Tags: Human Nature

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First-generation Graduate empowering generations of Bulldogs

Franklin College Advisory Board member Neicy Wells' (AB '96) commitment to Franklin and love for UGA is a building on her legacy of greatness at the university:   When Neicy Wells’ grandmother encouraged her to go to college and insisted she apply to the University of Georgia because “it was the best,” she had no idea the legacy of greatness she was setting into motion. Neicy (AB ’96) began making her presence felt on campus with her…

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‘Play deserts’ common throughout Deep South, Southwest

Physical activity is crucial to children’s healthy physical and mental development. But new research from the University of Georgia shows hundreds of U.S. counties are play deserts. These play deserts are areas where parks and other spots to run around and play are nonexistent, hard to access or in less safe locations that make parents second-guess taking their children to play there. The study found that about 7% of the country…

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Spring Commencement 2023

Let the Chapel bell ring, today is the day! The University of Georgia welcomes its newest alumni on May 12 as 6,008 undergraduates have met requirements to participate in the university’s spring Commencement ceremonies. Congratulations to the 1,665 graduate students—a total of 7,673—who had their Commencement ceremonies yesterday. Welcome to the many family members and friends visiting campus this week.  The undergraduate ceremony is…

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Nora Benedict brings a digital dimension to book history

Books are a big deal. The invention of writing is one of the pivotal moments in the history of humanity, and—in terms of cultural significance—the distance from writing itself to the book is literally just the turn of a page. Books existed long before printing presses. As artifacts, they tell stories that range far beyond the mere words printed or written on their pages. Nora Benedict wants to tell those stories. An assistant professor of…

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Student Commencement speaker reflects on community

If you ask Sudhan Chitgopkar about the highlights of his time at the University of Georgia, he’ll pause before responding. “I’ve got to think about this one,” he said. “It’s four years’ worth of memories.” It is a lot to condense into a few words, but Chitgopkar will do his best as undergraduate student speaker at the 2023 spring Commencement ceremony. “I think the most important thing that I carry with me is the community,” Chitgopkar said…

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Noted and Quoted, April 2023

Weather and climate, baseball, ghosting, and Tupperware were some of the subjects Franklin faculty colleagues discussed and wrote about over the course of April. A sample of the many news stories and research reporting that appeared in media around the world:   The U.S. leads the world in weather catastrophes. Here’s why – Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor, quoted widely by AP News, …

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Kudos, April 2023

Honors Week, the Franklin Faculty Awards reception, Guggenheim Fellows, and Goldwater Scholars are among the Franklin College students, staff, and faculty achievements that took center stage during April. A sample of the excellence and accomplishments of our colleagues across the College: Tessa Andrews, associate professor of genetics, is one of four faculty members the University of Georgia honored with its highest accolade for…

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UGA professor narrates a new 20-episode lecture series 

More than a year in the making, a new lecture series featuring University of Georgia faculty member Suzanne Pilaar Birch "Early Humans: Ice, Stone, and Survival" is now streaming on Wondrium. The 20-episode series tells the story of humanity's journey from our earliest origins in Africa to the emergence of agriculture, examines the role of climate and environmental change in driving these transitions, and how archaeological science is helping us…

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UGA writing center receives major gift

The University of Georgia Writing Center is being renamed for Jill and Marvin Willis III.  Housed under the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences in Park Hall, the Writing Center is now known as the Jill and Marvin Willis Center for Writing in recognition of their $1 million gift. “From the moment I met Jill, I sensed her generosity of spirit and her sincere interest in the work we do to support writers,” said Rebecca…

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UGA Green Labs leads the charge in lab sustainability

The UGA Office of Sustainability has a strong impact on our Campus – and not just for Earth Day, but definitely that, too. From the Composting Program in our buildings to Bulldog Bike share to the many initiatives that advance sustainability on campus and in the community, developing student leaders on and around the issue of environmental sustainability is crucial for today as well critical for tomorrow. In that vein, UGA’s Green Lab…

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Professor helps students make sense of complicated histories

In his fifth year at UGA, Timothy Yang teaches history to help students make sense of subjects that may first appear too foreign or complex to understand. Trained as a historian of modern Japan, he teaches a broad range of courses about East Asia that emphasize connections and commonalities as well as global trends. One example is his approach to teaching complex topics like the history of capitalism. “Scholars commonly think…

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National Poetry Month

Athens Poet Laureate – and lecturer in the department of English – Jeff Fallis leads celebrations of National Poetry Month on campus, in the community, and on the phone. Fallis, a University of Georgia Franklin College instructor, is in the second year of his two-year term as Athens Poet Laureate, a position funded by the Athens Cultural Affairs Commission. Through his office and events planned throughout April, Fallis hopes to provide…

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Outstanding Advisor Award Winners

