UGA Columns Sept. 5, 2017

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Children in high-quality after-school programs more respectful toward adults RESEARCH NEWS

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Thursday Scholarship Series to open Sept. 7 with UGA Symphony Orchestra Vol. 45, No. 6

September 5, 2017

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UGA GUIDE

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CAES, engineering deans host listening sessions across state

By Clint Thompson cbthomps@uga.edu

Andrew Davis Tucker

Senior management major Devan Perry of Suwanee works on her laptop inside the Casey Commons of Amos Hall at the Terry College of Business Learning Community on the first day of classes for the 2017 fall semester.

Second to none

Phase II of Business Learning Community opens

By Matt Weeks

mweeks@uga.edu

The murmur of excited conversations filled Amos Hall on the first day of fall semester classes at the Terry College of Business. As students, faculty and staff greeted each other in Casey Commons following the summer break, one subject kept coming up: Terry’s new buildings.

“I feel like I’m in Hogwarts, walking up these stairs and past the courtyard,” said Chase Shy, a senior MIS major, referring to the mythical wizarding school from the Harry Potter books.

The recently opened second phase of the Business Learning Community is composed of three adjoining buildings: Amos, Benson and Moore-Rooker halls. Named for Terry alumni and supporters, the buildings house the college’s

faculty and provide space for classrooms, undergraduate programs and academic support services.

“It’s amazing to see all of the hard work and years of planning become a reality,” said Dean Benjamin C. Ayers. “It’s already evident that the Business Learning Community will have an enduring impact on Terry students, who will go on to achieve truly remarkable things as a result of their education here.”

Wide-eyed students strolled into the new space near the center of campus in search of a classroom only to spot the Au Bon Pain bakery in the Rothenberger Cafe and dash in for coffee or a snack before resuming their search.

“Everybody has liked the space and has been loving the atmosphere here,” said Trevor Devine, one of several Terry student ambassadors posted around the buildings to help students navigate the new complex

on the first day of classes. “The buildings are new to everyone —even us—so we’re all getting to know it together. It’s been a lot of fun to see.”

A grass courtyard and overlooking mezzanine connect the new buildings to Correll Hall, the first phase of Business Learning Community construction, which opened in 2015. Thanks to a consistent Neo-Georgian style, all elements of the new business school feel interconnected.

“I like how it fits in well with the rest of campus,” said economics professor William Lastrapes over lunch in the commons. “There are some very nice design features that make a big difference. It’s also nice to have an office in the same building where I teach.”

Encompassing 140,000 gross square feet, the Phase II ­buildings See COMMUNITY on page 8

DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS

Giving back: Nearly 500 students volunteer across Athens during Dawg Day of Service

By Jim Lichtenwalter

A growing number of agricultural challenges require solutions based in engineering. To meet this need, administrators from the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the UGA College of Engineering recently met with agricultural leaders from across the state to discuss how the worldrenowned scientists at Georgia’s land-grant university could tackle agricultural issues through engineering.

Two listening sessions, which took place on Aug. 2 in Tifton

UGA helping develop businesses, leaders in Hispanic community

By Charlie Bauder

charlie.bauder@fanning.uga.edu

Strong leadership and a vibrant economy are keys to any community’s long-term success, and Georgia’s Hispanic community is enhancing itself in both areas with assistance from UGA programs.

The Georgia Hispanic C ­ hamber of Commerce and UGA work together through both the J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development and the Small Business Development Center.

In partnership with the Fanning Institute, the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce implemented the Cultivating Hispanic Leaders Institute in 2015. The program runs from January through June.

A little over two weeks after beginning her freshman year, B ­ riana Hayes, a pre-journalism major, found herself sweeping the porch of a nondescript Athens home.

It was an unlikely way for a freshman to spend her Saturday morning when she easily could be sleeping in, exploring campus or eating brunch with friends in a dining hall.

But Hayes was one of 483 UGA students who roused themselves from their beds for the university’s sixth annual Dawg Day of Service.

Hayes volunteered with Hands

Three UGA units have been named finalists in a competition recognizing innovative programs that develop economic prosperity locally and beyond.

Innovation Gateway, Archway Partnership, and Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant are finalists in the 2017 University Economic Development Association Awards of Excellence competition. UEDA represents higher education, private sector and community economic development stakeholders across North America.

maintaining and restoring their home. With five other students, she See SERVICE on page 7

See LEADERS on page 8

Research, public service units receive national recognition thasting@uga.edu

On Athens, a local organization that assists low-income homeowners in historic neighborhoods with

CHLI sets out to develop networked and engaged Hispanic leaders to serve throughout the community.

“Through the program, participants develop their personal leadership skills and gain a deeper understanding of issues affecting the Hispanic community,” said Maritza Soto Keen, a senior public service associate at the Fanning Institute.“This experience prepares them to contribute as a leader in both the Hispanic community and their greater community.”

The Hispanic community already feels CHLI’s impact, said Santiago Marquez, president and CEO of the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

“A tremendous amount of

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

By Terry Marie Hastings

Dorothy Kozlowski

See LISTENING on page 8

PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH

james.lichtenwal25@uga.edu

For UGA’s sixth Dawg Day of Service, student volunteers worked for 15 Athens community service organizations across 19 locations, including Brooklyn Cemetery (above).

and on Aug. 14 in Gainesville, highlighted the convergence of agriculture and engineering in what CAES Dean and Director Sam Pardue hopes will be the start of continued discussions.

“I’m convinced we are better when we communicate with each other,” Pardue said. “The day when companies, like those represented at our first meetings, stop talking to us, we’re in trouble. My hope is that this is the beginning of a longer dialogue on how CAES and the College of Engineering can work together for the betterment of people throughout the state.”

The Tifton meeting, held at

The competing organizations were judged by a panel of university and economic development professionals on alignment of their institution’s core mission activities with regional economic development goals in three categories: innovation, talent and place, as well as the intersections of these three categories. Criteria for judging included originality, scalability, sustainability, impact and the feasibility of other organizations replicating the initiatives in their communities.

“Having three finalists in this national competition underscores See RECOGNITION on page 8

2 Sept. 5, 2017 columns.uga.edu

Around academe

Shamp serving as interim dean of FSU’s College of Fine Arts

Florida State University Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs Sally McRorie appointed Scott Shamp to serve as interim dean of the College of Fine Arts this spring, according to a news release from the university. Shamp succeeds Peter Weishar, who is stepping down from his role as dean to join the faculty of the Jim Moran School of Entrepreneurship.

Shamp joined the College of Fine Arts as associate dean in June 2015. Previously, he served as the James Cox Kennedy Professor of New Media and director of the New Media Institute in the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication at the University of Georgia.

$18M gift from alumni boosts entrepreneurship program at UNC-CH

A family whose University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill alumni extend back five generations has made an $18 million gift to the university to more than double the size of Carolina’s undergraduate entrepreneurship program, according to the Carolina Alumni Review.

The gift commitment from the Shuford family will help meet the demand of students who want to enroll in entrepreneurship courses or the minor in entrepreneurship through the addition of faculty. It also will support doubling the number of student internships at entrepreneurial firms worldwide and will encourage problem-based learning.

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FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

OTAS assists, advocates for Franklin College’s transfer student population

By Alan Flurry

aflurry@uga.edu

The process for transfer students begins long before they step on campus and can continue long after they arrive, as they adapt to UGA. At every step of the way, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Office of Transfer Academic Services, coordinated

by Katherine Field with the help of administrative associate Sabine Adair, assists and advocates for students by providing resources, information and guidance for the transfer population in the Franklin College.

In an average year, transfers make up nearly 20 percent of newly enrolled students at the University of Georgia.

“Students in this transfer population include veterans, in-state and out-ofstate transfers, international students as well as nontraditional students,” said Field. “Students often arrive on campus unaware of the many UGA resources designed to help them succeed.”

