News from the Chronicles - May 2017

drawing of circle with 5ths highlighted
The mathematics of music

There's a lot more to the arts and sciences than meets the eye, especially when the great artists or inventive scientsts combine the two to let us all see something beautiful: Physicist and saxophonist Stephon Alexander has argued in his many public lectures and his book The Jazz of Physics that Albert Einstein and John Coltrane had quite a lot in common. Alexander in particular draws our attention to the so-called “Coltrane…

photo of quantum computing mixing chamber
UGA to host Quantum Computing workshop May 18-19

To learn more and to register for the conference, visit https://www.physast.uga.edu/workshops/southeast-quantum-computing-2017/. The significance of hosting the workshop at UGA highlights the decades of work by the Center for Simulational Physics, which envisioned the wide use of computers in scientific research that we see today. Though it seems an obvious observation today, that is only a matter of technological advancement and…


Researchers publish breakthrough in reversing leukemia

Today in the journal Nature, a UGA research team led by Takahiro Ito published important new work that identifies a new drug target for the two most common types of myeloid leukemia, including a way to turn back the most aggressive form of the disease: By blocking a protein called BCAT1, the researchers were able to stop cancer cell growth in mice and human blood samples from leukemia patients. The BCAT1 protein activates the metabolism of a…

pie chart with words and colors
Genetics Training Grant renewed for the 41st year by NIH

Congratulations to the doctoral training program in genetics, which recently received a renewal of its funding from the National Institutes of Health for the 41st consecutive year. The training grants enable institutions to make National Research Service Awards to individuals selected by them for predoctoral and postdoctoral research training in specified shortage areas. In its 41st year, the genetics graduate program is one…

two men in a lobby with medals
Hodgson School alums win gold, silver in Fischoff Competition

Two alumni from the Hugh Hodgson School of Music were part of quartets which won gold and silver medals at the recent 2017 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition: Gabriel Pique (B. Mus. - Saxophone ’15), of Fuego Quartet, and Brandon Quarles (B. Mus. - Saxophone ’15), of ~Nois, were named gold and silver medal winners, respectively, in the Senior Wind Division.  “This is a marvelous accomplishment for these alumni and for the…


Renovations to Russell Hall

While campus may seem quiet, with less students and faculty here for classes, there's one endeavor that picks up steam during the summer months. Each summer, a number of renovation and construction projects become priority on campus. Today, one such progress has begun--the renovation of Russell Hall. This 10-story, high-rise building first housed students in 1967 and is one of many dorms over the last few years to be scheduled for…


Professor in Profile: Claudio Saunt

  The University of Georgia website features a short written profile and video of Richard B. Russell Professor in American History Claudio Saunt. Saunt, who's been featured on the Chronicles many times, is known for his interest in early American, Native American and digital history. His digital projects, which give many people outside of academic access to interactive historical perspectives, has helped him make his mark.   He is…

field of sunflowers
First sunflower genome sequence

They follow the sun's path throughout the day - hence their name in the Romance languages - and this news about the sunflower genome turns our attention to a new paper in Nature: [UGA] researchers are part of an international team that has published the first sunflower genome sequence. This new resource will assist future research programs using genetic tools to improve crop resilience and oil production. They published their findings today in…

photo of hot springs
Researchers model cues guiding cell behavior

A diverse set of physical and chemical cues act upon individual cells to ensure coordinated multicellular behavior. Using the bacterium Myxococcus xanthus, a team led by University of Georgia and Rice University researchers has devised a data-driven model of the mechanisms that guide elaborate self-organization at the cellular level. The research, published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, provides a blueprint for…

group photo of women in lab
Small Satellite lab hosts Women in Technology workshop

The Small Satellite Research Laboratory hosted a Women in Technology Workshop for young women from Madison County Middle School on Monday May 22. The workshop was directed by SSRL members David L Cotten (Assistant Research Scientist, Center for Geospatial Research (CGR) in Geography), Paige Copenhaver (Undergraduate, Physics and Astronomy), Natalie Davis (Undergraduate, Computer Systems Engineering), Sydney Whilden (Undergraduate, Physics and…

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