Summer 2018 by UGA Grad Studies

uga graduate University of Georgia Graduate School Magazine

SUMMER 2018

DENISE SPANGLER, the new dean of UGA’s College of Education, addressed the 265 doctoral candidates and 993 specialist degree students at Commencement this May. “You have an education. A graduate education. You are, indeed, a very special group of people,” she said. “You can use your privilege, because that’s what an education gives you. Regardless of your race or gender, your education puts you in a place of privilege.” Pictured on this page: graduated student Summer Kanoelani Kauhane Burnett from Hawaii. Burnett received a Masters of Accountancy degree and has accepted a position with Ernst and Young in their Honolulu office.

SUMMER 2018 TABLE OF CONTENTS

2 Nikki Hoffman 10 Scott Messer 21 Russell Ingram 28 Kay Parker 34 Logan Moore 36 Isabelle Holland Lulewicz Back Cover Denzell Cross ©2018 by the University of Georgia. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any way without the written permission of the editor.

a message from

Suzanne Barbour, Dean Greetings from Athens! Another Graduate Commencement is in the books! We were very fortunate to have Denise Spangler, the newly appointed Dean of the UGA College of Education as our commencement speaker. She inspired our graduates to stay involved, give back, and exercise their right to vote. The individuals highlighted in this issue exemplify Dean Spangler’s lessons. They include Nikki Hoffman, who has overcome personal obstacles to aspire to a career helping those with concussive injuries; Double Dawg and doctoral student Scott Messer who is involved in efforts to preserve a bit of Georgia’s history; and current doctoral student Russell Ingram who turned a personal career exploration into an important resource for career development of his fellow students. Kay Parker is perhaps the greatest personification of Dean Spangler’s lesson about giving back. Her kindness has enriched the lives of countless international graduate students during their time at UGA. I hope you will enjoy these stories and the others in this issue. In the words of Dean Spangler, our graduate students are “…..a very special group of people”. It is our privilege to work with and share the stories of these special individuals with you. Cheers, SUZANNE BARBOUR P.S. Please don’t forget to view enhanced content on the digital magazine site gradmag.uga.edu.

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COPING WITH CONCUSSIONS The survivor of eight concussions, this athlete aspires to be a leading expert on sleep and concussions as an athletic trainer and clinical researcher. BY CYNTHIA ADAMS PHOTOS BY NANCY EVELYN

NIKKI HOFFMAN

is a fourth-year UGA doctoral candidate in Kinesiology, with emphasis on

biomechanics and athletic training. Prior to several events that affected her physically, athletic training was at the center of her universe. She had wanted to be an athletic trainer since she was an active seventh grader growing up in Dover, Delaware. “I wanted to help people,” says the diminutive graduate student, who graduates this year. Everything—including serious setbacks—led Hoffman to this moment, and this path, she says. After earning a bachelor’s degree in athletic training at the University of Delaware, Hoffman finally got the opportunity she had dreamed of at Delaware State University, where she became an athletic trainer. She also served as the interim head athletic trainer for 19 other sports teams. It was all she had hoped for, Hoffman says. “I loved it.” Opportunities opened. She worked clinically as a graduate assistant trainer at James Madison University and Eastern Mennonite University after finishing at Delaware. Then Hoffman began working full time as an associate athletic trainer. But fate intervened, and by accident of fate, her primary career focus was redirected. After multiple injuries, Hoffman transitioned to the Movement Science Department at DSU, and began concussion research. She became a research project manager and clinical adjunct instructor. Today, Hoffman aspires to be a leading expert on sleep and concussions as an athletic trainer and clinical researcher. She is analyzing and publishing data from the largest multi-site funded project on the topic of exploring concussions and how sleep duration influences recovery. Hoffman’s manuscript, “Influence of Post-Concussion Sleep Duration on Concussion Recovery in Collegiate Athletes” was accepted by the Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine last year. In this researcher’s case, she brings powerful, and direct personal experience to bear.

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hen a younger, avid soccer player,

says Zachary Kerr, director of the National Collegiate

Hoffman fearlessly headed the ball. Her

Athletic Association (NCAA) Injury Surveillance Program.

5'3" stature made her even more fierce,

Over a five-year period, the rates per 1000 athlete-

she jokes. “In 7th grade, I got injured

exposures were 6.3 in females versus 3.4 in males in

a lot because I was a very aggressive

soccer, 6.0 in females versus 3.9 in males in basketball

athlete.” For many years, Hoffman competed unscathed

and 3.3 in females versus 0.9 in males in baseball and

insofar as head injuries. “I never had any issues with

softball. Only in swimming and diving did male rates

concussion. Then my first concussion happened when

(0.3) exceed those of females (0.5). Headache, dizziness

I was finishing my master’s degree. Playing intramural

and difficulty concentrating were roughly similar among

soccer, I took a ball to the temple.”

both sexes, Kerr says. But among injured high school

The blow to her head happened in 2005, and Hoffman vividly remembers what would become

sensitivity to light, sensitivity to noise, nausea and

a disastrous series of events. She felt dazed; the

drowsiness,” he says. “They were also slower to return

experience was different than anything she had

to normal activity.”

experienced beforehand. “I was a little disoriented. I

New research on subconcussive hits, meaning,

had a moderate headache and felt nauseous. I sought

ones that don’t necessarily elicit a concussion, is also

medical care.”

troubling.

Hoffman grasped the seriousness of it, yet the

“When a teenager is hit in the head, his brain can

true depth of what had happened wasn’t immediately

begin to show signs, within days, of the kind of damage

obvious. Her first impression was to blow it off. “I

associated with degenerative brain disease, according

thought, I didn’t feel so good. I would rest. I’d get back

to an unsettling new study of young men and head

to what I was doing.”

injuries,” The New York Times reported in February.

And then, just as she was back in pursuit of athletic

“The findings, which also involve tests with animals,

training, she had what can only be described as a run

indicate that this damage can occur even if the hit does

of extremely bad luck. Her injuries kept multiplying. “I

not result in a full-blown concussion.”

had eight concussions between 2005 and 2012.” Many

In postmortem analyses of the brains of football

of Hoffman’s concussions were accidental events, others

players, there is evidence of tissue damage and also of a

were sports-related.

protein which has the ability to “strangle and kill brain

There is a body of evidence that maintains that

cells.” The article references a small study published in

women suffer more concussions and experience them

Brain, which sought to determine how, and how quickly,

differently than males. Statistically, women soccer

head injuries can contribute to further damage that can

players have a 2.1 times greater risk of suffering a

become chronic.

concussion than males. In a recent Scientific American article by Bob Roehr, there are gender-specific lines of demarcation concerning concussion outcomes. In comparable sports “female rates of concussions

This could potentially mean “that young girls may be limited on heading the ball until a certain age, but this area still needs further exploration” says Hoffman. Despite all the setbacks, Hoffman carried on. She powered forward, working for six years as an athletic

KINESIOLOGY

are much higher than those of their male counterparts,”

athletes, “larger proportions of females are reporting

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trainer while teaching at Delaware State as an adjunct.

“ONCE YOU’VE SEEN ONE CONCUSSION, YOU’VE SEEN ONE CONCUSSION, AND IT’S NOT GOING TO AFFECT ANOTHER THE SAME WAY… IT IS SO VARIABLE.” NIKKI HOFFMAN

She told herself she’d be fine. But she was increasingly skittish. She began to recoil when people tried to hug her for fear of an accidental blow. It was a realistic fear. As Hoffman explains it, the eight concussions she suffered in a space of seven years were not all sports-related—several were freak accidents. “In one case, I got hit in the head with a toy by a toddler,” she says. In another instance, she was struck

HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS CONCUSSION STATISTICS Head impacts and concussions caused by contact sports are a quickly growing epidemic among young athletes. When left undetected, concussions can result in longterm brain damage and may even prove fatal.

in the head by someone working out with a resistance

band which suddenly broke. “It ricocheted and hit me in

concussions occur during high school

the head.”

football.

Hoffman jokes: “Destiny was hitting me on

47 percent of all reported sports

1 in 5 high school athletes will sustain a

the head. I took the hint. After my fourth or fifth

sports concussion during the season.

concussion, in 2009, I took myself out of sports.”

After sustaining eight concussions, the trajectory of

33 percent of high school athletes who

have a sports concussion report two or

her plans shifted. The eighth concussion forced her to

more in the same year.

take several months off to recover.

4 to 5 million concussions occur annually,

One of the toughest aspects?

with rising numbers among middle

Dealing with a sense of depression, Hoffman’s

school athletes.

memory and ease of learning were affected. “I found things that I love to do. But, I sat in this

90 percent of diagnosed concussions

do not involve a loss of consciousness.

period of depression. Because of my concussions,

my memory wasn’t the same. My stress levels were

live with a traumatic brain injury-related

increasing. My neuropsychologist said I should consider

disability (CDC).

another career option. So instead of letting it defeat me, I decided to find another path.”

An estimated 5.3 million Americans

http://www.headcasecompany.com

She reflected upon teaching, something that the outgoing and and helping part of Hoffman’s personality enjoyed. Teaching offered those opportunities. Was athletic training a closing chapter of her life?

