UGA Columns Jan 19, 2016

Periodicals Postage is PAID in Athens, Georgia

News Service University of Georgia 286 Oconee Street Suite 200 North Athens, GA 30602-1999

®

The University of Georgia

Study: Vitamin D deficiency may limit immune recovery in HIV-positive adults RESEARCH NEWS

3

Performing Arts Center to present The Second City in Ramsey Concert Hall

January 19, 2016

Vol. 43, No. 21

www.columns.uga.edu

UGA GUIDE

4&5

2016 State of the University UGA President Jere W. Morehead will deliver the State of the University address Jan. 20 at 3:30 p.m. in the Chapel.

Open to the public, the event will be broadcast live on channel 15 of the university cable system and channel 181 of the Charter cable system. It also will be streamed live at http://www.ctl.uga.edu.

NC State University administrator named CAES dean, director

By Sam Fahmy

sfahmy@uga.edu

Camp Hooray, a first-of-its-kind, fully accessible overnight camp for children and young adults with developmental disabilities, is being built thanks to a partnership between UGA’s College of Environment and Design and Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture.

Camp Hooray

UGA, Georgia Tech partner to create fully accessible overnight camp for children with disabilities UGA’s College of Environment and Design and Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture have partnered with Extra Special People Inc. to build Camp Hooray, the first-of-its-kind, fully accessible overnight camp for children and young adults with developmental disabilities.

Located on a 70-acre parcel of land in Jackson County, the camp will have traditional camp activities including music, sports and games, art, swimming, boating, archery, field days, talent shows and

overnight stays—while providing a safe, fun and meaningful experience for campers of all abilities.

The project will use the land design expertise of UGA’s College of Environment and Design and Georgia Tech’s architecture expertise to make the space sustainable and feature accessible design for residential cabins, outdoor spaces and common areas around a small rural lake. A public design process called a charrette will be conducted Jan. 29-31 on site and at 225 W. Broad St. in Athens.

Throughout the semester the students will meet with volunteers, donors and parents of campers to share ideas and critiques and weigh alternatives.

“Our students gain practical experience through real-world projects,” said Dan Nadenicek, UGA’s College of Environment and Design dean. “The studio environment and service-learning are unique among all teaching settings and leads to strong friendships and lifetime associations.”

See CAMP on page 8

HONORS PROGRAM

Samuel Pardue, a noted poultry science researcher and administrator at North Carolina State University, has been named dean and director of UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Pardue is currently associate dean and director of academic programs at NC State’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, and his appointment at UGA is effective March 14.

“I am pleased that Dr. Pardue is joining the university as the next dean and director of the College of Agricultural and Environmental

Sciences,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead.

“His academic background and professional experience are ideal for leading Samuel Pardue the college at a very exciting time in its history and working with key stakeholders and alumni who are critical to our future success.”

Since 2012, Pardue has overseen the academic programming in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences’ 16 departments.

See DEAN on page 8

OFFICE OF VP FOR INSTRUCTION

Timothy Burg named director of Office of STEM Education

By Sam Fahmy

sfahmy@uga.edu

UGA has appointed Timothy Burg, an engineer whose work bridges academia and industry, to direct its Office of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics Education.

Burg, who was previously a professor of electrical and computer engineering at Kansas State University, will lead efforts to ­enhance instruction and learning ­outcomes in the STEM fields at

UGA as well as throughout the state, with partners in K-12 ­e d u c a t i o n and at other ­universities.

“Student interest in Timothy Burg STEM has been on an upward trajectory for the past several years, and these fields play a critical role in the economic

See STEM on page 8

Honors student will study in China as part CENTER FOR TROPICAL AND EMERGING GLOBAL DISEASES of inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars UGA researchers receive $1M “ T o r r e environmental stewardship within to develop crypto treatment

By Sam Fahmy sfahmy@uga.edu

UGA Honors student Torre Lavelle is one of 111 students from around the world to be named to the inaugural class of Schwarzman Scholars, a highly selective and fully-funded one-year master’s program at Tsinghua University in Beijing.

More than 3,000 applicants from 135 countries applied for the Schwarzman Scholars program, making it one of the most selective in the world.

