Tags: Human Nature


The Neuroeconomics of decision-making

Terrific new study from the Experimental and Clinical Psychopharmacology Laboratory in the department of psychology: Although choosing to do something because the perceived benefit outweighs the financial cost is something people do daily, little is known about what happens in the brain when a person makes these kinds of decisions. Studying how these cost-benefit decisions are made when choosing to consume alcohol, University of Georgia…


Lampost post

  Maybe because it's Spring Break, but can you resist a lamppost post? Certainly, I cannot. If you every wondered why North Campus has the look and feel of park, it is because UGA has some of the best grounds crew professionals you will find anywhere. They're at it again, this time, taking the time and care to replace the 100-year-old lampposts near the arch: Installed in June 1914 by the Athens Rail and Light Company, the lampposts were…


Understanding the Past, 1/10th of a second at a time

An interesting take from one of the Chronicle of Higher Ed blogs on the humans systems implications of our increasing ability to subdivide time into tinier and tinier increments: Yet we are still some way off coming to terms with analyzing these developments. They require mathematical expertise that is still in short supply. One of the most exciting academic developments of recent years has been the way in which mathematics and statistics suited…


Introvert in an Extraverted World

Professor and head of the department of psychology Keith Campbell is also a best-selling author whose research uncovers great insights on that delicate state of affairs we refer to as the human condition. Next week, he will give a lecture on how introversion impacts learning March 4 at 2 p.m. in the Reading Room of the Miller Learning Center: The lecture is titled "Being an Introvert in an Extraverted World: The Case of Education" and is hosted…

instrument in ocean
Sulfur into clouds

In a naturally-occuring process, sulfur makes its way from microbes in the ocean up into the atmosphere where it plays a part in the formation of clouds. The phenomenon has long been know, but now scientists are learning more about how it actually happens: A new $2 million National Science Foundation grant will allow the UGA-led research group to further document how genes in ocean microbes transform sulfur into clouds in the Earth's atmosphere…


Engaging the Public: A workshop on communicating your research

Because our office is constantly engaged with this, communicating about research and scholarship is a near and dear priority. And of course, as the Franklin College, we are home to so many great scholars and scientists that it is must that we share this expertise as widely as possible. But communicating with the public, and especially the media, can be a challenge. Now the Graduate School is organizing a workshop series designed to help our…


Careful on campus

Okay and...we're back. Great snow, terrific sense of 'found time,' whether you used it well or not. But now we're back and you need to look out for falling ice - especially Old College, New College, Libraries, Peabody, Administration every building on campus for at least the next few hours. Image: Author photo of Old College on Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2014


UGA Librairies Research Grant

  Apply for a Research Grant with UGA Libraries - Seven undergraduate research awards up for grabs By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu   Have a great idea for research but need a little funding help? The University of Georgia Libraries’ Undergraduate Research Awards are currently accepting applications for seven cash prizes totaling $2,000 for students who demonstrate distinction in research and academic inquiry. Find the requirements…


Daniel Matt: Jewish Mysticism

The department of religion presents a special guest lecture on Thursday Feb. 6 at 6:30 p.m. in the South P/J Plaza auditorium, "How Kabbalah Reimagines God," by Daniel Matt of the Graduate Theological Union. Matt is a leading authority on the Zohar and Kabbalah. He is the author of the best-selling "The Essential Kabbalah" (HarperSanFrancisco, translated into seven languages); "Zohar: The Book of Enlightenment" (Paulist Press); "God and the Big…


Summer research grant opportunity

Enter the 2014 Tinker Graduate Field Research Award Competition   By JESSICA LUTON jluton@uga.edu The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute (LACSI) recently announced the 2014 Tinker Foundation, Inc. Field Research Grant for students.  The grants are meant to help fund travel and other expenses for highly qualified graduated students with an interest in conducting preliminary field…


Focus on the faculty: Lisa Donovan

Great Q & A on the UGA homepage with professor of plant biology Lisa Donovan:   When did you come to UGA and what brought you here? I came to the University of Georgia in 1995 and was attracted by the diversity and excellence of the plant biologists here. What are your favorite courses and why? At the undergraduate level, I enjoy contributing to BIOL 1108, “Principles of Plant Biology II” for biology majors, because it provides…


Two genetics professors receive CAREER awards

The National Science Foundation Faculty Early Career Development Program supports junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholars, providing crucial laboratory support to promising young researchers. Congratulations to assistant professors Andrea Sweigart and Dave Nelson of department of genetics, who were each awarded five-year, $1 million grants by this program: Sweigart is an evolutionary biologist who studies quantitative genetics…


