News from the Chronicles - March 2026

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AI seed grants spark bold cross campus breakthroughs at UGA

Innovation took center stage this month at the 2026 IAI Spotlight, where faculty, students, and research partners gathered to explore how this year’s Institute for Artificial Intelligence (IAI) seed‑grant recipients are redefining what’s possible with emerging AI technologies. The event blended the energy of a collaborative workshop with the depth of a research symposium, highlighting projects that stretch across emergency medicine,…

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Franklin theater students took center stage at American College Theater Festival

Students and faculty from Franklin’s theater and film studies department traveled to Montgomery, Ala. last month to take part in the 58th American College Theater Festival. The festival is part of a national competitive program that recognizes and promotes excellence in college and university theater across the United States. Each year, undergraduate and graduate productions from institutions nationwide are selected for performance,…

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Franklin champions campus-wide humanities festival

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences is proud to partner in presenting the fourth annual UGA Humanities Festival, a dynamic showcase of humanities research, creativity, and public engagement across campus. From March 16 through April 2, the festival will bring together scholars, students, and community members for lectures, panel discussions, readings, and events held across campus and throughout the Athens community.  Presented by…

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Where art teaches science: inside UGA Lamar Dodd’s scientific illustration program

Consider the diagrams of the human body in a biology textbook, the infographic that untangles a complex geological process, or the lifelike rendering of an extinct species that seems ready to step off the page. These images don’t appear by accident, they’re crafted by scientific illustrators, artists who translate complex ideas into visuals that anyone can understand who are truly tapping into the intersection of the arts and sciences. …

DJ Shockley Portrait
Franklin alum DJ Shockley to give UGA’s spring commencement address

DJ Shockley, former UGA and Atlanta Falcons quarterback and Franklin alumnus, will usher graduates through their transition from students to alumni as this spring’s commencement speaker.   Shockley (AB Communication Studies '05) led the Bulldogs to two SEC titles and remains in the Bulldogs’ top 10 in several categories, including passing yards, passing touchdowns, and QB rating.  He was later selected in the 2006 NFL Draft…

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Computer science professor harnesses AI to improve cybersecurity

Artificial intelligence is transforming cybersecurity, reshaping both cyberattacks and cyber defense. From AI-generated phishing emails and deepfakes to sophisticated malware, AI tools are making it easier for cybercriminals to access sensitive data. However, cyber defense is what has captured the attention of Robert Perdisci, the Patty and D.R. Grimes Distinguished Professor of Computer Science. In addition to his teaching and research,…

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UGA biochemist Lance Wells named prestigious 2026 ASBMB fellow

Franklin College biochemistry and molecular biology professor Lance Wells was appointed  a 2026 Fellow of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). In addition to his teaching, Wells serves as associate director of the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC), one of the few research centers worldwide dedicated to the study of complex carbohydrates. A graduate of Georgia Institute of…

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Franklin faculty earn competitive 2026 UGA Presidential Seed Grants

Franklin faculty from departments across the college are collaborators on eight of the eleven projects awarded 2026 UGA Presidential Seed Grants. The seed grant program was designed to address areas that are urgently in need of convergent research. Overall winners were selected from more than 160 proposals. Among the awardees, Franklin faculty members Jin Xie (department of chemistry) and Gabriel Kooperman (department of geography) serve as…