Lavelle richly deserves the honor of being named to a program designed to prepare the next generation of global Torre Lavelle leaders,” said Jessica Hunt, major scholarships coordinator in the UGA Honors Program. “As a future conservation policymaker, Torre has demonstrated a commitment to

local, national and international communities.”

Lavelle, a senior from Macon, is a UGA Foundation Fellowship recipient who is pursing a bachelor’s degree in ecology from the Odum School of Ecology as well as an Honors interdisciplinary degree in political ecology from UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences.

“The chance to deepen my understanding of environmental and public policy through the See SCHOLAR on page 8

By Donna Huber donnah@uga.edu

UGA researchers have received $1 million from the Wellcome Trust and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to speed the development of new drugs for the treatment of cryptosporidiosis, a major cause of diarrheal disease and mortality in young children around the world.

Cryptosporidiosis is caused by cryptosporidium, a microscopic parasite commonly spread through

tainted drinking or recreational water. There is currently no vaccine and only a single drug of modest efficacy available to treat the disease.

“Cryptosporidiosis is a tremendous public health challenge,” said Boris Striepen, Distinguished Research Professor in Cellular Biology in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and a member of UGA’s Center for Tropical and Emerging Global Diseases. “We are extremely grateful to the trust and the foundation for providing

See TREATMENT on page 8

2 Jan. 19, 2016 columns.uga.edu ‘Problematic’ makes Lake Superior State’s annual banished words list

Around academe

Lake Superior State University took its annual tongue-in-cheek swipe at overused words and phrases in its List of Banished Words. Among the expressions on this year’s list was starting a sentence with the word “so.”

Other words include “problematic,” “stakeholder,” “vape” (referring to electronic cigarettes) and “physicality.”

The list also included hyperbolic expressions such as “giving me life,” used to refer to anything that excites a person; “walk it back,” to refer to a retraction of an embarrassing statement; and “break the Internet,” for any popular meme.

Accreditors give final approval of Georgia State, Georgia Perimeter plan

The Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges, the regional accreditation body, gave its approval to the consolidation plans of Georgia State University and Georgia Perimeter College last month.

University System of Georgia Chancellor Hank Huckaby announced the consolidation plans in January 2015, to create the new, combined institution.

SACSCOC’s approval represents the final step needed for the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia to review and grant authorization for the consolidated institution to officially operate as the new Georgia State University.

News to Use

Healthy eating habits help your heart

According to the American Heart Association, there are many changes people can make to their eating to support heart health.

Eat nutrient-rich fruits, vegetables and whole grains. They are full of fiber, vitamins, minerals, and phytochemicals, or plant chemicals, many of which are known for their antioxidant capabilities.

In addition, low-fat or fat-free dairy products, lean cuts of meat and poultry, fish and vegetarian sources of protein, including beans, peas and tofu, are supportive of heart health.

Use creative ways to add in more vegetables that will work for even the most reluctant eaters.

Try adding fresh or frozen vegetables into your favorite pasta or top a pizza with extra mushrooms and spinach. Keep sliced veggies and hummus in a visible location in the fridge or add them to a smoothie.

As part of American Heart Month, the University Health Center will offer cholesterol screenings (blood lipid panels) at a free or reduced rate and free blood pressure screenings Feb. 8-11 and 15-18 from 8 a.m. to noon and 1-3 p.m.

Screenings are free for health-fees paid students and $10 for non-fees paid UGA students, UGA faculty/staff, spouses, domestic partners and UGA retirees. No appointment is necessary, but participants must have no food or drink except water after midnight the night before.

Source: University Health Center

Read more about UGA’s economic impact on the state at discover.uga.edu.

ACADEMIC AFFAIRS

Campus-wide Entrepreneurship Certificate program to begin in fall

By Sam Fahmy

By sfahmy@uga.edu

UGA will offer a campus-wide certificate program for students who are interested in launching and growing businesses and nonprofit organizations.

UGA’s Entrepreneurship Certificate program, which will begin in fall 2016, will be housed in the Terry College of Business but is open to students from any major. Students in the program take three required courses—“Introduction to Entrepreneurship,” “Entrepreneurial Finance” and “Managing the Entrepreneurial Venture”—as well as two elective courses that are tailored to their interests and aspirations.

