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New Georgia Museum of Art curator focuses on showcasing African-American art CAMPUS NEWS
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University Theatre to present ‘The Mandrake’ in Cellar Theatre Feb. 23-27
February 22, 2016
Vol. 43, No. 26
www.columns.uga.edu
jhataway@uga.edu
Kimberly Skobba
Zachary Wood
‘Engage and inspire’
Three faculty members receive Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching By Camie Williams camiew@uga.edu
Three UGA faculty members have been named recipients of the university’s highest early career teaching honor, the Richard B. Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching. “The recipients of this year’s Russell Awards demonstrate how innovative teaching can engage and inspire students,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, whose office administers the award. “Their exemplary dedication to students helps distinguish the University of Georgia as one of the nation’s leading public research universities.” First presented in the 19911992 academic year, the prize was established by the Russell Foundation and named for Richard B. Russell. This spring, and in conjunction with the 15th anniversary of the awards, the Russell Foundation increased the prize amount
4&5
UGA scientists using $5M grant to combat widespread ag weeds By James E. Hataway
Robert Beckstead
UGA GUIDE
to $7,500. The 2016 Russell Award winners are: • Robert Beckstead, an associate professor of poultry science in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences; • Kimberly Skobba, an assistant professor of financial planning, housing and consumer economics in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences; and • Zachary Wood, an associate professor of biochemistry and molecular biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Beckstead, who joined UGA’s faculty in 2007, developed three courses to help students understand concepts integral to the modern poultry science industry, including a popular course on the relationship between culture and agriculture that has been accepted into the university’s World Languages and Culture, Humanities and the Arts core curriculum. Beckstead received a 2015 FirstYear Odyssey Seminar Teaching
Award and was selected as his college’s Outstanding Faculty Advisor as well as a UGA Outstanding Faculty Advisor in 2015. He is an advisor to the undergraduate Poultry Science Club and the Poultry Science Graduate Student Organization. He served as a 20102012 Lilly Teaching Fellow and received the 2010 Poultry Science Association Early Career Teaching Award and the 2011 H.L. Marks Award for Teaching Excellence. Skobba has translated her previous experience working in the nonprofit housing sector to engage students in topics such as nonprofit fundraising, program evaluation and policy research. She recently co-taught UGA’s first class on the tiny house movement, and she leads service-learning courses each year that impact her students and the community. Currently a Lilly Teaching Fellow, Skobba previously was a 20122013 Service-Learning Fellow. She is the recipient of the 2014 Early See AWARDS on page 8
FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
A team of researchers led by faculty at UGA has received a $5 million grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to find new ways of combating Johnsongrass, one of the most widespread and troublesome agricultural weeds in the world. Native to the Mediterranean region, Johnsongrass has spread across every continent except Antarctica. It was introduced to the U.S. in the 1800s as a forage crop, but it quickly spread into surrounding farmland and natural environments, where it continues
to cause millions of dollars in lost agricultural revenue each year, according to the USDA. “ We e d s like JohnAndrew Paterson songrass are a major challenge for agricultural producers around the world,” said Andrew Paterson, Regents Professor, director of UGA’s Plant Genome Mapping Laboratory and principal investigator for the project. “To make matters worse, widespread
See WEEDS on page 8
COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING
First Distinguished Professor in Resilient Infrastructure named By Mike Wooten
mwooten@uga.edu
Brian P. Bledsoe, a scholar with more than 25 years of experience as an engineer, hydrologist and environmental scientist in the private and public sectors, has been appointed the inaugural Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor in Resilient Infrastructure in the UGA College of Engineering. The Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia made the special appointment at its January meeting. Bledsoe joined the engineering faculty Feb. 1. “Dr. Bledsoe brings a tremendous record of accomplishment
to the University of Georgia College of Engineering, and he will play a major role in the continuing growth of our academic program and Brian Bledsoe our research enterprise,” said Donald J. Leo, dean of the college. “I sincerely thank our partners in the Athletic Association for supporting our mission to educate the next generation of engineers.” Bledsoe’s research is focused on the interface of hydrology, ecology
See PROFESSOR on page 8
FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES
History department launches program in D.C. NIH grants $2.1M award Public history, sometimes re“Washington really is the best extension to UGA researcher By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu ferred to as applied history, lends place for this. There are just so A new UGA program in public history is offering students the opportunity to learn about the professional side of their discipline— through archiving artifacts, giving tours of historic sites or curating a historical collection of films—while living in Washington, D.C. The program, offered by the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ history department, will consist of a Maymester introduction to public history class followed by a summerlong internship at one of the many institutions, museums, libraries and other cultural institutions based in the nation’s capital. The program is the first of its kind for Franklin College through the UGA in Washington program.
itself to a variety of employment opportunities with museums, institutions and other cultural entities and gives students a first-hand look at history, said Akela Reason, an associate professor of history who is leading the program. “This program will introduce history majors to what they can do with their degree outside of academia,” she said. “So, it’s history in public archives, libraries, parks, public monuments, historic sites and museums. And that’s where they’ll be interning as well.” The Maymester class will be taught primarily on the Washington Mall, with various trips to museums, park sites and monuments as well as field trips to Mount Vernon and the Gettysburg Battlefield.
many institutions, associations and archival materials there,” said Reason, who has experience working at several museums, including the Smithsonian, and lived in D.C. for several years. “The National Trust for Historic Preservation is there. The Red Cross is there. So many institutions have their headquarters there, so it’s a great opportunity to really dig into history.” The addition of the Franklin program to the other programs in Washington provides an example of an experiential learning opportunity in the humanities, said Don DeMaria, director of the UGA Washington Semester Program. “All of UGA’s D.C.-based programs play a vital role, showcasing See HISTORY on page 8
By Alan Flurry
aflurry@uga.edu
The National Institutes of Health Institute of General Medical Sciences has awarded a five-year extension to UGA’s Jorge C. Escalante. He will use the funds in the study of vitamin B-12, looking at the biosynthesis and anaerobic metabolism in salmonella. The MERIT or Method to Extend Research in Time award is an extension of $2.1 million to an initial five-year award announced in 2010. It will support Escalante’s research through 2020. One of the most complex coenzymes in nature, B-12 is an essential human nutrient that is produced by many, but not all, microorganisms. Its impact on human health ranges
from the development of the nervous system in infants to the prevention of diseases related to the metabolism of fats. Human pathogens such Jorge Escalante as salmonella require B-12 to establish intestinal infections. “Our coenzyme B-12 work benefits from important collaborations with structural biologists and spectroscopists,” said Escalante, a UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor in Microbiology in the Franklin College of Arts and
See EXTENSION on page 8
2 Feb. 22, 2016 columns.uga.edu
Around academe
Study finds why digital distractions are on rise in college classrooms
A new study found that students waste about one-fifth of class time on digital platforms, even though they admit the behavior could negatively affect their grade. The study, “Digital Distractions in the Classroom Phase II: Student Classroom Use of Digital Devices for Non-Class Related Purposes,” was based on surveys conducted by Bernard R. McCoy, an associate professor of journalism at the University of Nebraska at Lincoln. The study points to reasons behind students’ in-class device usage, finding most respondents want to stay connected or were fighting boredom, and suggested that students seek greater involvement in defining the role devices should play in the classroom.
New book shows behind-the-scenes graduate admission practices
A new book, Inside Graduate Admissions: Merit, Diversity and Faculty Gatekeeping released by Harvard University Press, shines a light on the traditionally veiled practices behind graduate school admissions. Author Julie R. Posselt, an assistant professor of higher education at the University of Michigan, investigated graduate admission policies across six top-tier departments at three research universities. Elitism and a heavy reliance on GRE scores were among the findings, reported Inside Higher Ed.
