UGA Columns 2023 Honors & Awards

HONORS&AWARDS

Meigs Teaching Professors

Four faculty members were named Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professors for 2022-23. The professorship is the university’s highest recognition for instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Meigs Professors receive a permanent salary increase of $6,000 and a one-year discretionary fund of $1,000.

Associate Professor Department of Genetics

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Tessa Andrews relies on four key principles to help her students develop a deep, conceptual understanding of the material and hone their abilities as scientific thinkers, communicators and learners.

“I strive to enact these four principles in each lesson,” she said. “Doing so requires continuously improving my teaching by gathering feedback from students and leveraging research about teaching and learning.”

Professor

Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources College of Veterinary Medicine

Sonia Hernandez wants her students to get excited about what they’re learning.

“My teaching philosophy is one of teaching through leadership, not intimidation; of emphasizing cooperation, not competition; instilling confidence; promoting independent, critical thinking, while understanding that different people learn differently and

Professor

Department of Agricultural Leadership, Education and Communication College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Maria Navarro is known for her impact on students inside and outside the classroom.

“I view teaching as a means to improve the lives of both my students and all who they influence,” she said. “I enjoy mentoring undergraduate students who are committed to making a difference but are still searching for

Associate Professor Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics College of Family and Consumer Sciences

Kim Skobba supports her students’ success by creating conditions for learning and by building relationships with them.

“I seek to be a facilitator of learning in the classroom and provide opportunities to develop 21st-century skills, including leadership, creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking and communication literacy,” she said.

Distinguished Research Professors

The title of Distinguished Research Professor recognizes senior faculty members who are internationally recognized for their innovative body of work and its transformational impact on the field. The Professorship is awarded to individuals working at the very top of their discipline, who are recognized as preeminent leaders in their fields of study.

has co-authored seven books, producing collections of essays that have enabled and supported communities of practice.

eries involve the biosynthesis and roles of novel glycan molecules in the model organism Dictyostelium discoideum One of his contributions has been to describe that organism’s biochemical response pathway to altered oxygen levels, allowing it to respond to its environment’s available oxygen.

ogy in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is a researcher in the field of psychopathological impairment, specifically chopathy. Among his accomplishments is demonstrating that personality disorders are “built” from the same components found in “normal” personality but represent problematic configurations because of their extremity and inflexibility. His research helped lay the groundwork for changes in “Diagnostic He ters, an edited text on narcissism and a re-edited handbook on

Sonia Hernandez

Tessa Andrews

Maria Navarro

Kim Skobba

Chamberlain Smith

Andrew Davis Tucker

Peter Frey

Dorothy Kozlowski

Andrew Davis Tucker

Chamberlain Smith Robert Newcomb

Read more about Engaged Scholar Henry Young

2023 HONORS & AWARDS

University Professors

University Professors receive a permanent salary increase of $10,000 and yearly academic support of $5,000. Nominations from the deans of UGA’s schools and colleges are reviewed by a committee, which makes a recommendation to the provost.

John Maltese

Albert Berry Saye Professor of Political Science Associate Dean School of Public and International Affairs

Jean Martin-Williams

Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor Hugh Hodgson School of Music Associate Dean Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

ferences, published in a variety of media and performed worldwide with several ensembles, including in the Atlanta Symphony for a Grammy-winning CD.

“I look forward to continuing my contributions to the creative research of my discipline and advocating for inclusive opportunities for the next generation,” Martin-Williams said. “At the University of Georgia, I will continue to lead with intention by asking fruitful questions to elevate discussions to a new level and by building cohorts in a way that invites participation

Creative Research Medals

The university established the Creative Research Medals in 1980 to recognize a distinct and exceptional research or creative project,

Assaf Oshri, associate professor in the Department of Human Development and Family Science in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, researches the biopsychosocial mechanisms of resilience and risky behavior in children exposed to adversity. In more than 100 peer-reviewed articles, he seeks to understand how children and adolescents respond to different rearing environments, the developmental pathways toward and away from addiction and the emergence of resilience in youth. His research team has collected developmental, psychological, psychophysiological and brain imaging data for a longitudinal cohort study on more than 300 children, youth and their parents. His work has shown that children’s emotional regulation, their ability to modulate an emotion or set of emotions, is at the core of resilience to adversity. He has contributed knowledge and insights into the mechanisms of how chronic stressors (child maltreatment, poverty) become biologically embedded in the body’s reactions and make children and adolescents more vulnerable to engaging in risky behaviors that threaten their health and well-being.