“UGA’s Entrepreneurship Certificate program allows students to complement the knowledge they gain through their major coursework with fundamental business principles that help them turn their ideas into innovations,” said Bob Pinckney, UGA’s director of entrepreneurial programs.

Elective courses in the Entrepreneurship Certificate program span

the schools and colleges at UGA. The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences offers elective courses such as software development and database management, while the Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication offers electives such as public relations administration and digital communication strategies.

The campus-wide Entrepreneurship Certificate program extends the reach of the certificate program that has been offered to students in the Terry College and the College of Family and Consumer Sciences since 2013, and Pinckney said that it is part of a broader effort to promote entrepreneurship at UGA. The university’s Bulldog 100 program has recognized the 100 fastestgrowing businesses owned or operated

by UGA alumni since 2010, and UGA’s Thinc. initiative was launched in 2013 to provide inspiration and advice to aspiring entrepreneurs. Earlier this year Thinc. launched a series of noncredit pop-up classes—such as coding classes for noncomputer-science students and design thinking skills for nondesign

REGENERATIVE BIOSCIENCE CENTER

students—and UGA students also have access to the MakerSpace in the science library, where they can design and fabricate products using 3-D printers, laser cutters and digital scanners.

On March 30, UGA will host its annual, campus-wide Next Top Entrepreneur competition in which students compete for prize money and potential venture and angel investment capital.

Students who are ready to start or expand their business can apply to the university’s Accelerator Program, which provides a board of experienced, successful entrepreneurs, advisers and investors to help students succeed. In addition, the UGA Innovation Fund helps UGA students launch early stage ventures by providing funding and mentoring.

“Entrepreneurship is embedded into the University of Georgia’s culture,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten, “and we are committed to giving students the types of hands-on learning experiences that will enable them to thrive after graduation.”

SCHOOL OF LAW Expert on legal profession to give Sibley Lecture

By Lona Panter lonap@uga.edu

From left: REM directors Steven Stice, UGA, Johnna Temenoff, Georgia Tech, and Edmund K. Waller, Emory University, attend the World Stem Cell Summit 2015.

RBC faculty, students, staff attend World Stem Cell Summit in Atlanta

By Charlene Betourney cbetourney@uga.edu

Nearly 75 faculty, students and staff affiliated with UGA’s Regenerative Bioscience Center joined more than 1,000 attendees representing over 35 international scientific communities at the 11th annual World Stem Cell Summit 2015 in Atlanta last month.

The three-day summit, hosted by the Genetics Policy Institute and Regenerative Medicine Foundation, was sponsored in part by the Regenerative Engineering and Medicine research center, a joint research collaboration group between UGA, Emory University and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

Research professionals, clinicians, investors, industry leaders and government officials converged on REM’s Southeast home turf to cover topics ranging from neurological disease and cancer to orthopedic sports injury.

One of the most talked-about sessions was “Frozen Jurassic Park and Cloning the Mammoth” with speaker Franklin West, an assistant professor in the animal and dairy science department at UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. In the session, West presented his highly publicized research involving stem cell development and raising funds to save endangered species like the threatened Sumatran tiger.

Another spotlight event, which drew many selfies with UGA football player Malcolm Mitchell, was “The Use of Stem Cells in Sports Medicine.” Ron Courson, UGA’s senior associate athletic director and director of the sports medicine program, presented, as Mitchell recounted suffering an ACL tear during a touchdown celebration and the benefits of regenerative medicine in his recovery.

Other presenters at the event were Samuel P. Franklin, John Peroni, Shanta Dhar and RBC director Steven Stice.

“I was very pleased that UGA was so well represented,” said Stice, who credited David Lee, UGA’s vice president for research, and Pamela Witten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost, for sponsoring the event through funding of the Regenerative Engineering and Medicine fund at UGA. A large number of students working in the RBC labs were able to attend the summit. Anil Kumar, a postdoctoral researcher in Dhar’s lab, won a best poster award for his work “Conditioning of Injury Site Using Nanoparticle Delivered Neuroprotectants for Regenerative Therapy of Stroke.”