Four University of Georgia academic advisors have received 2022-2023 Outstanding Undergraduate Academic Advising Awards. The winners, including Yadira Castillo and Kestrina Shrestha from the Franklin College Office of Student Academic Services, were nominated by their Dean's Office and selected by a committee of three student representatives from SGA, along with previous advisor award winners. Yadira Castillo, academic advisor for…

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Who Black women can love: judgments of others affect relationships with white men

New research from the University of Georgia describes how Black women in interracial relationships with white men perceive experiencing varying treatment due to expectations of who Black women should date and marry. Despite examples of high-profile, interracial relationships, perceived reactions to people with double minority status (Black women) and a double majority status partner (white men), can lead the former to have the validity of their…

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Franklin OIT Web Team wins Best in WebOps Award

Pantheon selected the Franklin College Office of Information Technology's Web Services Team as The Best in WebOps team for 2023. This award celebrates high-performing brand or agency web teams that have produced extraordinary websites and embrace the core principles of WebOps. These teams thrive on collaboration, and they are shining examples of results-oriented website strategy, design, development, and execution. They were chosen by an…

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Two UGA faculty awarded Guggenheim Fellowships

Two University of Georgia faculty members are among 171 scientists, writers, scholars and artists honored across 48 fields by the Board of Trustees of the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation with 2023 Guggenheim Fellowships. Guggenheim Fellowships are awarded annually to those “who have demonstrated exceptional capacity for productive scholarship or exceptional creative ability in the arts.” Andrew Herod, Distinguished Research…

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Developing future rural leaders through PROPEL

Our colleagues in the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach share the inspiring story of how UGA students from across campus explore the needs of rural Georgia communities through the the PROPEL Rural Scholars program: UGA students are learning about economic drivers in rural Georgia — and why they matter to the state as a whole — as scholars in PROPEL, a unique program led by the University of Georgia’…

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Andrews among four UGA faculty members named Meigs Professors

The University of Georgia has honored four faculty members with its highest accolade for teaching, the Josiah Meigs Distinguished Professorship. The Meigs Professorship underscores the university’s commitment to excellence in teaching, the value placed on student learning experiences and the central role instruction plays in the university’s mission. The 2022-23 Meigs Professors are: Tessa Andrews, associate professor of genetics in the…

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Noted and Quoted, March 2023

Franklin College faculty expertise, opinion, and research were published across a variety of global media during March. A few examples of the news fit for print and pixels:   So what are UAPs? And can we trust the government to tell us if it knows? Stephen Mihm, professor and head of the department of history writing in his column at the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette  Protective parenting may help your kids avoid health problems as…

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Dawg Day of Giving 2023

For 24 hours, we're #CallingAllDawgs to make a gift of any size to any area of UGA. With your gift, you join fellow Bulldogs around the world in helping turn one day of giving into a lifetime of opportunities for UGA students. Every gift counts and gets us one step closer to reaching our goal of 10,000 gifts by midnight tonight! Join Bulldogs everywhere who are answering the call. Are you a student graduating in 2023? Click…

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Kudos, March 2023

Career excellence from our colleagues, students, and alumni decorate our March kudos with accomplishments, a world premiere, and awards for distinction. Among the recent awards news:   Yadira Castillo, academic advisor for the Microbiology Dept. and in Biology, is the recipient of the 2023 UGA Outstanding Academic Advisor Award and will now go forward as UGA’s nominee for the national NACADA Outstanding Academic Advisor Award Kestrina…

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Listening as reading

Jamie Kreiner, professor of history and associate dean in the Franklin College, describes in her new book, “The Wandering Mind,” how monks of Late Antiquity and the early Middle Ages (around A.D. 300 to 900) struggled with focusing their attention. The highly-acclaimed book has just been introduced in an audio format, which brings the author and her subject full circle. Kreiner relates the experience in this Q & A.   Alan…

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English faculty member receives UGA Award for Excellence in Teaching

Nancee Reeves, senior lecturer in the department of English in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has received the 2023 University of Georgia Award for Excellence in Teaching. The award was established in 2021 based on a recommendation from the UGA Teaching Academy. It recognizes teaching faculty who exemplify the university’s teaching mission by offering outstanding instruction, promoting innovation and providing an engaging environment…

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Bensasson uses yeast to unlock life’s greatest mysteries

What comes to mind when you think of yeast? To a baker, it might mean the ability to make their dough rise. A brewmaster might associate it with the fermentation of beer and wine. Many others may associate these types of fungus with one dreaded infection or another. Yeast serves many functions. For the University of Georgia’s Douda Bensasson, it’s all of these—and more. An associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts & Science’s…

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What a preprint is – and why that matters

New research from the University of Georgia suggests most people don’t understand the difference between a preprint and a published academic journal article. Preprints are research papers that haven’t undergone peer review, the process by which studies’ findings are validated by experts who weren’t involved with the research themselves. The study found the majority of readers have little to no understanding of what a preprint…
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