Tags: faculty

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Correcting peers is key in small-group learning

Collaborative group work is increasingly prioritized across higher education, particularly in the life sciences and STEM-related fields. But how students communicate within these smaller groups is key to their success. New research from the University of Georgia suggests that students who understand what they do and do not know, and who are willing to ask for clarification and correct misinformation in the group, are more successful in…

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New therapy shows promise for stem cell stroke treatment

A new combination therapy developed at the University of Georgia’s Regenerative Bioscience Center (RBC) has shown promising results in models of ischemic stroke, or strokes caused by blood clots, significantly reducing disability within a three-month period. Building on more than a decade of work using pig models for stroke research and induced pluripotent stem cell-derived neural stem cells (iNSCs), Professor Franklin West and a research team…

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Kudos, September 2022

New rankings, art exhibitions, awards and grants highlight recent achievements of colleagues from across the Franklin College: The University of Georgia has been ranked 10th on the latest list of Top Public Universities in the U.S. by the rankings platform Niche UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography director Clark Alexander, professor in the department of marine sciences, was voted the 2022-23 president-elect of the Southern…

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Cellular biology researcher uncovers humans’ natural weapon against malaria

Parasitologist Samarchith “Sam” Kurup has been awarded a five-year National Institutes of Health grant to study the natural immune response to the Plasmodium parasite in liver cells, with designs on uncovering how the human immune system naturally fights malaria in the liver stage will lead to an effective malaria vaccine. Our colleagues in the Office of research share the story: Malaria is one of the most studied parasitic…

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Duo opens Faculty Recital Series

Michael Heald and Anatoly Sheludyakov will present a recital of violin and piano music at the Ramsey Concert Hall in the Performing Arts Center on Monday, Sept.19, at 7:30 pm. This is part of the Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s Faculty Recital Series. They will perform sonatas by Mozart, Amy Beach, and Edward Elgar. Audiences may be less familiar with the works of Beach and Elgar, but they are both wonderful examples of…

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Department of Linguistics faculty receive NSF grant to support research on endangered languages

Keith Langston, Professor of Linguistics, was recently awarded a three-year, $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation to study endangered languages on the Istrian peninsula of Croatia and the Kvarner Bay in the northern Adriatic Sea. The project, supported by the NSF Dynamic Language Infrastructure–NEH Documenting Endangered Languages program, seeks to document and analyze endangered language varieties in the Istria and Kvarner…

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Leaky infrastructure driving antibiotic resistant pathogens in local waters

Could your old septic tank be driving a growth in antimicrobial resistant bacteria? It’s possible, say the authors of a University of Georgia study that identified aging sewer lines and septic systems as the primary drivers of antibiotic resistant bacteria contamination in their samples. This finding flips the script on the assumption that agriculture runoff or treated wastewater outflows are the main ways antibiotic resistant bacteria are…

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Researchers discover potential treatment for Chagas disease

Researchers from the University of Georgia have discovered a potential treatment for Chagas disease, marking the first medication with promise to successfully and safely target the parasitic infection in more than 50 years. Human clinical trials of the drug, an antiparasitic compound known as AN15368, will hopefully begin in the next few years. “I’m very optimistic,” said Rick Tarleton, corresponding author of the study and a UGA…

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Art Rosenbaum, 1938-2022

The UGA campus and community grieves the loss of a great educator, artist, musician and friend with the passing of Art Rosenbaum on September 4. For thirty years, the late professor emeritus Art Rosenbaum instructed a generation of painters at the Lamar Dodd School of Art with an eye toward bold, layered compositions that highlighted the interiority of his subjects and the dynamic landscape of folk traditions and personhood in the South.…

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Theatre faculty helped make this show go on

Over the summer, two faculty members from the University of Georgia department of theatre and film studies worked with the Aurora Theatre and Broadway Factor to bring Chris Anthony Ferrer’s debut play, “Swindlers,” to life. The play ran at the Aurora Theatre in Lawrenceville in May and June. Julie Ray, associate professor and head of the department of theatre and film studies, and Ivan Ingermann, associate professor…

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Genome evolution in the modern fern

Defying all expectations, a fern no larger than a dinner plate currently holds the title for highest chromosome count, with a whopping 720 pairs crammed into each of its nuclei. This penchant of ferns for hoarding DNA has stumped scientists, and the intractable size of their genomes has made it difficult to sequence, assemble and interpret them. Two new papers published in the journal Nature Plants are rewriting history with the first full-…

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Kudos, Summer 2022

The new School of Computing, faculty awards and grants as well as the promotion of Franklin College colleagues to university-level leadership positions highlight our kudos for the summer. Congratulations all!   University of Georgia to elevate computer science with new school – AJC, R&B, Fortune UGA plant biologist Robert Schmitz named finalist for prestigious 2022 Blavatnik National Award for young Scientists – R…

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Noted and Quoted, summer 2022

