Tags: Earth

Ice melting into the ocean, photo
Noted and Quoted, August 2019

Franklin faculty continue to lead by sharing their expertise on many international issues of the day. A recent sampling: Greenland’s in the middle of a record melting event - Distinguished Research Professor and Franklin College associate dean Thomas Mote quoted in a widely circulated article, Science Alert Academics, sports or both? A personal reflection from an atmospheric scientist - Georgia Athletic Association…

phot of the arch in morning sun
Kudos, Summer 2019

Franklin College faculty and students continue to shine with distinguished accomplishments, honors, awards, prizes and fellowships. Congratulations and kudos to: Military historian and professor John H. Morrow is the 13th recipient of the Pritzker Military Museum and Library Literature Award for Lifetime Achievement in Military Writing  Professor of geography John Knox will receive the Edward N. Lorenz Teaching…

photo of man outdoors with sky
Shepherd receives AGU Climate Communications Prize

The American Geophysical Union has awarded its 2019 Climate Communications Prize to Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography at the University of Georgia. The award for recognition of the communications of climate science is among the class of 2019 Union honorees announced August 22. An international nonprofit scientific association with 60,000 members in 137…

photo of two people seated looking at laptop
Research enlivens the role of so-called ‘dead’ enzymes

Bioinformatics doctoral candidate Annie Kwon, working with UGA professor Natarajan Kannan and a team of researchers, is first author on a recent paper revealing that a class of enzymes previously thought to be useless is prevalent across all domains of life in fact serves an important purpose in cell communications: The study, published in Science Signaling, evolved from Kwon’s research trip to the University of…

Photo of ten people in a warehouse interior
Summer History Fellows engage with creative research

The history department hosted eight undergraduate students during July for the History Fellows Summer Institute. The program is an opportunity to share the University of Georgia with college students from underrepresented groups attending schools around the region and to build better relationships with their institutions. The focus of the History Fellows Summer Institute is to create broad new inroads for underrepresented students from…

photo of man in blue shirt, outdoors
Knox elected AMS Fellow, receives Lorenz Award from American Meteorological Society

University of Georgia professor John Knox will receive the Edward N. Lorenz Teaching Excellence Award from the American Meteorological Society (AMS), the organization’s highest teaching award named for the renowned meteorologist who founded modern chaos theory. Knox, who was also selected as a Fellow of the society, will receive the Lorenz Award at the 100th Annual AMS meeting in Boston in January.  Knox is Sandy Beaver Teaching Professor…

photo of people forming the letter G on a stadium grass field
Welcome, Class of 2023

It's the first day at UGA for many, including 5,500 incoming freshman in the Class of 2023. Welcome to all and good luck on a day that can be exhilarating, intimidating and yet joyous all the same. The journey metaphor is appropriate, as students begin a profound and lasting experience, determined as much by how as where the journey takes them. In that spirit, we offer encouragement for embracing healthy habits toward…

photo of woman with telescope and starry background
Amazing student: Mackenzie Joy

A big week on campus, as fall semester begins and so many new students begin a great journey. Physics and astronomy major and Goldwater Scholar Mackenzie Joy shares a few insights about her path to a successful future: I chose to attend UGA because … The first time I came to UGA was in February 2016 when I was interviewing for the Foundation Fellowship. I had never really considered UGA my top choice of where…

photo of woman with color graphic and man with microscope in background
Interdisciplinary Seed Grants will support UGA research

After a successful first round of grants, seven new faculty teams - and six that include faculty from the Franklin College - have been awarded funds through a second round of Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grants: When the Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grants were first awarded in 2017, 12 faculty teams received funds totaling some $1.37 million. The work enabled by those seed grants supported subsequent applications…

photo of woman in marsh with instruments
UGA professor recognized for coastal stewardship

Merryl Alber, professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of marine sciences, will receive the 2019 Margaret A. Davidson Award for Stewardship from the Coastal and Estuarine Research Federation (CERF), a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the understanding and stewardship of estuarine and coastal ecosystems worldwide.  The Davidson Award recognizes an individual who demonstrates extraordinary leadership,…

two sides by side photos of a woman, left, and a man
UGA Graduate Students selected as Knauss finalists

Two graduate students from the University of Georgia have been selected as finalists for the 2020 John A. Knauss Marine Policy Fellowship, sponsored by the National Sea Grant College Program. The finalists will spend one year in Washington, D.C. in marine policy-related positions in legislative and executive branches of the federal government. The students will join 69 other finalists in the 2020 class representing 27 of the 34 Sea…

graphic of the periodic table with color gradient
International Year of the Periodic Table

The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements is one of the most significant achievements in science, a common language for science capturing the essence not only of chemistry, but also of physics, medicine, earth sciences and biology. 1869 is considered as the year of discovery of the Periodic System, and Dmitri Mendeleev was a major discoverer. 2019 will be the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements and has…

photo of man holding a phonesat
Exploring the next horizon

Alumnus, advisory board member, great friend of the Franklin College and NASA administrator Roger Hunter discusses the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing and the future of space exploration: Hunter was project manager for NASA’s Kepler mission, which used a space telescope to discover Earth-like planets orbiting other stars in the Milky Way galaxy. He currently serves as program manager for NASA’s Small Spacecraft…

photo of woman with underwater robotic glider
Underwater gliders improve hurricane forecasts

