News from the Chronicles - May 2016

micro-organisms on black
Understanding the microbiomes

The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy hosted a May 13 event on microbiomes—communities of microorganisms that live on and in people, plants, soil, oceans and the atmosphere—featuring presentations from four scientists including UGA's Samantha Joye: Microbiomes maintain the healthy function of ecosystems, influencing diverse features of the planet from human health to climate change and food security. During the event, the…

young woman outdoors
Tucker awarded Pickering Scholarship

Congratulations to UGA Honors student Valerie Tucker, who has been awarded a Thomas R. Pickering Foreign Affairs Fellowship for students interested in careers in the U.S. Department of State Foreign Service: As a Pickering Fellow, Tucker will receive a scholarship of up to $37,500 annually for tuition and other expenses for her senior year of undergraduate studies as well as for her first year enrolled in a master's degree program. Tucker,…

Abbey Road redux
Franklin associate deans to release new album

Jackson Street - an instant classic. Okay so maybe the album isn't quite finished yet, and it will of course feature the fifth associate dean, Dr. Hugh Ruppersburg. From left to right above, Dr. Russell Malmberg, Dr. Noel Fallows, Dr. Kecia Thomas, and Dr. Charles Kutal. Dr. Malmberg is a member of the plant biology department and has an adjunct appointment in the genetics department. As associate dean of the Franklin College, Russell…

oil sheen on water from the air
UGA team travels to Gulf of Mexico to investigate May 12 oil spill

Marine scientist Samantha Joye organized a rapid response research cruise to assess the impact of a crude oil spill approximately 90 miles south of Timbalier Island, Louisiana: The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the spill reportedly discharged from a Shell subsea wellhead flow line on May 12. "Our goal for this response mission is to document the distribution of oil in the water column, to characterize the hydrocarbons and to assess the fate of…

cap with sunset
Friends. Family. Learning. Integrity. The Arts.

The Arts. Take the opportunity, at any place and time, to tell your family and friends and co-workers and strangers you meet on the street, especially the politicians who govern this state and nation, and the administrators who run this university, about the importance of the arts and of your degree in Theatre and Film.  Don’t let anyone tell you that your degree didn’t teach you work skills.  You’ve got work skills.  You’ve also…

flowering plant close-up
How plants respond to climate change

Jill Anderson, an assistant professor of genetics, has received a $1.1 million grant from the National Science Foundation Early Career Development Program to study the effects of climate change on plants. Among the NSF's most prestigious, CAREER awards support junior faculty who exemplify the role of teacher-scholar and the integration of education and research: Anderson's project tests whether plants will be able to survive on a warming…

student computer illustration
Laptops in the classroom

A Washington Post article notes a West Point study that using laptops during class harms smart students even worse than others. But how does computing in class affect learning, the classroom dynamic, the professor's engagement? Anyone can get distracted by distracted people: Now there is an answer, thanks to a big, new experiment from economists at West Point, who randomly banned computers from some sections of a popular economics…

red graphic with Staff thank you
Staff Appreciation Week

Several features of the 2015 event will be repeated this year, including the two bands Tropical Breeze Steel Band and the Back in Time Band. Fun for everyone. make sure to take time out of your day to come and enjoy the festivities. Image: 2016 Excellence in Service Award winners, from left: Emily Duggar, Sophia Flemming, Kristie Sartain, Andrea Barnett and Stuart Piazza.

browser window with magnifying glass
Climate Feedback

Not the feedback loop, but fact-checking media reports. In perhaps the next iteration of evaluating climate news and data, how trustworthy is the science you read about? A new group will track the accuracy of climate news to evaluate what's out there: Last week, Climate Feedback announced the Scientific Trust Tracker, a feature that will track news outlets’ accuracy on climate change, one scientist-reviewed story at a time. Right now,…

group photo in front of old large doors
UGA Portuguese Flagship Program

The first Portuguese program of its kind in the United States, the UGA Portuguese Flagship Program will receive approximately $3 million in additional funding from the U.S. Department of Defense's National Security Education Program to continue its mission: Students in the UGA Portuguese Flagship Program reach the highest levels of proficiency in Portuguese, a language growing in popularity and considered critical for U.S. interests. They…

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