GLOBAL GEORGIA INITIATIVE
Pulitzer finalist to give lecture Feb. 25 By Dave Marr
davemarr@uga.edu
Harvard University historian Sven Beckert will visit UGA Feb. 25 for the Global Georgia Initiative of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. He will give his talk, “Empire of Cotton: The Global Origins of Modern Capitalism,” at 4 p.m. in the Chapel. Beckert won the Bancroft Prize and was selected as a Pulitzer Prize finalist for his 2015 book, Empire of Cotton: A Global History. He is the Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard, researching and teaching 19th-century U.S. history, with an emphasis on the history of capitalism. Beckert’s talk is presented in partnership with the School of Public and International Affairs, the University of Georgia Press, the history department in the Franklin College of Arts and
Sciences and the Graduate School. “Eli Whitney invented the cotton gin after visiting a Georgia plantation, and Georgia farmers still plant over 1 million acres of cotton each year in this state,” said Dean Stefanie Lindquist of the School of Public and International Affairs. “Given the prominence of cotton to Georgia’s history and current economy, professor Beckert’s extraordinary book is uniquely relevant to this state, but the story of cotton extends worldwide. Beckert’s careful and extensive historical research and analysis will help modern readers understand the impact of the cotton industry throughout world history—and in particular its human consequences for slaves, mill workers and child laborers, among many other affected groups.” Lindquist, who also is the Arch Professor of Public and International Affairs, will introduce Beckert’s talk.
News to Use
Source: UGA Cooperative Extension
Read more about diversity at UGA at discover.uga.edu
The Global Georgia Initiative is a series of lectures and conversations whose goal is to present global problems in local context with a focus on how the arts and humanities can intervene.
OFFICE OF THE VP FOR RESEARCH
Nobel Laureate to deliver Boyd Lecture March 22
Stay safe when drinking spring water
Many people enjoy collecting and drinking water from springs scattered across North Georgia because of its natural flavor. The main difference in taste between spring water and water from municipal sources may be the presence of natural minerals, such as calcium, and the lack of chlorination. But just because it tastes better doesn’t mean it is safe to drink. Spring water sources are not tested or treated and are susceptible to contamination. Because of this vulnerability, it is recommended that people avoid drinking spring water, particularly if they are young children, pregnant, elderly or have compromised immune systems. The UGA Cooperative Extension offices offer water testing for well users and recommend that wells used for drinking water be tested for bacteria immediately upon construction and on a yearly basis after that. Well owners typically request basic water quality tests and microbiological analyses, which test for the presence of E. coli and fecal coliform bacteria. Although it is possible to have spring water tested, the test will only report if the water was safe on the day it was sampled. Because contamination can happen at any time, the safety of the spring water is never guaranteed, even if a given test comes back clean. If you have to drink spring water, you should boil it for several minutes or use water treatment filters to reduce the risk of illness.
Sven Beckert
By James Hataway jhataway@uga.edu
UGA Day at state Capitol
Students visited the Capitol on Feb. 9 for Dawgs at the Dome, an annual event allowing students to interact with lawmakers and showcase the university’s contributions to the state. Legislators, staff and lobbyists joined UGA President Jere W. Morehead, Provost Pam Whitten and students in the morning, and Gov. Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal visited with members of the UGA community. The students were recognized in the Senate and House by Sen. Burt Jones (R-Jackson), Rep. Chuck Williams (R-Watkinsville) and other alumni legislators.
SCHOOL OF PUBLIC AND INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Lecturer: American public ‘not extreme,’ but political parties are By Aaron Hale
aahale@uga.edu
America is still a nation of moderates, said Stanford political scientist Morris P. Fiorina; it’s just ruled by the extremes of its political parties. Overreach is why neither the Republicans nor Democrats have been able to maintain control of the White House and both chambers of Congress for the last two decades, said Fiorina, who delivered the George S. Parthemos Lecture Feb. 12 at the Miller Learning Center. Fiorina, the Wendt Family Professor at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow of the Hoover Institution, gave a lecture titled “Tenuous Majorities, Party Sorting and the American Electorate.” While American political discourse may seem as extreme as ever, Fiorina said, the electorate, as a whole, still favors moderation. “The American public is not extreme,” he said. “They’re pragmatic and not ideological.” However, through what political scientists call “party sorting,” each party has become less ideologically diverse, Fiorina said. The way the system works is that political partisans—the people with the more extreme political
positions—have the biggest voice in how a majority party governs. But since there are about an equal number of Americans who support Republicans and Democrats, it is America’s independent or moderate voters who decide who takes or keeps power. Because each party continues to overestimate its mandate, political power continues to swap hands. Fiorina describes a political landscape where it’s difficult to predict what is coming next, especially in the current presidential campaign. “I don’t think anyone knows what’s going on this year,” he said. Fiorina believes the party that finds success in appealing to and keeping moderates will be the one to break the current cycle and stay in power. “Somebody has got to win and not overreach, and govern in a way that the American public finds acceptable,” he said. When asked why parties overreach, Fiorina talked about primary voters— largely the most partisan voters—who gravitate toward the candidates most likely to overreach. And that’s who gets sent to the general election. Describing the motivation of voters, he said, “They would rather lose with the candidate they like than to win with one they don’t.”
Sir Richard Roberts, Nobel Laureate in Physiology or Medicine and chief scientific officer at New England BioLabs, will deliver the 2016 George H. Boyd Distinguished Lecture. He will speak March 22 at 3:30 p.m. in the UGA Hotel and Conference Center’s Masters Hall. His lecture is titled “Exploring Bacterial Methylomes.” The Boyd Distinguished Lecture Series, supported by UGA’s Office of the Vice President for Research and the William S. and Elizabeth K. Boyd Foundation, brings national leaders and policymakers to UGA in science, education and related fields to discuss applications of research to contemporary issues in education. “We are thrilled to have Dr. Roberts visit campus,” said David Lee, UGA’s vice president for research. “His work has provided multiple fundamental insights in genetics and molecular biology, and I’m delighted that our students will have the opportunity to hear from such an influential and respected scientist.” Roberts was educated in England. His postdoctoral research was carried out in J.L. Strominger’s laboratory at Harvard, where he studied the tRNAs that are involved in the biosynthesis of bacterial cell walls. From 1972 to 1992, he worked at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, where he began work on the newly discovered Type II restriction enzymes. These enzymes are able to cut a DNA molecule at a particular place, and they are essential tools for recombinant DNA technology. His laboratory discovered and characterized more than 100 such enzymes. In 1977, Roberts and Phillip A. Sharp independently discovered that genes could be discontinuous, that is, a given gene could be present in the genetic material as several, well-separated segments. In their experimental models, both Roberts and Sharp used a common cold-causing virus, called adenovirus, whose genes display important similarities to those in higher organisms. This discovery led to the prediction of a new genetic process called splicing, which is essential for expressing genetic information.The discovery of split genes has been of fundamental importance for today’s basic research in biology, as well as for more medically oriented research concerning the development of cancer and other diseases. Roberts and Sharp won the Nobel Prize for their discoveries in 1993.
INSTRUCTIONAL NEWS
columns.uga.edu Feb. 22, 2016
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Digest SBDC to offer expertise to farmers
Samantha Trulove and other students from the College of Engineering are helping the UGA Center for Research and Education at Wormsloe meet a portion of its energy needs through solar energy. The team is working to design a demonstration solar power installation that will allow visitors to see a working renewable energy system.
