Tags: Human Nature

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Josh Miller wins APF's Millon Award

Professor of psychology Josh Miller was awarded the 2016 Theodore Millon Award in Personality Psychology from the American Psychological Foundation: The annual award honors an outstanding early- to mid-career psychologist engaged in advancing the science of personality psychology including the areas of personality, personality theory, personality disorders and personality measurement, according to the foundation. As director of clinical training…

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Improving Georgia and the World

This month's Discover feature highlights several examples of research excellence that reach to every corner of campus. UGA's key research themes provide context for the extraordinary work by our faculty and students: Safeguarding and Sustaining our World includes research being conducted in fields as varied as cybersecurity, plant breeding and genetics, digital humanities and export controls. UGA’s Plant Center, for example, is…

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Presidential Early Career Awards

The Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers, or PECASE, are the highest honor bestowed by the U.S. government on science and engineering professors in the early stages of their research careers. Two UGA professors are among 105 professors announced as recipients, including Danny Krashen of the department of mathematics: Established in 1996 by President Bill Clinton, awardees are selected for their pursuit of innovative…

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Kudos, February 2016

Franklin College students and faculty continue to distinguish themselves with the highest honors and accomplishments. A sample from the month of February: Associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology Zachary Wood is among three UGA faculty members to receive Richard B. Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching, UGA’s highest early career teaching honor. Our own associate dean Chuck Kutal is the subject of a Faculty…

two people in a podcast
Noted and Quoted, February 2016

Inventive animations and a literary podcast top the list of media where Franklin College faculty were featured, noted and quoted during the month of February: On a NewBlackMan (in Exile) podcast episode, Left of Black on the Root, Guest host and Duke Professor Tsitsi Ella Jaji interviews Ed Pavlić about his latest work, Who Can Afford to Improvise?: James Baldwin and Black Music, the Lyric and the Listeners (Fordham University Press, 2015).…

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CSP at Thirty

The 29th annual Center for Simulational Physics Workshop at UGA will take place the week of Feb. 22. Hosted by the UGA Center for Simulational Physics, it will be held in Room 322 of the physics building. The meeting is open to the UGA community, but registration is required. For more information, including the complete schedule of invited speakers, visit csp.uga.edu. We'll have a longer piece up at the UGA.EDU this week to commemorate…

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Noted and Quoted, January 2016

The New Year is off to a great start with opinion by and reporting on the expertise of Franklin College faculty members and alumni. A sample: The Paris climate agreement. Marshall Shepherd, director of UGA’s atmospheric sciences program, and a regular contributor to Forbes.com, reflects “on this global step towards good stewardship of the planet.” Shepherd also discussed the agreement Sunday during an appearance on CBS’ Face the Nation. 'Let's…

advisor with student
Advisor's past makes her a 'people person'

My aunt was trying to teach me the ABCs, and I didn’t understand why I had to learn them.  It was very hard.” During Lou’s first few years in New York, a lot changed for her, including her name. It wasn’t always Kathy. In elementary school, her Chinese name was Bet Tuey Lee.  Lou soon realized that to completely fit into American culture, she’d need a name that would fit in as well. Bet Tuey was difficult to pronounce, and she wanted…


Bounce House Safety Research Continues

If you've ever been to an event with a bounce house such as a birthday party or a carnival, you know just how much children enjoy them. But are they safe? Researchers from the UGA department of geography have been trying to find answers to this question. Last summer, we wrote about geography associate professor John Knox's class research project on bounce house safety. Knox had a bounce house set up near the geography building so students could…

students outdoors on a dig
Baldwin Hall expansion becomes anthropology project

The Baldwin Hall expansion construction site has garnered new attention over the last few months. The department of anthopology faculty and students will now curate and study the remains that have been recovered: Work to locate and exhume remains from gravesites at the site has been underway since the first remains were inadvertently discovered on Nov. 17, 2015. Baldwin Hall is adjacent to the Old Athens Cemetery, which UGA has been working…

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Georgia Debate Union at Miami University tourney

Teams representing the Georgia Debate Union earned second and fifth place at the University of Miami intercollegiate debate tournament recently held in Miami, Florida.  The college debate tournament featured over 30 teams from 12 colleges and universities across the Southeast, Midwest, and mid-Atlantic, including the US Naval Academy and Vanderbilt University.  The team of Swapnil Agrawal, a freshman from Chamblee, and Advait Ramanan,…

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Molecular fingerprints track oil and dispersants

Oil-degrading marine microorganisms in the Gulf of Mexico are the focus of a broad array of research at UGA, and a new study documents biodegradation in deep seawater using ultra-high resolution mass spectrometry: The challenging task of quantifying the chemical composition of oil and weathered oil from the Deepwater Horizon spill has been the focus of past studies and continues with ongoing investigations. The researchers in this…

buildings and sidewalk of UGA north campus
Happy Holidays

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences wishes you all the best this holiday season. See you in 2016! Image: author photo, UGA North Campus in the rain, December 24, 2015.

