to prepare the choir for a larger piece by Park that the choir will sing with the acclaimed British professional choir Tenebrae on Nov. 10 as part of UGA Presents. “Footsteps” was commissioned by Tenebrae to celebrate its 15th anniversary and was intended to be a piece that Tenebrae could sing in collaboration with other choirs.

“It will be an honor to sing ‘Footsteps’ with Tenebrae, but we also wanted to sing a piece by Owain Park that we could perform on our own,” said Bara.

The choir will end the concert with a new suite of

director, Georgia Museum of Natural History and senior public service associate, Odum School of Ecology. This seminar series exposes undergraduate and graduate students to multiple aspects of the field of conservation ecology and sustainable development through speakers from different scientific disciplines and careers. It is designed to provide students with an integrative perspective that transcends interdisciplinary boundaries.

Seminars are free and open to the public. 1:25 p.m. Auditorium, Ecology Building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu.

DIGI WORKSHOP Don’t like coding? Learn more about online visualization tools.

3:35 p.m. DigiLab (Room 300), Main Library. digi@uga.edu.

PERFORMANCE Cleveland-based saxophonist and Kent State faculty member Noa Even, who is a Willson Center Distinguished Artist, explores themes of human connection with “atomic,” a commissioning project of four new works for solo saxophone, interactive electronics and video. 6 p.m. Dancz Center for New Music, Hugh Hodgson School of Music.

THURSDAY, OCT. 31 MICROBIOLOGY SEMINAR “What’s in the Water: Microbial Community Assembly and Antibiotic Resistance in the Upper Oconee Watershed,” Elizabeth Ottesen, microbiology department UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. 11 a.m. 404D Biological Sciences Building. khbrown@uga.edu.

SOTL WRITING POWER HOUR Join UGA scholars on Thursdays from 2-3:30 p.m. at the Center for Teaching and Learning to work on SoTL writing projects.

Light conversation among attendees about projects or consultations with Colleen Kuusinen, assistant director for the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning, are welcome; quiet writing space is also available. Coffee and snacks will be provided. North M.A.L.L., Instructional Plaza. 706-542-1713. ckuus@uga.edu.

LECTURE AND RECITAL The Willson Center is happy to welcome Noa Even as a Distinguished Artist for 2019-2020 for the “Works for Solo Saxophone and Interactive Media” lecture and recital. Even is a Clevelandbased saxophonist dedicated to sparking deeper interest in the arts of today through the performance of contemporary music.

She is a co-founder and executive director of Cleveland Uncommon Sound Project, a nonprofit organization aimed at strengthening the artistic engagement of the Northeast Ohio community by championing the creation and performance of new music.

Even is assistant professor of saxophone at Kent State University and a Conn-Selmer and Vandoren artist. 6 p.m. Dancz Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. emilykoh@uga.edu.

SOCCER vs. Florida. 7 p.m. Turner Soccer Complex.

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. 28, 2019

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.

The Hodgson Singers kick off the 2019-2020 Ensemble Series with a concert during the eighth annual Spotlight on the Arts on Nov. 7 at 7:30 p.m. in Hodgson Hall.

Southern hymns set to four-hand piano by American composer William Averitt. The piano accompaniment will be played by two new Hodgson School graduate students, Carlos Varela and Pedro Che. David Starkweather, Hodgson School of Music faculty member, with join the choir on cello for Bach’s motet “Komm, Jesu, Komm.”

“We hope to reach the listeners with thoughtprovoking and uplifting texts sung with expressivity, vulnerability and joy,” said Bara.“The Hodgson Singers strive to represent the best in choral music-making and hope to give concerts that are memorable and change lives.”

Tickets for the concert are $12 for adults and $3 for students. They can be purchased by calling 706-542-4400, online at pac.uga.edu or at the box office prior to the concert.

Presented by the University of Georgia Arts Council, Spotlight on the Arts is scheduled for Nov. 6-17 and includes dozens of exhibitions and performances in the visual, literary and performing arts. Many of the events are free or discounted for UGA students, and the annual Spotlight on the Arts Family Day will be presented free of charge Nov. 16.