Thirty years ago, eagles were found to be dying of a mysterious disease in the southeastern U.S. Susan Wilde, associate professor of aquatic science in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, led a team to investigate. Eventually they found a clue: invasive aquatic plants called hydrilla, which are abundant in the human-made lakes and reservoirs where affected eagles and other waterfowl were discovered. Working with agencies and other universities, Wilde’s team discovered a novel cyanobacteria harbored by hydrilla that produces a neurotoxin, now known as aetokthonotoxin, which was responsible for the vacuolar myelinopathy affecting birds of prey. More recently, working with collaborators in Germany, the team connected the final puzzle pieces: exposure of the cyanobacteria to bromide resulted in production of the deadly neurotoxin. The resulting paper, published in “Science,” was awarded the AAAS Newcomb Cleveland Prize in 2022. Through this interdisciplinary, career-defining project, Wilde helped solve a medical mystery decades in the making.

Peter Frey

Chamberlain Smith

Chamberlain Smith

Submitted photo

2023 HONORS & AWARDS

Established by the UGA Research Foundation, these awards recognize junior faculty whose research, creative and scholarly achievements indicate a trajectory toward an exceptional, sustained research career and an imminent rise to international stature in their field of study.

Michael F. Adams

Early Career Scholar Award

Nora C. Benedict, assistant professor of Spanish and digital humanities in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has attained prominence as a scholar of Latin American literature and culture while developing digital humanities research. Soon after arriving at UGA in 2019, she launched a digital humanities project to situate Latin American cultural production in an international context beyond the “southern cone” (Argentina, Chile, Uruguay). Her monograph, “Borges and the Literary Marketplace: How Editorial Practices Shaped Cosmopolitan Reading,” broadens understanding of Jorge Luis Borges. Her book delves deeper into his work in the publishing industry of Buenos Aires as a Spanish-language hub for print culture.

Lin Mu

Fred C. Davison

Early Career Scholar Award

Lin Mu, assistant professor in the Department of Mathematics in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, is a successful applied mathematician. She has published 77 research papers in journals of computational and applied mathematics with 2,273 Google citations and 1,254 MathSciNet citations. Mu’s research has shown both depth and breadth and already has had a profound impact, underpinning many models in sciences and engineering. She has made significant progress in several different areas of mathematics, including finite element methods, optimal control, a posteriori methods, multiscale modeling, domain decomposition methods, uncertainty quantification and model reduction methods.

Early Career Scholar Award

Emily Noble, assistant professor in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, has made advances in research on eating behavior, focusing on the neurobiology of food consumption, impulsivity, working memory, gut microbiota and obesity. She studies the bidirectional nature of the neural control of food intake, providing insights into how nutritional factors affect brain functions, including impacts on specific neural circuits. In published studies, she has addressed how diets high in saturated fat and sugar affect neurocognitive functioning. Her research on obesity and cognitive dysfunction has become a focal point in evolving understanding of obesity’s

Early Career Scholar Awards Creative Research Awards

Fred C. Davison

Early Career Scholar Award

Breeanna “Bree” Urbanowicz, assistant professor in the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center and the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, has made contributions to plant cell wall research. Urbanowicz synthesizes innovative, cuttingedge theories of how plants grow and develop and employs state-of-the-art techniques to address her biological questions. She uses a unique combination of plant molecular biology and biochemical analytical techniques, providing fundamental information on cell wall structure and synthesis. Studies from her lab have recently been published in major journals in her field.

These awards recognize established investigators whose overall scholarly body of work has had a major impact on the field of study and has established the investigator’s international reputation as a leader in the field.

Laboratory and Terrell Professor in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, has developed a research program in wildlife ecology and conservation. His approaches to the study of radioactive contamination in the environment and its effects as an ecological stressor have challenged assumptions about the status and health of wildlife in radiologically contaminated landscapes, leading to the discovery of abundant and diverse wildlife communities. Since 2014, he has served as the International Atomic Energy Agency’s wildlife adviser to the Fukushima Prefecture government in Japan in response to the 2011 tsunami and nuclear accident.

and infectious disease targets. He has also developed powerful informatics tools and deep learning models for the classification and analysis of glycosyltransferases, a large family of enzymes.

including pulmonary aspergillosis and invasive candidiasis. She holds patents for related technologies, and her work has led to the establishment of NXT Biologics, Inc.

, professor and head of the Department of Public Administration and Policy in the School of Public and International Affairs, has built a body of research addressing how work environments in government affect public employee attitudes and behaviors. His research is highly regarded for expanding the understanding of human motivation in public sector settings. Wright has united different streams of knowledge into a coherent whole, raising his profile as a scientist who explores new ways to study topics in his field.