The summit was designed to engage students in meaningful discussions on regenerative medicine and provide a shared learning experience to encourage students and early-career investigators in collaborative translational research.

David B. Wilkins, Harvard University’s vice dean for global initiatives on the legal profession, will present “The Accountants Are Coming—Again! The Rise and Transformation of the Big 4 Accountancy Firms and What it Means for the Global Market for Legal Services” as the School of Law’s 113th Sibley lecturer Jan. 28 at 3:30 p.m. in the David Wilkins Hatton Lovejoy Courtroom of Hirsch Hall.

Wilkins is a widely published author and speaker whose research focuses on the legal profession and globalization. His most recent scholarly projects include directing over 50 researchers studying the impact of globalization on the market for legal services in rapidly developing countries in Asia, Africa, Latin America and Eastern Europe. He also is working on projects focusing on the modern legal profession, experiences of male and female graduates and the careers of lawyers who do not practice law, and the historical development and current experiences of black lawyers in corporate law practice.

Wilkins also holds the Lester Kissel Professorship and serves as the faculty director of the Center on the Legal Profession and the Center for Lawyers and the Professional Services Industry at Harvard Law School. He is a senior research fellow of the American Bar Foundation and a Fellow of the Harvard University Edmond J. Safra Foundation Center for Ethics.

His most recent academic honors include a 2012 Honorary Doctorate in Law from Stockholm University in Sweden, the 2012 Distinguished Visiting Mentor Award from Australia National University, the 2012 Genest Fellowship from Osgoode Hall Law School, the 2010 American Bar Foundation Scholar of the Year Award, the 2009 J. Clay Smith Award from Howard University School of Law and the 2008 Order of the Coif Distinguished Visitor Fellowship.

RESEARCH NEWS

columns.uga.edu Jan. 19, 2016

3

Digest UGA Sustainable Food Systems Initiative spring seminar series to open Jan. 25

Andrew Davis Tucker

Amara Ezeamama, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the College of Public Health, is the co-author of a study that found that low levels of vitamin D may limit the effectiveness of HIV treatment in adults.

On the decline

Study finds that vitamin D deficiency may limit immune recovery in HIV-positive adults

By Molly Berg

mberg14@uga.edu

A UGA researcher has found that low levels of vitamin D may limit the effectiveness of HIV treatment in adults.

Those with human immunodeficiency virus, commonly known as HIV, often struggle with declining health because their immune systems can’t effectively respond to common pathogens. Their immune statuses, usually measured by CD4+T cells, normally improve when given HIV treatment.

“Because of the immune-destroying effects of HIV, infection usually results in relatively quick death without treatment.

The magic of antiretroviral therapy, the name for drugs to treat HIV, lies in its ability to restore immune function,” said study co-author Amara Ezeamama, an assistant professor of epidemiology and biostatistics in the College of Public Health.

“With antiretroviral drugs, people with HIV are beginning to live longer lives,” she also said. “Our goal was to understand whether vitamin D deficiency limits the amount of immune recovery benefit for persons on HIV treatment.”

The findings were published in the journal Clinical Nutrition.

Ezeamama conducted an 18-month longitudinal study in which the immune status of 398 HIV-positive adults was measured at 0, 3, 6, 12 and 18 months.

The researchers, through observation, related the rise in immune function to whether individuals had adequate levels of vitamin D. Specifically, Ezeamama found that vitamin D helped the adults’ CD4+T cells recover more quickly. CD4+T cells are a type of T cell that help the immune system fight off pathogens.

For HIV-positive adults, CD4+T cells are critical because of their weakened immune systems.

Ezeamama found that participants with sufficient levels of vitamin D recovered more of their immune function—on average 65 CD4+T cells more—than those with vitamin D deficiency. The benefit of vitamin D sufficiency seemed greater for younger and underweight HIV-positive adults.

“HIV destroys the capacity of the body to mount effective response to pathogens,” Ezeamama said. “Given different vitamin D levels, HIV-positive adults recovered at different rates. We found a relationship between vitamin D and CD4+T cells.”

During the study, the participants were observed while on highly active antiretroviral therapy, or HAART, which normally consists of three or more drugs and is currently the most common—and most effective—treatment for HIV-positive adults. Those on HAART take it daily.