man in lab with syringe
Inorganic mercury and its health effects

Fascinating insights into how an inorganic compound found its way into human microbial systems provide the background of this new study authored by microbiology doctoral student Stephen LaVoie : Published in December in the Journal of Biological Inorganic Chemistry, the research looked at how inorganic and organic mercury affected specific molecular processes. Inorganic mercury from the ore cinnabar was used for centuries against infections…

two men in a lab, one looking at camera
$2.1m MERIT award extension to Escalante

Jorge Escalante of the department of microbiology conducts an extensive research operation into one of the most complex challenges in health science - biosynthesis of the coenzyme B-12. The National Institutes of Health, longtime supporters of his investigations, this fall renewed a prestigious long term commitment to this important research: The MERIT, Method to Extend Research in Time, award is an extension of $2.1 million to an initial five-…

man outside with backpack
Amazing Student: Rahul Shah

Augusta native and double Franklin major (A.B. economics, B.S. biology) has been involved in research, as well as many other activities, since he started at UGA: Since my first semester here at UGA, I have been involved with the Roosevelt Institute, a national student policy think tank with chapters at over 100 universities across the country. Working with Roosevelt, I have conducted policy research with faculty members in a variety of…

group of grads with women at center
All that UGA has to offer

From a Red & Black article on how graduating in December provides a leg up in beginning careers: “I am at somewhat of an advantage because when I start in my position in December, I will be one of two people entering the firm that early," she said. "I will stand out in the work force because there is not a wave of candidates coming in with me in May.” Webb reminded students who are on track to graduate early that they do not have…

Sendak illustration
LaFleur translates Sendak's classic

WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE now enjoys a new adventure in classical Latin, courtesy of Franklin Professor of Classics Emeritus, Rick LaFleur. The new first-ever translation into Latin of the beloved book by LaFleur, UBI FERA SUNT was published by Bolchazy-Carducci Publishers, Inc. in December 2015. LaFleur will hold a book signing on Wednesday Dec. 16 from 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Avid Bookshop in Athens. The lively translation faithfully…

woman outside day
Class of 2015: Carmen Kraus

In just over seven days, double major Carmen Kraus (B.S. in Ecology, B.F.A. in Scienitific Illustration) will join the distinguished ranks of UGA graduates. What brought her to that unique combination of credentials? Attending the Ecological Society of America annual meeting convinced me once and for all that I had chosen the correct career path. I went to as many lectures as I could, focusing mainly on bioremediation but also hearing some…

MRI machine in a lab
Improving psychiatric diagnoses

A team of researchers led by faculty in psychology has identified a number of biological markers that make it possible to classify mental disorders with greater precision: The advent of modern medical diagnostic tools has made it possible to identify the hallmarks of innumerable diseases with simple, reliable tests that portray the inner workings of the body in exquisite detail—allowing doctors to pinpoint the specific cause of a patient's…

two women headhsots
First class of leadership fellows

As Women's Leadership Fellows, the faculty members will attend a monthly meeting where they will learn from senior administrators on campus as well as visiting speakers from academia, business and other fields. The program also will feature a concluding weekend retreat in June for more in-depth learning.  ... Babb, director of the Institute for African American Studies and Franklin Professor of English. Her research focuses on African-…

graphic on red, with plant fist
'Raising Resistance' screening Dec. 4

The Georgia Workshop on Culture, History and Power through the Franklin College and the Latin American Sustainable Agriculture initiative presents a screening of the sustainable agriculture documentary, Raising Resistance: The project seeks to engage some of the most pressing questions of the ability to derive sustainable agriculture production from Latin America while also ensuring the congruent development of local communities. The project…

woman outside with tree
Class of 2015: Elizabeth Benyshek

Terrific new feature from UGA on our students graduating in December. First up is geology major Elizabeth Benyshek: Our fieldwork focused on basaltic volcanism, landscape evolution and planetary surface processes as related to both Earth and Mars. While the fieldwork aided me in gaining geological experience, I also learned more than a few life lessons from the scientist who invited the UGA students, Bob Craddock.  How did that experience…

statue of the Bard
Kudos, November 2015

Faculty, staff and students excel in every area of endeavor on campus and (quite) beyond. A sampling of solid achievements by our colleagues shared over the last month: The Gulf of Mexico Research Initiative (GoMRI) Research Board announced awards of nearly $38 million to individuals and teams studying the effects of oil on the Gulf of Mexico ecosystem and public health. Among the awardees are professor and head of the department of marine…

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Amazing Student Miller Singleton

Franklin College double major Miller Singleton (biology & psychology) strives to make service and study abroad the hallmarks of her UGA experience: Since my freshman year, I have volunteered as a mentor with Shop with a Bulldawg, an organization whose mission is to serve Athens by bringing joy and hope to children during the holidays. I currently volunteer with Affinis Hospice in which I have the opportunity to serve as a companion and…
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