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“My medical condition forced me to pursue teaching.” Hoffman was still at Delaware State, “and then I realized I didn’t want to lose athletic training, plus to teach at a higher level, I had to have the educational level above a masters.” Hoffman entered UGA’s Department of Kinesiology in 2014. She was initially attracted to the department, and her interest in UGA was cemented when she learned about the recent hiring of Julianne Schmidt.

NIKKI HOFFMAN: IN MY OWN WORDS “For the longest time, my career end goal

“I had heard about a new faculty member who was passionate about research,” Hoffman says. “And, the department of Kinesiology at Georgia had a strong reputation.” Georgia offered “lots of opportunities that I couldn’t

was to work within Division I collegiate

pass up.” Hoffman was now focused upon earning a

athletics as an athletic trainer. It became

doctorate degree.

my identity and I was passionate about helping others. However, life happens

Schmidt became her principal investigator. “She is also young and eager to get involved in

when you are busy making other plans.

many aspects of concussion research, and learned that

I sustained a series of concussions

I was looking to become involved in sports-related

between 2005-2012. A history of multiple

concussion research.”

concussions can elicit long-lasting effects,

“The research here meant I could stay involved with

such as chronic headaches, dizziness,

athletes even though I wouldn’t work with them full

increased emotional symptoms, and sleep

time. By the end of my first year, I was looking at many

disturbances. My short-term memory was

different areas within concussion research. My advisor

never the same.

encouraged me to look at novel areas, sleep being one

“After personally experiencing longterm sleep disturbances following my concussions, I realized that I have a lot of unanswered questions. Through my research, I want to become a leading researcher in sleep and concussion recovery. Even though I can no longer practice fulltime as an athletic trainer, my path will continue to make an impact on others, which was my ultimate goal all along.”

of them.” Hoffman understood how sleep had impacted her in the aftermath of her own injuries. “I knew sleep had affected me from my own experiences. I wanted to add research that would be useful to clinicians. I soon knew that my work would be in sleep and concussion recovery.” She dug in, employing all the determination that had made her a good athlete and athletic trainer to manage the medical issues that accompanied multiple concussions. In much the same way that an athlete would power back from any other physical injury, Hoffman persevered in order to cope. “I wanted this [degree]; that is the biggest thing. People start PhD programs, have a family and it becomes too much. I want this for my future. It isn’t an option to quit; I just find a way. I couldn’t have done this without the foundation I had.”

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Hoffman working with student researcher Olivia Feltner at the University Health Center. At right: Julianne Schmidt, Hoffman's mentor and professor.

That foundation included supportive, encouraging family and friends.

Emerging Leaders is a leadership program sponsored by the UGA Graduate School, and the participants must be

Hoffman discovered compensatory ways to

referred by faculty. (See http://grad.uga.edu/index.php/

approach doctoral work. Memorization was taxing;

current-students/professional-development/emerging-

memory issues challenged her to double down on study

leaders-program/ for additional information.) During

habits. Whereas she noticed how others could read an

a training exercise in which EL participants were asked

article and remember it, “I began to take notes and

to share things about themselves, Hoffman discussed

create a summary.”

having suffered eight concussions.

She found it helpful to discuss complex reading with fellow graduate students. “I’ve been a high-achieving student my entire life,” she explains. No matter how difficult it might be to focus or retain information, Hoffman was determined to find compensatory means to do it. “Everything I’ve worked towards, I’ve worked for, but maybe a little harder. I write things down, or talk things out with friends.” But even the perennial optimist was challenged by the challenges of the doctoral experience. Hoffman concedes, “I notice my stress level is higher at the PhD level.” At this moment in time, a triumphant-feeling

Hoffman not only openly shared her experiences with fellow graduate students, but encouraged questions. There are 200 patients involved in concussion studies and research at the UGA University Health Center. “Some are athletes, some simply had an accident. The clinical resource is a great thing, as it provides benefits for free,” says Hoffman. To that end, she works with 20 concussed and 20 non-concussed college-aged students, with ages ranging from 18-24. “I want to know what does sleep have to do with concussion recovery. So, maybe I will look at naps down

Hoffman is writing her dissertation. She finds more

the road. My sleep research is going to take me to the

tailwinds than headwinds. There is a sense of this being

rest of my career,” she says, emphasizing how much is

the right time, right place for her research.

yet to be known.

“There is a growing awareness of concussion,” she

“We already know what sleep does for healthy

says. “Rest and sleep following concussion is becoming

people. I want to establish a foundation, saying this is

a very strong area.”

what I know from this sample population…we can build

Hoffman used her experience with an eye to helping others. “I thrive on people interactions,” she admitted while attending the Emerging Leaders Program last fall.

upon this.” She emphasizes that there are no garden-variety concussions. She knows whereof she speaks. “Once you’ve seen one concussion, you’ve seen ONE

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concussion, and it’s not going to affect another the same

“I’m still athletic,” she stresses. “You can find other

way…it is so variable,” Hoffman says. Those variables

things you love to do.” She also describes being resilient

include gender as well as a host of others to weigh.

as one of her most important resources.

At the University Health Center, Hoffman accumulates additional information. “There is a graded symptom checklist, computerized neurocognitive

“My parents raised me to believe if something doesn’t work, do it another way.” Hoffman completed her doctorate in May, and has

testing, and balance performance tasks, all essential

a job lined up at Illinois State University in Normal,

to providing a comprehensive evaluation of concussed

Illinois, where she will begin working in August. “My

patients.” All are also done at no cost to the student.

parents are elated,” she says.

Obtaining objective data concerning the impact

“Now, I am very happy, yet I recognize the way I am

of sleep in concussion recovery requires subjects use

limited. I cannot remember things as easily as I used

a wrist-worn accelometer that measures sleep based

to…it’s okay to write things down.” Her advice to others who are currently concussed or

upon movement. “My research is so unique,” she says. “What makes it unique is that I’m able to track a participant throughout their recovery. That data isn't currently available.” But compliance with wearing the watch isn’t always

still feeling limited by concussions? “Find new ways to compensate for your limitations. And find new ways to release stress.” She plans to resume one stress-relieving hobby:

what she hoped, especially with participants who take

visiting all major league stadiums within the country, an

longer to recover. So, she also asks the subjects to keep

outlet for stress release. She can’t wait to see Wrigley

a sleep journal.

Field. Of course, Hoffman will keep a very close eye out

“I know from previous research that subjective

for random pop-up balls.

questionnaires don’t sync up. People think they sleep better than what we’re seeing.” To compensate for this, Hoffman uses both subjective and objective questionnaires, and analyzes the data as a next step. The more she has learned, the more Hoffman hopes to improve future concussion management protocols.

Further Reading: https://www.cdc.gov/headsup/basics/concussion_recovery.html Info on the UGA Health Center and Concussion Research: (https:// coe.uga.edu/research/labs/uga-concussion-research)

Hoffman no longer runs or plays soccer, but stays fit through noncompetitive activities. She works out doing fitness routines, paddle boarding, and hiking.

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RECOVERY

SLEEP AND CONCUSSION RECOVERY “I want to know what sleep has to do with concussion recovery... We already know what sleep does for healthy people. I want to establish a foundation we can build upon.” Hoffman says in order to obtain objective data concerning the impact of sleep in recovering from concussion, she requires subjects to wear a wrist worn accelometer. The device gathers data continuously day and night until their symptoms subside. “My research is so unique,” Hoffman says. “What makes it unique is that I’m able to track a participant throughout their recovery.” The more she has learned, the more Hoffman hopes to improve future concussion management protocols.

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UGA

2018

Mule Barn Double Dawg Scott Messer T H E U N L I K E LY S AG A O F A M U L E B A R N , A D O U B L E DAWG P R E S E R VAT I O N I S T, A

Texas Rancherâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Son,

A N D A C O M M U N I T Y U N I T E D.

BY CYNTHIA ADAMS PHOTOS BY NANCY EVELYN

www.grad.uga.edu

Scott Messer is charged with the oversight of historic properties owned by the University. He stands inside an historic barn at the Griffin campus, which is the second oldest existing building there.

SCOTT MESSER,

possessed of a strong jaw and

a willingness to pull a heavy load, is stubborn. Not as stubborn as a mule, not quite.

scribbled onto the walls by farmers long since gone. At first, Hunnicutt says, “I didn’t realize it was a barn.”