Broad coverage of big stories on race, health, climate change, weather safety, and history featured research findings and expertise of faculty from across the Franklin College over the summer. A sampling of ongoing, highly impactful scholarship from our colleagues: Black, Latino people more likely to remain masked during pandemic, polls show – research by Allison L. Skinner-Dorkenoo, assistant professor of psychology, reported at …

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UGA completes Phase 2 of STEM Research Complex

The University held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the completion of the second phase of the Interdisciplinary Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (I-STEM) Research Complex on Wednesday, Aug. 24. The 101,000-square-foot, $64 million I-STEM Research Building 2, which was funded by a combination of university and state funds, will support collaborative research in chemistry, engineering and other scientific disciplines. Paired with…

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Research profile: Mattia Pistone

Much like lava flows, Mattia Pistone began his interest in volcanology and petrology via an energetic and wandering path. It started in Pistone’s hometown of Pescara, Italy, when he began studying Latin literature and noting how the Romans used nature as a model for technology. The Romans are known as excellent engineers, but they were also early geologists. They knew that choosing the right rock for the right purpose could lead to longstanding…

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Next-generation nanophotonics devices and applications come into view

Densely-packed solar cells that fit on a car and efficiently transfer light to electricity; point-of care medical diagnostic tools; major advances in communication, sensing and imaging – all of these plus many more depend on interaction of light with the material world at a very small scale, also known as nanophotonics. What makes nanophotonics so interesting to scientists and so promising across a broad array of industry is the subject of a new…

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Lack of bouncy castle regulations leaves children vulnerable to wind-related weather events

A popular, easily rentable party feature could be putting tens of thousands of children at risk, according to new research from the University of Georgia. The study found at least 479 people were injured and 28 died worldwide in more than 130 bounce house accidents due to weather events since 2000. But the researchers caution that these estimates are likely an undercount. These injuries are on top of an estimated 10,000 ER visits in…

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Clay-Warner named OIBR director

The UGA Office of Research named Jody Clay-Warner the new director of the Owens Institute for Behavioral Research, effective Aug. 1. Clay-Warner, Meigs Professor of Sociology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, received a Ph.D. in sociology from Emory University and has been at UGA since 1998, where she previously served as director of the Criminal Justice Studies Program and as head of the department of sociology. She…

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New Quantum Networks Research and Training Program Receives $3M NSF Award

The National Science Foundation Research Traineeship Program (NRT) awarded a $3 million Collaborative Grant to the University of Georgia (UGA) and the University of Tennessee, Knoxville, to develop a Quantum Networks Training and Research Alliance in the Southeast (QuaNTRASE). The NSF award advances convergent research in quantum information science and engineering, which it has identified as a national priority of utmost importance, via…

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Westpheling to receive SIMB Charles Porter Award

Janet Westpheling, professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of genetics, has been selected to receive the Society for Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology (SIMB) Charles Porter Award. The award recognizes meritorious service to the Society as exemplified by Charles Porter, co-founder of the SIMB. Dr. Janet “Jan” Westpheling is a dedicated and active member, volunteer, and leader within the SIMB community. As a…

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Hodgson School of Music fall '22 season

The Hugh Hodgson School of music announced its fall 2022 season, a rich musical tapestry of student and faculty performances by the full roster of large ensembles and solo concerts. Anchored by the Scholarship Series, the fall also includes the Faculty Artist Series, the ensemble series, and a UGA Opera Theatre production of Gounod's Faust. Season subscription packages and individual concert tickets are available here.  

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Culture and community resonate at the Penn Center

Culture and Community at the Penn Center National Historic Landmark District, a partnership between the Penn Center, on St. Helena Island, SC, and the Willson Center, continued its first year’s public programs with a five-day cycle of research residencies in early June, 2022. The residencies brought students, faculty, and community experts from across the southeastern U.S. for unique place-based studies on the theme of…

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Feminism may lead to better body image

Important new research from communication studies describing how mothers and daughters who follow feminist principles speak more positively about their bodies. Published in Body Image, the study found that feminist mothers and their daughters felt more positively about their bodies and less shame about how their bodies look than those who don’t ascribe to feminist ideals. Additionally, the paper showed that how mothers view and speak about…

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Women can live better with an improved diet

Women tend to live longer than men but typically have higher rates of illness. Now, new research from University of Georgia suggests these higher rates of illness can be improved by a better diet, one that is high in pigmented carotenoids such as yams, kale, spinach, watermelon, bell peppers, tomatoes, oranges and carrots. These bright-colored fruits and vegetables are particularly important in preventing visual and cognitive loss. “The idea is…

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Jamie Kreiner and the quiet forces of history

War. Politics. Changing technology. Plagues and famine and migration and outsized personalities. These are major forces that shape the world we live in, and many historians spend their careers studying them. Jamie Kreiner takes a different approach. A professor of history in the Franklin College of Arts & Sciences who specializes in the early Middle Ages, Kreiner looks for the quieter agents at work. “I like getting beneath…
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