For example, Kayla, a new transfer student, was enthusiastic about progressing toward her biology degree, confident she would excel at UGA. Two semesters later, she found herself on scholastic probation, with a 1.93 cumulative GPA. She was financially independent and working long hours, struggling with the rigor of UGA’s coursework compared to that of her previous institution. Ultimately, Kayla began to feel that her major selection was no longer a good fit.

“Kayla’s challenges are not unique for a transfer student.While most acclimate to the academic rigor and campus life at UGA, some experience ‘transfer shock,’ the tendency for a student’s grades to fall during their first semester at a new

Dorothy Kozlowski

Katherine Field, right, talks with Franklin College transfer student ambassador Lyndsey McElhannon.

institution,” Field said.

Franklin transfer students with a cumulative GPA below 2.0 are required to participate in academic counseling through OTAS. The retention support has two parts: students on scholastic or continued probation complete a selfassessment, which prompts them to identify contributing factors to their academic difficulty. Students are required to attend in-person academic counseling.

“Their difficulties have various sources—personal issues, learning styles, time management issues, choice of major—but whatever the nature of the challenge, OTAS works to help them identify the cause and find a solution that will put them on track for graduation,” said Diane Miller, director of the Office of Student Academic Services in the Franklin College.

PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH

SBDC helps Small Business Person of Year expand reach

By Christopher James chtjames@uga.edu

A Georgia company supported by the UGA Small Business Development Center is likely the key cog in getting test results back to your doctor quickly and accurately.

Columbus-based Path-Tec is now a giant in laboratory supplies and logistics, tracking and shipping lab kits around the world. For founder Kevin Boykin, it all began in a rented office with a business plan refined by the SBDC. “What the SBDC does is invaluable,” Boykin said.

“They’re able to introduce you to opportunities. The SBDC ties people together with resources. It’s hard to quantify the value of that.”

Those resources have helped Path-Tec become more than just the company that provides a box and tube for blood to one that helps ensure quality patient care through an advanced logistics network. Path-Tec’s sales have grown steadily at about 30 percent per year since 2007, and the company is expecting to eclipse 200 employees by 2019.

Already Path-Tec has moved into a new 126,000-squarefoot building in Columbus, added a second facility in California and is planning to put roots down in Europe in the near future.

Earlier this year, the U.S. Small Business Administration honored Boykin as Georgia’s Small Business Person of the Year. His company facilitates the collection and transfer of 2 million samples each year for potential organ donors, diagnostics and DNA testing.

“It’s amazing to see that kind of growth from inception,” said Columbus SBDC Director Mark Lupo. “It’s kind of a textbook example of how a business grows into an international company.”

Boykin was one of Lupo’s first clients in 2005. He rented office space in the same building as the SBDC’s Columbus office, and the two bumped into each other in the hallways.

The SBDC worked on an early business plan with Boykin.

He later attended GrowSmart, a course the SBDC offers to companies looking beyond the startup phase.

The course helped foster connections for which Boykin is grateful.

For prospective transfer students interested in learning about the UGA admissions process, including eligibility, major selection and transfer equivalency, OTAS offers phone, email, Skype or inperson appointments.

To further bridge the gap for transfer students, this year the Franklin College welcomed six transfer student ambassadors representing a variety of majors across the college. The ambassadors will develop and implement programming to encourage campus engagement among new transfer students for the 2017-2018 academic year. They attended portions of the five transfer orientation sessions during summer 2017, hosting an OTAS table at the Resource Fair and introducing themselves at the academic area meetings and at various advising locations.

“On many levels, our students are the most effective advocates for UGA,” Field said. “By meeting other students and parents and answering questions, the ambassadors help alleviate some of the concerns that come with unfamiliar terrain and provide a positive introduction to UGA.” OTAS has collaborated with Franklin academic advisors and departmental colleagues on a variety of events for new transfer students, including departmental open houses, a campus bike tour led by a cycling advisor, a downtown networking dinner, a plant biology greenhouse tour where students observed life science research in action and a transfer-specific pre-health information session facilitated by UGA’s Pre-health Advising Office.

With guidance and support from OTAS, Kayla changed her major, cleared probation and is now progressing toward completion of her degree.

FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Scholar, author to give 2017 AIR talk Sept. 21

Daniel Heath Justice, an enrolled citizen of the Cherokee Nation, will visit the University of Georgia as the featured speaker for the American Indian Returnings series in the English department of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. He will read from his new work Sept. 21 at 4:15 p.m. in the M. Smith Griffith Auditorium at the Georgia Museum of Art. The event is open free to the public.

The American Indian Returnings, or AIR, series celebrates Native American scholars and authors and their “return” from exile to the Southeast.

“Each year on the autumnal equinox, a Native from one of the tribes that was removed from the Southeast in the 1830s returns to give a lecture on what it means to return to their homelands.

AIR focuses on Southeastern lifeways, Daniel Heath Justice stories, literature and scholarship by tribal members whose tribes were here at contact with Europeans but later removed,” said LeAnne Howe, the Eidson Distinguished Professor in American Literature.

Justice is professor in First Nations and Indigenous Studies in the Institute for Critical Indigenous Studies, with a cross-appointment in English, at the University of British Columbia. He is author of Our Fire Survives the Storm: A Cherokee Literary History and numerous essays in the field of indigenous literary studies, as well as co-editor of a number of critical and creative anthologies and journals.

His recent book, Badger, is published by the Animal series from Reaktion Books (UK). An author of the indigenous epic fantasy trilogy, The Way of Thorn and Thunder: The Kynship Chronicles, he is working on a new manuscript in the genre, Wonderworks. His current projects include Why Indigenous Literatures Matter, a literary manifesto forthcoming from Wilfrid Laurier University Press and a collection of essays titled This Hummingbird Heart: Indigenous Writing, Wonder, and Desire.

Justice’s talk is sponsored by Eidson Foundational Fund in the English department, the creative writing program, associate professor Channette Romero and professor Jace Weaver, director of the Institute of Native American Studies.

RESEARCH NEWS

columns.uga.edu Sept. 5, 2017

3

Digest Atlanta’s chief resilience officer to speak at College of Environment and Design

Cal Powell

Emilie Smith’s research looks at the effect of high-quality after-school programs on elementary school-aged children.

‘Positive programming’ Quality after-school programs help students feel more connected, caring

By Cal Powell

jcpowell@uga.edu

Elementary school-aged children in high-quality after-school programs were found to be more competent, caring and respectful toward adults in a new study led by a University of Georgia researcher.

With 70 percent of all juvenile crime being committed between 3 p.m. and 6 p.m., findings suggest improving the quality of after-school programs can have a protective effect on youth.

More than 500 children participated in the study, with data collected from more than 70 after-school programs over a three-year period from 2009-12.

Researchers measured the quality of after-school programs using independent observers. Elementary school children in grades two through five reported their respect for adults, levels of competence, feelings of connectedness and concern for each other.

“We spend so much more time talking about the problems that youth have and so little time relatively talking about what are the positive ways in which

they’re growing and developing,” said lead author Emilie Smith, the Janette McGarity Barber Distinguished Professor and head of the human development and family science department in UGA’s College of Family and Consumer Sciences. “I think if we can foster positive programming for kids between those after-school hours, we’re going to have a powerful impact on delinquency.”

The study was conducted largely to gain a better understanding of positive youth development, or those factors that drive pro-social behavior among youth, rather than taking a “deficit model” approach that focuses on delinquency.

Participants also represented diverse racial-ethnic, socio-economic and geographic (urban, suburban and rural) backgrounds to provide valuable data on the role of cultural values in positive youth development.