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Emily Noble

Charles B. Knapp

Bree Urbanowicz

Chamberlain Smith

Submitted photo

Nora C. Benedict

Chamberlain Smith

Andrew Davis Tucker

Robert Newcomb

Andrew Davis Tucker Dorothy Kozlowski

2023 HONORS & AWARDS

research on plant cell walls (PCWs) led to a development of a molecular toolkit for PCW characterization that addresses a critical need in PCW research. Hahn, a professor of plant biology, has used this toolkit to develop a comprehensive experimental approach that allows for simultaneous identification and quantification of carbohydrates present in PCWs—critical information for understanding cell wall biology and optimizing PCW utilization. Hahn’s innovative, monoclonal antibodybased approach is faster and more efficient than prior methods requiring complex, time-consuming chemical analyses. Advanced knowledge of PCW composition enables the design of sustainable and economically viable processes appropriate for use with a specific biomass. Hahn’s invention has been applied to numerous plants. He has developed and licensed more than 100 monoclonal antibodies, including to companies specializing in reagents for plant, algal and bioenergy research. More than 30 commercial products have been derived from his research.

Public Service & Outreach

c service and outreach.

Walter Barnard Hill Fellow

Comparable to a distinguished professorship, the Walter Barnard Hill Fellow Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach is UGA’s highest award in public service and outreach.

Dr. Doris Miller College of Veterinary Medicine

is a professor and associate director of state governmental relations for the College of Veterinary Medicine, where she has served for more than 40 years.

She is nationally recognized as a leader in veterinary diagnostic and forensic pathology, the human-animal bond and responsible citizenship in regard to companion animal stewardship. She has received the highest recognitions for service from the UGA veterinary medicine program, the Georgia Veterinary Medical Association and the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians. She was the first woman elected to serve as president of the American Association of Veterinary Laboratory Diagnosticians, where she played a key role in the development of the National Animal Health Laboratory Network, the nation’s vital early warning system and guard against emerging and foreign animal diseases.

It was this program that proved critical to COVID-19 readiness in Georgia and the U.S., where veterinary diagnostic laboratories had to fill gaps in the country’s COVID-19 testing abilities. Not only did they provide essential animal disease diagnostics in Georgia throughout the pandemic, but they also provided crucial virus diagnostics, conducting more than 100,000 human COVID-19 PCR tests.

While her appointment is primarily service-related, with little or no teaching responsibility, Miller has taught forensic science and related subjects to veterinary students, post-DVM graduate students and residents, and undergraduates throughout her career. She has taught 196 courses in six colleges, schools and institutes at UGA and is currently teaching six courses. For the past eight years, she has taught a two-hour workshop for 50 to 60 high school students at UGA’s VETCAMP.

Since 2016, she has led 16 workshops on forensics and animal welfare for professionals throughout Georgia and in other states. As a result, she has trained generations of animal control officers, attorneys and shelter workers in the medical-legal aspects of forensic sciences.

Walter Barnard Hill Award

Four faculty members and service professionals are 2022-23 recipients of the Walter Barnard Hill Award for Distinguished Achievement in Public Service and Outreach. The award recognizes their contributions to the improvement of the quality of life in Georgia and beyond.

Charles Bargeron IV is a senior public service associate in the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources and director of the Center for Invasive Species and Ecosystem Health at UGA Tifton.

In this role, Bargeron developed and maintains a critical program that collects and disseminates information focused on invasive species, forest health, natural resources and agricultural management.

John Hulsey is a public service associate at the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, whose training courses have helped Georgia’s state and local leaders operate more effectively and efficiently and helped newly-elected leaders quickly learn their roles as government decision-makers.

By creating digestible content and providing relatable scenarios, class participants can immediately apply new knowledge and make an impact across state and local governments.

Carole Knight is a Cooperative Extension specialist for animal science programs.

Since joining UGA in 2006, Knight has focused on beef cattle and forage production, collaborating with the Georgia Cattlemen’s Association and the Georgia Beef Board to form the Georgia Beef Quality Assurance (BQA) program. The BQA program focuses on animal handling, correct use of health products, sustainable environmental practices and good record keeping.

As an assistant director with the Carl Vinson Institute of Government, Greg Wilson advances workforce and economic development initiatives that expand the reach and impact of UGA across Georgia. Wilson’s efforts in workforce development, economic analysis and applied demographic projects help state and local governments, regional organizations, school systems and economic development organizations throughout the state.

John Hulsey

Carole H. Knight

Greg Wilson

Shannah Montgomery

Submitted photo Shannah Montgomery Blane Marable Shannah Montgomery

2023 HONORS & AWARDS

ENGAGED SCHOLAR STAFF AWARD FOR EXCELLENCE

The Engaged Scholar Award recognizes a tenured associate or full professor who has made significant career-spanning contributions to the University of Georgia’s public service mission through scholarship, service-learning opportunities for students and campus leadership. The awardee receives a $5,000 faculty development grant to sustain current engaged scholar endeavors or to develop new ones.