Energized learning
Students design solar power system for historic coastal site By Mike Wooten
mwooten@uga.edu
A historic estate along the Georgia coast that traces its roots back more than three centuries may soon provide a look at solar energy’s potential to meet the world’s growing demand for power. A team of students from UGA’s College of Engineering is working to help the UGA Center for Research and Education at Wormsloe meet a portion of its energy needs through solar energy. The team’s work will serve as the foundation for a long-term solar research, education and outreach program on the island near Savannah. Funded by a grant the Wormsloe Foundation awarded to UGA engineering professor David Gattie, the work is a senior capstone design project for students John DeRosa, Brooke Spreen, Garrett Steck and Samantha Trulove. “Working at a historic site adds a different kind of element to the project,” said DeRosa, an environmental engineering major from Lilburn. “It forces us to be mindful of permitting issues that would not exist in other places. Additionally, the site forces us to be especially considerate of the cultural and
ecological impacts our design will have.” Located on the Isle of Hope,Wormsloe Plantation dates back to the 1730s, and the property has served as a military stronghold,plantation,country residence, state park and tourist attraction. In 2013, the Wormsloe Foundation donated 15 acres of the land to UGA. The university operates the property as a historical and ecological preserve. Wormsloe also serves as a site for interdisciplinary research in archaeology, ecology, environmental planning and design, historic preservation, landscape architecture, geography, history and engineering. With plans to construct additional facilities to support research, education and tourism,Wormsloe must account for an increase in power demand. The plan is to meet some of this need through renewable energy. The UGA engineering students are working with Wormsloe to design a demonstration solar power installation that will allow visitors to see a working renewable energy system. The team’s design will connect to Wormsloe’s existing infrastructure, allowing for future expansion of the technology. “One of the great things about our senior capstone design course is the
students must interact with their client,” said Jason Christian, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering and one of the team’s faculty mentors. “The students experience the give-andtake that occurs on projects from start to finish.” Stephan Durham, an associate professor and coordinator of UGA’s civil engineering program, also serves as a faculty mentor on the project. According to Christian, the work will force the team to consider the big picture as well as the actual “nuts and bolts” of the project. “They’ll have to calculate the average number of sunny days at the site, look for installation locations without tree canopy, estimate the power load from the facility, determine the proper size of the solar arrays and design the power distribution system—all the way down to determining the proper size of the wiring,” he said. DeRosa said the project has given him more confidence in the skills and knowledge he’s acquired through his studies in the engineering college while allowing him and the other students to make a lasting contribution to one of Georgia’s most unique places.
COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH Families use Web for information during battles with cancer By Leigh Beeson lbeeson@uga.edu
Loved ones of cancer patients are likely to search for information about the disease online but less inclined to seek emotional support from social media forums, according to a UGA study published recently in the journal Computers, Informatics, Nursing. Individuals frequently suffer negative psychological and emotional effects when the people they care about are diagnosed with cancer. It is fairly common for loved ones of cancer patients to develop depression or anxiety disorders as a result of the diagnosis, but there aren’t many studies focusing specifically on cancer patients’ caregivers and family members, said Carolyn Lauckner, the study’s author. An assistant professor in the College of Public Health’s health promotion and behavior department, Lauckner surveyed 191 people whose loved ones
were diagnosed with cancer in the past year or who were acting as caregivers to someone with cancer. The motivation behind the research was personal for Lauckner. “I went through a period of time where I had three loved ones diagnosed within a short amount of time,” she said.“I had these experiences where I heard about the diagnosis and I would go online to look it up, and then I would immediately become terrified and freak out about all the stuff I read online.” More than three-quarters of participants searched online for information on a loved one’s disease. Most looked for treatment options, prevention strategies and risk factors, and prognosis information. “I was pleasantly surprised by the amount of people who said that they were looking for prevention information online and detection information because that shows that not only are they concerned for their loved one but
they’re also concerned about how they themselves can avoid cancer, which from a public health perspective is great,” Lauckner said. Respondents were less inclined to view blogs or go online to hear about others’ cancer experiences. These kinds of sites were linked to negative emotions for participants, such as fear, sadness and anger. The most commonly visited websites were those of charitable organizations like the American Cancer Society, which were associated with positive emotions. Lauckner said she found this information encouraging because it shows that the participants were consulting reliable sources of information and not being swayed by personal accounts as much. Lauckner wants to build on the information gleaned to determine the most effective use of social media and technology to distribute cancer prevention and risk reduction messages to the public.
UGA is combining its expertise in agriculture and economic development into a one-day conference. The UGA Small Business Development Center, a public service and outreach unit, along with the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and UGA Cooperative Extension will host a Georgia Farm Business Education Conference Feb. 25 in Tifton. Agriculture is the biggest industry in the state with a value of $14.1 billion in 2014, according to UGA’s Farmgate Value report released last fall. The conference runs from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. and costs $69. Experts from across the university will discuss topics including cash flow, agritourism and exports. The program was designed with an eye toward a variety of needs for a range of businesses related to agriculture. For more information or to register, see http://tinyurl.com/hr65dyg .
MIT computer science professor to give 2016 Einstein Public Lecture at UGA
Erik Demaine will give the 2016 Einstein Public Lecture, “Fun with Fonts: Mathematical Typography,” March 5 at 5:15 p.m. in the Tate Student Center Theatre. Demaine is well known for his significant results, such as a proof of the fold-and-cut theorem as well as for his legendary curiosity and infectious enthusiasm. Both of these traits, along with his ingenious mind, have led him to tackle and solve problems in diverse areas of mathematics and computer science. In this lecture, Demaine will speak about typefonts that he and his father, Martin, have designed. Based on mathematical theorems and open problems, most of the designs include puzzle fonts, in which readers must engage in the mathematics associated with the puzzle to read the message. A reception hosted by the Franklin College’s mathematics department and the AMS will follow Demaine’s talk. The 2016 AMS Einstein Public Lecture is part of the spring 2016 American Mathematical Society Southeastern sectional meeting, taking place at UGA March 5-6.
UGA basketball player named to CoSIDA District 4 All-Academic Team
Marjorie Butler, the starting point guard for UGA’s women’s basketball team, was named to the College Sports Information Directors of America District 4 All-Academic Team and is now a finalist for the Academic All-America program. Butler will graduate with her second degree from UGA in May. The Knoxville, Tennessee, native, who already has a degree in exercise science, has a 3.81 GPA in biology. The aspiring orthopedic surgeon has already been accepted to some of the top medical schools in the nation, including the University of Virginia, Vanderbilt University, the University of Florida, the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Meharry Medical College and East Tennessee State University. Butler began her career at UGA with 47 AP college credit hours, entering school academically as a college junior. She developed into UGA’s starting point guard a season ago, starting 28 of 31 games and playing nearly 27 minutes per contest. This marks the second-straight season that Butler has earned Academic All-District honors. She is now a finalist for the Academic All-America Team, which will be announced March 3. Three former women basketball players have earned national Academic All-America accolades from CoSIDA. Bernadette Locke was a second-team selection in 1981; Kelly Miller was a third-team pick in 2000 and a second-team honoree in 2001; and Coco Miller was a third-team choice in 2001.
PERIODICALS POSTAGE STATEMENT Columns (USPS 020-024) is published weekly during the academic year and biweekly during the summer for the faculty and staff of the University of Georgia by the UGA News Service. Periodicals postage is paid in Athens, Georgia. Postmaster: Send off-campus address changes to Columns, UGA News Service, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Athens, GA 30602-1999.
For a complete listing of events 7 8 5 at the University of Georgia, check the Master Calendar on the Web (calendar.uga.edu/). I
The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified. Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.
UGAGUIDE CORE Company concert to feature aerial arts, contemporary dance By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu
The UGA dance department’s CORE Concert Contemporary and Aerial Dance Company will present its annual spring performance Feb. 24-27 at 8 p.m. at the New Dance Theatre in the dance building. The performance will include the premiere of several new contemporary and aerial arts pieces, a guest performance by members of the Compania Nacional de Danza Costa Rica and several repertory performances. Tickets are $16, $10 for students and senior citizens. To purchase tickets, visit the Tate Student Center ticket office, go to pac.uga.edu or call 706-542-4400. Tickets are also available for purchase at the door beginning at 7 p.m. each evening of the concert. “In this program, we will highlight the talent of UGA student artists who exemplify exceptional artistic and creative growth during their preprofessional experiences in the arts at UGA,” said Bala Sarasvati, CORE Dance Company artistic director. The concert will open with a series of repertory pieces created by Sarasvati that demonstrate an array of technical dance abilities on bungee, single point lyra, silks and slings, along with sustained physical partnering and the incorporation of film animation. Performance premieres will include “Everything’s in Its (Right) Place,” a piece that explores aspects of the Fibinocci sequence; and “Turn That Ship,” a men’s dance displaying high flying on duel bungee apparatus. Also premiering is “...And the Women,” choreographed by dance faculty member Tamara Thomas. “This piece is inspired by all the seen and unseen things that women do,” Thomas said, “as they make the extraordinary seemingly ordinary.” The evening will be highlighted by a guest performance with members of Compania Nacional de Danza Costa Rica. Choreographer Mario Vircha will perform in the duet “Symbionts,” which explores human relationships.
