Noted and Quoted, November 2015

In new stories about history, art, climate, psychology and the environment, Franklin faculty provided key insights in media from around the world. A sample from the past month:

Examining Hurricane Patricia. Marshall Shepherd, professor of atmospheric sciences, was asked if the storm’s media coverage was over-hyped. “Are you kidding me? How can you over-hype a record-shattering hurricane, packing EF-5 tornado winds, and approaching a major country?” Articles filed in Vox.com, Washington Post and Mexico News Daily.

Different strokes: Artists debate value of college – R&B article quotes Chris Garvin, director of UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art

4 odd facts about rain – Forbes.com Marshall Shepherd, director of atmospheric sciences program and Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor, is a regular contributor to Forbes.com

What taking the temperature of 50 U.S. cities reveals. According to geography post-doc researcher Neil Debbage, “low-density cities form stronger heat islands in the winter, high-density cities in the summer,” reports NextCity.org.  

Article in Vantage on photography exhibition focused on data mentions work by assistant professor and area chair of photography in the Lamar Dood School of Art Marni Shindelman

Richard B. Russell Professor in American History at UGA Claudio Saunt speaks on the long-lasting impact of Georgia’s Indian removal – ArtsAtl.com

Chemical dispersant dumped on BP oil spill did not help microbes eat the oil, according to a UGA-led study. “The dispersants did a great job in that they got the oil off the surface. What you see is the dispersants didn’t ramp up biodegradation,” said UGA marine scientist Samantha Joye. Article files in The Atlantic, Associated Press, and UK Telegraph.

John Inscoe, University Professor and Albert B. Saye Professor of History at the University of Georgia, pens a guest column in the Saporta Report about autobiographical pieces that reflect diverse experiences. Inscoe also is the founding editor of the New Georgia Encyclopedia.

Miami deals with record heat – NBC 6 South Florida article mentions a UGA study about urban heat islands

Secrets of a small island – Hakai magazine article quotes Victor Thompson, associate professor of anthropology

Here’s why narcissism isn’t necessarily a bad thing, reports Huffington Post. “In our modern society, there are times you have to brag or toot your own horn,” said Keith Campbell, department head and professor of psychology

Can a new global map protect indigenous lands? – The Atlantic’s City Lab article quotes Claudio Saunt, Russell Professor of History and department head

How Pope Francis is changing the climate change conversation, writes Marshall Shepherd, at Forbes.com

Products used to clean up Gulf oil spill may have made things worse, study finds – Huffington Post article quotes study co-author Samantha Joye

Psychology researchers develop visual test to quickly check brain function quality. “The recent study focuses on using a simple test of visual flicker to evaluate an individual’s level of executive cognitive abilities,” report ScienceCodex.com and ScienceNewsline.com.

New cognitive function test may be able to detect early signs of Alzheimer’s. The team of UGA psychology researchers “devised a simple test intended to measure how fast we can visually process information,” reports Medical Daily.

Why is your Christmas tree so big? An ancient gift of extra genes – Sciencemag.com article quotes James Leebens-Mack, a UGA professor of plant biology