Independent observers measured the quality of after-school programs across time, including levels of harshness toward children, appropriate structure of the program, supportive relationships with adults and levels of

youth engagement.

“Interestingly, the settings in which youth most respect adults are those in which adults interact with and engage them more positively,” Smith said.

“Settings that have support and engagement for youth are those in which youth evidence competence, caring and connection.”

Smith said when adults in the afterschool program showed genuine interest in the children, the children in turn demonstrated more respect.

The paper, “Positive youth development among diverse racial-ethnic children: Quality after-school contexts as developmental assets,” was published in the July/August issue of Child Development.

Co-authors are Wayne Osgood and Dawn Witherspoon from Pennsylvania State University.

The paper was included as part of a special section, edited by Smith, Patrick Leman of King’s College in London and Anne Petersen from the University of Michigan, that focuses on understanding areas of strength among youth, their families and communities.

WARNELL SCHOOL OF FORESTRY AND NATURAL RESOURCES

Study: Hybrid barriers can cut terrapin road deaths

By Sandi Martin

smartin@warnell.uga.edu

One of Georgia’s most colorful turtle species could be wiped out on Jekyll Island by simply wandering into traffic—but not if man-made barriers keep them off the road.

A new study by researchers at the University of Georgia found that a manmade barrier erected along part of the Jekyll Island Causeway could keep nearly 58 percent of diamondback terrapins off that section of the road.

“Thousands of terrapins are struck each year on high-traffic roads in New Jersey, Maryland, Georgia and elsewhere,” said Brian Crawford, a postdoctoral researcher at UGA’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. “It’s a chronic threat to populations, but it’s also an issue for people. Anytime you have that much wildlife on roads, you have to consider the safety of motorists. So finding ways to reduce road mortality will help us benefit wildlife as well as people.”

Nearly all terrapin fatalities are adult females looking for a place to lay their eggs, Crawford said. They seek out

areas above high tide lines, and that’s where roads tend to be. The summer nesting season, which runs May through July, brings hundreds of terrapins onto causeways near Jekyll, St. Simons and Tybee islands in Georgia. Summer also brings peak traffic on coastal roads as people vacation.

In a paper recently published in Herpetological Conservation and Biology, Crawford and other authors said “hybrid barriers” could be key to helping terrapin populations recover on Jekyll Island and other areas where vehicles often kill them.

The barriers are one part short fencing that prevents female terrapins from getting to the road and one part nest boxes that provide an attractive nesting habitat and protection from predators.

Researchers tested a section of the Jekyll Island Causeway,a 55 mph road that connects the mainland with Jekyll Island and brings more than 3,400 cars to the island every day, peaking between May and July during summer tourism season.

The Jekyll Island Causeway is also the site of between 100 and 400 adult female terrapin deaths each summer.

Drilling down into the data, they picked

out three “hot spots” on the causeway that had a higher number of terrapin fatalities.

Using data spanning several years, the researchers compared the number of terrapin deaths from before they put up the barrier and after. They also examined how turtles fared on two other parts of the causeway that had no barriers at all.

After the barriers were constructed, they detected a 57.3 percent reduction in terrapins emerging onto the road at the site with the hybrid barriers while finding no change at two unblocked sites on the causeway.

A companion study authored by Warnell alumnus Dan Quinn and also published in Herpetological Conservation and Biology found that the barriers reduced the percentage of nests destroyed by predators from 100 percent to 7 percent during that same period.

Crawford wrote the paper with Clinton Moore, adjunct unit leader at the Warnell-based U.S. Geological Survey’s Cooperative Fish & Wildlife Research Unit; Terry Norton with the Georgia Sea Turtle Center; and John Maerz, a wildlife professor at the Warnell School.

The UGA College of Environment and Design will host a public lecture by Stephanie Stuckey, chief resilience officer for the city of Atlanta. The lecture will take place in lecture hall 123 of the Jackson Street Building Sept. 13 at 5 p.m. The topic will be urban resilience in the 21st century.

Stuckey received both her undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Georgia. A cum laude graduate from the UGA School of Law in 1992, she served as a public defender and then went into private practice before being elected to the Georgia General Assembly in 1999. She served as a state representative from the Decatur area for 14 years, during which time she was a member of the Judiciary and Natural Resources committees. She then went on to serve as executive director of GreenLaw, an Atlantabased public interest law firm. In May 2015, she was appointed by Mayor Kasim Reed to be director of sustainability for the city of Atlanta. She assumed her current position in 2016.

Open free to the public, the lecture is made possible by the Vincent Ferguson fund at the College of Environment and Design.

UGA College of Pharmacy ushers in Class of 2021 in White Coat Ceremony

The University of Georgia College of Pharmacy welcomed 138 new doctoral students during its annual White Coat Ceremony at Hodgson Concert Hall in the UGA Performing Arts Center. Sponsored

by The Kroger Company, the ceremony was highlighted with members of the Class of 2021 donning white laboratory coats, which they will wear throughout their four-year tenure at the college.

“These 138 men and women will make a mark on our college, their chosen profession and society as a whole,” said Svein Oie, dean of the College of Pharmacy. “We are proud they have joined us at our college.”

The ceremony, which was attended by more than 750 students, family members, faculty, staff, alumni and supporters, featured remarks by Amanda McGahee Smith, the district patient care coordinator for the Atlanta division of The Kroger Company, and Andre Mackey, president of the College of Pharmacy Alumni Council and a pharmacist with CVS Pharmacy in Atlanta.

UGA swimmers help US earn medals at World University Games in Taiwan

Three UGA swimmers earned medals at the World University Games at the Taiwan Sport University Arena.

UGA’s Kevin Litherland helped the U.S. earn a silver medal Aug. 25 in the 800-meter freestyle relay.

A senior for the Bulldogs, Litherland swam the second leg in preliminaries. His time of 1:50.11 helped propel the Americans to an overall effort of 7:19.25.

In the finals, however, Japan posted the top time of 7:08.45, followed by the Americans in 7:12.19 and Russia in 7:13.47.

UGA’s Taylor Dale and Veronica Burchill helped the U.S. earn medals in the 400-meter freestyle relay on Aug. 20.

Dale, who completed his collegiate eligibility in March, earned a gold medal as a member of the men’s relay. Dale swam in preliminaries and anchored the Americans in 49.58 as they qualified second in 3:17.08. In the finals, the Americans went 3:14.01 to top Italy’s 3:15.24 and Russia’s 3:15.78.

The U.S. women placed third with a time of 3:40.09. Burchill, a rising sophomore, anchored the Americans’ bronze relay and closed in 54.19. Canada won in 3:39.21, followed by Russia at 3:39.39.

The U.S. led all nations with 28 medals— 11 gold, nine silver and eight bronze—at the World University Games, which concluded Aug. 26. Full results can be found at www.2017.taipei.

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4 Sept. 5, 2017 columns.uga.edu

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

CREATED NEARLY

50

ENDOWED FACULTY POSITIONS

for an increase of more than

20 OVER 4 YEARS OVER PERCENT

Miguel Cabrera

Annette Poulsen

Strengthening the academic community Endowed faculty positions on the rise at UGA

By Leigh Beeson lbeeson@uga.edu

The number of endowed faculty positions continues to rise at the University of Georgia, now reaching 276, up from 227 at the end of FY13—an increase of more than 20 percent over four years.

An endowed chair or professorship recognizes exceptional teaching and research productivity and is one of the highest honors the university can bestow on its faculty members. Creating more of these distinguished positions is a top fundraising priority of the Commit to Georgia Campaign, and funds were raised to establish 10 in the last fiscal year.

“Endowed faculty positions help the

university to attract and retain the most gifted teachers and productive researchers,” said President Jere W. Morehead, “and these individuals strengthen our vibrant academic community, elevating teaching and learning on campus and driving our vital research enterprise forward.”

