News from the Chronicles - July 2015

freshwater wetland photo
Methane emissions

And speaking of the need to protect pristine areas, some that might not be thought of as necessarily pristine also deserve greater consideration of their important functions as natural areas. This new study emphasizes methane sinks that need to be better understood: Though they occupy a small fraction of the Earth's surface, freshwater wetlands are the largest natural source of methane going into the atmosphere. New research from the University…

American Flag
American Independence Day

It was on this date in history, July 2, 1776, that the Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain. Thomas Jefferson wrote the first draft of the Declaration of Independence in June 1776. The Declaration was not delivered to Great Britain until November of that year. The document was signed on August 2, 1776. But on July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress approved the final wording of the Declaration of Independence. They'd…

man, at stadium
Amazing student: Colton Fowlkes

We talk often (and hear even more) about high school students' involvement in a range of activities beyond the classroom, and how this can make them more attractive applicants in the selective college admissions process. But what about after they are admitted and become university students? Are extra-curricular activites still important? Is having fun while you're making a difference important? Double-major in psychology and biology Colton…

flag with pole
Cobb in TIME

Spalding Distinguished Professor of History James Cobb takes to the pages of TIME magazine (via Zocalo Public Square, a not-for-profit Ideas Exchange that blends live events and humanities journalism) to discuss the issues surrounding the removal of the confederate flag: In South Carolina, that flag might still be flying atop the state capitol had a torrent of threatened economic and tourist boycotts and pressure from the state’s…

building with trees
Croatia Study Abroad

UGA study abroad programs never cease to amaze. The Croatia program is a three-week Maymester in Croatia, one of the gems of Central Europe. Now in its 10th year, the program has had over 200 students visit the country. Croatia's rich culture coupled with crystal-clear sea, beautiful islands, countless beaches and harbors, unspoiled villages, mountains, vineyards, Roman ruins, medieval towns and baroque cities provide immersion in cultural…

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Athens Science Café

Billed as conversations not lectures, science cafés are meetings held in places like coffee houses, pubs and community centers where everyday people come together and learn about a variety of topics from professional scientists. Tonight, July 9 is the next meeting, and it couldn't be timed better: the science of ice cream. It’s summer in Athens and what screams “summer” more than incessant heat and 100% humidity levels? ICE CREAM! The Athens…

sun set over water
The Climate for Climate News

Whatever the curent state of the art on presenting/denying/affirming the realities and consequences of a changing global climate, UGA and Franklin College scholars have long been a trustworthy source of expertise on the subject. And it is a complex subject, which is why it calls for scholarship from such a wide range of fields from marine sciences to geography and atmospheric sciences to microbiology, forestry, ecology and the biological…

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Social Media and Informal Learning

An interesting new study highlighted on the CHE blog, Wired Campus, expands on the expanding reality of the impacts of social media on informed discussions within and beyond the classroom: In a paper released on Monday, Christine Greenhow, an assistant professor of education at Michigan State University, argues that using informal social-media settings to carry on debates about science can help students refine their argumentative skills,…

city scape with graphics
UGA in LA

Our California-based alums, and we have a lot of them, are in the spotlight this week as the university holds alumni events in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Today, it's LA: Alumni, friends and parents are invited to join President Morehead and others including faculty and staff from Franklin at a reception at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills, details at the link. Should be fun. And the S.F. on Thursday. The Arch stretches across the country,…

earth photo from space
The Earth as a Battery

Analogies can be highly effective expressions of a point that seems to go missing and/or is very difficult to understand - take the point, for example, that the Earth's resources are indeed exhaustible and need to be conserved, protected, enhanced and replenished: "You can think of the Earth like a battery that has been charged very slowly over billions of years," said the study's lead author, John Schramski, an associate professor in UGA's…

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