Assistant professor of marine sciences Catherine Edwards, with colleagues at the UGA Skidaway Institute of Oceanography and the University of South Florida has developed and deployed autonomous underwater gliders to improve the accuracy of hurricane forecast models: The 2018 hurricane season provided Edwards and her colleagues a fortuitous opportunity to demonstrate the value of glider data. Edwards deployed two gliders in…

AMS logo in blue letters and gold numbers
UGA students awarded AMS scholarship, graduate fellowship

The American Meteorological Society recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations of the weather, water, and climate community in its annual Awards and Honors program. 2019 recipients include current and former UGA geography students: Alexandra Mazurek, who graduated in 2019, is the recipient of an American Meteorological Society Graduate Fellowship. The award is a one-year, $25,000 stipend.  She will be…

photo of large group of people with statue outdoors
UGA hosts Radiocarbon and Archaeology 9th International Symposium

More than 100 researchers gathered in Athens in May when the University of Georgia hosted the Radiocarbon and Archaeology 9th International Symposium. The symposium, held at the Classic Center, showcased current archaeological research that employs radiocarbon dating, as well as recent developments in the radiocarbon technique. Along with a full range of academic sessions and lectures, the symposium also included several social events and field…

video still of graphic map showing outlines of Athens GA
Mapping the Urban Heat Island: Athens, GA

A Franklin College research team of faculty and graduate students from the departments of geography and computer science is laying the groundwork for high resolution heat maps to protect residents and assist city planners. Supported by the National Science Foundation, professors Deepak Mishra, Andrew Grundstein and Lakshmish Ramaswamy are compiling block-by-block information to map the urban heat island of Athens, GA. This Science…

photo of woman with astronaut suit
Apollo 11 Anniversary

The university is celebrating the 'one giant step for mankind' that took place in July 1969, including the current "Moon Rocks!" exhibition at the Richard B. Russell Building Special Collections Library curated by Sarah Anderson, UGA graduate student in history: Anderson curated “Moon Rocks!,” an exhibition hosted by UGA’s Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies to mark the 50th anniversary of…

blue and white map graphic, with inset and scale
Deer teeth unveil climate mystery of the Mayans

Though causes of the civilizational collapse that took place in the Maya lowlands of southeastern Mexico and Central America during the Terminal Classic Period (1200 – 900 before present) remain uncertain, changing precipitation patterns have long been suspected. Now, a new study from the University of Georgia and the Florida Museum of Natural History establishes fossilized white-tailed deer teeth as part of the climate record, a reliable proxy…

photo of ORNL signage
Graduate student receives Department of Energy fellowship

The Department of Energy’s Office of Science has selected Matthew Wilson from the University of Georgia’s Center for Simulation Physics to participate in its Graduate Student Research Program. Wilson studies protein aggregation using computer simulation to test physical phenomena that defy analysis by traditional approaches.  “These graduate student awards prepare young scientists for STEM careers critically important to the DOE mission,”…

aerial photo of water puddles on glacier
June research news and expertise notes

Even during the quiet days of June, Franklin College faculty expertise never sleeps! Here are a few of the many articles written by or featuring the work of faculty members from across the college over the past month:   Meteorologists fear 5G network could take forecasting back to the 1980s, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography Marshall Shepherd speaking on CBS This…

40 black-and-white headshots of people
2019 Class of 40 Under 40

Malcolm Mitchell (A.B. '15), Athens cardiologist Catherine Marti (B.S. '02), and gold-medal winning Olympic swimmer Allison Schmitt (B.S. '14) lead the Franklin College contingent of the 2019 UGA 40 Under 40: The University of Georgia Alumni Association has unveiled the 40 Under 40 Class of 2019. This program celebrates the personal, professional and philanthropic achievements of successful UGA graduates under the…

photo of woman with plant leaves
Katrien Devos recognized as Fellow of Crop Science Society of America

Professor of crop and soil sciences and plant biology Katrien M. Devos has been named a Fellow of the Crop Science Society of America: Her nomination and selection as a CSSA Fellow recognizes a career dedicated to breaking new ground in understanding the genetics and evolutionary biology of crops and in the search for more resilient and sustainable crop varieties. From mapping the genomes of orphan crops, like finger and foxtail millet, to…

color figure illustration of land, sea and sky, with labels
Experts warn of connections between microorganisms and climate change

As scientists improve their understanding of the impacts of microorganisms on the broad systems and that keep global biological cycles in balance, responses to a changing climate by microbes on land and sea across the Earth have become key indicators. Now, more than 30 microbiologists from 9 countries have issued a warning to humanity – they are calling for the world to stop ignoring an ‘unseen majority’ in Earth’s biodiversity and ecosystem…

photos of one woman and one man
Students, alumni win NSF Graduate Research Fellowships

Seven UGA graduate students earned highly competitive National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships this year, and six UGA alumni also have earned the fellowship, which includes three years of financial support that includes an annual stipend of $34,000 plus a $12,000 cost of education allowance and networking and professional development opportunities: Doctoral student Jordan Chapman said he was attracted to the…
Subscribe to Earth

Support Franklin College

We appreciate your financial support. Your gift is important to us and helps support critical opportunities for students and faculty alike, including lectures, travel support, and any number of educational events that augment the classroom experience. Click here to learn more about giving.

Every dollar given has a direct impact upon our students and faculty.