More information on the 2019 Spotlight on the Arts festival, including a schedule of events, can be found at arts.uga.edu as well as on the Arts Council Facebook page (facebook.com/UGAarts), Twitter feed (@UGA_arts) or Instagram (instagram.com/uga_arts).

FRIDAY, NOV. 1 FALL BREAK For students.

SATURDAY, NOV. 2 FOOTBALL vs. Florida. TV: CBS. 3:30 p.m. Jacksonville, Florida.

SUNDAY, NOV. 3 OPENING RECEPTION The Athens Art Association, in celebrating its centennial year, presents an opening reception for the exhibition Growing Through Art, which will be on display through Dec. 22. This exhibition is the finale of the 2019 series of exhibitions at the Georgia Museum of Art, the Lyndon House Arts Center, the Athens Clarke County Regional Library and the State Botanical Garden. 2 p.m. State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu.

MONDAY, NOV. 4 CTEGD RESEARCH IN PROGRESS: MURALIDHARAN LAB Moderators: Amanda-Natasha Iyam-Perumal and Edwin Pierre Louis. Advanced students, postdocs, technicians and PIs from CTEGD labs present “in progress” work and discuss preliminary data and ideas for collaboration. Questions and discussion are highly encouraged. Refreshments are provided by CTEGD and the host lab. 8:30 a.m. 175 Coverdell Center.

ETHICS WEEK LECTURE In observance of Ethics Awareness Week, Ashley Watson, UGA alumna and chief compliance officer for Johnson & Johnson, will deliver the Ethics Week Lecture. Ethics Awareness Week promotes an ethical culture on campus and raises awareness about ethics resources available at UGA. The Ethics Week Lecture is part of the UGA Signature Lectures Series, which features speakers noted for their broad, multidisciplinary appeal and compelling bodies of work. Many of the lectures are supported by endowments, while others honor notable figures and milestones in the university’s history. 1:25 p.m. Chapel.

706-542-0383. kcfite@uga.edu.

COMING UP CLASS Nov. 5. “Night Photography” builds on photography skills so that participants know how to create images of all types of nighttime scenes, from lighting and stars to cityscapes and portraits. In five two-hour sessions, including field trips, participants will experience the most common challenges of night photography and discover ways to solve them. $169. Class meets Tuesdays at 6 p.m. through Dec. 10 except Nov. 26. Georgia Center.

706-542-3537. questions@georgiacenter.uga.edu.

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Oct. 30 (for Nov. 11 issue) Nov. 6 (for Nov. 18 issue) Nov. 13 (for Dec. 2 issue)

6 Oct. 28, 2019 columns.uga.edu

The American Geophysical Union has awarded its 2019 Climate Communications Prize to Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

An international nonprofit scientific association with 60,000 members in 137 countries, the AGU was established in 1919 by the National Research Council and operated as an unincorporated affiliate of the National Academy of Sciences for more than 50 years.

Shepherd is director of UGA’s Marshall Shepherd Atmospheric Sciences Program and chair of NASA’S Earth Science Advisory Committee. Host of the Weather Channel’s awardwinning podcast Weather Geeks, and a contributor to Forbes Magazine, Shepherd routinely appears on CNN, the Weather Channel and CBS’ Face The Nation.

The AGU will honor individuals for their outstanding achievements, contributions and service to the Earth and space science community at its fall meeting 2019 honors ceremony and banquet on Dec. 11 in San Francisco.

John Knox will receive the Edward N. Lorenz Teaching Excellence Award from the American Meteorological Society, the organization’s highest teaching award named for the renowned meteorologist who founded modern chaos theory. Knox, who was also selected as a Fellow of the society, will receive the Lorenz Award at the 100th annual AMS meeting in Boston in January.

Knox is the Sandy Beaver Teaching Professor in the geography department of Franklin College and undergraduate coordinator in the Atmospheric Sciences Program. He has taught more than 6,000 students since joining the UGA faculty in 2001. Knox has also been the recipient of the “Best 300 Professors” designation John Knox by the Princeton Review in 2012, the Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching at UGA in 2013 and the Georgia Professor of the Year given by CASE/Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching in 2014. He is a member of the UGA Teaching Academy.