The funds produced by the endowment provide financial support for equipment, supplies, graduate assistants and other resources needed to advance the important research and scholarship of the individuals who hold these critical positions.

One example of the meaningful impact of an endowed position can be seen through Miguel Cabrera, the Georgia Power Professor of Environmental Remediation and Soil Chemistry in the College of Agricultural

and Environmental Sciences. Cabrera—a leading expert on soil, water and waste management—is finding solutions to increase the world’s food supply.

“The financial support provided by Georgia Power has been crucial in our efforts to improve the sustainability of food production systems,” said Cabrera, who also holds an appointment in the Odum School of Ecology. “We are very appreciative of this research support, which significantly impacts the agricultural industry in Georgia.”

Annette Poulsen, Augustus H. “Billy” Sterne Chair in Banking and Finance, is an endowed chair in the Terry College of Business and is committed to making a positive impact. She uses the support from

her endowed position to increase the global understanding of how firms use financial markets to fund mergers and acquisitions.

Poulsen also applies her research findings to the classroom to help students understand global finance.

“The generosity of private donors to UGA has been fundamental to the university’s remarkable progress and success during my 30 years here,” Poulsen said. “Resources for research activities have allowed our faculty to produce top-notch work that is published, presented and cited internationally in the very best forums.

“I hope our donors know they have made a difference.”

SAVANNAH RIVER ECOLOGY LABORATORY

Colorful reptile serves as health barometer for impacts of coal waste

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

Coal combustion waste is well documented as an environmental pollutant. The U.S. produces more than 130 million tons of coal combustion residues, or CCRs, every year, with 40 percent of these wastes placed in aquatic settling basins. These basins are attractive environments for wildlife, placing them at risk of exposure to potentially toxic levels of trace elements.

Now scientists at the University of Georgia have confirmed that exposure to CCRs leads to higher levels of trace elements in yellow-bellied sliders, a freshwater turtle native to the southeastern U.S. In addition, the researchers found exposure to certain trace elements may have a beneficial effect on turtle immune system response. The study was published recently in the journal Environmental Pollution.

David Haskins, a graduate student at UGA’s Savannah River Ecology Laboratory and Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, took blood samples and clipped the claws of 81 yellow-bellied sliders. This nonlethal sampling allowed Haskins to measure concentrations of trace elements in the turtles, compare their immune system response and detect parasites.

Haskins worked with Tracey Tuberville, an associate research scientist at SREL and Warnell, to obtain the samples from two groups of turtles captured at the U.S. Department of Energy’s Savannah River Site near Aiken, South Carolina.

Thirty-nine turtles were captured in an area of the SRS where CCRs from a coal-burning power plant were discharged into a basin, with runoff into nearby wetlands.

An additional 42 turtles were captured at SRS wetlands located a mile or more away that have not received CCRs.

Haskins said trace elements can play a significant role in an individual’s overall health.

“It is normal for trace elements to be present at low levels, as they aid an organism to function, but they can have negative effects on development, survival and reproduction when they exist at elevated levels,” he said.

“Due to their long life span, turtles have the potential to be exposed to and accumulate contaminants for decades,” Tuberville said. “We were very interested in studying the contaminated basin and wetland area in this study because there is a well-documented history of contamination. That meant the potential for long-term exposure exists.”

The study reports that levels of arsenic, copper, selenium and strontium were between 116 and 2,117 percent higher in the blood samples taken from the contaminated-area turtles compared to blood samples taken from turtles in the uncontaminated area.

The results from the claw samples were similar. Arsenic, cadmium, copper and selenium ranged from 216 to 6,647 percent higher in the claws of contaminated-area turtles compared to claw samples taken from turtles in the uncontaminated area.

Blood and claw samples provide two different narratives, according to Haskins.

“Blood and claw samples represent different time scales of exposure to an element,” he said. “Trace elements in a blood sample generally indicate recent exposure, while elevated trace elements in the claw indicate long-term exposure.”

Contrary to the team’s expectations, two turtles from the uncontaminated area had significantly higher levels of chromium in their blood than any of the turtles. Haskins believes that because the element was only elevated in the blood, indicating recent exposure, these two turtles may

have taken a short journey to the area surrounding the contaminated wetlands.

The team expected the contaminated-area turtles would have a weakened or compromised immune system that could not fight bacteria, but when they examined the immune system, they saw the unexpected.

“When we looked at the two groups, we discovered that turtles from the contaminated area had a stronger immune system to fight off bacteria,” Haskins said. “We then speculated that exposure to certain trace elements may have a beneficial effect on turtle immune system response.”

Haskins and Tuberville called for further exploration of the potential effects of CCR-associated contaminants on turtle immune function, including investigation of influencing factors such as age, stress, temperature, season and gender.

“It may be that some health effects of contaminants only become apparent or problematic when other stressors, such as disease outbreak or drought, are present,” Tuberville said. “Our first goal was to get a baseline of their health.”

The study results indicate there was no significant difference in the presence of parasites between the two groups, so long-term CCRs exposure did not make the turtles more vulnerable to parasites.

Haskins said that although most freshwater turtles are imperiled, the eye-catching yellow-bellied slider is common.

“These turtles are abundant in the region and present in almost every aquatic habitat on the SRS,” he said.

“Conducting research on the yellow-bellied slider allowed us to obtain the needed data without impairing species that are already at risk.”

Additional authors include Matthew Hamilton, SREL, Warnell; Amanda Jones, SREL; Robert B. Bringolf, Warnell; and John W. Finger Jr., SREL and Auburn University.

UGAGUIDE

columns.uga.edu Sept. 5, 2017

For a complete listing of events, check the Master Calendar on the Web (calendar.uga.edu/­).

The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified. Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.

EXHIBITIONS

The Genius of Martin Johnson Heade. Through Sept. 10. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu

Avocation to Vocation: Prints by F. Townsend Morgan. Through Sept. 10. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Modern Living: Gio Ponti and the 20thCentury Aesthetics of Design. Through Sept. 17. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Modern Masters from the Giuliano Ceseri Collection. Through Nov. 12. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Gold-digging in Georgia: America’s First Gold Rush? Through Dec. 5. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu Covered With Glory: Football at UGA, 1892-1917. Through Dec. 22. Special collections libraries. 706-542-7123. hasty@uga.edu

TUESDAY, SEPT. 5

WEDNESDAY, SEPT. 6

SKYWARN TRAINING The National Weather Service in Peachtree City and the University of Georgia Emergency Preparedness present a free SKYWARN storm spotter training class. SKYWARN is a volunteer program with more than 230,000 trained severe weather spotters.

3 p.m. 348 Miller Learning Center.

706-542-5845. pgolden@uga.edu

CLASS In the “All in the Family—Important Plant Families of Georgia” class, participants will learn about some important plant families and how to recognize their characteristics in the classroom or garden and gain the skills to quickly identify the unknown plants. $50.

9 a.m. Visitors Center, Classroom 2, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu

ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Evolution of Alternative Life Cycles of Bacteria,” Eric Harvill, University of Georgia Athletic Association Professor of Medical Microbiology in the College of Veterinary Medicine department of infectious diseases. A reception follows the seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby.

3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building.

706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu LECTURE Devoney Looser, Arizona State University, will discuss Jane Austen’s transformation into a literary icon over the course of the last 200 years.

4:30 p.m. 265 Park Hall. 706-542-2161. eberle@uga.edu

THURSDAY SCHOLARSHIP SERIES PREMIERE FEATURES UGASO, FACULTY

Mark Cedel will conduct the UGA Symphony Orchestra in Hodgson Concert Hall at the UGA Performing Arts Center on Sept. 7.