“It’s a cocktail of several medicines

that controls the virus,” Ezeamama said.

“In addition to HAART, ensuring vitamin D sufficiency may also be helpful in restoring immune function.

“As researchers, we want to know what we can do to help. Vitamin D is relatively cheap,” she also said. “If we intervene with it, it could give individual HIV-infected persons a modest immune recovery bump that will likely translate to a big public health impact.”

In the future, Ezeamama wants to look at how vitamin D affects immune recovery and long-term health outcomes in HIV-positive children.

“We are now in an era of hope for persons with HIV,” she said. “We know that HIV treatment works, and now people can live for several decades with HIV. We can further delay the progress of the disease and maintain survivors on a higher quality of life if we understand the factors that limit the effectiveness of HIV treatment.”

Study co-authors include David Guwatudde and Rachel Kyunene of Makerere University College of Health Sciences; Molin Wang, Wafaie W. Fawzi and Christopher Sudfeld of the Harvard University School of Public Health; Danstan Bagenda of Makerere University College of Health Sciences and Harvard School of Public Health; and Yukari C. Manabe of Makerere University College of Health Sciences and John Hopkins University.

COLLEGE OF AGRICULTURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCES

Study: Bacteria can survive in crackers, cookies for months

By Sydney Devine srdevine@uga.edu

UGA researchers found that pathogens, like salmonella, can survive for at least six months in cookies and crackers. The recent study was prompted by an increased number of outbreaks of foodborne diseases linked to lowwater-activity, or dry, foods.

Larry Beuchat, a Distinguished Professor Emeritus and researcher in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, led a study to see just how long bacteria that cause foodborne illness can survive in certain foods.

“There have been an increased number of outbreaks of diseases associated with consumption of contaminated dry foods. We wouldn’t expect salmonella

to grow in foods that have a very dry environment,” said Beuchat, who works with the Center for Food Safety on the UGA campus in Griffin.

Beuchat and study co-author David Mann, a research professional at the center, found that not only can harmful bacteria survive in dry foods, like cookie and cracker sandwiches, but they also can live for long periods of time.

For the recent study, published in the Journal of Food Protection, researchers used five different serotypes of salmonella that had been isolated from foods involved in previous foodborne outbreaks.

“Isolates were from foods with very low moisture content,” Beuchat said.

Focusing on cookie and cracker sandwiches, the researchers put the salmonella into four types of fillings

found in cookies or crackers and placed them into storage. The researchers used cheese and peanut butter fillings for the cracker sandwiches and chocolate and vanilla fillings for the cookie sandwiches—the kind found in grocery stores or vending machines.

After storing, the UGA scientists determined how long salmonella was able to survive in each filling. There was survival in all types, Beuchat said, but salmonella survived longer in some types of the fillings more so than in others.

“The salmonella didn’t survive as well in the cracker sandwiches as it did in the cookie sandwiches,” Beuchat said.

In some cases, the pathogen was able to survive for at least six months in the sandwiches.

“That was not expected,” he said.

The UGA Sustainable Food Systems Initiative’s spring seminar series will focus on the intersection of agriculture, ecology, nutrition and the public’s relationship to each. Open free to students and faculty in all disciplines, each seminar will be held from 3:30-4:30 p.m.

The series will open Jan. 25 in 103 Conner Hall. Elizabeth Kramer, a faculty member in the agricultural and applied economics department, will discuss “Transforming Food Systems: Feeding the World Without Eating the World.”

On Feb. 29, Julie Velasquaz Runk, a faculty member in the anthropology department, will discuss “Beyond Fetishizing Food: Landscape and Political Perspectives on Food in Panama.” The seminar will be held in 101 Lumpkin Hall.

The series will continue March 28 when Jeanine Davis, a faculty member in the horticulture department at North Carolina State University, will lead the seminar “The Status of Organic Agriculture in the Southeast” in 103 Conner Hall.