EXHIBITIONS Stirred Fiction. Through Feb. 26. Circle Gallery. Georgia’s Girlhood Embroidery: “Crowned with Glory and Immortality.” Through Feb. 28. Georgia Museum of Art. hazbrown@uga.edu Georgia’s Diverse Flora. Through March 6. State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014, connicot@uga.edu Tools of the Trade. Through March 16. Georgia Museum of Art. hazbrown@uga.edu Lucy Hargrett Draper Center and Archives Exhibit. Through March 31. Gallery hallway, special collections libraries. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu Pictures of Us: Photographs from the Do Good Fund Collection. Through March 31. Hargrett Gallery, special collections libraries. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu Cherokee Basketry: Woven Culture. Through April 17. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817, hazbrown@uga.edu David Ligare: California Classicist. Through May 8. Georgia Museum of Art. hazbrown@uga.edu Seeing Georgia: Changing Visions of Tourism in the Modern South. Through July 30. Special collections libraries. 706-542-5788, jhebbard@uga.edu
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 22 CENTER FOR SIMULATIONAL PHYSICS WORKSHOP Through Feb. 27. Hosted by the UGA Center for Simulational Physics. 322 physics building. SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK DEAN FINALIST PRESENTATION Anna Scheyett, professor and dean of the University of South Carolina College of Social Work, will make a public presentation. 9:30 a.m. 480 Tate Student Center. ANIMAL VOICES FILM FESTIVAL SCREENING Virunga. The Peabody Award-winning true story of the rangers who risk their lives to protect Virunga National Park. 7 p.m. 171 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796, sos@uga.edu.
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23 GUEST LECTURE “Problem-Solving with Prior Knowledge: Influences, Affordances and Constraints.” 10 a.m. 271 special collections libraries. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu WORKSHOP “Teaching for Transfer: How Can We Help Students Use What They Know About Writing.” This workshop by Elizabeth Wardle is designed to help faculty and teaching assistants understand how transfer works or doesn’t work in their classrooms. 1:30 p.m. Reading Room, Miller Learning Center. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Towards a Warmer and ‘Exotic’ Future? Dissecting the Processes that Regulate Ecosystem Responses to Climate Change and Plant Invasions,” Vidya Suseela, NSF Postdoctoral Research Fellow in biology at Clemson University. 4 p.m. Ecology building auditorium. 706-542-7247, bethgav@uga.edu GUEST LECTURE “Enacting the Wedding: Pomak Indigenous Revival in PostSocialist Bulgaria,” Laura Olson Osterman, a guest lecturer at the University of Colorado, Boulder. 5 p.m. 214 Miller Learning
Center. 706 542-3663, german@uga.edu GARDEN TRAVELS In his 1973 book A Coast to Coast Walk, Alfred Wainwright described a walk across Northern England in 12 stages, with a town with overnight accommodations at the end of each stage. Participants will hear about this journey. 6:30 p.m. Gardenside Room, State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014, connicot@uga.edu UNIVERSITY THEATRE PERFORMANCE The Mandrake. $16; $12 for students and seniors. 8 p.m. Cellar Theatre. Also to be performed Feb. 24-27 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m. (See story, top right). CONCERT The University Chorus, UGA’s largest mixed choral ensemble, will present its spring concert. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 24 WORKSHOP “Using WordPress for Course ePortfolios.” ePortfolios can be an great way for students to showcase their work and for instructors to assess their learning. In this workshop, instructors will show participants how to set up a course level ePortfolio using CTL’s WordPress instance. 10 a.m. 372 Miller Learning Center. 706-583-0067, tchagood@uga.edu LECTURE Ralph Tripp will present “The Endgame: Eradicating Polio and Other Vaccine Preventable Diseases” as part of the #Throwback Therapies lecture series. 2 p.m. 250 Miller Learning Center. lbalkcom@uga.edu MUSIC IN THE GALLERIES A special music presentation by Claire Cronin, an artist from Los Angeles who makes poems, songs and performances. 4 p.m. Gallery 307, Lamar Dodd School of Art. kgeha@uga.edu GUEST LECTURE J. Tom Morgan, attorney and author of Ignorance is No Defense will speak to the UGA community about the laws in the state of Georgia. Morgan is committed to helping young people avoid being both victims and perpetrators of crimes. 7 p.m. Tate Student Center Theatre. sahara@uga.edu DANCE CONCERT CORE Concert Contemporary and Aerial Dance Company will present its annual spring performance. $16; $10 for students and senior citizens. 8 p.m. New Dance Theatre, Dance building. Also to be held Feb. 25-27 at 8 p.m. 706-542-4400. (See story, above).
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 25 PANEL DISCUSSION Sharon Nickols, dean emeritus of the College of Family and Consumer Sciences and editor of Remaking Home Economics: Resourcefulness and Innovation in Changing Times, along with several contributing authors from FACS, will participate in a panel discussion about the release of the book. 3:30 p.m. 306 Dawson Hall. 706-542-4879, facsdean@fcs.uga.edu ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Uncertain Future: Investigating the Ecology of Reef Coral Symbioses in a Time of Climate Change,” Todd LaJeunesse, an associate professor in the biology department at Pennsylvania State University. 4 p.m. Ecology building auditorium. 706-542-7247, bethgav@uga.edu
Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the Master Calendar, maintained by Marketing & Communications. Notices are published here as space permits, with priority given to items of multidisciplinary interest. The Master Calendar is available on the Web at calendar.uga.edu
columns.uga.edu Feb. 22, 2016
4&5
Performing Arts Center to present Salzburg Marionette Theatre in ‘The Sound of Music’ By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu
The UGA Performing Arts Center will present the Salzburg Marionette Theatre in The Sound of Music March 14 at 8 p.m. in Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. The performance is designed for audiences of all ages. Tickets for the performance are $30-$40 and are discounted for UGA students. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400. The Salzburg Marionette Theatre is one of the last remaining full-time professional marionette theaters in Europe. Since its inception, it has attracted millions of spectators and undertaken hundreds of tours worldwide. In 2013 the company celebrated its 100th anniversary. The Salzburg Marionette version of The Sound of Music is based on the Tony-winning Broadway musical by Richard Rodgers and Oscar Hammerstein. The production showcases the expressive detail in the sculptured heads, the meticulous tailoring of the costumes and the impeccable construction of the stage sets that have become trademarks of the company.
University Theatre to present ‘The Mandrake’ By Dina Canup dinac@uga.edu
University Theatre’s performance of The Mandrake continues in the Cellar Theatre Feb. 23-27 at 8 p.m. and Feb. 28 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are $16, $12 for students, and can be purchased at drama.uga.edu/box-office , by phone at 706-542-4400 or in-person at the Performing Arts Center or Tate Center box office. The University Theatre production is adapted by Walter Wykes from the play by Niccolo Machiavelli and directed by T. Anthony Marotta, an assistant professor in Franklin College’s theatre and film studies department. The Mandrake is by the Italian renaissance political philosopher Machiavelli. The play revolves around characters pursuing their desires by any means necessary: Callimaco (played by Drew Atkinson) yearns for the beautiful Lucrezia (played by Kileigh Adams), a virtuous young woman married to foolish old Calfucci (played by Hannah Klevesahl). Marotta selected this play not just because it remains extremely entertaining but also because for modern audiences it is raises deeply disturbing and timely issues about sexual power dynamics and consent. Like many comedies of the past, the story revolves around a man who tries to concoct ways to sleep with a woman without her consent. “How can we laugh at this? This masculine play about the ruthless pursuit of a woman as a sexual object at the same time diminishes women’s voices and presence onstage,” said Marotta, who chose to cast the show entirely with female actors. “Not only do women play the men, but to go one step further, all of the women’s roles in the play are diminished (or elevated) even more through the use of puppetry. We have women playing men manipulating female puppets to get what they want.”
