Tags: Human Nature

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Research opens up new revelations about Ancient Greece

Thanks to trade and colonization, 1st millennium BCE Mediterranean was characterized by an unprecedented increase human mobility. New anthropology research co-led by the University of Georgia on the diverse genetic origins of the Classical period Greek army reveals a broad mix of ethnic identity within Greece and throughout the region – as well as the use of mercenaries in battle. Accounts by ancient historians Herodotus and Diodorus…

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UGA project helps veterans with mental health

Consistent findings reveal that veterans are passionate about helping other veterans and their families; however, these same veterans don’t always feel comfortable helping themselves, said University of Georgia researcher Brian Bauer, who has developed a platform that will enable vets to help each other. Bauer was recently awarded $250,000 by Mission Daybreak, a part of the U.S. Department of Veteran Affairs’10-year strategy to end veteran…

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Lemons, Shaffer among 2022-2023 Women's Leadership Fellows

The University of Georgia has named nine faculty and academic leaders to the 2022-2023 class of the university’s Women’s Leadership Fellows Program, including Franklin College faculty members Paula Lemons and Anne Shaffer. UGA established the program in 2015 as part of its Women’s Leadership Initiative to provide a select group of current faculty and administrators with an opportunity to develop leadership skills while gaining a deeper…

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UGA’s Guggenheim fellows - the history trio

What does it take to become a Guggenheim fellow? A big idea. Boldness coupled with humility. A keen awareness of just how much time the project will require. And an unwavering curiosity about what it means to be a citizen of our world. Since 2019, the Department of History in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences has seen three faculty members awarded fellowships from the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation.…

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Noted and quoted, September 2022

A new naming system for microbes, Greenland's zombie ice, a Finnish scholar on a American history, and tributes to a beloved campus colleague and friend lead Franklin College media mentions and experts During September: Greenland ‘zombie ice’ an ominous warning for future, new study finds – Tom Mote, Distinguished research Professor of geography and associate dean, quoted at Yahoo! News Jackson’s water crisis – A stark warning about…

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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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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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“Women of Letters” launches a bilingual collection of poetry, Raízes: Brazilian Women Poets in Translation

The U.S. Chapter of “Women of Letters” (Mulherio das Letras), an all-women literary collective, launched a bilingual collection of poetry, Raízes: Brazilian Women Poets in Translation. Published by Venas Abiertas, and edited by UGA department of Romance Languages faculty members Cecília Paiva Ximenes Rodrigues and Cris Lira, Raízes brings together poems by forty-seven Brazilian writers of different identities and reveals the…

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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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Ghost in the cell

UGA’s Audrey Ward won Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory’s Yeast Microscopy Competition in the category of Best Special Effects and Editing with “Ghost in the Cell,” this spectral shot of Saccharomyces cerevisiae. To create the image, she and Yee Mon Thu of Colby College used calcofluor-white staining of the cell wall of the yeast species, which has been used in winemaking, baking and brewing since antiquity. Ward edited the final…

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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.…

pictorial diagram of fern leaf parts and sections, with text on white
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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Conservation is the future

On campus, as well as elsewhere. The University of Georgia report on its operational sustainability and energy conservation reveals some notable findings. Despite adding over 500,000 square feet of conditioned space, including I-STEM Research Building 1, the Butts-Mehre Heritage Hall Expansion and the Porcelain and Decorative Arts Museum, Discovery and Inspiration Garden, overall campus energy consumption increased only…

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Welcome, Class of 2026

Over the weekend, the majority of nearly 8,700 student residents moved into their on-campus homes – including UGA's largest freshman class ever.  More than 6,200 new first-year students start classes at UGA Aug. 17, selected from a record number of nearly 40,000 applications. The annual return of students to campus is a significant undertaking, with hundreds of faculty and staff volunteering with Hunker Down with Housing to…

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Archaeologists collaborate with Tribal Nations to hone research methods

University of Georgia researchers recently co-authored an article with members of the Muscogee and Huron-Wendat Nations (HWN) to shine a light on the importance of meaningful collaboration between archaeologists and descendant communities and nations as a necessary component of archaeological practice in the 2020s and beyond. Jennifer Birch, associate professor and undergraduate coordinator in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and…

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Mandela Fellows: six weeks at UGA

The University of Georgia recently hosted 25 of Africa’s bright, emerging civic engagement leaders for a six-week Leadership Institute, sponsored by the U.S. Department of State. The Mandela Washington Fellowship, the flagship program of the Young African Leaders Initiative (YALI), empowers young African leaders through academic coursework, leadership training, mentoring, networking, professional opportunities and local community engagement…

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40 Under 40: Brendan Murphy

Cobb County Chief Magistrate Judge Brendan Murphy, Double A.B. Dawg and Franklin Residential College resident, used his UGA experience to begin a legal career and move through the Solicitor General and Attorney General offices, a public service career already well worthy of of the 2022 class of the 40 Under 40. Professional Experience Started legal career at a Marietta law firm that counseled school districts—including Cobb County and…

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40 Under 40: Candace Alynn Hill Duvernay

Clayton County Magistrate Court Judge Candace Alynn Hill Duvernay (A.B. '06) majored in English with a minor in Sociology before moving on to the UGA School of Law. The Managing Partner of Hill Duvernay and Associates, Judge Duvernay leads a team of dynamic women attorneys who handle cases throughout the Metropolitan Atlanta Area. With a heart for service and a passion for the community, Judge Duvernay is also a member of the 2022…

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40 Under 40: Latasha Barnes

What can't you do with an A.B. degree? Lawyer and Municipal Court Judge Latasha V. Barnes, double major in political science (A.B '05) and history (A.B. '05), created her path to making a difference, earning a place on the 2020 Bulldog 100 list of fastest growing businesses and a member of the 2022 class of the 40 Under 40: Admitted to practice law in Georgia in 2010 and started her career as a prosecutor in Fulton County State Court in…

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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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40 Under 40: Maria Augutis

Recruited to compete for the UGA Track and Field team, Double Dawg avant le mot Maria Augutis thought she would be homesick for Sweden. But her time at UGA and the Franklin College turned into the best years of her life – producing two degrees and an SEC championship in the triple jump. Today,  the Swedish Television & StormGeo Meteorologist is helping modernize global weather forecasting from Sweden. Other career highlights include:…

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40 Under 40: AdeSubomi Adeyemo

The University of Georgia Alumni Association has unveiled the 40 Under 40 Class of 2022. This year’s outstanding group includes six alumni from the Franklin College, that will profile individually, beginning today with AdeSubomi Adeyemo, Epidemic Intelligence Service Officer U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Adeyemo (B.S. '11) is a triple dawg, the first individual to complete the dual doctor of pharmacy and…

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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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