The final event in the seminar series will be the USDA National Needs Fellows Student Research Presentations by graduate students on April 18 in 103 Conner Hall. Nicole Fuller will discuss “Yield and Essential Oils of select ‘O. tenuiflorum’ Cultivars for Pharmaceutical Production.” Ty Brooks will talk about “Barriers, Acceptability and Appropriateness of Perennial Sorghum in the Context of Resource-Poor West African Farmers.” Andie Bisceglia will discuss the “Impact of Integrated Sustainability Programming at Clare Middle School,” and Sam Weber will give the presentation “Risks from Cyanobacterica Toxicity in Farm Ponds Due to Land Management and Climate Interactions.”

For more information about the seminars, visit http://sustainablefoodsystems.uga.edu

Design, planning for third phase of Terry Business Learning Community approved

At its Jan. 6 meeting, the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia approved design and planning for Phase III of the Terry College of Business’ Learning Community.

The 72,100-square-foot building would house approximately 10 additional classrooms as well as staff offices and conference rooms.

The proposed $42 million budget is an equal public-private construction project .

Russell Library among 12 recipients of Georgia Music Foundation grants

The Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies’ Oral History Program, in partnership with the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts’ Athens Music Project, is the recipient of an inaugural Preservation, Education and Outreach Grant from the Georgia Music Foundation.

Oral history archivists and UGA Hugh Hodgson School of Music faculty are building an oral history collection to support the research focus of the AMP. Administered by the university’s special collections libraries, the oral history project will collect, preserve and provide access to oral history interviews documenting music history in Athens.

Russell oral history and media archivists Christian Lopez and Callie Holmes will oversee the project, which will train community members to record and conduct in-depth oral histories focusing on interviewees’ personal experiences as part of a Georgia music culture and community.

Another Athens-based organization, Nuci’s Space, joins the Russell Oral History Program in receiving one of the grants, which will provide $60,000 in awards to benefit 12 Georgia schools and nonprofit organizations. The awards are for projects that take place in 2016.

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

columns.uga.edu Jan. 19, 2016

4&5

January

By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The Second City returns to the UGA Performing Arts Center by popular demand.

The comedy improv troupe will perform three shows in Ramsey Concert Hall, Jan. 25 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 26 at 6 and 8:30 p.m.

Tickets for The Second City are $40 with special discounts 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 Second City is making its fourth Ramsey Hall appearance, following sold-out shows in 2010, 2012 and 2014.

“Athens loves The Second City,” said George C. Foreman, director of the Performing Arts Center.

The company brings a brand new show, “Hooking Up with The Second City,” to Athens for 2016.

Based in Chicago, The Second City has launched the careers of countless comedy stars including Tina Fey, Stephen Colbert, Steve Carell, Amy Poehler, Jason Sudekis, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Bill Murray and Joan Rivers.

The Second City has been amusing audiences around the world for over 50 years with a hilarious combination of sketches, songs and improvisation. Whether it’s ripped from the morning headlines or a classic gem from their archives, The Second City provides comic entertainment that The New York Times praises as “legendary.”

Pianist Gilles Vonsattel to perform Jan. 19 in Ramsey Concert Hall

Circle Gallery featuring art by Corrine Colarusso

By Bobby Tyler btyler@uga.edu

The UGA Performing Arts Center will present award-winning pianist Gilles Vonsattel Jan. 19 at 8 p.m. in Ramsey Concert Hall.

His program will include works by Beethoven, Liszt, Janacek and Saint-Saens.

Tickets are $30, free for UGA students with valid ID. Tickets can be purchased at the Performing Arts Center box office, online at pac.uga.edu or by calling 706-542-4400.

The Swiss-born American pianist is the recipient of an Avery Fisher Career Grant and winner of the Naumburg and Geneva international competitions. In recent years he has made his Boston Symphony, Tanglewood and San Francisco Symphony debuts and performed at Tokyo’s Musashino Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Lucerne Festival, the Munich Gasteig and the Ravinia Festival.

Deeply committed to the performance of contemporary works, Vonsattel has premiered numerous works both in the U.S. and Europe. His 2011 recording on the Honens label was named one of Time Out New York’s classical albums of the year, while a 2014 release on GENUIN received a 5/5 from FonoForum and widespread international critical praise.

Vonsattel is a former member of CMS Two. His Athens engagement is part of the UGA Performing Arts Center’s partnership with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. His Ramsey Hall recital will be recorded for national broadcast on American Public Media’s Performance Today.