Henry Young College of Pharmacy

As Kroger Professor and director of the Pharmaceutical Health Services, Outcomes and Policy program in the College of Pharmacy, Henry Young has built mutually beneficial alliances with faculty, students and communities that address critical challenges in rural Georgia and fulfill the mis sion of the land-grant university.

Since arriving at the University of Georgia in 2013, Young has embraced community-engaged research and scholarship to the benefit of Georgia communities, particularly those communities that are historically underserved. Much of Young’s outreach has taken place in communities that are part of the Archway Partnership, a unit of UGA Public Service and Outreach. Young has led 10 major multi-year projects in Archway communities, providing opportunities for meaningful experiential learning for students, faculty research, scholarship and grant funding.

In 2019, Young partnered with faculty in the School of Social Work and at Morehouse College to launch a telehealth program in Pulaski County, an Archway Partnership community, that would address health needs and concerns of African American men. The Fishers of Men program operates through local churches, with area residents trained to be Community Health Advocates using training modules developed by Young, his colleagues and graduate students.

The Public Service and Outreach Staff Award for Excellence acknowledges individuals for their exceptional job performance, workplace creativity and innovation and commitment to service. The honoree receives a certificate, a cash award and an engraved crystal memento.

Jack Aukland Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel

Jack Auckland is the event services department head at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education & Hotel. He and his staff are responsible for all room sets, audio-visual needs and technology re quired for conferences and events. During Auckland’s 27 years at the Georgia Center, he has demon strated his commitment to lifelong learning and his dedication to service. That service includes overseeing more than 10,000 events and setting and resetting close to 850,000 conference chairs in Mahler Hall.

Auckland was instrumental in helping the Georgia Center transition from in-person meetings to virtual ones and recover event revenue in the wake of the COVID19 pandemic. He developed a plan to use owl cameras, industry-leading smart cameras that create an engaging virtual meeting experience using a 360-degree camera, microphone and speaker.

Auckland later played a pivotal role in helping the Georgia Center adapt its event services model to include more hybrid events. Auckland worked closely with web designers and event managers to give the Georgia Center the virtual paths it needed to meet clients’ needs.

James Byars

Carl Vinson Institute of Government

James Byars is a sci entific computing profes sional specialist for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government. Since joining the institute in 2014, Byars has worked to create reli able, accessible data to sup port projections and plans for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget, the University System of Georgia and other partners.

Over the past five years, Byars has been key to producing annual projections for Georgia’s population by age, sex and race for the state’s 159 counties for the Governor’s Office of Planning and Budget. His role in refining and evaluating the computer algorithms for this data has produced more stable and accurate annual estimates. These projections are used to inform major infrastructure planning, from road and water systems to funding for schools and healthcare. Byars’ 2021 projections were only 0.11% off of the official census estimates for Georgia’s 2022 population.

One of the early products Byars helped develop was a data system and dataset that combined three families of USG data. Bringing the datasets together allowed the institute’s analytics team to develop innovative products and conduct research for the USG and its 26 institutions on student transfer patterns and changes in recruitment strategies.

Service-Learning Excellence Awards

Three outstanding University of Georgia faculty members have been recognized by the Office of Service-Learning with Service-Learning Excellence Awards. These awards recognize faculty for impactful service-learning instruction and for advancing service-learning scholarship.

Service-Learning Research Excellence Award

Jon Calabria, associate professor in the College of Environment and Design, connects his research with his servicelearning courses to benefit the community. Calabria’s research focuses on improving and restoring the environment through landscape architecture, and he has revamped and developed several courses using service-learning pedagogies to provide students with hands-on experiences in environmental enhancement in the Appalachians, Costa Rica and the Georgia coast. In addition to his research in landscape architecture, Calabria has researched the public’s attitude and behavior toward the topics of water quantity and quality. He is also part of UGA’s Faculty Learning Community on Service-Learning Scholarship and Research.

Service-Learning Teaching Excellence Award

Katie Darby Hein, clinical assistant professor in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavior in the College of Public Health, teaches multiple service-learning courses to prepare students for careers in health promotion. For nearly a decade, Hein’s service-learning course,“Foundations in Health Promotion Professional Practice and Service,” has placed students at sites around Athens-Clarke County to gain hands-on experience working with the community. Hein also helped develop a study abroad trip to Japan in which students worked with rural communities and gained valuable health promotion experience. As the undergraduate internship coordinator for her department, she has connected interns with nearly 200 organizations and companies in Georgia and beyond.

and sustainable housing. Her “Topics in Sustainable Housing” service-learning course teaches students to critically examine the effectiveness of green building in different environmental, economic and social contexts and connects students to local community partners such as the Athens Land Trust and Athens Habitat for Humanity. Skobba also co-developed FHCE 4900, “Green Building and the Tiny House Movement,” which allowed students to build a tiny house each semester.