By Clarke Schwabe ccschwabe@uga.edu

The students of the University of Georgia Symphony Orchestra, along with an unconventional combination of faculty soloists, usher in a new year of concerts for the Thursday Scholarship Series when the orchestra performs in Hodgson Concert Hall Sept. 7 at 7:30 p.m.

The Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s flagship concert series opens with one of its most notable large ensembles performing classics from Barber, Haydn and Tchaikovsky.

The concert opens with Barber’s Second Essay for Orchestra. Premiered in 1942, the single-movement orchestral work clocks in around 11 minutes.

“The Barber is a lush and energetic concert opener that displays the orchestra’s virtuosity,” said Mark Cedel, conductor of the UGASO. Haydn’s Sinfonia Concertante follows, a part-symphony, part-concerto work in which four instruments compose the solo group: violin, cello, oboe and bassoon.

Hodgson School faculty members will perform as soloists: Kristin Jutras, director of the UGA Community Music School, violin; Reid Messich, assistant professor of oboe; Amy Pollard, associate professor of bassoon; and David Starkweather, professor of cello.

The final piece of the concert is Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 4.

Tickets to the concert are $20 each or $6 with a UGA student ID and can be purchased at pac.uga.edu or the PAC box office. Those unable to attend can watch the concert live on the Hodgson School’s website at music.uga.edu/streaming.

Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s Master Calendar, maintained by Marketing & Communications. Notices are published as space permits, with priority given to items of multidisciplinary interest. The Master Calendar is available at calendar.uga.edu/.

CONSERVATION SEMINAR “Conservation Southern Style: How Botanical Gardens are Building Partnerships to Conserve Plant Species Diversity in the Southeast,” Jennifer Cruse-Sanders, director, State Botanical Garden. 1:35 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu TOUR AT TWO Dale Couch, curator of decorative arts, will lead a gallery talk on Modern Living: Gio Ponti and the 20th-Century Aesthetics of Design. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu

THURSDAY, SEPT. 7 LUNCH & LEARN The Innovation Gateway Lunch & Learn series provides training and presentation sessions that occur once a month during the lunch hour. The goal is to inform and inspire individuals working with startup companies as well as those interested in issues facing university startups. Topics range from employment issues and tax credits to grant programs and intellectual property.

The Sept. 7 event will feature Ashley Cornelison, Georgia Research Alliance ventures operations director. The event is open free to the public. Lunch will be provided. RSVP to Tina Christie at tina@uga.edu or 706-542-0796. Noon.

Room 128/130 CAGTECH. OPENING RECEPTION An opening reception for Spirited: Prohibition in America features Elizabeth Pearce, a food and beverage historian, who will take attendees on a journey through America’s dry experiment using songs from the Prohibition era. Following the performance attendees are invited to a light reception, music and demonstrations by Jerry Slater.

5:30 p.m. Special collections libraries.

706-542-5788. jlevinso@uga.edu STUDIO WORKSHOP Join Athens-based artist and educator Brian Hitselberger for a four-part series of drawing courses that serves as an introduction to techniques and materials. The cost of the course is a $15 materials fee, which will cover all necessary supplies for the four sessions (Sept. 7, 14, 21 and 28). Space is limited; call 706-542-8863 or email callan@uga.edu to register. 6:30 p.m.

Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu ITALIANS AND DESIGN FILM SERIES In conjunction with the exhibition Modern Living: Gio Ponti and the 20th-Century Aesthetics of Design.

UGA STRING FACULTY TO PERFORM WITH ASO FIRST VIOLINIST

By Clarke Schwabe ccschwabe@uga.edu

String faculty members of the University of Georgia will be joined by a first violinist of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in a string quartet recital in Ramsey Concert Hall Sept. 8 at 8 p.m.

Kenn Wagner, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra first violinist since 1995 and a faculty member at Kennesaw State University and Morehouse College, returns to the Hugh Hodgson School of Music to perform with frequent collaborators Michael Heald, associate professor of violin; Maggie Snyder, associate professor of viola; and David Starkweather, professor of cello.

“Kenn has been coming to collaborate with UGA faculty for about three years and has develKenn Wagner oped a lovely rapport with the faculty here,” said Heald. “Despite his huge commitments to the ASO, he has developed a very nice career as a teacher, soloist and chamber musician.”

The concert’s program includes Mozart’s String Quartet No. 14 in G major, the first of Mozart’s “Haydn Quartets,” written in honor of Joseph Haydn, and a piece Heald calls “one of the greatest string quartets ever written:” Schubert’s Quartet in D minor, often referred to as “Death and the Maiden.”

The quartet was written in 1824, after Schubert learned he was dying, and its colloquial name originates from a song the Austrian composer wrote in 1817.

This performance is open free to the public.

Join the Georgia Museum of Art for films discussed by scholars, filmmakers and students. Each film will include a 15-minute introduction by a guest speaker and short conversations about the film following the screening. “If you can’t find it, design it” is the motto of Italian designers Lella and Massimo Vignelli, whose renowned work—covered in this documentary—ranges ”from the spoon to the city.” (2013, NR. 86 min.) Films are sponsored by the UGA Parents Leadership Council. 7 p.m.

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

LECTURE “Closing the Confidence Gap: Articulating Your Value in the Workplace,” Samantha Meyer, UGA Career Center. Part of the Women’s Studies Friday Speaker Series. 12:20 p.m. 213 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-2846. tlhat@uga.edu

FRIDAY, SEPT. 8

SUNDAY SPOTLIGHT TOUR Join Georgia Museum of Art docents for a special tour of Avocation to Vocation: Prints by F. Townsend Morgan. 3 p.m.

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

MEN’S TENNIS Southern Intercollegiate Championships.

Through Sept. 11. Dan Magill Tennis Complex. 706-542-1621.

ENGAGE CONFERENCE Engage in creating a more vibrant learning community for students. Join academic and student affairs professionals, support staff and campus partners from schools across the Southeast at one of the region’s premier one-day events.

This event, presented by Student Affairs, will have more than 30 sessions. Free for UGA Student Affairs staff, current UGA students and CSAA faculty; $60, UGA affiliates and alumni; $85, general registration. 8:30 a.m. Registration will be in the Tate Atrium; sessions to be held in Tate Student Center.

706-542-8229. asd@uga.edu FRIENDS FIRST FRIDAY Susan Thomas will explain how the Athens Music Project provides a platform for research, creative development and shared expertise in Athens’ musical communities. $12. 9 a.m. Gardenside Room, State Botanical Garden.

706-542-6014. conniecot@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.

5

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.

SATURDAY, SEPT. 9 FOOTBALL at Notre Dame. Televised on NBC. 7:30 p.m. 706-542-1231.

SUNDAY, SEPT. 10

MONDAY, SEPT. 11 CLASS Send children on a naturist adventure at the Garden during Homeschool Group Series classes. $150 for entire series.

Minimum age 4. 9 a.m. State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014. connicot@uga.edu

COMING UP TODDLER TUESDAY Sept. 12. This special tour, story time in the galleries and art activity is just for little ones. This free, 40-minute program is designed for families with children ages 18 months to 3 years and will focus on the design of Gio Ponti.

Space is limited; email sagekincaid@ uga.edu or call 706-542-0448 to reserve a spot. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art.

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Sept. 6 (for Sept. 18 issue) Sept. 13 (for Sept. 25 issue) Sept. 20 (for Oct. 2 issue)

6 Sept. 5, 2017 columns.uga.edu

CAMPUS CLOSEUP

Head coach Manuel Diaz, who led the UGA men’s tennis team to both the Southeastern Conference regular season and tournament championships, has been named the 2017 SEC Coach of the Year.

Diaz, who was inducted into the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame earlier this year, led his team to its 28th SEC championship in 29 seasons as head coach. This marks the sixth time in Diaz’s career that he has won the SEC Coach of the Year Award, with the last coming in 2007. The San Juan, Puerto Rico, native has compiled a 669-147 (.820) record during his head coaching career in Athens and has led the Bulldogs to four NCAA national championships (1999, 2001, 2007 and 2008).