Philosopher, art historian to give lecture Feb. 25 By Drema Nicole Montgomery drema@uga.edu
The Lamar Dodd School of Art will present a lecture by philosopher and art historian Gregg Horowitz Feb. 25 at 5:30 p.m. in Room S151 of the art school. This lecture is part of the Visiting Artist/Scholar Lecture Series. Horowitz is a professor of philosophy and chair of social science and cultural studies at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. Through his administrative work at Pratt, Horowitz helped to refashion the way in which artists and designers attained their liberal arts education while also developing both undergraduate and graduate programs. These academic programs were focused on critical cultural theory and taken from the academic and studio resources of an art-and-design college. This habit of careful reconsidering and reimagining is also apparent in his numerous publications. His works address the topics of the philosophy of art and art history, political philosophy and psychoanalysis. His research interests also tackle the relation of aesthetics, cultural theory and art criticism to critical social theory. Horowitz’s publications include Sustaining Loss: Art and Mournful Life and The Wake of Art: Philosophy, Criticism and the Ends of Taste. He has also published such articles as “A Made-to-Order Witness: Women’s Knowledge in Vertigo,” “Absolute Bodies: The Video Puppets of Tony Oursler, “The Homeopathic Image, or, Trauma, Intimacy and Poetry” and “A Late Adventure of the Feelings: Loss, Trauma and the Limits of Psychoanalysis.” GLOBAL GEORGIA INITIATIVE LECTURE Sven Beckert, Laird Bell Professor of History at Harvard University, will speak. 4 p.m. Chapel. davemarr@uga.edu (See story, page 2). CED LECTURE Jeffrey Hou, professor and chair of landscape architecture at the University of Washington, will speak. 4 p.m. 123 Jackson Street building. GUEST LECTURE Michael Putnam will give a talk, “Multilingualism and the Future of Generative Grammar,” proposing a way to incorporate aspects of cognitive science, neurolinguistics and psycholinguistics into the traditional methods and models of the study of language. A question-and-answer session will follow. 5 p.m. 214 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-3663, german@uga.edu VISITING ARTIST/SCHOLAR LECTURE Gregg Horowitz is a professor of philosophy and chair of social science and cultural studies at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn. 5:30 p.m. S151 Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-0116, michelleegas@uga.edu (See story, above). GUEST ARTIST RECITAL Allison Adams, an assistant professor of saxophone at the University of Tennessee School of Music, will visit the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music for a guest artist recital. 6 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu LEWIS LECTURE SERIES The Lewis Lecture Series presents Chuck Hillman and his talk “The Relation of Childhood Health Behaviors to Brain and Cognition.” 6 p.m. Pecan Tree Galleria and Masters Hall, Georgia Center. emevans@uga.edu GUEST ARTIST RECITAL The UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music will host Brian Smith, a music faculty member at LaGrange College, for a guest artist recital. 6:30 p.m. Edge Recital Hall, Hugh Hodgson School of Music. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu DOCUMENTARY SCREENING* American Denial. The story of Swedish researcher Gunnar Myrdal, whose landmark 1944 study, An American Dilemma, probed deep into the U.S. racial psyche. A panel discussion will follow. 6:30 p.m. 171 Miller Learning Center. GUEST LECTURE “Loveable Racists in the Film 12 Years a Slave,” David Ikard,
director of Africana studies at the University of Miami. Hosted by the Creative Writing Program. 6:30 p.m. 213 Miller Learning Center. cmlwhite@uga.edu FILM SCREENING National Gallery. Part of the Behind-the-Scenes Film Series. 7 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Arkansas. $5. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum. CONCERT The celebrated ARCO Chamber Orchestra will perform. $20. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu
FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 26 MEN’S TENNIS vs. ETSU. Dan Magill Tennis Complex. 706-542-1621. STEM INSTITUTE ON TEACHING AND LEARNING “Increasing the Pool of STEM Talent.” This conference is a free, annual event sponsored by the statewide STEM Initiative, which is supported by the board of regents. The conference is being organized by the UGA Office of STEM Education. 9 a.m. Georgia Center. 706-542-4514, mkinney@uga.edu RED CLAY CONFERENCE “Making a Sustainable Lifestyle Accessible to All.” $10 for non-UGA members. 9 a.m. Larry Walker Room, Dean Rusk Hall. MORNING MINDFULNESS Participants will enhance mindful practice in an environment of creative energy. Register by calling 706-542-0448 or emailing branew@uga.edu. 9:30 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu SEMINAR Dr. Sonja Rasmussen, director of the Division of Public Health Information Dissemination, will address health issues currently making the news in her talk “Pandemic Influenza, Zika Virus and Other Emerging Infectious Diseases: A Public Health Perspective.” 12:10 p.m. 235 Russell Hall (HSC). ahandel@uga.edu WOMEN’S STUDIES FRIDAY SPEAKER SERIES LECTURE “Making Women: Sex Testing and International Sport in the 20th Century,” Jaclyn Nolan, communication studies. 12:20 p.m. 248 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-2846, tlhat@uga.edu
TO SUBMIT A LISTING FOR THE MASTER CALENDAR AND COLUMNS Post event information first to the Master Calendar website (calendar.uga.edu/). Listings for Columns are taken from the Master Calendar 12 days before the publication date. Events not posted by then may not be printed in Columns.
Any additional information about the event may be sent directly to Columns. Email is preferred (columns@uga.edu), but materials can be mailed to Columns, News Service, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Campus Mail 1999.
GEORGIA COLLEGIATE LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE Through Feb. 27. To include keynote speakers, student- and advisor-geared leadership workshops and networking opportunities. 4 p.m. Tate Student Center. 706-583-5509, eancinec@uga.edu BASEBALL vs. South Alabama. Part of the Bulldog Invitational. $5-$8. 5 p.m. Foley Field. 706-542-1231. ART MUSEUM BLACK HISTORY MONTH DINNER* The Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award and the Lillian C. Lynch Citation will be presented. RSVP to gmoarsvp@uga.edu or 706-542-4199. $55-$75. 6 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu (See story, page 7). CONCERT Two of the UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music’s large ensembles, the Hodgson Concert Band and Hodgson University Band, will perform their spring concerts. 8 p.m. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 27 MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Ole Miss. $15. Noon. Stegeman Coliseum. 706-542-1231. BASEBALL vs. Cincinnati. Part of the Bulldog Invitational. $5-$8. 4 p.m. Foley Field. 706-542-1231.
SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 28 BASEBALL vs. Western Kentucky. Part of the Bulldog Invitational. $5-$8. 3 p.m. Foley Field. 706-542-1231
MONDAY, FEBRUARY 29 WORKSHOP “Engaging Diverse Students.” The workshop will increase awareness of diversity and inclusion classroom issues, help participants build skills around inclusion and provide tools that they can use in classroom instruction and engagement. 3 p.m. Center for Teaching and Learning. 706-542-6603, ehoran@uga.edu SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS SEMINAR “Beyond Fetishizing Food: Landscape and Political Perspectives on Food in Panama,” Julie Velasquez Runk, anthropology. 3:30 p.m. 101 Lumpkin House. 706-542-8084, sustainag@uga.edu ANIMAL VOICES FILM FESTIVAL FILM Shark Girl is the story of Madison Stewart and her passionate fight to save the creature most humans fear. 7 p.m. 148 Miller Learning Center. 706-224-3796, sos@uga.edu FACULTY RECITAL David Starkweather, a professor of cello, and Evgeny Rivkin, a professor of piano, will pair for a faculty recital. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4752, ccschwabe@uga.edu
COMING UP SPRING SEMESTER MIDTERM March 1. *PART OF BLACK HISTORY MONTH
NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES March 2 (for March 14 issue) March 9 (for March 21 issue) March 16 (for March 28 issue)
6 Feb. 22, 2016 columns.uga.edu
Jason Christian, an assistant professor in the College of Engineering, was named the 2016 Engineer of the Year in Education by the Georgia Society of Professional Engineers. As with most engineering capstone courses taught elsewhere, UGA students solve the technical components of their design projects, learn how to manage time and other resources, develop communications skills and learn to work cooperatively with peers. The design courses Christian leads in environmental engineering at UGA are different because he also helps students develop confidence in their individual abilities, create strategies to cope with professional and personal stress, understand their role in the workplace and build reasonable expectations for their early careers. Christian was recognized Feb. 13 at the annual Engineers Week Awards Gala in Atlanta. Andy Landers, a Women’s Basketball Hall of Fame member and former coach of UGA’s women’s basketball program, is one of 14 honorees on this year’s Southeastern Conference Class of Women’s Legends list. A four-time National Coach of the Year, Landers amassed 944 career wins during coaching Andy Landers stops at Roane State Community College (1975-1979) and UGA (1979-2015). The win total ranks fifth in the history of NCAA women’s basketball. After becoming the first full-time head coach of women’s basketball at UGA in 1979, Landers led his teams to 31 NCAA tournaments, five Final Four appearances, 17 top-10 finishes, seven SEC titles and four SEC tournament championships. This year’s Class of Women’s Legends, which is made up of student-athletes, coaches and administrators from around the league, will be honored at the 2016 SEC women’s basketball tournament, which runs from March 2-6 in Jacksonville, Florida. Pamela Paisley, a professor in the College of Education’s counseling and human development services department, received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Georgia School Counselor Association for her impact on the school counseling profession. GSCA is a private, nonprofit Pamela Paisley association comprised of school counselors, guidance directors, supervisors, administrators and counselor educators who have had an impact on student success and well being. The association has been instrumental in establishing professional standards for school counseling in Georgia. During her more than 20 years at UGA, Paisley created the professional school counseling educational specialist program at UGA’s Gwinnett campus; more than 250 students have graduated from the program. Most recently, she helped develop the education college’s doctoral program in counseling and student personnel services with a unique P-16 focus designed for practicing school counselors to further their skill and knowledge base. April Peters-Hawkins, an associate professor in the College of Education’s lifelong education, administration and policy department, was elected president for the University Council for Educational Administration for 2016-2017. UCEA is a consortium of higher education institutions committed to advancing the preparation and practice of educational leaders for the benefit of schools and children. Kudos recognizes special contributions of staff, faculty and administrators in teaching, research and service. News items are limited to election into office of state, regional, national and international societies; major awards and prizes; and similarly notable accomplishments.
FACULTY PROFILE
Robert Newcomb
Larry Thompson, the Sibley Professor in Corporate and Business Law, encourages his students to continue to learn. “View your journey in the law as a long-term commitment,” he said. “You should always protect and cherish your reputation as a lawyer and be forthright in your dealings with your colleagues, opposing counsel and your clients.”
Former corporate attorney writes next chapter in his career at UGA By Lona Panter lonap@uga.edu
With a career that has spanned private practice, government, the corporate world and academia, the School of Law’s Larry D. Thompson has had the opportunity to enjoy various aspects of the legal field. “I get as much satisfaction and find as many challenges in this new chapter of my life and career as I did in the others,” Thompson said. “I feel very fortunate to be able to teach at the University of Georgia law school.” Thompson, the Sibley Professor in Corporate and Business Law, instructs law students on white collar and business crimes as well as corporate responsibility. He designed the class himself after working in the private sector as a general counsel to one of the biggest corporations in the world. After working as a prosecutor and defense lawyer early in his career, Thompson moved into the corporate world in 2003. His previous work experience, which included serving as deputy attorney general of the U.S., independent counsel for the 2004 Department of Housing and Urban Development investigation and chair of the bipartisan Judicial Review Commission on Foreign Asset Control, made him an attractive candidate to corporations, which had been plagued by several high-profile scandals in the early part of the decade and wanted general counsel
candidates with significant government experience. Thompson entered the business world with PepsiCo and spent 10 years with the global leader in the food and beverage industry. While at PepsiCo, he held multiple positions, including that of general counsel as well as executive vice president, government affairs and corporate secretary. In these roles, he led the company’s worldwide legal function as well as its global government affairs and public policy group and its global citizenship and sustainability team. The position of general counsel for such a large organization involves “lots of moving parts. … It’s very interesting but also very challenging,” Thompson said. The various aspects of serving as general counsel for PepsiCo, including handling legal needs, public policies and governmental affairs issues, gave Thompson a chance to continue learning throughout his career. It was while working under CEO Indra Nooyi, who created the company’s “Performance with Purpose” philosophy (which strives to deliver sustainable financial success by operating in line with the needs of society), that Thompson was able to research and develop the strategy from the legal standpoint. It was that work that helped him shape and design his corporate responsibility course at Georgia Law. Continuing to learn is something Thompson encourages his students to
FACTS Larry D. Thompson Sibley Professor in Corporate and Business Law School of Law J.D., University of Michigan, 1974 M.A., Sociology, Michigan State University, 1969 B.A., Sociology, Culver-Stockton College, 1967 At UGA: Five years
do as well. “View your journey in the law as a long-term commitment,” he said. “You should always protect and cherish your reputation as a lawyer and be forthright in your dealings with your colleagues, opposing counsel and your clients.” In 2001, Thompson first entered the teaching academy, taking a permitted sabbatical from his law firm for a Georgia Law classroom. He taught a course on corporate criminal investigations and found that he enjoyed teaching very much. “I think it’s important for us to give back to our profession and teaching is one way to do that,” he said. “I view the legal profession as a calling. A part of that is an obligation to serve society. … I think it’s all worthwhile if I make a positive impact on just a few students’ lives and careers.”
DIVISION OF STUDENT AFFAIRS
UGA alumna Erin Richman named director of Academic Partnerships and Initiatives in Division of Student Affairs By Stan Jackson ugastan@uga.edu
UGA alumna Erin L. Richman is the new director of academic partnerships and initiatives at UGA’s Division of Student Affairs. “Dr. Richman will lead our efforts to organize and support collaboration among administrators, faculty, staff and students,” said Victor K. Wilson, vice president for student affairs. “These partnerships are essential to provide each student with the best holistic learning experience possible.” Richman, who joined UGA Feb. 15, most recently was executive director of institutional innovation at Florida State College at Jacksonville. Academic Partnerships and
Erin Richman
Initiatives is a department within the Division of Student Affairs that aims to bridge the learning experiences in Student Affairs to the coursework, research and educational programs offered
across campus. In the two years since its creation, Academic Partnerships and Initiatives already has done much to enhance the learning experience, specifically implementing programs designed to ease the transition to college for transfer and first-generation students. Richman knows that collaboration
between Student Affairs and other areas of campus may be a new concept for some, but she embraces the challenge. “I enjoy helping others navigate unfamiliar terrain while still building excitement and consensus,” Richman said. “Moving the needle requires collaborative leadership paired with clear, effective communication.” A “Double Dawg,” Richman earned both her master’s and doctorate in psychology from UGA, including a graduate certificate in women’s studies. She received a bachelor’s degree in psychology, with honors, from the University of Central Florida. “I’m thrilled to return to UGA to enhance relationships for Student Affairs and promote academic partnerships across the university,” Richman said.
GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART
columns.uga.edu Feb. 22, 2016
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GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART Georgia Museum of Art to host annual Black History Month dinner
Dorothy Kozlowski
Shawnya Harris, the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art at the Georgia Museum of Art, is the first curator to focus on African-American arts at the museum and will help highlight the museum’s collection of African-American artists.