Editor • Krista Richmond

Art Director • Jackie Baxter Roberts

Photo Editor • Dorothy Kozlowski The

“This week we celebrate the extraordinary achievements of the faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends of the University of Georgia. Congratulations to all of our deserving honorees, who inspire us through their talent, hard work and dedication to UGA’s teaching, research and service missions. Thank you for your significant contributions to our university and the world.”

—President Jere W. Morehead

Chamberlain Smith

Dorothy Kozlowski

Submitted photo

Submitted photo

2023

HONORS & AWARDS

Russell Awards

Three UGA faculty members received a Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. Russell Awards recognize outstanding teaching by faculty early in their academic careers. Award recipients receive $10,000. The Richard B. Russell Foundation in Atlanta supports the pr

Bohlen Associate Professor Department of Animal and Dairy Science College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences

Jillian Bohlen does what she can to kindle the flames of knowledge for her students.

“While my teaching methodologies are constantly adapting to match students and their needs, my philosophy surrounding teaching remains rooted in a simple phrase: ‘Just one little spark.’ In order to spark an active pursuit of the learning process, I just need a few, little sparks,” she said. “I must spark engagement, immersion and learning by doing. Together, this can light a fire of effective, purposeful and meaningful learning.”

To create that spark, Bohlen engages her students by fostering dynamic discussions and interactions, relating to them as individuals and demonstrating the meaningfulness of the information to their lives. She also facilitates active, purposeful learning and stays responsive to what her students need through regular evaluations. Additionally, she enhances the learning process through experiences that allow students to apply material, evaluate knowledge, problem solve and develop people skills. To that end, her students have attended more than 35 professional events under her mentorship.

All of those efforts ignite something in her students.

“Dr. Bohlen may not realize this, but creating an environment where we as students get to practice skills helps us feel more confident in our abilities, creates connections between the material as we complete labs

Krista Capps hopes her students leave her classroom with a better understanding of the world around them. A lifelong learner herself, she strives to instill a love of her field in her students, as well.

“My goal is to foster engaging and interactive learning experiences for students to enhance their understanding of the myriad ways their well-being and actions are connected to the environment,” she said. “My courses are designed to create supportive and inclusive learning environments that enhance critical thinking skills and generate excitement in environmental science.”

Capps generates those learning experiences by intentionally bringing a variety of voices into the classroom. She also finds ways to enhance data literacy, critical thinking and problem-solving skills through active learning activities, such as in-class response systems.

Service-learning opportunities allow Capps’ students to contribute to the well-being of others while applying and reflecting on course content in new ways. For example, in her urban ecology course, students were tasked to work with stakeholder groups in Atlanta to build the Watershed Learning Network, an online educational resource for people living in urban watersheds throughout the globe.

Her reach extends beyond the classroom. Capps has mentored 11 graduate students since 2016, including master’s and doctoral students from four different programs as well as 15 undergraduate students, in completing research projects and internships.

Gino D’Angelo sets an example for his students.

“Mentoring students has been one of the most enriching and important aspects of my career. I benefited from the advice of multiple people throughout my education, and as a young professional, I quickly realized that others needed the same guidance that I had received,” he said. “I try to act as an example to students by demonstrating ethics, compassion, professionalism and a link to the workforce.”

D’Angelo’s previous work as a practicing researcher and biologist gives him a unique perspective. He’s able to share invaluable real-world experience with his students, which in turn helps them gain the confidence to think independently and to communicate their thoughts with conviction.

Moreover, D’Angelo strives to provide a well-rounded education that promotes independent thinking, proficiency in written and oral communication, and contribution to society through responsible work. His instructional sessions are centered on establishing expectations for that session, stimulating thought, promoting participation and communication, and generating and maintaining respect for peers and the instructor. He works to build connections with each student so that they feel comfortable calling on him inside or outside of the classroom.

“During my time in the Warnell School, Dr. D’Angelo was an effective instructor and invaluable mentor to me. I can say with complete sincerity that I would not be in

Award for Excellence in Teaching

The University of Georgia Award for Excellence in Teaching recognizes exemplary instruction by teaching faculty at the University of Georgia. These teachers show the strong commitment to UGA’s teaching mission, and the award recognizes the corps of teaching faculty that dedicate their time primarily to outstanding teaching endeavors, in and out of the classroom

wants to demystify

“Literature is not a code to be broken by a few select intellectuals, and good writing is not exclusive to poets. I want students to understand that the skills required to analyze and compose are accessible and of great importance to everyone, no matter what they

Reeves joined the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ English department in 2013. In that time, she’s taught 14 different classes, including Honors and servicelearning courses. To make those classes as strong as possible, she regularly creates and adapts course materials and finds inventive ways to engage with students.

