Tags: research

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UGA researchers discover new planet outside solar system

A University of Georgia research team has confirmed evidence of a previously unknown planet outside of our solar system, and they used machine learning tools to detect it. A recent study by the team showed that machine learning can correctly determine if an exoplanet is present by looking in protoplanetary disks, the gas around newly formed stars. The newly published findings represent a first step toward using machine learning to…

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UGA Green Labs leads the charge in lab sustainability

The UGA Office of Sustainability has a strong impact on our Campus – and not just for Earth Day, but definitely that, too. From the Composting Program in our buildings to Bulldog Bike share to the many initiatives that advance sustainability on campus and in the community, developing student leaders on and around the issue of environmental sustainability is crucial for today as well critical for tomorrow. In that vein, UGA’s Green Lab…

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Who Black women can love: judgments of others affect relationships with white men

New research from the University of Georgia describes how Black women in interracial relationships with white men perceive experiencing varying treatment due to expectations of who Black women should date and marry. Despite examples of high-profile, interracial relationships, perceived reactions to people with double minority status (Black women) and a double majority status partner (white men), can lead the former to have the validity of their…

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2023 Georgia Climate Conference to focus on communities, business innovation

The Georgia Climate Project announced its plenary speakers for the upcoming Georgia Climate Conference taking place May 15-17, 2023 in Athens, Georgia. The conference will address what a changing climate means for Georgia, and most importantly, what we can do about it. The event will bring together hundreds of attendees representing multiple sectors and areas of expertise to collaborate, raise awareness of work in Georgia, highlight…

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Two UGA faculty awarded Guggenheim Fellowships

Two University of Georgia faculty members are among 171 scientists, writers, scholars and artists honored across 48 fields by the Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation with 2023 Guggenheim Fellowships. Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded annually to those “who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.” Andrew Herod, Distinguished Research…

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Two Franklin College juniors named Goldwater Scholars

University of Georgia juniors Audrey Conner and Emilio Ferrara have been named 2023 Barry Goldwater Scholars, earning the highest undergraduate award of its type for the fields of mathematics, engineering and natural sciences. Both are Foundation Fellows and Stamps Scholars in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the Morehead Honors College. Conner, from Tifton, is majoring in chemistry; Ferrara, from Atlanta, is majoring in…

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10 students, alumni win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Two current University of Georgia undergraduate students are among the 10 campus recipients of 2023 National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships. The NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program helps ensure the quality, vitality and diversity of the scientific and engineering workforce of the United States. The program recognizes and supports outstanding graduate students who are pursuing full-time research-based master’s and…

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Noted and Quoted, March 2023

Franklin College faculty expertise, opinion, and research were published across a variety of global media during March. A few examples of the news fit for print and pixels:   So what are UAPs? And can we trust the government to tell us if it knows? Stephen Mihm, professor and head of the department of history writing in his column at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  Protective parenting may help your kids avoid health problems as…

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Listening as reading

Jamie Kreiner, professor of history and associate dean in the Franklin College, describes in her new book, “The Wandering Mind,” how monks of Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages (around A.D. 300 to 900) struggled with focusing their attention. The highly-acclaimed book has just been introduced in an audio format, which brings the author and her subject full circle. Kreiner relates the experience in this Q & A.   Alan…

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Bacterial genetic fitness help regulate ocean carbon

The world’s oceans are dominated by microscopic organisms that power the Earth’s biogeochemical processes. These microbial ecosystems sustain life in the oceans by forming the basis of the ocean food web and balance the composition of our atmosphere – though scientists are just beginning to understand and study these ecosystems. A new research study led by the University of Georgia examines reproductive fitness of bacteria critical to the world-…

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Bensasson uses yeast to unlock life’s greatest mysteries

What comes to mind when you think of yeast? To a baker, it might mean the ability to make their dough rise. A brewmaster might associate it with the fermentation of beer and wine. Many others may associate these types of fungus with one dreaded infection or another. Yeast serves many functions. For the University of Georgia’s Douda Bensasson, it’s all of these—and more. An associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts & Science’s…

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Model mycology: UGA scientists fight fungi for the rest of us

It starts out with a cough and slightly slurred speech. Then come the muscle spasms and dramatic mood shifts. In HBO’s hit show “The Last of Us,” these are the beginning signs that a human has contracted a fungal infection that turns people into zombies and rips through the fabric of modern society. The premise may sound improbable, but it is based on a very real fungus that really does infect brains and bodies, turning its victims into mindless…

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What a preprint is – and why that matters