Knox is the first UGA recipient of the Lorenz Award and becomes the third AMS Fellow on the UGA faculty. He won the T. Theodore Fujita Research Achievement Award from the National Weather Association in 2010 for his work to improve the forecasting of aviation turbulence.

Peter Smagorinsky, a Distinguished Research Professor in the language and literacy education department of the College of Education, was recently awarded the Horace Mann League’s 2020 Outstanding Public Educator Award.

Founded in 1922, the Horace Mann League is an honorary association of public education leaders that aims to perpetuate the ideals of Horace Mann, the first real advocate of public education who believed that public schools should be open to all. The League presents the annual Outstanding Public Educator Award to an educator who has supported public education throughout his or her career.

Smagorinsky began his teaching career in Chicago as an English teacher in the Upward Bound/ Pilot Enrichment Program. He went on to teach English at the University of Oklahoma in 1990 before moving to Athens in 1998.

The award will be presented to Smagorinsky in San Diego on Feb. 14.

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.

CAMPUS CLOSEUP

Dorothy Kozlowski

Gregg Hudson became manager of the Oglethorpe Dining Commons this summer.

Dining Services manager shares the lessons he’s learned from cheese pizza

By Krista Richmond krichmond@uga.edu

Gregg Hudson can tell a lot from a simple slice of cheese pizza.

He can tell if the oven is running hot or cold. He can tell how long it was baked. He can tell if the person preparing it has mastered the proper balance of crust, sauce, cheese and toppings.And it’s his goal to make sure his customers love every bite.

“The whole goal is to find a way to better serve the students and this community,” he said.

Hudson began his career at UGA in 2001 at Bolton Dining Commons. In 2004, he was selected to be one of the opening managers for Village Summit Dining Commons. About a year later, he moved to Snelling Dining Commons, where he helped implement 24-hour dining. After eight years there, Hudson was selected to be the opening manager of The Niche on the Health Sciences Campus. This summer, he became manager at Oglethorpe Dining Commons.

“These dining halls have become a social center,” he said. “Students aren’t just eating here. This becomes part of their lives.”

Every day is a little bit different, and Hudson said managers wear many hats, from doing inventory and bookkeeping to ordering food and putting it away to

training new employees.

“The managers have to get in and work right alongside everybody else,” he said. “I have 35 years in food service, so naturally, I’ve become a great line cook.”

For the past six summers, Hudson has hired and trained a team to work with Auxiliary Services to sell meal plans during orientation sessions, carefully explaining how they save time and money, going over the details of all the options and answering questions.

The project that has meant the most to him was starting The Niche. Hudson and Christopher Fagan, a member of Dining Services’ retail dining team, developed the concept from scratch. It became so successful—the pizza, in particular—that they created The Niche Pizza Co. in the Tate Student Center.

Hudson’s career in the food industry started when he was 16. He grew up as an only child on a cattle ranch in Oglethorpe County and had chores to do before school. The day he got his driver’s license, he drove down the road, stopping at every business to inquire about job openings so that he could work somewhere other than on his family’s ranch. Arby’s took a chance on him, and it shaped his future.

For Hudson, it’s the people that matter.

“Serving the students and this community is what I enjoy,” he said. “I enjoy

FACTS

Gregg Hudson Dining Commons Manager II Oglethorpe Dining Commons Dining Services/Auxiliary Services B.S., Child and Family Development, University of Georgia, 1993 At UGA: 18 years

coming to work every day because I know I have a chance to have an impact on people, no matter who they are.”

He wants to give back to students like himself and joined the new UGA Mentor Program, which pairs alumni with students. He sees himself as more than just a manager to the students working for him and works to adapt to their changing needs.

“I thrive off of other people. I’m very excited about the opportunity to have an impact on students, one-on-one,” he said. “I’m here to serve people. That’s my No. 1 goal.”

Outside of UGA, Hudson is a bit of a Renaissance man. Not only does he cook for his family and for his church, but he also grows his own produce in his garden, orchard and vineyard. In addition, he’s building his own house.

He’s raised bees and can do carpentry, welding and other metalwork.