Yet the preservationist is doggedly determined

And small wonder. Improbably made of concrete,

when it comes to rescuing historic buildings, including a

the clunky looking building wasn’t anybody’s notion of a

concrete 1920s mule barn on the Griffin campus. (Yes,

traditional barn. Hunnicutt found himself in possession

you read that correctly. It is a concrete construction.)

of a key and soon after he was hired began visiting the

The barn reopens this year as the Dundee Café— made possible by the Dundee Community Association. “It was all privately funded—doesn’t have a University dime involved,” says Messer. And he gives a hint of a smile—not a mule-eating-hay grin, but just enough to register sanguine pleasure. Then he says, “Call Lew.”

barn from time to time. Others before him had hoped it might be restored and repurposed. But it languished, full of stored items long forgotten. “When I first got here, somebody told me it was once supposed to become a café,” he says. To a recent transplant from a small Texas town, the mule barn seemed emblematic. As a rancher’s son, a barn was where Hunnicutt could step out of his

ew Hunnicutt, assistant provost at the Griffin

administrative role and settle his thoughts. The mule’s

campus and campus director, was phoned.

names scribbled onto walls with a pencil stub made the

It was all true. A quirky barn once slated

for demolition had found a dogged champion in Hunnicutt. Messer was aware of the barn as the

barn’s history real and appealing. The future of the mule barn was settled, at least in Hunnicutt’s mind. It offended his practical nature to

second oldest building on the Griffin campus. He wanted

watch the building decline as unwanted items moldered

it to survive. But to make it usable would require

inside. As the man in charge of facilities on campus, he

significant money—money not easily found.

took a first step, signaling that its status was changing.

Hunnicutt, determined this barn needed to remain

Hunnicutt asked that the barn be cleaned of all the

intact—in fact, better than intact—jumped right in,

forgotten detritus—if nothing else, it would make

taking it as a personal challenge.

others view it differently.

The Texan drawls, “There’s history written on the

He dangled a carrot, promising that in return they

walls.” In actuality, the mule’s names are penciled on the

would host staff birthday parties and events there once

boards inside, along with various calculations that were

cleaned.

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HTTP://WWW.CAES.UGA.EDU/NEWS/STORY

Just clearing out the junk had a good effect. All artifacts were kept. At least 38 various items, including mule shoes, wagon pins and pieces, were preserved for display on site. Meanwhile, Hunnicutt added touches of Texas and Griffin history to his office; he brought in an 1860s era field desk he had painstakingly refinished, and mounted Texas longhorns on the wall. Historic sepia photos of Griffin went on display, showing the former bleachery and nearby mill. Hunnicutt amassed a collection of cat’s eye marbles in a clear glass jar, along with other artifacts and mementos, creating his own cabinet of curiosities. The

mule history By 1808, the U.S. had an estimated 855,000 mules worth an estimated $66 million. Mules were rejected by northern farmers, who used a combination of horses and oxen, but they were popular in the South, where they were the preferred draft animal. One farmer with two mules could easily plow 16 acres a day. In 1909, UGA's Monthly Bulletin listed a total of 15 head of work animals owned

office, a former lab, revealed a sense of history. “Dundee Mill stood across the way,” he says, looking out an office window. “Griffin was a big mill town. Dundee towels (once produced there) are a big thing.” He discussed the barn with Messer, frequently in Griffin on another project. Around 1920 the original mule barn burned, and when rebuilt it they used slip-form construction technique, Hunnicutt learned. He felt triumphant when he discovered a way to make a barn renovation financially possible—having persuaded a local donor and restauranteur to provide restoration funds. All the funds. Then the donor died suddenly in a tragic accident.

by the College farm. “These mules are

Hunnicutt promised himself he would find another way.

of superior excellence, and represent

He did—this time, successfully persuading a community

different types, including medium

group to donate the funds.

heavy plantation mules, sugar mules, and heavy draft mules.”

“As the second-oldest structure on campus, the mule barn represents a part of Georgia Experiment Station and University of Georgia history that will be

http://www.mulemuseum.org/history-ofthe-mule.html Catalogue of the Officers and Students of the University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, University of Georgia, January 1, 1909

preserved and cherished thanks to the generosity of the Dundee Community Association,” Hunnicutt announced in a news release. Before Hunnicutt broke down a detail-relishing, whatare-the-odds-of-that account of events surrounding the revival of the mule barn—which is reaching the end of its transformation into the brand-spanking-new Dundee Café—he talked about the rehabilitation. That, he said, was all Messer. “I will take credit for finding the money,” Hunnicutt said, as Messer listened, “but I give him all the credit for the vision.”

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SCOTT FARRAR - DSFDAWG

And here’s what Hunnicutt revealed about Messer: Messer possesses a much more useful trait than talent. He is persistent. And—bonus—he is an historian. Hunnicutt says the words with clear admiration. PRESERVING HUNDREDS OF HISTORIC PROPERTIES Messer is already a double Dawg, having earned undergraduate degrees in history and political science from UGA, and a master’s in Historic Preservation in 1996. He consulted in private practice before joining the faculty in the College of Environmental Design and becoming the campus preservation planner on November 16, 2000. The historian in him noted the date on a calendar on his office wall. It remains there, “to remind me when my 30 years are up,” he jokes. He crisscrosses the state of Georgia as director of historic preservation in the Office of University Architects. At any given point in time, Messer may be overseeing as many as dozen projects. The mule barn is only one. “Over half of the UGA properties are historic,” he says. “Over 743 of the buildings in the inventory are more than 40 years old. We put a lot of money into preservation. We’re constantly doing that.” He is also a doctoral student in environmental

dundee mills

design and planning, and freely admits he is unsure when he will complete his doctorate because his desktop

The Dundee Community Association

groans with work projects he manages, including a 742-

donated over $1 million to restore the

page master historic plan for the entire University.

Mule Barn—money raised from years

Messer’s brows shoot upwards at the question of

of vending machine proceeds and

completing his dissertation, pointing to a heavy stack of

bake sales, with only a single request:

papers in his UGA office—his academic research, which

that the restored Mule Barn bear the

could fill a small box.

Dundee name. The Dundee Café will

“There it is,” he says.

host community events and feature

Since taking his position, Messer has received so

rotating exhibits on the history of the

many awards for his preservation work that even his

campus and surrounding community,

short CV is six pages long.

including the nearby Dundee Mills,

Also—according to one who knows him well—Messer is technically adept, pragmatic and driven. But he is also skilled at finding ways and means to execute ideas, says Pratt Cassity, who recently retired as the director of the

pictured above. Pictured below: Dundee Towel Ensembles 1948 Ad. http://www.spaldingcounty.com

Center for Community Design and Preservation where Messer was a graduate student in the late 1990s. “It has been so rewarding to see Scott Messer move

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A L L A R T I FAC T S — S AV E D F O R L AT E R D I S P L AY—W E R E K E P T. AT L E A S T 3 8 VA R I O U S I T E M S , I N C L U D I N G M U L E S H O E S , WAG O N P I N S A N D P I E C E S , W E R E C A R E F U L LY P R E S E R V E D F O R D I S P L AY O N S I T E .

scott messer A doctorate in environmental design and planning will put Messer on the path to a third UGA degree, and towards becoming a TRIPLE DAWG. Messer is already a DOUBLE DAWG, having earned degrees in history and political science from UGA, and a master’s in Historic Preservation in 1996.

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from the pony-tailed student with guitar case sitting in the back of my class, to a committed graduate research assistant in my office who worked on a national rural preservation grant from the NEA,” notes Cassity. He has followed Messer’s career since, as their professional lives frequently intertwined. After Messer completed his master’s he moved to Louisiana with Jennifer Messer, his spouse, who then worked in historic preservation. (She is now the development officer for the College of Environmental Design.) Cassity adds, “I worked with him then as a trusted colleague in Mississippi and Louisiana. We worked side by side with staff from the Stennis Small Town Center at Mississippi State University and the Louisiana Main Street Program on the states’ small-town character conservation issues. Finally, to spend my last years before retirement following his lead here on campus as we got the UGA preservation plan ready for rollout has been a satisfying educational cycle for me to complete as a teacher.” With the 742-page master plan recently completed, Dean Dan Nadenicek presented Messer with the Dean’s Award in April. He has been recognized for outstanding rehabilitation projects so often that it is tempting to equate him with Meryl Streep and Oscars—his name is going to be among the first mentioned for talent and momentum. “His willingness to make things work efficiently without fuss or frills is a great skill I admire (and don’t always exhibit)” says Cassity. “His style accommodates wry and workable solutions. I appreciate that we have learned together how things work for and against historic preservation. Some very obvious institutional processes make sensitive rehabilitation less probable at a large University, while the long traditions and sentimental attachment to place make it much easier to save buildings here. Scott uses both those realities to smoothly execute his state-mandated built environment stewardship role at UGA. It is a tough job that seems tailor-made for Scott’s talents. In short, he rocks, he cares, he’s making a difference.”

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CAES-UGASCIENCES-UGA

A nearly 100-year-old mule barn on the University of Georgia campus in Griffin, Georgia will be repurposed into a café that will connect students and the surrounding community with the history of Griffin and Spalding County. The 3,900-square-foot Dundee Café at the Mule Barn is scheduled to open in summer 2018 in the historic structure near the campus student learning center.

A BARN THAT OUGHT TO REMAIN A LANDMARK AND

a food product kitchen.” The two men got to know one

A COMMUNITY THAT AGREED

another. Like any good team, both give the other credit. The cost to save the mule barn had been calculated

When Messer met Hunnicutt, he was already keenly aware

some time ago at $1 million. Updated figures were sure

of the mule barn. He had a special weakness for barns.

to go even higher.