Her goal is to make sure her students truly understand what they’re reading. For example, in her Shakespeare course, Reeves not only has her students read the plays, but she also has students study the cultural impact Shakespeare made. Each class starts with

student examples of a book, song, commercial, movie, political debate or medical innovation influenced by Shakespeare.

Similarly, Reeves had students in her composition service-learning class visit animals at the Athens-Clarke County Animal Services, then write a profile on one of the animals, complete with pictures and video, that was posted to the shelter’s adoption website. Students learned how tone, structure and word choice, paired with complementary electronic media, can make a meaningful difference.

“She is truly a dream teacher, the kind you see in movies or read about in books, but I had the pleasure to experience it for real,” one former student said. “Her deep heart for students, for representation, for intellectual growth and for bringing the best out of each person is so evident in everything she teaches, every word she says and every action she performs.”

Reeves’ colleagues have noticed her ability to connect with students in a variety of ways.

“What sets Dr. Reeves apart from other excellent teachers is her masterful in-class use of media and technology,” said Cody Marrs, professor and interim head of the English department. “She seamlessly weaves together lessons on writing and literature with art, memes, sounds, webpages, clips, zines, quotes, pulps, comics, illustrations, social media and physical technology. To be in Dr. Reeves’ class is to be immersed in a multisensory, multimedia environment that is maximally attuned to the different ways in which different students learn.”

Reeves hopes that the education her students receive extends beyond their time at UGA.

“No matter what I am teaching, I want my students to understand the importance of critical thinking and asking questions,” she said. “In pursuing skills that will fit them for their future careers, students are also leaving my classroom equipped with skills that will be applicable to all facets of life.”

Jillian

Dorothy Kozlowski

Andrew Davis Tucker

Peter Frey

Dorothy Kozlowski

Nancee Reeves Senior Lecturer Department of English Franklin College of Arts and Sciences

Creative Teaching Awards

mprove student learning. novative technology or pedagogy that extends

outside of class; independent learning; and independent interactions with the guests, such as connecting with them on LinkedIn and sending thank you notes. This strategy primes students

And every iteration of the class builds on the previous class as student work will be used in the next year’s version of the course. Students are rewarded for creating productivity enhance-

assisted me in guiding my purpose as a social worker…engaging with artifacts and documents provided me with a physical connection to community…I think it is important all social work students see

in the entire process of experimental design, implementation and analysis. The goal is to motivate creativity, instill curiosity, build confidence and foster independent thinking. Students learn cutting-edge molecular biology techniques and read current literature. At the end of the course,

Fashion Branding,” taught by YooKyoung Seock, a professor in the Department of Textiles, Merchandising and Interiors in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences. This class provides students with a hands-on, industry-partnered learning experience that integrates data analysis, user experience research, and design thinking skills. The class partners with Carter’s, Inc., an Atlanta-based children’s clothing company. Students look at revamping the company’s app interface with a focus on user-centered design and creating user-centered solutions. Seock’s class helps her students build their portfolios and their confidence toward a career in

issues most important to them.

GPS collars and game cameras.

Submitted photo Sophie Ralph

Submitted photo Robert Newcomb Andrew Davis Tucker

2023 HONORS & AWARDS

ANDREWS from page 1

First is active learning, which gives students practice applying their knowledge and skills. She has them work through problems using individual thinking and writing as well as discussion in small, assigned groups.

Andrews’ second principle is to build her students’ scientific thinking skills. Students learn basic concepts outside of class. Her class time is then available for students to develop deep understanding of concepts by engaging in scientific practices.

Andrews also works to build her students’ science communications skills. No matter the direction of their career, those skills will be important, so she creates opportunities for students to practice writing and talking about biology in her courses. Students explain concepts to their peers and write responses to open-ended questions each class.

Lastly, Andrews strives to create a strong learning environment for all of her students. One way she does that is through transparency in her teaching. She provides specific learning objectives for each lesson and writes exams closely aligned with those objectives. Another way she makes her courses more accessible is by using open-access education materials to minimize the financial burden on students.

Her students are benefiting from her efforts in the classroom as a mentor for undergraduate research.

HERNANDEZ from page 1

that, in the end, enthusiasm and passion for a topic are infectious,” she said.

One way Hernandez gets students excited is through active learning. She engages students with discussion-based teaching, current event tidbits, article discussions, student presentations, think-pair-share, minute papers, games related to subject matter, role play, peer review, group projects and other activities.