A diverse perspective
New curator showcasing African-American art By Aaron Hale
aahale@uga.edu
The diverse collection of AfricanAmerican art at the Georgia Museum of Art doesn’t just add color to the gallery walls, it adds to the diversity of experience and perspectives offered at the museum, said Shawnya Harris, the Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art at the museum. Harris, who joined the art museum in August, is the first curator to focus on African-American arts at the museum and will help highlight the museum’s collection of African-American artists, including the works donated by the Thompsons in 2012. That new focus on African-American arts will play a part in the art museum’s plan for a reinstallation of the permanent collection. Plans for the reinstallation—which essentially is a makeover of what is displayed and where in the art museum’s permanent gallery—are underway and will be completed this summer. “The way we’re working on the reinstall plan is to display more artists in the Thompson Collection and put them in conversation with works by non-African-Americans,” Harris said. A native of Bridgeport, Connecticut, Harris has been engaged in a conversation
about African-American and African Diasporic arts throughout her career. It was a subject she discovered and became fascinated by as an undergraduate at Yale University. “I didn’t grow up going to art museums very often, and I definitely didn’t go to museums looking to experience African-American culture,” she said. Harris went to Yale intending to study electrical engineering. But she fell in love with her humanities classes and ultimately majored in African-American studies. After getting her master’s in AfricanAmerican art at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, she started working with a small art museum associated with North Carolina Central University in Durham. She went on to become director of the museum at North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University in Greensboro, where she curated some of her first exhibition in African and African-American art while also getting her doctorate at UNC-Chapel Hill. She served on the faculty for two years at Elizabeth City State University in North Carolina before coming to the Georgia Museum of Art. “In the past, I was sort of a specialist, but more or less a kind of catch-all (person), particularly on the administrative and teaching side,” she said.
WEEKLY READER
Book features Little St. Simons paintings
The Wild Treasury of Nature: A Portrait of Little St. Simons Island Paintings by Philip Juras University of Georgia Press $32.95 (Available March 1)
The 52 paintings gathered in The Wild Treasury of Nature reveal as never before the wild beauty of Little St. Simons, an undeveloped barrier island on the Georgia coast. In showing the island’s marshes and tidal creeks, shrub lands and forests, and dunes and beaches, artist Philip Juras, who received a bachelor’s degree in drawing and painting and a master’s degree in landscape architecture from UGA, helps readers understand the natural and historical forces continually at work on this unique place. The writings that accompany Juras’ paintings, which include chapters from Dorinda G. Dallmeyer, the director of the Environmental Ethics Certificate program at the UGA College of Environment and Design, and Janice Simon, the Meigs Professor of Art History at UGA’s Lamar Dodd School of Art, describe the natural history and unique cultural past of Little St. Simons.
But now at the Georgia Museum of Art, she’s excited to be able to focus on her specialty in African-American art. Part of that work will be to help build the collection of African-American art. The Thompsons donated 100 works to the museum from their prominent collection of works by African-American artists and funded an endowment to support Harris’ position. Larry Thompson is a faculty member at the School of Law (see story, page 6), and Brenda Thompson is chair-elect of the art museum’s Board of Advisors. Harris will expand the African-American art collection by looking for new and undiscovered art to feature. She also will begin documenting the existing works in the Thompson collection. Harris will dig into the work and lives of the artists in the collection to provide better understanding of who they were and what they were trying to create.That research will offer opportunities for collaboration across disciplines, but it will paint a more complete and colorful picture of what is known about American art. “There aren’t a lot of AfricanAmerican artists who show up in major survey texts,” Harris said. “So we’ve got a role in documenting those artists, making it available—not just here—but for people who are interested beyond Georgia.”
The Georgia Museum of Art at UGA will host its annual Black History Month dinner and awards ceremony Feb. 26 at 6:30 p.m. at the museum. The event, “Hallowed Ground: Sites of African-American Memory,” will honor two African-American contributors to art and culture in Georgia: Emma Amos and Michael L. Thurmond. Tickets are $55 for members of the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art and $75 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased at http://bit.ly/gmoa-bhma. Shawnya Harris, the museum’s new Brenda and Larry Thompson Curator of African American and African Diasporic Art (see story, left), will lead a gallery talk at 6:30 p.m. on the subject of Amos’ work. Dinner and the awards ceremony begin at 7:30 p.m. and will feature a performance by the UGA African-American Choral Ensemble, as directed by Gregory Broughton. This year’s event echoes the national theme of Black History Month 2016, which celebrates the numerous sites throughout the U.S. where African-Americans have made history essential to the fabric of African-American accomplishments. The 2016 Larry D. and Brenda A. Thompson Award will go to artist Amos for her contribution to visual art in Georgia. Since her debut art exhibition in Atlanta in 1960, she has had a successful career in painting, printing, weaving, textile design, craft, illustration and art education. Her work is characterized by a complex use of color, composition and abstract representations. It also has focused heavily on the historic representation of black subjects in art. Amos’ work has been exhibited internationally and at a number of major American museums and has won numerous awards and grants. The Georgia Museum of Art is in the process of planning a major retrospective of her work. Thurmond, a native of Clarke County, will receive the 2016 Lillian C. Lynch Citation for his dedication to cultural education and service. Thurmond has distinguished himself as an attorney, author, lecturer and public servant during his long career in Georgia. He has served in the Georgia General Assembly, as Georgia labor commissioner and as DeKalb County superintendent. During his time in office, Thurmond provided major tax relief to his constituents and effective plans for growing the workforce. He currently serves on the board of curators at the Georgia Historical Society.
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Editor Juliett Dinkins Art Director Janet Beckley
Education college’s website overhauled coe.uga.edu
The College of Education, with Web manager Daniel Fowler and developers Chris Seymour and Dave Wynne, was busy for the past two years. From January to August in 2014, they completely rebuilt the college’s website in a flat-file content management system called Statamic. Previously in WordPress with over 6,000 pages, the website
was gutted down to 800 pages while adding brand new features including a master calendar, news archive, private intranet and directory that enables faculty and staff to selfupdate their public profile. The COE website was touched up in May and August 2015 and now serves content to 400,000 users annually.
Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Senior Reporter Aaron Hale Reporter Matt Chambers The University of Georgia is committed to principles of equal opportunity and affirmative action. The University of Georgia is a unit of the University System of Georgia. I
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8 Feb. 22, 2016 columns.uga.edu
WEEDS from page 1
AWARDS from page 1 Career Housing Award from the Housing Education and Research Association and was named the 2014 Educator of the Year and a 2015 High Impact Educator by the Georgia Apartment Industry Education Foundation. She is the faculty advisor for H.O.U.S.E., the Housing Organization for Undergraduate Student Enhancement. Wood has designed innovative tools to help students master complicated concepts in biochemistry. He creates “virtual study groups” through a cloud-computing platform to engage in voluntary discussions with students on their own time, and when he discovered that many students lacked the prerequisite knowledge needed to grasp the curriculum, he began working with Honors students to create a student-authored
textbook that explains concepts useful to understanding the material. Wood has trained and mentored more than 24 undergraduate students in research since he joined UGA’s faculty in 2007. The UGA Student Government Association recognized him as a 2014 Outstanding Professor. He is a Georgia Cancer Coalition Scholar and an American Cancer Society Research Scholar. Nominations for the Russell Awards for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching are submitted by deans and considered by a committee of senior faculty members and undergraduate students. To be eligible for the award, a faculty member must have worked at UGA for at least three years and no more than 10 years in a tenure-track position.
HISTORY from page 1 the talent, intellect and drive of our students in the nation’s capital,” he said. “As they intern with lawmakers, think-tanks, museums, government agencies, law firms and many other types of offices, the students gain valuable work experience and serve as effective ambassadors of the university. “Students with an interest in public
history have no better place than Washington to study and intern,” DeMaria also said. “The city is rich with resources like the National Archives and Library of Congress, while also offering a variety of internship opportunities in government, museums and other organizations to apply their knowledge.”
