Tags: Human Nature

man outside with tree
Improving public health messaging on hot car deaths

Critical new findings urge better messaging about the dangers of leaving children in hot cars: Each year, dozens of young children die after being locked in a hot car, but new research from the University of Georgia's department of geography shows that most parents don't believe it could happen to them. Their findings, published recently in the journal Injury Prevention, could help improve public health messaging and prevent more deaths.…

woman with bridge
UGA Fulbright awards for 2017-2018

Congratulations to the Franklin College students and alumni who were awarded Fulbright awards to research, study and teach abroad: 10 University of Georgia students and alumni were offered grants to take their research and teaching to a global level through the Fulbright U.S. Student Program. This marks the fourth straight year-and eighth time in the past nine years-that UGA has achieved a double-digit number of Fulbright offers. Of the 10, six…

woman in lab with fish tank
CUREnet will expand undergraduate research experiences

Despite a nationwide emphasis on increasing the number of students entering science, technology, engineering and math fields, many leave the disciplines within their first two years. Now a group of institutions led by the University of Georgia will spearhead a new phase of development of a national network to support integration of research experiences into undergraduate life science lab courses. The network, called "Course-based Undergraduate…

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Willson Center celebrates 30th anniversary

"These thinkers are at the leading edge of research and innovation worldwide, and their enthusiasm to join us for the launch of the Willson Center's 30th anniversary shows how highly our humanities and arts programs are regarded globally," Allen said. "History, music, literature, dance, philosophy, art—all are critical to our university, our society and our economy. Congratulations to the Willson Center, an important source of ongoing support…

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OTAS - helping transfer students adjust

"Their difficulties have various sources—personal issues, learning styles, time management issues, choice of major—but whatever the nature of the challenge, OTAS works to help them identify the cause and find a solution that will put them on track for graduation," said Diane Miller, director of the Office of Student Academic Services in the Franklin College. It's a common refrain, but the university is practically a small city unto itself, and…

UGA Football Stadium
The 2017 Georgia Bulldogs

  It's that time again - the University of Georgia Bulldogs open up the 2017 football season this weekend at Sanford Stadium against Appalachian State University. We send our best wishes for a great season to every player, coach and staff member on the team, and especially all the Franklin College student-athletes who will take the field tomorrow - Sony Michel (communication studies), Lorenzo Carter (psychology), Jonathan Ledbetter (biology…

Marvel comics photo wall mural
Professor shares the cultural power of comic books

Associate professor of English Christopher Pizzino specializes in contemporary American literature, with teaching and research interests that include comics and graphic narratives, science fiction and theory of the novel. His book Arresting Development: Comics at the Boundaries of Literature was published by the University of Texas Press in 2016. In this recent interview about the book, he digresses on the question of whether…

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Amazing Student: Mallory Harris

Goldwater Scholar Mallory Harris (Mathematics and Computational Biology; Interdisciplinary Writing Certificate; Spanish Minor) selected UGA because it provides access to a “phenomenal education and enriching experiences": My most vivid memories from orientation weekend are of eating the best portobello burger I’ve ever had and my mom’s sobbing while standing in front of the other parents trying to videotape us calling the Dawgs. Since…

man with library shelves and books
Amazing Student: Nicholas Twiner

Linguistics, Classical Languages, and Classical Culture major Nicholas Twiner has discovered his opportunities to get involved, participate in research and explore his passions: Academically, the University of Georgia has empowered me to achieve more than I thought I would. Research through the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities has been such an important part of my academic career. It has pushed me to understand and…

woman in lab with injector
Jenkins awarded HHMI Fellowship

Doctoral candidate and graduate research assistant in the department of genetics Brittany Jenkins has been awarded one of 39 Gilliam Fellowships by the Howard Hughes Medical Institute: The Howard Hughes Medical Institute has selected 39 new Gilliam fellows, exceptional doctoral students who have the potential to be leaders in their fields and the desire to advance diversity and inclusion in the sciences. ... “The Gilliam fellows are outstanding…

cyber graphic with lock
Cyber Defense Research Excellence

Congratulations to faculty in the department of computer science, who have spearheaded efforts that led to UGA being named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research, a designation that underscores the role the university plays in advancing technology, policy and practices that strengthen America's cyber defense capabilities. UGA is one of just 71 institutions nationwide to hold this joint National Security Agency/…

capuchin monkeys with tools
Kudos, August 2017

A new collaboration on microbial ecosystems, the summer program in public history, and Write@UGA were just some of the news worth crowing about this summer. A few more awards and news items worthy of congratulations: UGA researchers report report milestone in global fight against a major cause of diarrheal disease – research by Distinguished Research Professor of Cellular Biology Boris Striepen, Sumiti Vinayak Researchers return to the Gulf of…

algae bloom photo from space
Noted and Quoted, summer 2017

Algal blooms, Waffle House eclipse-viewing, food insecurity, Planet of the Apes, work-life conflicts and many more stories, Franklin College faculty kept a full schedule in media across the globe this summer. Here's a sampling: Assistant professor of geography Jerry Shannon creates map of Waffle House restaurants to watch the solar eclipse from – AJC, R&B, WSB, Q & A in the Chronicle of Higher Education Science says: Trump team garbles…

map of great lakes region
Iroquois: Population Dispersal and Signaling Networks

inquiry for decades. Social network analysis presented here indicates that sites from Jefferson County, New York at the head of the St. Lawrence River controlled flow within regional signaling networks during the fifteenth century A.D. The simulated removal of this group of sites from the networks results in greater network fragmentation. Centrality measures indicate that Jefferson County sites acted as bridges between New York and Ontario…

montage pf laboratory photos with people
UGA research expenditures hit all-time high

