News from the Chronicles - June 2013


Shepherd named Inaugural Athletic Assoc. Professor in the Social Sciences

It's easy to find news stories and analyses that feature the conflicts between athletics and academics on campus. Especially at big state universities where sports fuel a level of revenue and enthusiasm otherwise unknown on the quad, academics can be perceived as a second class pursuit even when they are our very reason to be. The UGA Athletic Association has taken steps over the years to re-enforce the teaching and research missions of the…


Defining the mix

Diversity on campus can be construed as a conundrum, wrapped around an enigma, especially when we approve the goals but are not quite convinced about the means to achieve them. Absent a clear acceptance of the policies to promote ethnic, socio-economic and/or geographical diversity among the student population, the goals and benefits thereof remain murky and mired in controversy. And there arise additional questions: how can a place be made at…


Land-grabbing in the 21st century

Resource exploitation was the very basis for colonialism, as well as the cause for much of the development of the modern world as we know it, for better and worse. The thirst for land and resources continues around the world, especially in Africa, and people must constantly adjust to, assess and hopefully learn from its repercussions: Sub-Saharan Africa has foreign investors flocking to buy its fertile land. Sometimes referred to as "land…


Storm-chasing and its effects on Meteorology

Geography professor and 2013 Russell Teaching Award recipient John Knox weighs in with some much needed context (and some much-needed chiding) on the deleterious effects of storm-chasing on the field of meteorology in a USA Today op-ed: Before the Twister effect, meteorology was a pretty sedate and obscure pursuit, a small department or program at only a few dozen universities. But the total market penetration of Twister changed everything. Some…


Scientists unravel complex machinery of cell function

Intriguing new work on the behavior of sugar molecules in the body, known as glycans, just published by UGA researchers. The research, startling in its breadth, is focused on the causes of a debilitating brain disease: These complex carbohydrate chains perform a host of vital functions, providing the necessary machinery for cells to communicate, replicate and survive. It stands to reason, then, that when something goes wrong with a person's…


Robinson named UGA Foundation Professor

2012-13 has been a banner year for chemistry professor Gregory Robinson, and now a new professorship has been offically added to his list of recent accolades: Gregory H. Robinson, Franklin Professor and Distinguished Research Professor of Chemistry at the University of Georgia, has been appointed the UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor in Chemistry. The special appointment was approved by the Board of Regents at its May 2013 meeting and will…


Broadcast awards for WUGA TV and radio

The Georgia Association of Broadcasters recognized two programs from WUGA television and radio at their annual GABBY Awards honors night: WUGA-FM and WUGA-TV, the radio and television stations at the University of Georgia, won statewide awards for excellence in broadcasting at the Georgia Association of Broadcasters Honors Night held June 7 in Atlanta. "High Shoals Drifter," an audio essay that airs weekly on WUGA-FM, received the award for Best…

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Spotlight on the Arts 2013

The UGA Spotlight on the Arts festival returns this fall for another week of events and performances to highlight the arts on campus: The University of Georgia will spotlight its arts programs and venues during a nine-day festival in November that includes concerts, theater and dance performances, art exhibitions, poetry readings, film festivals, discussions on the arts and creativity ... The festival will kick off on Nov. 7 with several evening…


First Honor Graduates

At commencement ceremonies on May 10, UGA recognized 13 students with the distinction of First Honor Graduate. Ranked in the top 1 percent of the 4,000-plus member class, these students have earned an outstanding achievement of maintaining perfect 4.0 cumulative grade point average throughout their undergraduate studies. Seven of the 13 are Franklin College students (now alums). Full list of names with images and hometown at the link.…


Alum ambassador event at Griffin

The UGA-Griffin campus is home to some great university and Franklin College programs, and allows UGA to serve more students from different parts of the state. In service of expanding these offerings, the Griffin campus is hosting an event with UGA alumni to encourage prospective students to learn about opportunities at the Griffin campus: [The] inaugural Alumni Ambassador Reception June 27 from 6:30-8 p.m., in the Student Learning Center in…

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