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES New CAES entomologist studies beneficial biodiversity on farms

By Emily Cabrera

emcabrera@uga.edu

Bill Snyder, the newest researcher to join the University of Georgia entomology department, is looking forward to working with the diversity of soils, climates and cropping systems in the southeastern U.S. He joined the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences faculty in July and is based on the main campus in Athens.

Snyder comes to Georgia from Washington State University where, for nearly 20 years, he served as the biocontrol specialist in the entomology department. In that position, he was responsible for statewide biological control research and extension work in an array of vegetable crops on both large and small farms, including many organic farms.

Out west, his research was focused on the value of on-farm biodiversity for natural pest control. Intensified, modern farming methods often lead to very large fields of single crops because

of the efficiency of production at that scale. However, removing natural habitats and simplifying the range of plant species grown can make it difficult for beneficial pollinators, Bill Snyder predatory insects, soil bacteria and other helpful species to survive.

As part of his research efforts, Snyder looked for ways to return beneficial biodiversity to farms to restore valuable “ecosystem services” while maintaining farm productivity and profitability.

Snyder and his laboratory team have developed a new interest in the ecology of food safety on the farm. In the Pacific Northwest, they found that dung beetles and antagonistic soil microbes effectively suppress pathogenic E. coli that otherwise can contaminate fresh produce.

Their recent work is beginning to suggest that wild songbirds, sometimes viewed as vectors of human pathogens best excluded from farms, eat many pest insects and pose few food safety risks.

At UGA, Snyder hopes to pursue similar food safety work alongside research into how beneficial bacteria and fungi in the soil allow plants to protect themselves against plant-feeding insects and attract predatory insects to their defense. He also intends to continue to research with farmers interested in learning more about beneficial insects, birds or soil organisms on their farms.

Originally from Allentown, Pennsylvania, Snyder earned a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Delaware, a master’s degree in ecology from Clemson University and a doctoral degree in entomology at the University of Kentucky. His graduate work focused primarily on the ecology of predatory insects and spiders, including those important for the biological control of agricultural pests.

COLLEGE OF FAMILY AND CONSUMER SCIENCES

columns.uga.edu Oct. 28, 2019

7

The way we do that is by promoting collaborations across disciplines, both within and outside this university. There are a lot of great scientists here who are doing some great obesity-related research, and there are also great scientists around the country.

I want to foster a collaborative environment for researchers, so they can see what other people around campus are doing and find ways to work together on grants and research projects—again, with the end goal of trying to combat this epidemic.

Jamie Cooper, an associate professor in the department of foods and nutrition, recently was named director of UGA’s Obesity Initiative.

Tipping the scales

Andrew Davis Tucker

New Obesity Initiative director discusses UGA’s role in combating obesity epidemic in Georgia

By Cal Powell

jcpowell@uga.edu

Combating an issue as complex as obesity requires a collaborative approach.

“It is a complex, multi-factorial disease,” said Jamie Cooper, a faculty member in the UGA College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “It’s not one thing that’s causing it, so there’s not one thing that’s going to fix it.”

Cooper, associate professor in the department of foods and nutrition, recently was named director of the UGA Obesity Initiative, a major campus-wide collaboration launched in 2012 to address the obesity epidemic in Georgia.

According to the most recent statistics from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the prevalence of obesity in the United States is 39.8%, affecting more than 93 million adults.

As childhood obesity becomes a bigger problem, Cooper discusses her vision for the Obesity Initiative and the role UGA will play in combating the epidemic.

Why is the work of the Obesity Initiative important?

There is an obesity epidemic, and it’s a major public health concern. One of the

reasons it’s so important to study and try to find ways to combat this is because it affects so many aspects of a person’s life. From a health perspective, obesity is associated with increased risk for other chronic diseases such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and even some cancers.

In addition, there are a number of studies that have linked obesity with other negative outcomes in life aside from health. This is a topic that affects the economy, medical care, people’s daily activities and numerous psychological outcomes.

One can begin to see why it is really important that UGA has this initiative. We have a high prevalence of obesity, and it’s not going away quickly.

How did you first become interested in obesity research?

From the very beginning of my career, I have been interested in ways to prevent excess weight gain throughout the lifespan.