Hernandez has created and fostered new opportunities for students at UGA for years. A decade ago, she started the study abroad course,“Conservation Medicine and Biology,” that highlights the principles of One Health in Costa Rica. This is the first course of its kind in the U.S. and purposely serves undergraduate and veterinary students in teams that focus on how anthropogenic activities impact wildlife and public health.

Hernandez’s active research program, which has garnered more than $4 million in grants and produced 90 peer-reviewed journal articles, six books and nine book chapters, informs her teaching and exposes students to cutting-edge approaches in the lab and field. In the classroom, she has developed three new courses and engaged in major revision of two additional courses since 2008.

Her mentoring goes beyond class. In 13

NAVARRO from page 1

their passion and are hungry for an interdisciplinary and broad education that will help them find their niche. I am committed to working with graduate students, focusing on their research programs and their academic, professional and personal growth. I thrive with the intellectual challenge that comes with facilitating in-depth disciplinary study and research.”

Active learning strategies are just one way she’s making an impact. She effectively uses a flipped classroom approach and engages her students with case studies, group analysis, mind maps and jigsaw discussions, where students take the role of both experts and learners.

Navarro also engages her students with experiential learning opportunities. She has taught study abroad and service-learning courses and worked with students doing capstone projects and internships.

Navarro is also dedicated to creating a diverse and inclusive learning environment. She has adapted her curriculum to better engage diverse students, including underrepresented and first-generation students. As a result, students collaborate and learn from each other.

For Navarro, the focus is on developing the whole student.

“Dr. Navarro has been an influential teacher and mentor to me, both as a graduate student and academic professional. She made concepts and theories come alive through

“She taught me how to nurture a research project from the ground up—starting with detailed literature reviews through to an undergraduate thesis. She never fixed problems for me, but rather she gave me the support I needed to problem solve through any issues on my own,” one student wrote. “Our lab became my favorite place on campus. I knew I would be challenged, supported and valued. Her dedication to mentorship will continue to change the professional and personal lives of every student who is lucky enough to know her.”

Andrews has mentored 40 undergraduate students and supervised the research of several graduate students and postdoctoral researchers. She has served on committees at the department and university level, including University Council, and has been principal investigator on several grants and published numerous articles.

Additionally, Andrews has received the Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and the USG Regents’ Scholarship of Teaching and Learning Award and has served as a Lilly Teaching Fellow and a Teaching Academy Fellow.

“Tessa is an outstanding teacher, research mentor and leader in education in our department, at UGA and nationally,” one colleague wrote.

years, Hernandez has advised 21 graduate students and formally advises an average of eight Warnell undergraduate students and three veterinary students every year.

Her efforts inside and outside the classroom have been noticed by students.

“Sonia truly exemplifies an outstanding professor. She models excellence through her positive and uplifting demeanor in the classroom; her commitment to strong and ethical research, which translates into a holistic view of the material and well-rounded lectures; her unfailing enthusiasm for her subject material; and her endless patience, dedication and support to her students,” a group of students wrote.

Hernandez has received the Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and a Fulbright Fellowship in Spain. She’s been inducted into the UGA Teaching Academy and served as a UGA Writing Fellow, UGA Senior Teaching Fellow and UGA Women’s Leadership Fellow, among other honors.

“Simply put, she embodies everything the Meigs Professorship represents, starting with a foundation of excellence in undergraduate classroom instruction, graduate student mentorship, and extending quickly across the campus and beyond, nationally and internationally,” one colleague wrote.

relevant case studies and examples, including her own research,” one former student wrote. “Dr. Navarro helped me to develop intercultural competence as an educator, to ask critical questions and seek collaborative solutions. That is how she teaches—inviting students to be co-creators of the learning process.”

Navarro has supervised the research of more than 40 students, in addition to serving as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on several grants and numerous publications of her own.

In addition to the President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award, Navarro has received the Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. She’s also a member of the UGA Teaching Academy and has participated in the Lilly Teaching Fellow, Online Learning Fellow and Center for Teaching and Learning Innovation Fellow programs.

“She is an innovative and excellent teacher who creates a challenging, rigorous and inclusive academic environment; provides numerous opportunities for student academic, personal and professional growth; is a successful education researcher who is making an impact on teaching practice; develops, manages and enhances programs; elevates the work of others and supports faculty and staff in their education efforts; and is committed to service to the university and the profession,” a colleague wrote.

SKOBBA from page 1

Skobba combines an active learning approach with a structured, well-designed curriculum. To that end, she has developed six new courses and has substantially revised four different courses.

Over the past two years, Skobba became a student herself, learning about digital storytelling through StoryCenter and then incorporating that into her First-Year Odyssey seminar on the meaning of home.

In addition, providing feedback and opportunities for revision, combined with student self-reflections, are valued components of her teaching approach.