Meg Easom Hines, a lecturer in the College of Education’s educational psychology department specializing in gifted and creative education, recently received the Mary Frasier Equity and Excellence Award from the Georgia Association for Gifted Children. The award was given during the organization’s annual convention, held in April in Athens.

The award recognizes practices that promote equitable identification procedures and/or providing high-quality services to gifted students from underrepresented groups. For several years now, Hines has been part of a UGA team working with teachers at Clarke Meg Hines County’s Stroud Elementary School to expand the school’s gifted program.

Hines is co-director of Project U-SPARC, which helps design programs and services around creativity for low-income and culturally diverse students. She also created Stroud Elementary’s Community Problem Solving team, which traveled to an international competition last year after the students won at the state level. The team is returning to the international competition this year after again winning first place in the Georgia Future Problem Solving Bowl. The team members will compete in Wisconsin with their project, aimed to improve the watershed environment around their school by building a rain garden and conducting a cleanup along a creek near the school.

Siobian Minish, a lead infant teacher in the Child Development Lab at the McPhaul Center, received the Helene Marks Award as the National Child Care Teacher of the Year by the Terri Lynne Lokoff Child Care Foundation.

Of the 50 recipients of the Terri Lynne Lokoff/ Children’s Tylenol National Child Care Teacher Awards, Minish was one of the top 10 finalists to compete for the organization’s top honor.

Minish received the award at a ceremony in Philadelphia in May. Siobian Minish Recipients of the awards designed an enhancement project that illustrates the educational, social and emotional benefits for the children in their care.

A committee of national early childhood educators and experts reviewed and scored the applications. Each recipient received a $1,000 award: $500 to implement their proposed project and $500 to acknowledge their dedication. Minish received an additional $1,000 for getting the Helene Marks Award as the teacher of the year. Minish’s awardwinning project that she will implement with a grant from the TLLCCF is “Open-Ended Outdoor Exploration for Infants and Toddlers.”

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.

Andrew Davis Tucker

Darlene Mealor’s goal is to make sure guests who visit Training and Development leave having a great experience.

HR specialist helps manage training courses, relationships

By Leigh Beeson lbeeson@uga.edu

Scheduling and managing the more than 400 courses taught every year at Training and Development is a fulltime job in itself, but Darlene Mealor also finds time to serve as the office administrator, greeter, organizer, and, on occasion, therapist.

“You never know what folks are going through in their lives,” Mealor said. “I feel it is important to express kindness and understanding to everyone I encounter and to always provide the best customer service possible.”

It was that congenial attitude that prompted one person who had been waitlisted for a T&D class but tried to attend anyway to bring Mealor a bouquet of fresh, homegrown flowers as an apology for trying to squeeze into the class with no open seats.

“It meant so much that she expressed her true character,” Mealor said. “I realize that oftentimes folks are dealing with issues that provoke stress and can alter behavior, so I try not to take it personally when someone is

having a bad moment.”

Dubbed the “director of first impressions” by her colleagues, Mealor’s goal is to make sure everyone who visits Training and Development has a great experience.

She also supervises T&D student workers, several of whom cite her as a mentor and key influence on their personal and career development, and assists the coordinator of the Young Dawgs Program, which gives high school students the opportunity to intern across UGA departments.

Mealor’s dedication to customer service was officially recognized in the spring when she was awarded the Customer Service Award at Finance & Administration’s annual ceremony.

“To read what folks wrote about me,” she said, “it was just heartwarming.”

For Mealor, customer service isn’t just part of her job; it’s the most important part and the part she enjoys the most.

“One of the reasons I love UGA is because I like the everyday challenges of helping people,” she said. “Sometimes those people are UGA staff looking to sign up for an already full class, and

FACTS Darlene Mealor HR Specialist Training and Development At UGA: 18 years

sometimes they’re lost students who come in crying about being unable to find their class.”

Instead of just pointing them in the right direction, Mealor usually leads them down the hall or outside the building, ensuring they get where they need to go. It’s just another way she goes beyond what’s expected of her.

“Darlene is the face of our building, and I couldn’t imagine anyone else to better serve our customers,” wrote Tracy O’Malley, assistant director in the Office of Faculty and Staff Relations, in her nomination letter of Mealor for the Customer Service Award. “I don’t think she even realizes the impact she has on others. That just makes her all the more special.”

RETIREES June Twenty-eight UGA employees retired June 1. Retirees, their job classification, department and years of service are: Ted A. Baumgartner, professor, kinesiology, 39 year, 9 months; George A. Brook, professor, geography, 41 years, 9 months; Brana Cardzic, retail dining sales associate, food services Barberito’s, 10 years, 7 months; J. Mark Collinsworth, sheetmetal and roofing manager, FMD-O&M-Sheetmetal Shop, 30 years, 5 months; Maurice Daniels, professor, School of Social Work, 37 years, 11 months; Daniel V. Dervartanian, professor, biochemistry and molecular biology, 48 years, 9 months; Barbara Joyce Flanigan, administrative associate I, Student Financial Aid, 13 years, 4 months; Simon J. Gatrell, professor, English, 31 years, 8 months; Renae H. Hall, business manager I, Tifton Diagnostic Lab, 31 years, 2 months; Douglas A.

Kleiber, professor, counseling and human development, 27 years, 10 months; R. Alan Langford, clinical professor, clinical and administrative pharmacy, 19 years, 11 months; Tammy P. McGarity, IT director, Development and Alumni Relations IT, 32 years, 8 months; Sandra R. Murphy, senior academic professional, School of Social Work, 7 years, 9 months; Michael A. Orey III, associate professor, career and information studies, 27 years, 8 months; Hal Griffin Rainey, professor, public administration and policy, 28 years, 8 months; Bonita L. Reed, senior accounting technician, continuing education: business administration, 11 years, 1 month; Janet G. Robertson, senior lecturer, dance, 27 years, 11 months; Robert S. Rumely, professor, mathematics, 35 years, 9 months; Lynne M. Sallot, professor, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, 23 years, 11 months; Catherine Sue

Morris Savage, administrative specialist II, biochemistry and molecular biology, 30 years, 2 months; Lawrence J. Shimkets Jr., professor, microbiology, 34 years, 8 months; Ronald E. Silcox, associate professor, animal scienceUGA Cooperative Extension, 32 years, 5 months; James C. Smith, professor, School of Law, 32 years, 9 months; Leslie P. Steffe, Distinguished Research Professor, mathematics and science education, 49 years, 9 months; Marilyn A. Steffe, student affairs professional I, psychology, 39 years, 8 months; Signe Othilie Wegener, lecturer, English, 20 years, 8 months; Joan M. Woods, assistant department manager library, libraries-general operations, 24 years, 8 months; and Steven P. Zimpfer, research professional I, Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, 5 years, 4 months.

Source: Human Resources

PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH

International training

Sherpa Executive Coaching Certification Program is company’s flagship, drawing students from across globe

By Christopher James chtjames@uga.edu

An executive coaching certification program at UGA’s Center for Continuing Education & Hotel is attracting students from around the world and now includes military veterans who can use the GI Bill funding to pay tuition.

Retired Army Col. Larry Reeves is the first student to complete the Sherpa Executive Coaching Certification Program at the Georgia Center using the Post 9/11 GI Bill, which was approved for the program by the Veterans Administration earlier this year. Reeves said the experience will enable him to move into a post-military career.

“It really does change the way you think about a lot of things,” said Reeves, a resident of Vandenburg Air Force Base, California, where his wife is active military. “You start to live like an executive coach and hear things differently.