When you examine the obesity epidemic more closely, you find out that people do not gain large amounts of weight in a short period of time. Rather, it’s creeping obesity, which is a slow, progressive weight gain that over time becomes problematic.

As obesity researchers, we’ve discovered

WEEKLY READER

that once people have put on a substantial amount of weight, it’s really hard to lose that weight, and it’s even harder to maintain that weight loss. So there’s been a shift in the thinking for obesity researchers of going more to an obesity prevention model.

One of the things we look at in my lab are the small changes people can make to affect their metabolism and appetite in order to prevent further weight gain. Specifically, we’ve done a lot of work to understand how the composition of fat in the diet can alter metabolism and/or appetite measures and the impact it has on energy balance.

More recently, my lab has also been studying periods of time where people are more susceptible to weight gain, such as the holiday season and vacations. We are finding that the majority of annual weight gain can occur during holidays and vacations. If we can prevent holiday/vacation weight gain, we can help people be healthier and hopefully prevent some or all of the annual weight gain that contributes to obesity over time.

What is your vision for the Obesity Initiative?

I really want the Obesity Initiative to be the face of obesity research, and when people think about obesity research, I want them to think of the University of Georgia.

What would success for the Obesity Initiative look like?

You could probably look at success in a couple of different ways. One measure is that people are turning to us for the latest science and expertise on obesity.

I think another measure of success can be the studies that are being carried out by faculty members. Are we getting people from different facets of science working together for a common goal? This can show up in the form of grants—are we getting more federal grant money to study this? Are we presenting more at national and international conferences? Are we publishing more? Are we working with our media liaisons to get the information out to the public? Those are all different ways we can measure success.

But it starts with great research and with fostering collaborations among faculty across disciplines to address a number of important obesity-related questions.

How many different people and groups do you anticipate will be involved in the initiative?

There are more than 130 people on the Obesity Initiative Listserv right now, and it is interesting to see where all of these people are. We have people from agricultural economics and business to molecular biology and genetics, and everything in between.

That is a strength of this initiative— obesity-related research needs to span that entire spectrum. As much as people want to get involved in the initiative, we will have those opportunities for them, and we’ll try to foster as many collaborations as possible.

Can this initiative promote transformational change in Georgia and beyond?

I’m optimistic. I don’t think I would have taken this position as director of the OI if I didn’t think we could really make progress and do some good.

Are we going to completely reverse the obesity epidemic overnight? Absolutely not.

But can we make some strides and some progress? I think we can.

It takes initiatives like this to really try to bring the researchers together. There are a lot of great scientists, a lot of good critical thinkers, and if we can bring them together, we have a better chance of combating the epidemic than if we’re isolated.

CYBERSIGHTS

ABOUT COLUMNS

Book takes reader on a literary journey The Epic Journey in Greek and Roman Literature explores journeys across time and space in Greek and Latin literature, taking as its starting point the paradigm of travel offered by the epic genre.

The epic journey is central to the dynamics of classical literature, offering a powerful lens through which characters, authors and readers experience their real and imaginary worlds.The journey informs questions of identity formation, narrative development, historical emplotment and constructions of heroism—topics that move through and beyond the story itself.

The book examines the epic journey across multiple literary genres and time The Epic Journey in Greek and periods, integrates and analyzes conceptions of the “journey” as literal and literary Roman Literature Thomas Biggs and Jessica Blum structure and explores the journey as an intellectual process intrinsic to identity forCambridge University Press mation, ideology and cultural translation.

Hardcover: $99.99 It is edited by Thomas Biggs, assistant professor of classics in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Jessica Blum, assistant professor of classical studies at the University of San Francisco.

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

Benefits enrollment information online

https://hr.uga.edu/employees/benefits/open-enrollment/ Benefits open enrollment for the 2020 calendar year is Oct. 28Nov. 8. Details for active employees and retirees with USG health, dental, vision and/or life insurance plans are on the Human Resources website.

UGA will have an active enrollment this year. All employees/ retirees and dependents age 18 or older who are covered on USG health plans must certify/recertify

their tobacco status. Employees who cover spouses will need to complete the spouse certification. Employees must enroll each year if they want a flexible spending account. Health Savings Accounts will roll over.