She also seeks to reduce barriers to student success. She adopts a course structure that gives students room for error without devastating consequences on their grades. This approach adds flexibility for students with the most significant barriers while meeting the needs and situations that arise for students in general during the semester. As a first-generation college graduate who earned a bachelor’s degree as a nontraditional student herself, she understands the challenges of attending school while managing work and family responsibilities.

The key to success for Skobba is engaging her students in their own learning and growth.

“She leads her class by example, giving space for discourse, innovation and establishing the connection of the course content to the greater community. Her

BOHLEN from page 6

and sparks our own inspiration and curiosity. She also helps us feel confident in the abilities and skills that we gained as we move forward with our careers, which is incredibly valuable in my opinion,” one former student wrote. “I feel lucky to have been taught by someone who I consider to be one of the best professors at the University of Georgia.”

Bohlen earned the UGA Creative Teaching Award and the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences Early Career Teaching Award in 2022. She served as a UGA Special Collections Library Fellow in 2021 and has also received the Hoard’s Dairyman Youth Development Award and has been named American Dairy Science Association National Outstanding Advisor.

CAPPS from page 6

“Dr. Capps was an inspiration to me as an undergraduate student. Many of her goals aligned with mine, and many of her accomplishments were things I wanted to achieve myself. Her class made me feel like my studies could be used to exact actual change. Dr. Capps made me believe I could be a force of nature through her own example,” one former student wrote.

Capps has served as a Service-Learning Fellow and a Lilly Teaching Fellow and participated in the Active Learning Summer Institute, in addition to authoring 54 peerreviewed publications and one textbook and participating in several committees at the

D’ANGELO from page 6

my position today without his guidance and encouragement,” one former student wrote. “Dr. D’Angelo truly cares for his students. He wants them to be successful, and he is willing to take the time to invest in their progress.

I am truly grateful for his mentorship.”

D’Angelo is a graduate of the UGA Teaching Academy Early Career Fellows Program and earned an Early Career Teaching Award and Faculty Award for Outstanding Teaching from the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. He’s supervised two undergraduate students in their research and is co-advisor of UGA’s student chapter of the Wildlife Society. Additionally, he’s developing four new courses, including a First-Year Odyssey seminar on wildlife-human interactions.

Since 2016, D’Angelo has been the

ability to support students through discovering their talents and interests while simultaneously maintaining structure and rigor in her courses is invaluable,” one student wrote. “Dr. Skobba is more than a scholar and professor; she is a student success advocate. She listens, provides sound advice, mentors and promotes space for students to grow academically, professionally and personally. She has had a profound, positive impact on students’ confidence, including my own as an instructor and professional.”

Skobba has supervised the research of several undergraduate and graduate students. She also has numerous publications of her own and has served as principal investigator or co-principal investigator on several grants.

Skobba has received the Russell Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and participated in the Active Learning Summer Institute. She’s also a member of the UGA Teaching Academy and served as a Lilly Teaching Fellow and a ServiceLearning Fellow.

“Dr. Skobba has contributed in numerous ways in improving the quality of education and student learning experiences in the Department of Financial Planning, Housing and Consumer Economics, in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and across the University of Georgia,” one colleague wrote.

In her time at UGA, Bohlen has mentored more than 30 undergraduate researchers, in addition to working on her own funded research. She has several publications and has served on numerous committees at the departmental, college and university levels. Within her industry, she also serves on state, regional and national committees.

Bohlen’s co-workers, too, recognize the work and dedication she puts into teaching.

“Her skills in the classroom in terms of getting information to the students in a way they can assimilate and empowering them to utilize the skills she has taught them in realworld applications are incredibly impressive. In the classroom, she is dynamic, engaging, fun, intense and respectful of all students,” one colleague wrote.

industry, university and departmental level.

Additionally, Capps has received eight instructional or mentoring grants or fellowships. She is currently developing a ninth- to 12th-grade education and internship program in freshwater ecology, Water Dawgs, through her NSF CAREER grant.

Capps’ colleagues believe she should be recognized for “her creative and original teaching, effective mentoring, commitment to student success, service to her unit and to the discipline, and to the university. She is a wonderful collaborator, dedicated research mentor, innovative instructor, and is clearly at the forefront of her field.”

principal investigator or co-principal investigator on 14 grants totaling nearly $5 million. That collective work has resulted in 18 peer-reviewed manuscripts, including two manuscripts with undergraduate students as the lead author.

In all of his work at the university, D’Angelo remains an ardent supporter of its students.

“Dr. D’Angelo has a genuine appreciation of our young people and enjoys pursuing new knowledge along with them. He has quickly distinguished himself as one of the most effective and influential undergraduate instructors among our faculty through his partnership with students in and out of the classroom. We are confident that his impact will only continue to grow in the years ahead,” two colleagues wrote.