New research: origins of satellite thymus glands

Lots of great news out of the department of genetics, and now we add to it an interesting new study: researchers at the University of Georgia have published findings in Nature Communications that reveal where these extra glands come from and help explain what roles the extra thymuses may play in the complex network of the body's natural defense systems. "This was a really important question for me as a developmental biologist studying the thymus…


Shepherd on PBS' Nova: Killer Typhoon

On November 8, 2013, Typhoon Haiyan slammed into the Philippines, whipping the low-lying and densely-populated islands with 200 mph winds and sending a two-story-high storm surge flooding into homes, schools, and hospitals. The PBS NOVA dcomentary Killer Typhoon featured perspectives from some of the world's leading climate scientists, including AMS president and UGA professor Marshall Shepherd. The program aired last night. The…


Faculty in the Media, January 2014

The end of the year and early 2014 has been a very active time for Franklin College faculty work and expertise. Their contributions to the public discussions on a range of subjects remains an important aspect of our work. Here are a few recent instances: As we noted, Georgia Athletic Association Professor J. Marshall Shepherd of the department of geography was part of panel on the Polar Vortex convened by the White House Office of Science and…


Kudos, January 2014

With the New Year arrives awards, acknowledgments and congratulations to UGA faculty, staff, students and alumni for their many accomplishments. A sampling of these starts with this very cool use of the internet on Friday, January 10. The White House hosted a panel discussion on the the 'Polar Vortex' featuring our very own J. Marshall Shepherd and host of other climate and weather luminaries: Archived video of the discussion is here Marine…


Liberal Arts degree(s) as pre-journalism

A good, short essay In Defense of a Liberal Arts Major by UGA Franklin College student (Women's Studies) Alex Laughlin: I knew I wanted to be a journalist when I came to college, but I also knew I wanted to spend these years expanding my mind to the world. A major in journalism would teach me to write, which I already knew how to do, while a liberal arts major could force me to question my assumptions and beliefs. In women’s studies, I learned…


UGA chemistry researchers develop new treatment for chemotherapy side effects

A prodrug is medication introducded into the body in an inactive (or less than fully active) form, that then becomes converted to its active form through the normal metabolic processes of the body, as a sort of precursor to the intended drug. Researchers in the department of chemistry announced the development of a new aspirin-based prodrug that may prevent damage caused by chemotherapy: [The new treament] promises to reduce many of the…


New gene discovery from Franklin researchers at CCRC

Startling new discovery of a gene that may play an important role in the development of the life-threatening birth defect congenital diaphragmatic hernia, or CDH: The hallmark of CDH is a rupture of the diaphragm that allows organs found in the lower abdomen, such as the liver, spleen and intestines, to push their way into the chest cavity. The invading organs crowd the limited space and can lead to abnormal lung development or poor lung…

the seven liberal arts painting
Do humanities compute?

Cheeky title but good article in the Chronicle of Higher Education on digitized humanities in the classroom: Colleges see the fresh digital focus as an opportunity to demonstrate the continued importance of the humanities. And students hope that credentialing themselves in this field, known as "digital humanities," will strengthen their job prospects. "Critical engagement with the digital infrastructure that permeates every aspect of our…

old college in the snow
Happy Holidays

Warm holiday wishes and Feliz año nuevo from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.  Our offices will be closed from Dec. 24 through Jan. 1, 2014, re-opening on Jan. 2. Classes resume on Jan. 6. See you in 2014!  


Stem cell research focuses on cell cycle

Interesting new work on stem cells sheds light on mysteries about cell differentiation: Amar Singh, postdoctoral associate in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar of Molecular Cell Biology Stephen Dalton worked together to uncover the mystery about why stem cell populations are thought to be heterogeneous, or made up of a variety of different cells. They discovered the heterogeneity, or…

brain map
NIH grant helps fund new map of human brain

 


New Imaging capabilities reported in study from cell biologists

Polycystic kidney disease is one of the most common life-threatening genetic diseases, affecting an estimated 12.5 million people worldwide, and but one of multiple conditions researchers have connected to defective cilia. UGA researchers recenty published a study describing how cilia are constructed, findings based on new protein-level observations: Led by Karl Lechtreck, assistant professor in the department of cellular biology, a team of…


Negotiations in Verse

The current edition of the NEH's Humanities Magazine features great friend of the blog and creative writing professor emeritus Coleman Barks: Poetry in the Muslim world takes on many forms and touches upon myriad sentiments and sensibilities. Its roots lie in the epic and in romances, oral traditions that flourished in Persia and in the Ottoman and Mughal courts. Today, in Pakistan and India, truck drivers paint their entire rigs—cabs and…
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