I wish I would’ve done this years ago. It would’ve helped in my military career. It’s a new way to look at life and problem solve.”

The program, founded by Brenda Corbett and Judith Coleman, has been offered at UGA for nearly a decade and has become Sherpa Coaching’s flagship, with students from Brazil, Japan, Mexico and Australia enrolling.

It teaches future executive coaches a process to follow as they work with clients to identify strengths and weaknesses and find ways to improve business behavior.

Pam Bracken, who leads special projects and curriculum development for the Georgia Center, said most students have the same overwhelmingly positive reaction as Reeves.

Participants have to attend two weeks of intensive coursework and complete a practicum with a client out in the field for 12 weeks.

Bracken participated in the class herself when she was looking to add an executive coaching certification program to the center’s portfolio.

“We wanted a program that was process-driven,” Bracken said. “We read the required textbook and interviewed graduates. We don’t want to be affiliated with just anyone. This is an executive training program that has some teeth.”

Corbett said working with UGA adds credibility to the program.

“They’ve done the due diligence, and we’re the best program they could find,” Corbett said. “That’s a big deal for us.”

Reeves decided on a post-military career in executive coaching when he was a coaching client himself. After a few months with the Sherpa curriculum, he catches himself thinking like a coach in conversations with his wife and friends.

The practicum allows students to put the curriculum to use in real time. Reeves has been working with a small business client in California to complete his practicum.

He checks in weekly with a practicum coach, who provides feedback. Students don’t earn their final University of

Shannah Montgomery

The Sherpa Executive Coaching Certification Program teaches students a process to follow as they work with clients to identify strengths and weaknesses and develop ways to improve business behavior.

Georgia Certificate of Program Completion until they’ve successfully completed the practicum assignment along with the 60 hours of classroom work.

“I’ve had more success than I expected with my first client,” he said. “I’d shudder to think there are programs out there that don’t do this, that they teach you and throw you out to the wolves. It’s probably the most important part of the course.”

Reeves looked into executive coach training closer to home. None explained the process or the curriculum up front as much as the Georgia Center, he said.

“Being able to go through, see expectations and understand the path I needed to take was incredibly beneficial,” Reeves said. “The fact that UGA, with its focus on academics, would stand behind it says a lot to me.”

WEEKLY READER

columns.uga.edu Sept. 5, 2017

SERVICE from page 1 helped clean and paint the porch of a Colima Avenue house.

“Coming to Athens, I wanted to find a way to give back to the community just like I did in my hometown,” Hayes said. “Dawg Day of Service was the best way to do that.”

Culture of service

The event, held Aug. 26, was organized by ServeUGA, part of the Division of Student Affairs’ Center for Leadership and Service. ServeUGA is dedicated to advancing a culture of service at the university. Dawg Day of Service is just one of several volunteer opportunities the group organizes throughout the year.

Students worked for 15 Athens community service organizations across 19 locations. In addition to Hands On Athens, students volunteered with groups such as Brooklyn Cemetery, Project Safe and the Food Bank of Northeast Georgia.

Many of the students volunteering were looking for a way to give back to Athens, which they view as a second home, and to get involved with an organization not necessarily connected to UGA. “It’s important for UGA students to be involved in the Athens community because the university is such a big part of that community,” said Wesley Peebles, a sophomore ecology and sociology major who volunteered at Brooklyn Cemetery. “Getting involved, giving back and getting to know what’s out there should be a big part of student life.”

According to Alexandra Case, a senior consumer journalism major and the ServeUGA executive board member who organized Dawg Day of Service, the event exposes students to the variety of volunteer opportunities throughout Athens-Clarke County and encourages them to be involved in the greater community.

“It’s important for UGA students to get outside the school’s bubble and experience the problems and needs of the community,” she said.

The notion of experiencing Athens and improving the city’s community was reiterated by Mayor Nancy Denson, who spoke to the student volunteers at the Tate Student Center before they began working.

“As students, you’re not just part of the University of Georgia, you’re part of Athens,” she said. “As you give of yourself and learn about our community, I promise you that the University of Georgia experience will be so much richer. You all are going to have fun today, but you’re also going to change lives.”

In Case’s estimation, Dawg Day of Service not only benefits the student, but it also helps the various organizations by providing them with a large cadre of volunteers to complete bigger projects.

“This is really great,” said John Kissane, a Hands On Athens administrator directing Hayes and her fellow volunteers. “We couldn’t operate without volunteers and without UGA, so it’s really great that we’ve got students who are so eager to get involved.”

Hayes believes her Dawg Day of Service experience will affect the rest of her collegiate career.

“I hope that this serves as a catalyst to do more community service projects,” she said. “I hope that it inspires to me to find my own way to give back.”

CYBERSIGHTS

ABOUT COLUMNS

Book analyzes snake species in eastern US

Snakes of the Eastern United States

By Whit Gibbons University of Georgia Press Paperback: $32.95

In Snakes of the Eastern United States, photographs, colorful geographic range maps and comprehensive written accounts provide essential information about each snake species, including detailed identification characteristics, general ecology and behavior, and conservation status.

Additional information supports the already fact-filled snake species profiles.

A chapter on urban and suburban snake ecology focuses on species most commonly found in some of the country’s largest cities and residential settings. A chapter on snake conservation includes information on threats faced by native species in many regions of the eastern U.S. Snakes of the Eastern United States was researched and written by expert herpetologist Whit Gibbons, UGA professor emeritus of ecology.

The guidebook is directed toward a general audience interested in natural history. It is part of the University of Georgia Press’ Wormsloe Foundation Nature Book series.

7

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

Cooperative Extension redesigns website

extension.uga.edu

The UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences recently launched a newly designed public portal for University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. In addition to aesthetic improvements, the new site will help Georgians more easily connect with the research-based information and community resources.

UGA Extension’s web team updated content under the programs and services section of the site, giving farmers, homeowners and families up-to-date information about how UGA Extension can serve them.

Web designers updated the popular UGA Extension Publications site to make it easier to navigate.

Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Writer Leigh Beeson 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 Sept. 5, 2017 columns.uga.edu

LISTENING from page 1

the Tifton Campus Conference Center, covered crop production and was attended by respected producers and industry leaders. The Gainesville program, held at the Georgia Poultry Laboratory, focused on poultry production.

“I think it was a time for us to show how well we can work together as well as demonstrate that we want to be open and available to the overall community,” Pardue said.

Considered Georgia’s top industry, agriculture posted a farm gate value of ­ $13.8 billion in 2015. The world’s population is expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, and agricultural production needs to evolve to feed and clothe the growing population.

Future agricultural engineers are critical in developing these agricultural solutions.

About 5 percent of College of Engineering students major in agricultural engineering. Engineering Dean Don Leo said his college must be ready to meet the needs of Shannah Montgomery the agricultural industry, both now and in A session of the Cultivating Hispanic Leaders Institute was held at the Latin American Association the future.