The mule barn at Griffin was technically important,

Hunnicutt, who resolved to find a path to saving what

concrete at the time that the Griffin campus was a

amounted to a white elephant. “She said, it’s a fantastic

research station, it was at the very center of the

idea but you’ll have to raise the money.”

campus. Eyesore wasn’t quite the right descriptor, but

The Texan took the challenge. It was Griffin’s white

homely was a kindness. As barns go, the mule barn was

elephant. A couple of months later, Hunnicutt showed

unbeautiful.

the barn to another person representing a charitable

Many thought it was just a bad use of land. But others, especially Messer, differed. “This building was part of a demolition package that came out of the School of Agriculture for space clearing. Through the environmental review process, this was a

foundation. The charity was endowed by former employees of the defunct Dundee textile mill, which employed 4,000 in 1995. The mill had once stood within a stone’s throw of the mule barn on Griffin campus. Hunnicutt learned that the Dundee Community

handful of buildings they needed to retain. We held onto

Association had several million in principal and had

it but didn’t have a use for it.”

decided to deplete the principal. The enterprising group

The barn was spared from the wrecking ball, but it languished. Every time Hunnicutt walked across campus, he

“I approached the provost, my boss,” says

as all agreed. Once a demonstration project for poured

raised money via bake sales and vending machine profits while the mill was still operative. “Back in the 1930s, they put together the Dundee

stopped at that barn, thinking. The barn key was always

Community Center. The board that ran the Dundee

in his pocket. “The vision for the mule barn wasn’t

Community Association were all former workers or

mine,” he insists, “but it had been neglected…” Neglect

managers. The mill owners invested in education for

bothered him.

their workers and had this history of wanting their

“Lew was hired, and he took a shine to the building,

mill workers to do better. They merged with Springs

and said he had a vision for it,” says Messer. “Lew really

and became Dundee Springs. Then, the mill closed,”

drove it. At the time, I was working on a project building

Hunnicutt explains.

www.grad.uga.edu

“ T H I S I S M Y FAVO R I T E P R O J E C T,” M E S S E R A D M I T T E D. T WO A L L I E S H A D S C O R E D A W I N -W I N . “ R E U S E O F T H I S A S A C O R E R E S O U R C E , A N D T H AT I T I S P R E S E R V E D A N D R E TA I N E D.”

UGA Graduate

SU M M E R 2 0 1 8

The Dundee Community Association were the alliance

That mule barn is soon to open, housing the café

Hunnicutt sought. They consented to fund the project

and community meeting facility at the campus center.

in its entirety with over $1 million in gifts. Hunnicutt

A selfless core group have brought a quirky landmark a

provided $50 out of pocket. But he needed a vision, a plan.

new purpose. Messer, a determined preservationist, had kept that

CUE SCOTT MESSER

possibility alive from the very beginning.

“We heard about it, that Lew might have a donor,”

A PRESERVATIONIST WITH AN “UNROMANTIC TASK”:

says Messer. “Then, we did a study for costs with a

STOP BULLDOZING HISTORY

local architect.” All parties agreed to keep impact to a minimum. As Messer says, the ideal “is reuse.” The community benefactors and Hunnicutt both

absolutely essential for making informed decisions

agreed to adaptive reuse. The concrete barn would be

for buildings and landscapes that hold meaning for

repurposed but intact.

generations of people,” says Melissa Tufts, director of

Messer couldn’t believe that with a multitude of projects listed, all wanting his attention, one had found

the Owens Library and Circle Gallery at UGA. “In our young country, we have felt free to bulldoze,

happy convergence in Griffin, thanks to Hunnicutt’s

build, and reconfigure in the name of progress, but

remarkable community group.

these efforts have a price that goes beyond financial

“We’re kindred spirits on renovating and protecting

considerations. Many of UGA’s facilities hold stories

it,” says Hunnicutt, nodding to Messer. “But it took us

and have served a multitude of purposes, which

13 months to get the kinks worked out.” The biggest

makes them all the more valuable. Here at the

kink involved getting a firm price for the restoration.

College of Environment and Design we try to instill an

“Lew gets it,” Messer says. (He, too, has a weak

understanding and appreciation of cultural landscapes—

spot for barns.) “This is one of my favorites, and a

places that evolve, yes, but also maintain ties to the

cattle barn at Skidaway, an octagonal barn built by the

people who used and learned from them. Our campuses

Roebling family,” Messer adds, standing inside the barn

are living testaments to Georgia’s public educational

as construction began in March. The 3,900 square foot

history and we appreciate Scott's dedication and expertise.”

Dundee Café at the Mule Barn opens this summer. Backhoes prepared the way for a new outdoor seating area at what is the barn’s entryway. Workmen stood on lifts prying rotting wood from the upper story. Messer, in hardhat, watched despite a cold March wind. “This is my favorite project,” he admitted, blue eyes intent as the backhoe chewed up chunks of concrete and equipment whined. Two allies had scored a win-win. “Reuse of this as a core resource, and that it is preserved and retained,” Messer muses. He points out the scrawled notes, the columns of figures, the mule’s names on the interior walls. “We’re saving all of this.” The work, which requires about six months, demands Messer’s stewardship as project manager. Hunnicutt says with obvious delight, “The first thing people ask me, is, can the community come in? I tell them, absolutely, you can now!”

“Scott’s work is the kind of unromantic task that is

www.grad.uga.edu

HUNNICUTT SPENT THE FIRST 18 YEARS OF HIS LIFE

in and around rural

northwestern Texas. He “settled on what he knew and loved…the field of agriculture,” he writes, completing a doctorate in Animal Science in 1994. His academic jobs led him to teach at McNeese State University and Southwest Texas State University, with a campus and 4,200-acre ranch. While at SWT, Hunnicutt took a class on a tour of Bamberger Ranch in the Texas Hill Country. “One of the worst pieces of property in the country was transformed into one of the best via good land stewardship practices,” he says. After meeting the Bambergers and volunteering for their educational programs, he was offered the job as director of stewardship education and research. More recently, he worked at Frank Phillips College in Texas as a dean and a vice president. In 2015 he became assistant provost and Griffin Campus director.

Top: Lew Hunnicutt, left, with Scott Messer. Hunnicutt's office is a trove of historical pieces he has collected since his youth. Left: These commemorative plaques were created by Glen Kent, who worked at the Griffin campus for 37 years.

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BLUEBERRY, THE BLUE FOOD: CALL THEM A BRAIN BERRY, CALL THEM PROFITABLE, OR JUST CALL THEM PLAIN DELICIOUS.

www.grad.uga.edu

FOR A GROWING NUMBER OF GROWERS, THE BLUEBERRY MAY BE TINY BUT PROFITS

ARE HUGE.

At UGA, researchers are helping demystify fungal diseases that ruin blueberry crops and impact yields. BY CYNTHIA ADAMS PHOTOS BY NANCY EVELYN

or nearly 75 years, the University of Georgia has been at the forefront of the Georgia blueberry industry. UGA maintains a blueberry breeding program, and since 1944 the program has released 12 cultivars of the rabbiteye blueberry.

Although blueberries are grown in 38 states, Georgia

is the leading producer among 10 states that account for the majority of all commercial production. These states include: California, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, North Carolina, Oregon and Washington. The blueberry, once called a “brain berry” by neuroscientist James Joseph, is known as a toothsome fruit offering important protection of the brain. Unfortunately, the berry is vulnerable to both living and abiotic stress factors, which include water, temperature and sunlight. Fungal disease results in shriveled discolored fruit. HISTORICAL CONTEXT According to doctoral student Russell Ingram, “starting in 2008, Georgia growers began voicing concerns over an emerging disease that was causing reduced fruit quality, increased sorting costs in the

UGA Graduate

SU M M E R 2 0 1 8

DOCTORAL STUDENT

RUSSELL INGRAM

Tracking Down Blueberry Pathogens

www.grad.uga.edu

BENEFITS OF BLUEBERRIES AND BRAIN HEALTH

Blueberries are vitamin-rich berries that boost brain health via their high content of flavonoids. Berry fruits, like blueberries, can help the brain stay healthy via compounds that protect brain cells from free radicals. The antioxidants in blueberries can provide a real benefit in improving memory and cognitive function in older adults, and potentially prevent Alzheimer's disease. MEDICALDAILY.COM

packinghouses, and most importantly lower prices

INGRAM’S RESEARCH: WHERE, WHAT, AND HOW?

to grower’s due to downgraded fruit lots. Losses associated with this disease reached as high as

“My research specifically focused on investigating

complete rejection of fruit at the packinghouse and in

the epidemiology of Exobasidium, leaf and fruit spot

isolated cases in Mississippi complete abandonment

of blueberries,” Ingram adds. “This to a large extent

of commercial plantings.”

meant that I was trying to answer questions such as,

The emerging disease, Exobasidium, the cause of leaf and fruit spot of blueberries, says Ingram, “was found to be caused by the pathogen Exobasidium

when does the disease occur, and how and when does it infect the plants?” There are additional aspects to his research.

maculosum, and had previously been reported in North

“Where does the fungus that causes the disease

Carolina commercial plantings in 1998 by researchers

spend the winter and from where does the disease

at North Carolina State University. The reports at the

spread the following year? What stages of the plant

time indicated that the disease occurred in the spring,

are susceptible to the disease? What environmental

causing light green spots on berries and leaves, but

factors (temperature, humidity, sunlight) are

little to nothing was known of its disease cycle or risk

necessary for disease development?”

factors for disease.”