EXTENSION from page 1 Sciences.“Such collaborations allow us to look in detail, from a biophysical and structural standpoint, into how the proteins involved in the assembly of B-12 work. We are trying to learn how the organisms synthesize this very complex molecule, which is the focus of the grant.” Because Escalante’s laboratory in the microbiology department focuses on one of the most fundamental questions of biology, the investigations provide extraordinary training opportunities for developing scientists even as they seek solutions to basic questions. Escalante is the sixth MERIT award recipient at UGA since 1992. The NIH MERIT award is given to less than 5 percent of NIHfunded investigators. Because investigators do not apply for a MERIT award, each institute of the NIH submits proposals to their respective councils, where the merits of the candidates are discussed and decisions are made. The MERIT award allows recipients to undertake high-risk research that requires longer timeframes than provided under normal guidelines for research funding awards. Escalante’s lab uses genetic, molecular biological and biochemical approaches to the analysis of B-12 biosynthesis in microorganisms that occupy diverse niches in nature. This research environment provides an important
training ground, both for graduate researchers with laboratory career trajectory and for undergraduate students with diverse professional goals, according to Escalante. “One of our goals is to teach students to think critically while training broadly,” he said. “We do whatever we need to do to answer biological questions, and when we don’t have the expertise to get the answers, we seek out collaborations.” For the undergraduates working in his lab, providing contextualization for those studying for careers in science is key. “It’s an essential need, in order to gain perspective and see how what they’re learning in the classroom is used to perform research,” said Escalante, who has found that research into the coenzyme B-12 biosynthesis has great potential for the future of drug delivery and other evolving therapies. “The genes that can encode proteins needed to make B-12 are not present in the human genome, thus the human body does not make those proteins,” he said. “Therefore, B-12 biosynthetic enzymes represent potential therapeutic targets. The development of antimicrobials that block B-12 biosynthesis in human pathogens is attractive because of the predicted absence of side effects on human cell function.”
Bulletin Board Columns publication break
Because of spring break, Columns will not be published March 7. Regular weekly publication of the newspaper resumes March 14. Email announcements for that issue to columns@uga.edu by 5 p.m. on March 2.
Science and engineering judges
The Office of Academic Special Programs is seeking graduate students and professionals from the UGA community to serve as judges for the Georgia Science and Engineering Fair. To be held April 1 at the Classic Center in downtown Athens, the fair is a forum for middle and high school students to showcase original research, compete for awards and interact with top scientists from around the state. Judges, who will receive an orientation and training the morning of the fair, will interview the students about their research and select award winners. Approximately 300 judges are needed to evaluate more than 650 exhibits in animal sciences,
behavioral sciences, biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology, chemistry, computer science, earth sciences, energy, engineering, environmental sciences, mathematics, medicine, microbiology, physics and astronomy, and plant sciences. Interested graduate- and professional-level scientists and engineers are asked complete the online form at http://t.uga.edu/24v and mail it to GSEF, 1197 S. Lumpkin St., Ste. 198, Athens, GA 30602, as soon as possible.
Lilly Fellows deadline
The Center for Teaching and Learning currently is accepting applications until 5 p.m. on March 11 for the 20162018 Lilly Teaching Fellows program. Faculty in their first, second or third year of a tenure-track position at UGA are eligible to apply. Information and application materials can be found at http://t.uga.edu/22b . For more information, contact Jean Martin-Williams, the director of the program, at jfmartin@uga.edu .
adoption of herbicide-resistant crops has been associated with a dramatic increase in herbicide-resistant weeds. With 21 genetically similar but different types of Johnsongrass known to be resistant to herbicides, it will only become more problematic in the future.” Apart from its resistance to herbicides, the naturalization of Johnsongrass across much of the U.S. also has allowed the plant to develop attributes, such as cold and drought tolerance, resistance to pathogens and the ability to flourish in low-fertility soils, that make it particularly difficult to control. Over the course of their five-year project, the researchers will work to develop a better understanding of the weed’s capabilities and the underlying genes that make Johnsongrass so resilient. This information may lead to new management strategies that target and curb its growth, providing farmers with a more robust toolkit to combat the invasive plant. But the researchers also hope that learning more about the fundamental structures that give Johnsongrass its unusual resilience will pave the way for new genetic tools to
improve useful plants, such as sorghum, a close relative of Johnsongrass that is grown widely for food, animal fodder and as a source of biofuel. “The close relationship between sorghum and Johnsongrass poses both a challenge and an opportunity,” said Paterson, who is housed in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. “The two species are so closely related that no herbicides distinguish between them, making control of Johnsongrass in or near sorghum fields especially difficult. “Regardless, the lessons we learn from Johnsongrass may lead to strategies to improve sorghum and other major crops,” he also said. Other researchers working on this project include Jacob Barney, Virginia Tech; Jeff Dahlberg, University of California Division of Agriculture and Natural Resources; C. Michael Smith, Kansas State University; Wesley Everman, North Carolina State University; Marnie Rout, University of Texas, Temple; and Clint Magill and Gary Odvody, Texas A&M University.
PROFESSOR from page 1 and urban water sustainability with an emphasis on the sustainability and resiliency of green infrastructure including streams, floodplains and stormwater systems. His work currently is funded by the National Cooperative Highway Research Program, the National Science Foundation and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, among others. “On the most fundamental level, our research is about understanding how rivers and watersheds work—their physical and biological interconnections,” Bledsoe said. “Ultimately, we translate that understanding into engineering strategies and designs that provide resilient water and transportation infrastructure for people while conserving the services and functions of ecosystems.” Bledsoe earned his bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Georgia Institute of Technology, his master’s in restoration ecology, forestry and hydrology from North Carolina State University and his doctorate in civil engineering from Colorado State University. Bledsoe joined UGA from Colorado State, where he was a professor of civil and environmental engineering. He joined the CSU engineering faculty in 2000 as an assistant professor and served as an associate professor from 2007 to 2013. Among his accomplishments at CSU, Bledsoe designed and established an ecological engineering program for undergraduates in environmental engineering. Before joining CSU, Bledsoe worked in the private sector as a surveyor and consulting
WIP course proposals
The Franklin College Writing Intensive Program is accepting proposals until March 4 from arts and sciences faculty in all disciplines for innovative courses that encourage writing. The WIP aims to enhance undergraduate education by emphasizing the importance of writing in the disciplines by offering “writing-intensive” courses throughout the college. Faculty who teach WIP courses are supported by a Writing Intensive Program teaching assistant, who is specially trained in writing-in-the-disciplines pedagogy. Visit www.wip.uga.edu for proposal forms and guidelines as well as additional information about the program. Direct questions to the Michelle Ballif, WIP director, at mballlif@uga.edu .
Moss fellowship applications
Applications are being accepted until March 25 at 5 p.m. for the Sarah H. Moss Fellowships for 2016-17, beginning with summer semester.
engineer and for the state of North Carolina as a watershed restoration specialist and state nonpoint source program coordinator. Bledsoe is a licensed professional civil engineer in North Carolina and Colorado. The National Science Foundation presented Bledsoe with a CAREER Award in 2006 to examine the efficacy of stream restoration for improving water quality. He served as a Fulbright Scholar in Chile where he worked on hydropower and river sustainability in 2008. In addition, Bledsoe has served as an expert peer reviewer on the Platte River and San Juan River Recovery Implementation Programs, the Everglades and Louisiana Coastal Area restoration efforts and the U.S. EPA Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program. Bledsoe has served as principal investigator on more than $4 million in sponsored research. He currently serves as a co-principal investigator on a $12 million project funded by the National Science Foundation that seeks to create sustainable urban water systems. Bledsoe has published more than 50 peerreviewed journal articles and book chapters. “UGA provides a great context for developing innovative curricula that integrate engineering problem-solving and creativity with a well-rounded liberal arts education,” Bledsoe said. “I’m also looking forward to collaborating in water resources research with world-class scholars within the college and across campus. I’m from northwest Georgia, so it’s a homecoming and a great opportunity to serve my home state.”
Administered by UGA’s Center for Teaching and Learning, the fellowships provide up to $10,000 for travel and related expenses for faculty pursuing advanced study in institutions of higher learning in the U.S. and abroad. Applicants should be tenure-track faculty at the UGA Athens campus and show promise of unusual accomplishment in study at universities other than in Southern states including and contiguous to Georgia. Approval is required by the nominee’s department head and dean if a leave of absence during the academic year is requested. Recipients must agree to return UGA for one year after receiving a scholarship or re-pay the amount of the award. More information about the fellowship and the application process is at http://t.uga.edu/235 . Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.