New research from the University of Georgia suggests most people don’t understand the difference between a preprint and a published academic journal article. Preprints are research papers that haven’t undergone peer review, the process by which studies’ findings are validated by experts who weren’t involved with the research themselves. The study found the majority of readers have little to no understanding of what a preprint…

map of Antarctica
Expedition to East Antarctica

In Spring 2023, UGA biologist Holly Bik is leading one of five teams of scientists on a research cruise to one of the most remote and understudied places on Earth. From March 6, the group departed from New Zealand and cruise west along the Antarctic continental shelf to South Africa. In all, more than thirty scientists and graduate students will be part of the two-month expedition aboard the Research Vessel – Ice Breaker, The Nathaniel…

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Chung studies how microbes shape ecosystems

University of Georgia plant biologist and ecologist, Anny Chung studies the smaller things in life to understand how microscopic organisms can influence entire ecosystems. As an assistant professor jointly appointed in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Department of Plant Pathology and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Department of Plant Biology, Chung studies how plant-microbe interactions…

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The benefits of protective parenting

Being a protective parent could set your kids up for a healthier life as an adult, according to new research from the University of Georgia. The study found that growing up in places where gunshots are common and heat and electricity are unreliable can lead to pain and other physical health limitations in adulthood. But being involved in your child’s life, such as knowing their friends or where they’re hanging out after school,…

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Landau, Terns named Regents’ Professors

Three University of Georgia faculty members have been named Regents’ Professors in recognition of the national and international reach of their innovative and pace-setting scholarship. Regents’ professorships are bestowed by the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia and are the highest professorial recognition in the state’s system of public colleges and universities. The university’s 2022–2023 Regents’ Professors are Jenna…

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Cody Marrs and beauty as an omnipresent force

Over the past few years, the entire world has faced some harsh realities. A pandemic seemingly without end. A war between Ukraine and Russia. An international social movement in Black Lives Matter. For many, these moments in time are only seen through the lens of the fear, unrest and change they ignite.  Cody Marrs takes a different approach. Head of the English department in the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences who…

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New book provides scholarship on mountainscapes

Fausto Sarmiento, professor of geography in the Franklin College and director of the Neotropical Montology Collaboratory, continues his excellent work on the broad subject of Montology with the publication of a new book. With the ecological acceleration and the indigenous revival trend of the present, the need for critical views of the reality of mountain systems has become evident in academic circles, such as the Commission of Mountain Studies…

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Three professors elected into National Academy of Inventors

The National Academy of Inventors has selected three University of Georgia faculty as 2023 NAI Senior Members. NAI Senior Members are faculty, scientists and administrators selected for their proven ability to invent and innovate. The UGA representatives of the 2023 class are Christine Szymanski, Hitesh Handa and Leidong Mao. With their selections, UGA now has 11 Senior Members overall: Szymanski is a professor, associate head of…

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How active learning affects STEM students with learning disabilities

Active learning is an instructional approach that involves engaging students with the learning process through group work, case studies, class discussions and other methods. This type of approach places a greater degree of responsibility on the learner. Students with disabilities may have unique experiences in active-learning STEM courses because most active-learning practices were designed with limited input from students with disabilities.…

telescopic photo of three planets and star
Researchers focus AI on finding exoplanets

New research from the University of Georgia reveals that artificial intelligence can be used to find planets outside of our solar system. The recent study demonstrated that machine learning can be used to find exoplanets, information that could reshape how scientists detect and identify new planets very far from Earth. “One of the novel things about this is analyzing environments where planets are still forming,” said Jason Terry, doctoral…

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Ellison receives Breakthrough Scientist award

The Damon Runyon Cancer Research Foundation announced that University of Georgia faculty member Courtney Ellison is one of seven new recipients of the Damon Runyon-Dale F. Frey Award for Breakthrough Scientists.  The Dale F. Frey award recognizes Damon Runyon Fellows who have exceeded the Foundation’s highest expectations and are most likely to make paradigm-shifting breakthroughs that transform the way we prevent, diagnose, and…

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Simons, Ma, Hermanowicz elected as AAAS Fellows

Five University of Georgia faculty – three from the Franklin College – have been named new Fellows for the American Association for the Advancement of Science, bringing the university’s total representation on this prestigious list to 42. Fellows are elected annually by the AAAS Council for extraordinary achievements leading to the advancement of science. This year, UGA’s new Fellows, representing four disciplines, are Joseph Hermanowicz, Ping…

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New vaccine targets life-threatening fungal infections

A new study from University of Georgia researchers describes a vaccine that could be the first clinically approved immunization to protect against invasive fungal infections, a growing concern as antifungal drug resistance increases:   The experimental vaccine is designed to protect against the three most common fungal pathogens that are responsible for more than 80% of fatal fungal infections. The study tested the vaccine’s efficacy…
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