Ingram says he and fellow researchers tracked these factors through subsequent growing seasons.

VALUE OF RESEARCH IN FIGHTING DISEASE

“From the research that I have conducted over the past four seasons, growers now know that the

“The basis of what we do as plant pathologists is the

disease only infects young, tender leaves, berries, and

development of control measures to reduce negative,

stems; the disease is associated with extended periods

disease-related impacts to our growers’ bottom line,

of rain. The plant pathogen that causes the disease

says Ingram. “To do this scientifically almost always

lives on the bark of the plant through the winter and

requires a basic understanding of the basic biology, or

spreads from there the following spring. The disease

as we refer to it, the ‘disease cycle’ associated with

can be controlled by targeting the disease-causing

a plant pathogen on its host plant—in this case,

spores of E. maculosum that live on the blueberry plant

blueberries. By understanding the disease cycle, we as

throughout the summer and winter months.”

researchers inform the development of disease control

Ingram explains how this information is helpful to

strategies that exploit aspects of the plant pathogen’s

breeders and why it is ultimately important. “Well, by

biology.”

bringing all of the pieces together, our research group

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SU M M E R 2 0 1 8

has been able to develop science-based management recommendations, which, when applied properly can result in the almost complete eradication of the disease from our growers’ fields. In fact, after my presentation at a recent meeting in Savannah, Ga. this January, I had one grower say that by using our disease management recommendations he no longer has any issues with Exobasidium leaf and fruit spot of blueberries.” Georgia now leads the nation in

None of this information came without serious

blueberry production.

wear-and-tear as Ingram logged many miles back

Georgia has the longest growing

and forth to research sites. “By the end of May this

season for blueberries lasting from

year, I will have driven 14,700 miles on the road for

late April through the end of July.

research. My research plot is 170 miles away in Alma,

Rabbiteye blueberries are native to

Ga., and from the end of February through May I drive

Georgia and make up most of the

down once a week,” the researcher says.

commercial production.

Sometimes, Ingram has unexpected company in the field. “My work required me to take aerial samples at

GROWTH OF THE GEORGIA BLUEBERRY INDUSTRY 2002-2016

midnight each week. Which if you have never been

40,000

in the middle of a blueberry field in the middle of

30,000

nowhere in the middle of the night, it is a little spooky at times. Lots of little critters with glowing

20,000

eyes are staring back at you from the darkness.”

10,000

When Ingram isn’t thinking of blueberries, he’s 2002

2016

2008

Acreage Planted

mentions a blight that affects tea with disastrous result. “The other economically important disease caused

The rapid expansion of the blueberry

by a pathogen closely related to ours is a disease

industry over the past 14 years

called blister blight of tea. This disease is the single

most important disease of tea.” Blueberry acreage in Ga. has almost

quadrupled over this 14 year period. .· Farm gate value has increased ten-fold.

In 2014, Blueberries were the single most

At one time, teas were grown in warmer regions of the United States and around Charleston, S.C. Currently, the largest tea plantation in the U.S. is in Charleston. The Charleston Tea Plantation’s teas were

valuable fruit and nut crop in Ga.; second

reintroduced there and are carried by commercial

was pecans.

retailers and also sold on site. n

http://caes2.caes.uga.edu/center/caed/pubs/docu ments/2016CAEDFarmGateValueReport.pdf

thinking of another wildly popular foodstuff: tea. He

www.grad.uga.edu

In order to develop effective disease management practices for the blueberry disease Exobasidium leaf and fruit spot, Ingram uses a spore trap to identify the timing and frequency of the blueberry pathogen’s dispersal.

“I plan on pursuing

a position in the agrichemical industry within the area of

product development. My interest in product development is mainly centered on the nature of the jobs. The positions in this area carry job titles such technical service representative or field scientist. and due to the applied nature of the associated research responsibilities I would get to keep one foot in the lab and one foot in the field,” says Ingram. “One other way to stay in applied research I have explored is to pursue a career as an extension specialist. In addition to the applied focus of their research, extension specialists also have the privilege of serving their states by finding ways to save growers’ time and money. It is an extremely rewarding profession, but unfortunately, these positions are a bit harder to come by.” Ingram isn’t discouraged. He later writes via email: “At this point, I have learned about the positions available to me within industry and extension, per my skill set, and have also taken the extra steps to acquire the skills that I lacked to make myself a better candidate. “I am now equipped with an education, a skill set, and a career focus. Given all that I have learned and experienced at UGA, I feel pretty good about my chances of success. But I also understand the need to remain flexible, because there are factors that will always remain outside of my control.”

UGA Graduate

SU M M E R 2 0 1 8

EAGER TO FIND FUTURES IN SCIENCE

RUSSELL INGRAM CREATES A MAP:

ENGAGING 24 FELLOW GRADUATE STUDENTS IN CAREER TOUR TAKING SCIENTIFIC ENDEAVOR ON THE ROAD

RUSSELL INGRAM

octoral candidate Russell Ingram studies fungal pathogen on blueberries. Blueberries are a major Georgia crop, and diseased crops are a grower’s nightmare. What impact might this have?

Consider this: Ingram’s blueberry research

opportunities. Students in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, CAES, joined the inaugural tour, one culminating at Dow AgroSciences’s headquarters in Indianapolis. A grant the group

provides growers information on the disease cycle.

secured from Dow AgroSciences’ Aid-to-Education

Armed with this information, growers can better

Grant provided a portion of the funding.

manage disease and protect their crops. The research

In the process, the students learned about

may also mean significant savings for both growers

professional opportunities, requirements, and

and consumers—and improved production.

corporate culture, all with an eye to furthering their

But Ingram is interested not only in blueberries, but in furthering his career options and helping fellow graduate students as well. Nearing the end

own career preparations. Of necessity, they learned about grant writing and accounting, Ingram adds. Ultimately, SAPPs recruited students from several

of his studies last year, he applied considerable

departments, including entomology, plant pathology

energies to SAPPs, UGA’s Student Association of Plant

and weed science, in making the career tour happen.

Pathologists. In the summer of 2017, Ingram and his cohorts

“By including students from other departments, we broadened the appeal of the student visit to

finalized the concept for an ambitious industry-

industry which encouraged much greater financial

focused Crop Protection Careers Tour. But that wasn’t

support and overall industry interest,” says Ingram.

all. The graduate students secured partners and

The group also found a portal to future career

“The single biggest logistical assistance came

found funding for industry exposures with leading

from Dana Nash (CAES academic affairs administrative

crop protection companies. When done, SAPPs raised

manager.) She was, and is, an absolute amazing

nearly $12,000 to pay for 24 graduate students’ travel

resource for all things accounting and student

and expenses.

organization related within CAES. Associate Dean Joe

www.grad.uga.edu

Broder and Assistant Dean Jean Bertrand allowed Dana to help me with navigating university accounting policy and helped get me from getting myself into trouble.” Ingram is soon to graduate, but the tour will go on. He has taken additional steps to make the tour an ongoing one. He has even organized a planning committee and allocated monies for this year to ensure that it will. “I also secured $11,500 in funding and held $2,500 in reserve to help fund the 2018 tour. For this

Ingram conducting field work at a UGA research farm.

year's tour, I have identified a fellow plant pathology RUSSELL INGRAM

graduate student, Amelia Lovelace, to take my place as program coordinator. I will also pick a team of student planners from this past year's trip. To further institutionalize the program, special topics 8000 level course credit will be a course on the books.” MAPPING A FUTURE The initial idea for a career tour had originated with fellow students from plant pathology. The idea began quite simply. It was all about jobs. And it centered on

Ingram with fellow UGA researchers and plant pathologists on their tour of potential employers last summer.

the fact that there was a paucity of information. Ingram helped identify and tap into a knowledge gap concerning private sector careers as he neared

the road. Both offered information, resources and

the end of his doctoral studies. “In my search for

logistical help. Many hours and contacts later, the

information on industry to prepare myself for a future

career tour coalesced.

job, I found that no one in my department (faculty or

Contacts at Purdue University, developed through

otherwise) could give me the information needed,”

department alumna Kiersten Wise (now an extension

he wrote.

specialist/associate professor at University of

Then Ingram sought out other students, asking if their frustrations were similar. He blogged. He used social media and every outlet at his disposal, including leveraging his position as student president of SAPPs.

Kentucky) and Jean Bertrand (then assistant dean for CAES) connected Ingram with Dow AgroSciences. Ingram operated the program with no faculty or staff. But he did get their affirmation. “Without the

They were.

permission, trust, and support of the administrators this

Ingram found that like him, they shared “a desire

would have stayed a small departmental trip,” he adds.

to know more to prepare, but no structured means was available to them either.”