Employees and retirees can use the One USG Connect-Benefits system link on the benefits enrollment page to enroll for 2020, make any benefits changes or change their tobacco use status.

Associate Editor Krista Richmond Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Writer Leigh Beeson

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. 28, 2019 columns.uga.edu

GOOGLE

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centuries and cross genres, from the arts to economic forecasts, peanut and cotton research reports and U.S. and United Nations government reports.

In addition to more modern materials that will be available for preview online, other examples of volumes available in full text include shipping registers from as far back as 1764 and Atlanta city directories dating back to 1870. The project also advances a longstanding effort to provide digital access to state and federal government publications, and free digital access will be available to works by Balzac, Sir Francis Bacon, Robert Louis Stevenson, Thomas Hardy and other historically significant authors, thanks to UGA Libraries.

“Creating and sharing knowledge are at the core of the University of Georgia’s mission, and our partnership with Google Books underscores our commitment to global leadership in higher education,” said S. Jack Hu, the university’s senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

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Google Books has partnered with more than 60 major libraries around the world, as well as publishers and authors, to build a comprehensive collection of books in more than 400 languages. The University of Georgia is one of the first partners in the region to contribute to the 35 million volume database.

According to the terms of the threeyear project, Google will take on the work of scanning the books. UGA Libraries will retain a digital copy, which will be available through its online catalog and the Google Books database, as well as through Hathi Trust, a digital preservation repository led by a consortium of research libraries.

“We’re thrilled about helping to make a large part of the University of Georgia’s rich collection more available to the world, including materials that reflect the history of the American Southeast,” said Google Books partnerships manager Ben Bunnell.

“We hope that other great libraries, in the region and elsewhere, will join UGA and Google in this endeavor.”

SKIDAWAY from page 1 The Human Resources department is developing a new staff competency model, and the next step is to gather data regarding job behaviors.

committee that included members from all major academic and administrative units and involved current experienced staff from across the university who provided input on tasks and competencies required for effective performance in their own jobs.

“The amount of effort that has gone into developing this competency model over the past year will pay off in terms of our ability to support the professional development and performance management of our people to mutual—and optimal—benefit,” said Jarrett.

Next steps for the UGA staff competency model include data collection regarding job behaviors as well as the application of the staff competency model in relation to performance evaluations.

“The final step in designing the content for a competency model is to craft behavioral statements that illustrate ineffective and effective behaviors for each of the competencies for each job level,” said Frost.

“Staff member input to date has driven the design of this model and will continue to be essential in this final data collection step.”

These last steps are underway now and will involve drafting and validating behavioral statements in workshop settings.

Representative staff from exempt and nonexempt positions as well as leadership and management positions have been recruited to participate.

The UGA staff competency model is an initiative built by UGA staff, for UGA staff.

“Every effort will be made to ensure the new competency model makes sense for our UGA community,” said Ryan Nesbit, vice president for finance and administration. “UGA has not revamped its position classification and compensation policies in many years, so it’s certainly time for us to evaluate every facet of our system and processes and update them to better meet the needs of the current work environment.

The new staff competency model will play a major role in helping us to do that.”

To learn more about the staff competency model initiative, see the initiative’s web page at https://hr.uga.edu/competencymodel/, also accessible via the HR website homepage.

Bulletin Board Grant program deadline

Applications for the Provost’s Affordable Course Materials Grant program are due Nov. 15.

The program provides one-time funding to support the adoption of open and/or affordable course materials. Awards up to $5,000 each are available to any full-time faculty member or team of instructors, with a total of $50,000 in funding available from the Provost’s Office in the program’s second round.

To submit, fill out the application at https://bit.ly/33k6tec.

More information is available at https://t.uga.edu/5ky.

Award nomination deadline

Nominations for the 2020 Service-Learning Teaching Excellence and Service-Learning Research Excellence Awards are due Dec. 6.

The awards recognize faculty for impactful and innovative servicelearning course instruction and scholarship and research stemming from academic service-learning work. Recipients receive a $2,500 faculty development award and are recognized at the faculty awards banquet.

Application packets are available

at https://servicelearning.uga.edu/ faculty-resources/awards.