“What we need to do is make our conin Atlanta. It was organized by UGA’s J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development. nections better so that everybody in Georgia talent has gone through CHLI in its first three “There are a lot of leadership programs, understands the opportunities that are availyears,” said ­Marquez. “Through CHLI, we but our partnership with Fanning and UGA able for them to engage with us and for us, created HYPE ­(Hispanic Young Profession- brings credibility because it is backed by a as students and faculty, to engage with the als and Entrepreneurs), a group for Hispanic university,” said Marquez. “It is research- communities,” Leo said. millennials.” based, and the academic best practices add More than 90 percent of UGA’s engineerBelisa Urbina, a 2015 CHLI graduate and another level to it.” ing students are from Georgia. Getting UGA the executive director at Ser Familia, a metro Along with developing leaders, the graduates to accept jobs in rural Georgia is Atlanta organization that works with Latino Georgia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce a challenge. families, said the program is critical for the works with the SBDC to provide monthly “When you get into the more rural areas Latino community and Georgia. in-person consulting opportunities, seminars, of our state, when you get to the agribusiness “I learned a lot,” said Urbina. “CHLI let workshops and other outreach efforts for side, attracting professionals is very difficult,” me view my leadership skills at a macroscopic Hispanic entrepreneurs. level to better apply them in the greater “Their impact is enormous,” said MarLatino community. The program provides a quez. “It’s been crucial for us to have the from page 1 foundation and skills for Latino leaders to go SBDC here meeting with us once a month, to the next level and be present in all levels of face to face. We do a lot with the SBDC to the community, which is a vital component make sure people understand the proper steps feature two large auditoriums, eight classin making a difference.” to grow a business and provide the tools to rooms, a capital markets lab, a music business Since graduating, Urbina has remained drive that growth.” lab, a cafe and an undergraduate commons in touch with several others who have gone That partnership between the SBDC with a south‑facing veranda. The upper through the program, and they share ideas and the Georgia Hispanic Chamber of floors house faculty and staff from all seven and support each other, she said.

Commerce is a win-win for both par- academic departments, project team rooms Urbina also has returned to CHLI to serve ties, said Carolina Ramon, director of the and conference rooms. as a panelist and help mentor new program SBDC’s Office of Minority Business Taken as a whole, the Business ­Learning graduates.

Development.

Community is transforming the Terry Col“It is important to give back and help “The members consider the Hispanic lege of Business by creating an inviting build up new leaders in the Latino com- Chamber of Commerce a place to go, network learning environment where students gather, munity,” she said. and find business opportunities,” said Ramon. study, work on projects, interact with faculty At this year’s graduation ceremony on “The chamber is committed to educating its inside and outside the classroom, and network June 22 in Atlanta, several class members Hispanic business owners, and we contribute with alumni and employers. said CHLI showed them the importance of to that educational component.That furthers And, if the first day is any indication, it’s reaching out and serving their communities. our mission of helping businesses to grow also creating some campus buzz.

“Don’t just get involved, be engaged,” said and generate employment and revenue for “I have a class here, and I take people by 2017 CHLI graduate Cesar Vence. “This is the state of Georgia.” when I lead tours,” said Madeline Lee, a Terry the time to be transformative. We have the The chamber needs to do more with ambassador majoring in risk ­management tools, thanks to this program, to take our both the SBDC and the Fanning Institute, engagement to the next level.” said Marquez.

CHLI and the tools it provides carry extra “We are just scratching the surface,” said from page 1 credibility because of the Fanning Institute Marquez. “There are all kinds of opportuniand UGA, Marquez said. ties. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.” the depth of the University of Georgia’s commitment to fostering innovation and economic vitality,” said Provost Pamela Whitten. “Whether through teaching, research or service, our faculty and staff are working to create a more vibrant future for our state and nation.”

Innovation Gateway, the university’s arm for translating research discoveries UGA University Woman’s Club is UGAAlert test into products and companies, is a finalist open to anyone who, through their A full test of UGAAlert, the in the innovation category. A unit of UGA’s own or their family’s affiliation, university’s emergency notification Office of Research, it was launched in 2015 past or present, is associated with system, will be conducted Sept. 14 at to consolidate UGA’s technology transfer the University of Georgia commu10:45 a.m. and new business startup programs, thereby nity.

Members are a diverse group Prior to the test, students, faculty streamlining the path from lab or field to of UGA graduates, professionals, and staff should review their contact the marketplace. The goal was and remains ­faculty, retirees and their spouses. information (phone numbers and ensuring that UGA research discoveries The fall coffee marks the start of email addresses) in the UGAAlert reach their full potential for public benefit yearly activities for the University system to ensure that their personal and economic impact. contact information and their specific Woman’s Club. Other annual tradiBy fostering a network of industry, ecotions are the holiday luncheon in preferences for being notified are acnomic development and university partners, December and the spring luncheon curate. Contact information may be Innovation Gateway is amplifying its ability to and fashion show. checked at ugaalert.uga.edu. develop new products and companies based Anyone interested in joining In the event of severe weather on the university’s research. New invention should visit womansclub.uga.edu and on Sept. 14, the test will be rescheddisclosures and licensing revenues are up download the membership form.

For uled to a day when more favorable 30 percent, startup projects have increased additional information, contact weather conditions exist.

40 percent and more than 20 startup compaShirley Jaeger, publicity chair, at nies have been launched since 2015. shirley.jaeger1961@gmail.com or University Woman’s Club David Lee, UGA’s vice president for 706- 566-4477 or 706-548-9291.

The UGA University Woman’s research, said, “Innovation Gateway has reClub will host its annual fall coffee sponded not only to the needs of UGA and Bulletin Board is limited to informaSept. 12 from 10-11:30 a.m. at the its researchers but also the needs of society, tion that may pertain to a majority of President’s House, 570 Prince Ave. including the need for technology-based faculty and staff members.

A social/service organization, the economic development.”

The Archway Partnership, a UGA Public Service and Outreach unit that helps

LEADERS

from page 1

said Gary Evans, chief operating officer of Premium Peanut in Douglas. “We work to develop homegrown professional talent, who we start recruiting in high school. The UGA Tifton campus is a big player in that for us.”

Leo points to the engineering college’s efforts to develop internship and cooperative opportunities with rural Georgia companies that support students who return to their hometowns after graduation. As alumni, they have the education and training to make a difference.

“We are looking for geographic diversity in our student body to help us have students who will be well-matched to companies offering internships,” Pardue said. “We need to provide ag companies with the human resources that will help them grow their businesses.”

Both deans call on companies and educators in local communities across Georgia to identify middle and high school students who show interest and talent in agriculture and engineering.

“The University of Georgia has a home in south Georgia. We’re committed to south Georgia, and we wanted to make sure that consumers of our expertise—the businesses and ag community—understand the College of Engineering and what it can do for them,” said Griff Doyle, UGA’s vice president for government relations. “The same can be said for our business leaders in north Georgia.

“We want our agricultural leaders statewide to better understand the opportunities that the College of Engineering has to offer,” he added.

COMMUNITY

and insurance. “There are computers inside the desks and their screens pop up when you push them. They’re always excited to see that.”

Phase II construction was the result of a public-private partnership that combined significant donor support and state funds totaling $63 million.

The university broke ground on Phase II in 2015 at the same time that Correll Hall was dedicated. Correll Hall was completely funded through private contributions, totaling $35 million.

A dedication of Amos Hall, Benson Hall and Moore-Rooker Hall is set for Sept. 15, with a groundbreaking ceremony for the third and final phase of Business Learning Community construction to follow on the same day.

RECOGNITION

Bulletin Board

Georgia communities address critical, locally identified community and economic development needs, is a finalist in the place category.

Archway projects have addressed infrastructure for growth and business recruitment, workforce development, leadership, tourism, downtown revitalization and other economic development needs in communities across Georgia.

Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant also was named a finalist in the place category for its Sea Level Rise Adaptation Plans, developed in collaboration with UGA’s Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant and the Carl Vinson Institute of Government both are UGA Public Service and Outreach units.

In partnership with the coastal cities of Tybee Island and St. Marys, UGA faculty analyzed risks and vulnerabilities from tidal flooding and sea level rise over the next 50 years and developed a plan that enabled savings of $3 million on flood insurance for property owners. The plan has emerged as a model for other coastal communities across the country.

“Our mission as Georgia’s land-grant and sea-grant institution is to help communities address critical challenges, and these are great examples of how we are doing just that,” said Laura Meadows, interim vice president for public service and outreach.

The 24 finalists in the 2017 UEDA Awards of Excellence competition will go on to compete at the UEDA Annual Summit Oct. 1-4 in Long Beach, California.