Remarkable growth in extramural funding to the university has led to an all-time high of $458 million in research expenditures for fiscal year 2017: Externally funded research activity has climbed 37 percent over the past three years to $198 million in fiscal year 2017. "This tremendous growth in productivity reflects the unyielding commitment of UGA faculty to solve the important challenges of our time," said President Jere W.…

ball and stick model of protein
Researchers describe protein previously unknown in biology

Research sheds new light on process of iron storage in microorganisms University of Georgia researchers have discovered a new way that iron is stored in microorganisms, a finding that provides new insights into the fundamental nature of how biological systems work. The research was recently published in the journal Nature Communications. Iron, a metal that is required by all living organisms, is usually stored with oxygen inside a cell in a…

monkeys with rock tools
The Culture of Learning

A provocative new study from psychology researchers published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that practicing with others shapes not only what monkeys learn, but also how they learn: Culture extends biology in that the setting of development shapes the traditions that individuals learn, and over time, traditions evolve as occasional variations are learned by others. In humans,…

photo of GORILLA IN THE JUNGLE
Anthropology professor helps Hollywood get 'Apes' right

A rare story combining social science scholarship and the entertainment industry brings anthropology professor Roberta Salmi to the movies: Recordings of gorilla sounds are extremely rare, so sounds used in the entertainment industry are generally not obtained from actual gorillas. In films, they are usually portrayed as screaming, aggressive beasts, when they are actually the opposite. For this summer's blockbuster "War for the Planet of the…

man in marsh, photo
Alexander named director of Skidaway Institute of Oceanography

Marine sciences professor Clark Alexander has been named director of the University of Georgia Skidaway Institute of Oceanography: [Alexander] has served as interim director of the Skidaway Institute for the past year. As director of the Skidaway Institute, he will continue to oversee its personnel, budgets and facilities and report to the Office of the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost. "The Skidaway Institute of…

graphic with text and radar
The science of rain delays

Spatio-temporal rainfall patterns around Atlanta, Georgia and possible relationships to urban land cover. Great stuff. Baseball fans (and teams) are weather watchers comparable perhaps only to farmers. This new work builds on the urban heat island phenomenon Shepherd has published on previously, and like the best science, may help the public make sense out of a puzzling situation.  

photo of woman with olympic medals
40 Under 40: Maritza McClendon

The first African American woman to earn a spot on the U.S. Olympic swim team, on which she won a silver medal in the 2004 games in Athens, Maritza McClendon rounds the Franklin College graduates in the 2017 class of the Alumni Association 40 Under 40: Born in Puerto Rico in 1981, Maritza Correia is the first black female swimmer to break an American record, setting new records in both the 50- and 100-yard freestyle events at the Women's NCAA…

students in a classroom, macbook foreground
Psychology Summer Institute

Students in the undergraduate psychology summer institute (UPSI) engage in activities and conversations to prepare them for a future in graduate school. While participating in workshops at Spelman College, Morehouse College, and the University of Georgia, participants have the chance to meet and make lasting connections with students and faculty who will provide the support and expertise needed to be successful in the program and thereafter. "…

students in a lab
Training & Development summer course offerings

Faculty and staff in the Franklin College update procedures and guidelines for their areas of responsibility on a near-constant basis just to keep up with challenges of serving our students in and out of the classroom, marking our day-to-day activities throughout the academic year. And yet professional development of faculty and staff is also a priority, so summer can be a great time to brush up on procedures or to learn completely new skills.…

pregnant woman with trowel
Travelling (and pregnant) with trowel

Great feature on anthropology professor Suzanne Pilaar Birch in The Guardian: This bunch of smiling, pregnant scientists, evidently glowing as much from the sheer exertion of hard work as from hormones was a surprising spectacle on Twitter. It was around the time tennis champion Serena Williams announced she was having a baby and the internet was buzzing with the news that she’d won the Australian Open while pregnant – without dropping a set. We…

bacteria with marine diatom
UGA joins collaboration on Theory of Microbial Ecosystems

The Simons Foundation has established a new collaboration investigating the mysteries of the microscopic communities that produce more than half of Earth’s oxygen, form the base of the marine food web and cycle nutrients through the ecosystem. The Simons Collaboration on Theory of Microbial Ecosystems, or THE-ME, will investigate how microbial ecosystems in the oceans form and function. The new collaboration will seek answers to three main…
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