EXHIBITIONS State Botanical Garden Art Competition Winners. Through Feb. 14. Visitor Center, State Botanical Garden.

706-542-6014, connicot@uga.edu Stirred Fiction. Through Feb. 26. Circle Gallery. (See story, above right).

Georgia’s Girlhood Embroidery: “Crowned with Glory and Immortality.” Through Feb. 28. 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

TUESDAY, JANUARY 19 TUESDAY TOUR 2 p.m. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079, jclevela@uga.edu

By Melissa Tufts mtufts@uga.edu

The Circle Gallery at the College of Environment and Design is presenting Stirred Fiction, the solo exhibition of the work of Corrine Colarusso through Feb. 26.

Colarusso’s large-scale paintings redefine the genre of landscape and offer rich, contemplative experiences. Detailed and layered in curious ways, radiating with luminous color and wild imagination, her paintings depict the complexities of humans’ interconnectedness with and estrangement from the natural environment.

Originally from Boston, Colarusso has spent most of her career as an artist and professor of painting in Atlanta. Her paintings and drawings have been shown in numerous solo exhibits, most recently at the Newport Museum of Art in Newport, Rhode Island. She holds a B.F.A. from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, and has been an artist in residence at the American Academy in Rome and at the UGA Cortona program. Several fellowships, including Guggenheim, Mellon and MacDowell Colony Fellowships, have supported her work. Her paintings are in numerous galleries and private collections throughout the U.S.

TOUR AT TWO Led by docents. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu WORKSHOP “Peer Teaching Review: The Teaching Assistant in Preparation for Collegial Classroom Exchange.” 2 p.m. Center for Teaching and Learning. 706-542-6603, ehoran@uga.edu STATE OF THE UNIVERSITY ADDRESS President Jere W. Morehead will deliver the annual report to the faculty and community. 3:30 p.m. Chapel.

MORNING MINDFULNESS A free meditation session to enhance mindful practice in an environment of creative energy. An instructor-led meditation followed by a period of reflection and discussion. RSVP to 706-542-0448 or branew@uga.edu .

9:30 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu TERRY LEADERSHIP SPEAKER SERIES Speaker: Ken Kendrick, manager and general partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks. 10:10 a.m. Chapel.

706-542-9770, valeriej@uga.edu

SATURDAY, JANUARY 23

THURSDAY, JANUARY 21

MEN’S TENNIS ITA KICKOFF WEEKEND Through Jan. 24. Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

706-542-1621.

THURSDAY TWILIGHT TOUR Led by docents. 6 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Mississippi State. $5. 7 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

CLASS “Winter Tree Identification.” In this class, students will learn the basics of identifying trees in the winter by learning about twigs, bark, leaf scars, fruits and tree form. Students will learn to use a hand lens and a simple key for woody plants to identify species. $50. 9 a.m.

Visitor Center’s Classroom 2, State Botanical Garden.

706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu

BALLROOM MAGIC $16, $10 for students, senior citizens and children.

8 p.m. Also Jan. 22-23 at 8 p.m. and Jan. 23 at 2 p.m.

(See story, right).

WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 20

MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. FREEDOM BREAKFAST Stacey Y. Abrams, House minority leader for the Georgia General Assembly and state representative for the 89th House District, will give the keynote address.

7:30 a.m. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center.

FAMILY DAY Check out an array of animals running wild through works in the museum’s permanent collection with a scavenger hunt and gallery activities, then create an artful animal in the Michael and Mary Erlanger Studio Classroom. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662, hazbrown@uga.edu.

WOMEN’S TENNIS ITA KICKOFF WEEKEND Through Jan. 24. Dan Magill Tennis Complex.

706-542-1621.

SWIMMING & DIVING vs. Tennessee. Noon. Gabrielsen Natatorium, Ramsey Student Center.

CLASS “Native Plant Propagation.” Participants will learn the basics of propagating native wildflowers and shrubs by seeds, cuttings and division. $50. 9 a.m. Mimsie Lanier Center for Native Plant Studies, State Botanical Garden.