“The biggest thing overall was knowing that I was permitted to do something of this nature.” n

In Ingram’s mind, “This lack of understanding of industry, even in its basic function, was something that was a real problem for both students and the companies that wanted to hire them.” Ingram and SAPPs networked, finding both students and companies motivated and willing to contribute to a career event they would take on

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SOME OF THE REASONS

for Kay Parker’s dedication to advocacy

are quite simple and an expression of her faith; others result from her own experiences. Living abroad taught Parker the difficulties of living outside one’s native culture. Grace Athens, an unaffiliated church that meets in the UGA Chapel, has further connected Parker to UGA graduate students in a personal, enriching way.

BY CYNTHIA ADAMS PHOTOS BY NANCY EVELYN

Parker is an industrial

radically different than Granada. While his son was in

engineer by training; so,

class, the father walked and walked. Yet no one had

it follows that she is a

spoken to him for the entire time during those forays,

pragmatist who seeks

Parker says, “and certainly hadn’t invited either of them

elegantly simple solutions

into their home to sit down for a friendly visit.”

to complex problems. However, for some years, solutions to a very human problem are most capturing her attention. At her own front door, Parker met a

America, I feel we live behind walls,” she answers. The encounter bothered her. Something so simple

poignantly human issue, one she since has addressed

as a glass of water and a friendly interchange had the

one student at a time: Loneliness.

power to change those difficult days and make the

Notably, the realization was triggered by a pair of strangers on a hot afternoon, ones she might have easily ignored. Soon after moving to Athens in 2013, Parker noticed

father more at ease about leaving his son in a foreign place. “I thought about all the international students here, and who go through their years here, and are

how passersby would often stop to admire their gate,

not invited into a home. I don’t want them to go back

which is configured as a dogwood tree.

home, never having been in a home here.”

“The first fall we were in the house, a couple of

Her awareness has since led to student events

people had stopped to take photos of our gate,” she

hosted in her Athens home, which is within easy

recalls. “Happens that it was a grad student from

walking distance of the campus.

Granada and his father who stopped outside. I went out

“I wish I could get every graduate student in my

and asked if they would like to come in and have a drink

house. I wish I could meet every one…I am just throwing

of water. Then, we have this iron railing sculpture made

a pebble into a big lake.”

by the same artist that had made our gate. So, I showed

UGA has over 7,000 enrolled graduate students.

them that, too, and they stayed for about an hour. It

Of that number, more than 1,400 are international

was revealing.”

students. Parker finds that the international ones are

The hour-long interaction revealed this: a palpable

often isolated, lonely, financially strapped, and lacking

level of social isolation that made an impression upon

a support system, with emotional needs that she says

Parker. “The father had been in the country with his

aren’t easily addressed. One answer, the simplest and

son, a student, for two weeks helping him settle in for

best, is by practicing inclusion. (Married students,

graduate studies,” Parker explains.

and those with children, are also dealing with special

The father and son had walked much of the campus and town, becoming familiarized with a place that was

Why had those 14 days been so unwelcoming? “In

www.grad.uga.edu

stresses.) For Parker, this means opening her home and

The Kindness of Strangers

Kay Parker and a Simple Glass of Water Open Possibilities

UGA Graduate

SU M M E R 2 0 1 8

Parker finds that the international students are often isolated, financially strapped, and lacking a support system, with emotional needs that she says aren’t easily addressed. One answer, the simplest and best, is by practicing inclusion.

making former strangers welcomed friends. “Not many people support graduate education and that’s a shame.” The luckiest of the students she encounters—and a

equal that of a convert’s.) Parker has since become a vigorous volunteer for

growing number of them—get invited into the Parkers’

social causes and graduate education at Georgia owing

two-story Five Points home with an inviting porch. “We

to many reasons. Her advocacy springs in part due

work with international students as a group. One thing

to past experiences as an educator in Atlanta before

leads to another,” Parker says.

moving to Athens, and also as part of her volunteer and

That one thing involves making sure that graduate students feel welcome and assimilated. “Kay Parker has been a tremendous supporter

church activities at Athens Grace. “After moving here, I had graduate students in my life immediately,” she explains. “The woman who built

of graduate students,” says Suzanne Barbour, dean

my house picked me up the first day we were here. She

of the Graduate School. “She understands that their

took me to a church and said, ‘This is where you are

needs extend beyond the financial and that behind

going to go because they need you.’” The congregation

every successful graduate student there is a supportive

was “all students—and a few older people like me.”

community. Thanks to Kay and her family for

Parker got to know her fellow church members

enveloping UGA graduate students in a community that

and their concerns. Outreach became a focus for her,

provides the support they need to excel in their studies

particularly efforts concerning international students.

and aspire to their chosen careers.”

Having experienced culture shock in her own life, she

One of the most fascinating aspects of all is just how personal and passionate this mission has become for Parker and her family. For one thing, Kay Parker isn’t a dawg, per se. Not technically. She attended GA Tech, a rival institution, but married John Parker, a fiercely loyal dawg and Coca Cola executive, becoming a dawg by

used empathy and direct understanding. “I’ve always had a heart for international people. We lived overseas; it’s not easy to adjust to the culture.” The Parkers’ home has since become an embassy of sorts. “We had a going away party for one of the Chinese

association. Her husband, who graduated from UGA in

students. They couldn’t believe they were in such a nice

1973, studied history before attending law school in

house for a party. That started us hosting dinners. We

NC after she accepted a job in the Research Triangle

(continue to) have dinners for graduate students, just to

with IBM.

get to know them.”

Her father-in-law, J. Reid Parker, was a wellknown UGA faculty member in forestry. Through her husband and his family, there were long standing UGA

(And as the saying goes, there is no passion to

She considers how others can be of help. As Parker explains, it can be as simple as being observant. Through this, Parker has become close to an

allegiances. The couple eventually returned to Georgia

international student who is obtaining his PhD this year

after years living in various cities abroad, including

in nuclear biomedicine. “He came from Uganda. I asked

London and Oslo.

how he had spent last Christmas, and he told me in a

www.grad.uga.edu

cold room without a coat, sipping tea. He came to us for Christmas this year and he cried, saying it was like being home in Uganda.” Parker responded to stories such as these by doubling down on her efforts to meet and engage graduate students. Hosted events have become almost weekly. She laughs that when the house is invaded by students, her husband, and teenager, Lucas, go into hiding. Her son Reid simply becomes absorbed by his iPad. More events keep shaping up, all in the comforts of a home. Students instigated a hummus and pita cookoff. Then last year, the Parkers hosted a traditional Thanksgiving for the first time, complete “with a big old ham and turkey. They ate every bite of the meat!” The Parker family home is a two-minute walk to the baseball stadium and close to married housing. Married students also deal with great isolation. “How many have children and feel all alone? They bring their spouses and their children to the dinners and are a part of that.” Any endeavor that connects students with the citizenry is helpful. She mentions that the Graduate School is making inroads to connect graduate students with the larger Athens community via the GS LEAD

Above: Parker with student Kenneth

Program, a Graduate School initiative which is led by

Ndyabawe. Ndyabawe teaches his

Julie Coffield, former associate dean of the Graduate

hostess how to make spiced chai

School. GS LEAD pairs students who are learning

tea the way he does in Uganda, his

leadership and professional skills with community

home country. Ndyabaw is a doctoral

projects.

student in engineering, whose

“GS LEAD continues to be an outstanding and

research in microdevices and software

innovative model for graduate education in the STEM

concerns human brain functionality

disciplines,” says Dean Barbour of the Graduate School.

and neurological diseases.

“Not only does the program provide STEM graduate

Below: Parker was a judge for 3MT,

students with training in the ‘plus’ skills necessary to

the annual Three Minute Thesis

be successful for careers outside of academics, it also

competition sponsored by the Graduate

provides them with the opportunity to give back to

School. “Wow, what amazing Graduate

their communities. In that way, GS LEAD trainees are

students we have at UGA,” she

wonderful ambassadors for graduate education, as they

observes after the event. “They were

demonstrate the impact that technically skilled, caring,

all so well spoken and are solving such

and generous leaders can have on the community.”

critical issues with their research.

GS LEAD, Parker says approvingly, “takes them into the community. It gets them some exposure.” Eyes and hearts may be opened, just as her own were. What might Parker like to see happen to foster deeper connections between students and Athens?

For further information about GS LEAD: http://grad.uga.edu/index.php/incomingstudents/gs-lead/

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www.grad.uga.edu

“I think,” she answers, “if there was some kind of

“It’s because I had graduate students in my life,”

mentorship program? I call it ‘Life on Life.’ Whenever

Parker offers. “When you’re in a small group, and hear

you can put two lives together, both people are

their struggles, you learn. So many of them don’t know

enriched. There are enough businesspeople, professors,

how they’re going to pay for the next year. I can’t pay

adults in this city; maybe if they could start something.

for them all, but I can be a listening ear. People just

People are a bit afraid—they may be afraid of having

need to be exposed to them to fall in love with them.”

someone so different in their home.” “But once you open your home to one of them you realize they are hard working students that happen

Kay Parker says in the end all changes begin in small and often personal ways. “It’s all relational,” as she explains. “Someone can

to be far from home,” she says. “If we were in their

do mentoring. They can have coffees once a month, like

country we would be invited in.”

the women’s basketball coach,” Parker says.