For questions, contact Paul Matthews, associate director, Office of Service-Learning, at 706-542-0892 or pmatthew@uga.edu.

Study participants needed

Participants are being sought for a research study that will help investigate the impact of nut consumption on cholesterol profiles. Subjects who complete the study will earn $70$145.

The foods and nutrition department seeks men and women ages 30-75 with high cholesterol levels or a “bigger build.” Subjects must not take cholesterol-lowering medications, thyroid medications or exercise more than three hours per week.

Subjects also must not have diabetes or food allergies/intolerances to pecans, gluten, dairy or meat. Subjects must not habitually eat tree nuts more than twice per week.

To learn more, contact Liana Rodrigues at liana.rodrigues@uga.edu or 423-596-7708.

Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.

Dorothy Kozlowski

Cutting the ribbon at the dedication were, from left, Jennifer Frum, vice president of public service and outreach; Alan Dorsey, dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences; Kun Ma, UGA and Skidaway Institute graduate student; President Jere W. Morehead; Don Waters, chairman of the USG Board of Regents; Clark Alexander, director of the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography; and Toby Carr, vice president for government relations.

courses that include students on the main UGA campus in Athens or for Athens-based faculty to teach students at Skidaway Institute in courses such as marine microbiology, biogeochemistry, physical oceanography and quantitative methods in marine science.

The building also houses a teaching laboratory and prep lab designed to support up to 20 students. The intentional design of the teaching lab includes a large observation window that will allow visitors to watch research and instruction in progress. The teaching lab is named for the late Albert Dewitt Smith Jr., a UGA alumnus, in recognition of a gift from his daughter and UGA alumna, Michelle Vine, and her husband, Barry, who live in Savannah.

In addition, the Ocean Sciences Instructional Center offers several faculty offices, as well as ample collaborative space for students and faculty to work together on projects.

The architect for the project was Cogdell & Mendrala. The construction manager was New South Construction.

The building was constructed in 1948 by Robert and Dorothy Roebling, who operated a cattle breeding facility on Skidaway Island. The Roeblings designed the barn as a venue for their annual cattle show, which attracted buyers from around the country

TASK FORCE

and Europe. They built a round structure 110 feet in diameter with a ring of stalls around the perimeter and nursing and holding stalls in the inner circle. It contained a second deck for hay storage and auction seating. At one end were a small silo with a feed mixing room and an attached apartment for a herdsman.

In 1967, the Roeblings donated the property to the state of Georgia to create the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography.

Since the institute took over the property, the barn has served primarily as storage and as a place to prepare large pieces of equipment for research voyages.

The Skidaway Institute was transferred from the state to the University System of Georgia in 1971 to serve as a base of operations and central facility for marine interests within the University System. It became part of the University of Georgia in 2013.

The institute has maintained ties to the Roebling family throughout the years, and several family members were on hand for the dedication.

One of the Roeblings’ sons, Wainwright “Rip” Roebling, described the barn as his father’s pride and joy.

“I know Mother and Dad would be very proud of it, just as we are,” he said.

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future, most people will be cared for in this setting. People want it that way. It is cost effective and increases access for a broader group of the community.”

Miles points to two major public health challenges impacting Georgia: the aging population and mother and child health.

“Public health nurses can help to improve Georgia’s infant and maternal issues,” Miles said. “At the other end of life, hospice is primarily a home-based service. These are just two of the larger issues in public health that can be addressed by the task force.”

To help shape her contributions to the task force, Miles has set up her own UGA-based “kitchen cabinet” of experts. These members include fellow CPH faculty Grace Bagwell

Adams, Donglan “Stacy” Zhang and Janani R. Thapa and UGA Law School faculty member Elizabeth Weeks.

“I am a physician and epidemiologist by training. My perspective is based in illness and data. I need to hear from others with expertise in law, health care policy and community perspective,” said Miles. “These are all highly skilled UGA faculty who know a lot more than I do about these areas. The task force needs to hear their voices.”

The task force held its first meeting on Sept. 5 and will meet twice more in 2019.

Follow the activities of the task force at https://ltgov.georgia.gov/priorities/health-care/ task-force.