Through her ongoing work with Grace Athens,

In April, Parker was a judge for 3MT, the annual

which meets on campus at the North Chapel,

Three Minute Thesis competition sponsored by the

Parker grows her student involvement. She says the

Graduate School.

parishioners consist of “a bunch of students and four old people. We don’t have a building.” Student involvement is part of the family’s history.

“Wow, what amazing graduate students we have at UGA,” she observes after the event. “They were all so well spoken and are solving such critical issues

Parker’s in-laws sponsored a student from France

with their research. From how to fight the flu, to

for three years via Rotary. When her in-laws retired,

the perfect vaccine for Dengue Fever, to Energy in

they visited with the former student and her French

business, to the shape of tomatoes. Who would not be

family. “We do this in our church, and it is amazing, the

impressed with these young people? They are bright

relationships that you can build.”

and super passionate about their research. I could not

She is also involved with 30 other volunteers in a

help but think how many people would be inspired by

program called Operation Christmas Child, which sends

the students if the Three Minute Thesis Competition

holiday boxes to children in 100 countries. Volunteers fill

was broadcast on PBS. I could see many high school

shoeboxes with school supplies, toiletries and small toys.

students motivated and undergraduates encouraged to

“People collect the shoeboxes, and other team

investigate graduate school. PBS broadcasts GA Tech’s

members are trying to get more groups involved in

Senior Design Project Competition, why not showcase

packing…It started 25 years ago in Kosovo.” Parker is

our outstanding students?”

also on the board of a program that has a radio program

And Parker pauses. “Notice UGA is mine now?”

for women worldwide. How to inspire others to reach out to the strangers in their midst, especially students?

“I call it ‘Life on Life.’ Whenever you can put two lives together, both people are enriched,” says Parker.”

UGA Graduate

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UGA/University of Padova Dual Master’s Program:

First UGA Student Begins 18 Months of Study in Italy BY DENISE H. HORTON PHOTOS BY PAOLA TIRELLO

rowing up in Tifton, Logan Moore knew

undergraduate students studying in the U.S. or at one

he would follow the family tradition of

of the European universities for a semester,” Vellidis

earning his associate’s degree from Abraham

says. “Then, we began some internship exchanges for

Baldwin Agricultural College. Remaining in

master’s students.”

his hometown and earning his bachelor in

agriculture degree from the University of Georgia Tifton

of understanding to offer a dual graduate degree

campus made sense, too.

in sustainable agriculture. The next year was spent

“It’s about as good as it gets,” he says.

studying all aspects of the programs at the two

But after learning he could earn simultaneous

universities from admissions requirements to which

master’s degrees from the University of Georgia and one of Italy’s leading research institutions, Moore

courses were required. “In order for the students to qualify for a master’s

decided to spread his wings and has spent the past year

degree from both universities, each university had to

conducting research and taking classes for his thesis at

examine the courses that were being taken and ensure

the Universitá Degli Studi di Padova, or UNIPD, making

they covered the appropriate concepts and had the

him the first UGA graduate student to pursue the new

same level of rigor,” Vellidis explains. “We also had

dual master’s degree opportunity.

to determine how the students’ faculty committees

The program is the result of faculty relationships that date back two dozen years when Francesco Morari traveled to Tifton to conduct research for his

would be established to ensure there was balanced representation from the two institutions.” Ultimately, details were ironed out and in fall 2016

dissertation. Morari is now an associate professor of

Moore was accepted into the program at UGA along

environmental agronomy at UNIPD.

with two Italian students who began their year of

“Francesco and I became friends while he was

coursework at Padova. Moore, who moved to Padova in

in Tifton and through the years we’ve looked for

mid-May of 2017 along with his wife, Casey, has been

opportunities to collaborate,” says George Vellidis, UGA

studying the brown marmorated stink bug—a relatively

professor of crop and soil sciences.

new pest in both Georgia and Italy, but one that can

One of their earliest efforts dates back to 2004 and the establishment of the TransAtlantic Precision

cause millions of dollars in damage if not controlled. Founded in 1222, UNIPD is considered among the

Agriculture Consortium that includes faculty from UGA,

oldest universities in the world. Located about 25 miles

Auburn University and Mississippi State University in

from Venice in northern Italy’s Veneto region, the city

the United States, and UNIPD in Italy, the Technical

of Padova is much older—tracing its roots to 1183 BC.

University of Munich in Germany, and the University of

In addition to scores of notable faculty and alumni—

Thessaly in Greece.

Galileo Galilei taught mathematics at UNIPD for 17 years

“Our first exchange program focused on

8 34

In 2015, UGA and UNIPD signed a memorandum

www.grad.uga.edu

and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus and the founder of

PAOLA TIRELLO

Logan Moore at a University of Padova research facility. He is the first UGA student to pursue a dual master’s degree with UGA and the Italian institution.

modern anatomy Andrea Vesalio both studied there—

hopes to increase the number of UGA and UNIPD faculty

the world’s oldest botanical garden, established in 1545,

who are involved.

is also located at the university. However, it’s not Padova’s storied history that

“We want to create more relationships with our counterparts,” he says. “You can’t sustain a dual

appealed to Vellidis in pursuing the dual master’s

master’s without having faculty in both locations doing

degree.

some of the same types of research.”

“The University of Padova is a top-ranking

While the UGA master’s degree will be in crop

institution in many areas of research, including

and soil sciences with an emphasis in sustainable

agriculture,” he says. “By studying there for a year or

agriculture, Vellidis and his colleagues are committed to

more, our graduates will develop a global perspective

providing a broad range of research opportunities.

and understanding of agriculture. They’ll also have

In the case of Moore, for example, Vellidis and

had the opportunity to live and learn in a place that

Mike Toews, a UGA entomology professor who has been

has different ways of doing things, those experiences

studying the stink bug for several years, are serving as

will prepare them to explore a far broader range of

co-major professors.

professional opportunities.” Although the dual master’s degree is young,

Moore agrees with Vellidis that earning dual master’s degrees will better prepare him for the future,

it already has been recognized by the University

whether that future includes earning a doctorate and

of Georgia as an important contribution to the

pursuing a research or faculty position or returning to

internationalization of the institution. Last year, the

the family business in South Georgia, which conducts

Richard Reiff Internationalization Award was awarded to

a wide array of crop testing and research for private

Vellidis, Miguel Cabrera and Victoria McMaken for their

companies. n

efforts in establishing the degree. Cabrera is a professor and graduate coordinator in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Crop and Soil. McMaken is associate director of the CAES Office of Global Programs. As the program becomes more established, Vellidis

For More Information: http://www.caes.uga.edu/departments/crop-soil/graduate/ masters-degree-programs/dual-ms-crop-soil-sciences.html http://vellidis.org/teaching/dual-degree-uga-padova/

UGA Graduate

SU M M E R 2 0 1 8

Isabelle Holland Lulewicz: In for the Long Haul, this Doctoral Student Endures and Strengthens BY CYNTHIA ADAMS PHOTOS BY NANCY EVELYN

ou may know about horsemanship and riding. You may even have watched equestrian sports like dressage and steeplechase. But have you heard of endurance riding? The sport reaches back to the 1860s and derives from the briefly lived Pony Express, according

to the International Federation of Equestrian Sports, or FEI. (See https://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=hDoPQ4jJ5jM.) The Pony Express once ferried mail from Missouri to California within 10 days. The costs of the service were extremely high in relative terms and the terms under which the express existed were stringent. The riders could not exceed 125 lbs. in weight, as their horses carried an additional 40 lbs. of mail and other material to total 165 lbs. in full. It was strenuous, hazardous, and more than one rider lost their life under attack or other hazards. One of the remnants of its history is the sport called endurance riding. Endurance riding involves riding long distances, and participants in events must adhere to strict guidelines concerning the horses and their well-being. Events in the sport of endurance ridingÂ involve trails or cross-country rides over a single day or multiple days. Distances undertaken can involve as few as 25 miles or as many as 100. THE PONY EXPRESS. The pay was good. Yet the posted job requirements for Pony Express riders summed up the obvious dangers: Wanted: Young, skinny, wiry fellows not over eighteen. Must be expert riders, willing to risk death daily. Orphans preferred.

HTTPS://STJOMO.COM/THE-PONY-EXPRESS/

www.grad.uga.edu

UGA Graduate

SU M M E R 2 0 1 8

octoral student Isabelle Holland Lulewicz is

her relationship with horses, finding it foundational to

an avid horsewoman who enjoys the sport

all riding.

of endurance riding. She is also a scientist and anthropologist keeping to a much longer

described as an artform. During competitive events, the

course: to earn her third UGA degree in the

International Equestrian Federation reports “horse and

fall of 2019. She completed undergraduate degrees in

rider are expected to perform from memory a series

anthropology and geology in 2015 and entered graduate

of predetermined movements.” Dressage is so

studies.

demanding an activity that it has become a recognized

Lulewicz draws parallels between endurance riding and academia. “Like my dissertation, to finish is to win!”

Olympic sport. Lulewicz formerly worked with an Olympic dressage

she declares during spring break when she can find

rider, who wound up giving her his horse. Today, the

what has become a constant place of solace—taking a

formerly stressed out horse is no longer pressured to

long, relaxing ride.

perform. Instead, the contented horse “eats apple pie

When she jokes that riding is a magnificent obsession, Lulewicz is more than half-serious. “I have hay in my boots right now.” She smiles broadly.

from McDonalds and lives the life.” She laughs, chortling that “he’s the biggest pocket pony ever at 1,600 lbs.” Now Lulewicz practices what she calls “balanced

“I started riding in the womb.”

riding” as the culmination of her training. “I did

By the age of eight, she was riding competitively,

eventing when in the US Pony Club,” she says, “but

which included jumping, following her horsewoman

it took me a long time to get where I am today. I’ve

mom’s lead into equestrian sports.

worked cows, I’ve done reining. When you have that

Lulewicz’s most recent long ride was in Dawsonville, Ga., where she sometimes takes her Arabian, Natasha for long training rides. Natasha stands at 60.1", or 15.1 hands, the measurement for a horse’s height. Many would be intimidated, but not this rider, whose family are intensely invested in equestrian life. She was initially pulled into the sport by her Mom,

dressage and balanced riding background, you should have the ability to do well in any sport.” As she explains, balanced riding is a component of every equestrian sport. “If you’re not doing something right, they (the horse) knows it.” Lulewicz is a hardy horsewoman and claims that “dirt and horse sweat were the basis of my diet

who is both a lifelong rider and trainer. She attributes

until I went to college and had to go live in a dorm.”

the majority of her successes to the immeasurable

Dorm life required a different sort of sacrifice of

support and guidance she has provided.

the outdoorswoman; it was no accident she chose

“I rode from ages 8-14, then I started in a different sport, called mounted games, which are relay races on

disciplines that involved long hours working outdoors. Lulewicz descends from a long line of equestriennes

horseback. I did this in events up and down the East

and horse lovers. She has always lived on a farm and

coast.”

been around horses, and the life she enjoyed was

Lulewicz rode in the United States Pony Club throughout her youth until age 18. The organization

rugged and demanding. “Horses had to be fed twice a day. We had between

was founded in the mid-1950s and has over 10,000

20 and 30 horses, and we were involved with training

members nationwide. The “pony” in the name refers

and giving riding lessons.”

more to the youth of its members rather than the size

Her grandfather owned a large farm in Cochran,

of their horses—members must be younger than 21.

Ga. As an oral surgeon, he “rode his Tennessee walking

She competed heavily in this sport until her horse died

horse to the office on St. Simon’s Island.” The women in

en route to an event. Devastated by the loss, she left

her family defied convention.

mounted games behind. She solely took up dressage, which has always made a huge imprint upon Lulewicz and how she approaches

Dressage is an intricate style of horse training, often

www.grad.uga.edu

Lulewicz’s aunt is a veterinarian, and also the first woman who ever worked for the New York Racing Association.

“We have 17 acres at my house; cross fenced to get a mile out of looping through the pasture,” says Lulewicz. She rides parks and trails nearby, which includes Watson Mill Bridge where she can get in “a good 15 miles.”

“Today, she travels all over and has a practice in south Florida, a holistic vet practice.” So, when a professor told Lulewicz “don’t go to grad

When she completes her doctorate, Lulewicz plans to teach like her husband, Jake Lulewicz. He is also an archaeologist who defended his dissertation on the 29th

school in science because you will have a hard time as a

of March. They both want to find posts at a top-rated

woman”—she simply ignored it.

research institution.

“Being a woman in science and experiencing that…

Whenever the couple aren’t on a research site, or

until you experience it, you don’t believe it’s real.” Even

writing papers, they are working with horses or their

so, the professor who discouraged Lulewicz didn’t offend

other critters. (They also keep chickens and are creating

her nor defeat her. She still believes “he had the best

a small menagerie on a farm in Winterville.)

intention in mind.” Apart from that exception, which she waives away,

“Before he met me he was a self-proclaimed ‘city boy’ and now he gets up and feeds the horses every

she has found plenty of mentors and support. Another

morning. Now he is taking it all in stride,” Lulewicz

professor pushed her to advance her studies beyond a

laughs, hands palm up. “No pun intended; he’s one of

bachelors’s degree.

the most natural riders I’ve ever seen.” Her husband is

“One of the professors I was working with while in undergrad said he wanted me to come back for the PhD program—Dr. Victor Thompson, a professor in

also ready to attempt ambitious distances. “Once he defends, he wants to do endurance riding.” Lulewicz appears physically slight but is anything

anthropology. He convinced me that I could do it.” Now

but delicate. Her own well-muscled arms bear two

she is an archaeologist studying climate change, and

visible, very equine-specific tattoos: one illustrating

Thompson is her major professor.

the muscular structure of a horse, and another is of the

UGA Graduate

SU M M E R 2 0 1 8

www.grad.uga.edu

bone structure. And yet, she does admit not joining the

changes occurred and how it impacted them. Changing

local roller derby league (see cover story in the 2018

sea levels and temperatures forced the Calusa Indians

Winter issue of UGA Graduate Magazine) because she

to respond. One of the research sites is a shell mound

would “not want to slam to the floor on her knees.”

island near Ft. Meyers, Florida, where Lulewicz spent ten

She may be intrepid, but even Lulewicz has her boundaries. For her, large horses and hazardous trails aren’t something to fear. Riding is where she grows centered

weeks last year. “This island is about 120 hectares and is an anthropogenic island built of shell.” From the material collected from this field work,

and settles herself. On horseback, as Lulewicz explains,

Lulewicz analyzes animal bones and the isotopic

“everything that happens in your past culminates.”

signature from oyster shells to look at changes in diet

She waxes poetic about how Zen it is for her as a student to find renewal outdoors. “I think of the saddle as the seat of solace,” Lulewicz offers. “When I get on that horse it is where I can go—that is not about school. It is where I find the comfort that I

and past paleoenvironmental conditions. She uses isotope analysis of mollusks and marine shells like oyster and clams, which she explains grow sequentially. “If you break up an oyster you see little layers. It is very like the rings on a tree.” Lulewicz can use that analysis to reconstruct the

need. It puts me in a place that I can then read six articles

water temperature and even the season the mollusk was

afterward. Riding is a way for me to separate myself and

collected.

not let it (the academic stresses) consume me.” While she has never previously wanted to involve

“So, I can see if they were only occupying the site in winter and do back calculations for general salinity.

a partner in riding, it was different with her husband.

Which can tell me how oysters were collected and

“Now that Jake has started to be a part of that, it has

gathered at different times, seeing how these practices

made our relationship (mutually) supportive.”

differ.” She has already been published and named as

Lulewicz has received the Hamilton Loki Scholarship for returning UGA students multiple times, as well as

the first author on two scientific papers. She has developed patience, and takes the long

other academic honors. Her natural bent is towards

view. In a sense, riding has been the perfect preparation

being competitive, although she stresses that endurance

for scholarship. Extreme sports like endurance riding

riding is all about the ride, much as a marathon is all

require conditioning, says Lulewicz.

about the run.

“You do speed training, and long slow distances.

Or, as graduate work is about staying the course.

You have to get the horse ready to be fit, and used to

It takes her less than 12 hours to complete a 50-

being ridden, as it can take 12 hours to complete 50

mile endurance ride. And as for a doctorate, it takes as long as it takes. This spring, she cleared a large academic hurdle.

miles.” Her horse, Natasha, seems to thrive upon it, once conditioned for the task by Lulewicz. “It has taken

She took the comprehensive exams for her work

me time to rebuild her, building up the muscles she

in southwest Florida with the Calusa, where she

needed.”

researches the prehistoric hunter gathers and studies environmental changes. The Calusa Indians were Native Americans known as the “Shell Indians,” who relied

A mind is not much different. As with graduate education, she finds the perfect analogy: “To finish is to win.”

upon fish for food. They were once the most populous of all those occupying South Florida. Researchers from UGA study the “terra-forming” practice of the Calusa, who created artificial mounds, or islands, of shells, bones, and organic matter. Protected Calusa sites lend important clues as to what climate

UGA Graduate

SU M M E R 2 0 1 8

The University of Georgia Graduate School Terrell Hall 210 South Jackson Street Athens, Georgia 30602-4401 (706) 542-1739

The Graduate School at the University of Georgia has been enhancing learning environments and inspiring scholarly endeavors since its formal establishment in 1910. Through our professional development programs and funding opportunities, we promote excellence in graduate education in all disciplines. Editor

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A River Runs Through It

DENZELL CROSS, a student in the Integrative Conservation Program, has been selected to receive the Ford Foundation 2018 Predoctoral Fellowship. Cross studies the effects of wastewater effluent on the structure and function of aquatic macroinvertebrate and microbial communities in Georgia’s urban watersheds.

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