706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu

EXHIBITION OPENING Woven Culture. Through April 17. This exhibition will look at the early basket-making history of the Cherokee, including the early-20th-century revival of the craft and the work of modern Cherokee basket makers. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-1817, hazbrown@uga.edu

ONE HEALTH SEMINAR “Building a Better One Health Model for Africa: Nexus of Animal and Human Health,” Dr. Linda Logan, a professor and director for international programs at the College of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Science at Texas A&M University. 1 p.m. 175 Coverdell Center.

706-542-5922, lbalkcom@uga.edu

FRIDAY, JANUARY 22

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/.

By Jessica Luton jluton@uga.edu

PERFORMANCE Swiss-born American pianist Gilles Vonsattel, an artist of extraordinary versatility and originality, will perform. $30, free for students with a valid ID. 8 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400. (See story, above).

NATIVE PLANT SYMPOSIUM A program that considers gardening with native flowers and trees along with related conservation issues. Participants will learn how to incorporate their appreciation of these plants into their home landscape plan. $60.

8:45 a.m. State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6014, connicot@uga.edu

Ballroom Magic 2016 marks 25th anniversary of annual performance

MEN’S BASKETBALL vs. Arkansas. $15. 6 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

706-542-1231.

UGA CVM ANNUAL SCAVMA AUCTION The UGA College of Veterinary Medicine’s student chapter of the American Veterinary Medical Association will host its annual benefit, which will include dinner, a live and silent auction, and other activities. This auction will provide support for veterinary students who are pursuing advanced degrees through the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. $25-$35. 7 p.m. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center. 770-286-3035, scavmaau@uga.edu

SUNDAY, JANUARY 24 WOMEN’S BASKETBALL vs. LSU. $5. 2 p.m. Stegeman Coliseum.

FULL MOON HIKE Each walk will focus on a different topic such as the moon, constellations or nocturnal creatures. $5; $15 per family. 7 p.m. State Botanical Garden. 706-542-6156, ckeber@uga.edu

MONDAY, JANUARY 25 SUSTAINABLE FOOD SYSTEMS INITIATIVE SEMINAR “Transforming Food Systems: Feeding the World Without Eating the World,” Elizabeth Kramer, College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences. 3:30 p.m. 103 Conner Hall.

706-542-8084, sustainag@uga.edu (See Digest, page 3).

PERFORMANCE The Second City is heading back to UGA. $40. 8 p.m. Also to be performed Jan. 26 at 6 p.m. and 8:30 p.m. Ramsey Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400.

(See story, top right).

COMING UP 2016 FOUNDERS DAY LECTURE Jan. 27. Thomas C. Reeves, UGA professor emeritus of learning, design and technology, will present this year’s lecture to celebrate the 231st anniversary of the establishment of America’s first state-chartered institution of higher education. 1:30 p.m. Chapel. lbcook@uga.edu

Ballroom Magic 2016, the annual showcase performance by the UGA Ballroom Performance Group, will celebrate its 25th anniversary this month. This year’s performances will take place Jan. 21-23 at the New Dance Theatre at the UGA dance building.

A crew of student dancers, along with some returning alumni, will perform a range of traditional dance styles such as foxtrot, waltz, quickstep, Viennese waltz, cha cha, rumba and swing, but also will feature other styles such as salsa, Argentine tango and theater arts.

Co-directors Natalie Grier Cox and Mike Fulford, both UGA and Ballroom Performance Group alumni, helped orchestrate this year’s performance.

“It’s hard to encapsulate the feelings that you’ll have watching this show—so we refer to it as magic,” Cox said. “When you experience it, you want to find ways to become a part of it. You’ll leave amazed at the talent of these students and the production level of this show and will mark your calendar for our 26th show next year.”

The 25th anniversary of this year’s program means a lot to both current and former dancers with the UGA Ballroom Performance Group. This year’s showcase will feature returning alumni and the performance of some of the group’s most famous pieces.

“The successes of our current dancers are largely due to those who have trained and performed before them,” Cox said. “Our extended ‘BPG family’ has created a wonderful support system that enables us to grow to new heights each year. At an anniversary year, it’s an opportunity to celebrate and recognize the entire family.”

Laurel Haislip, a fourth-year communication studies major, has danced in the show for three years. She has the added role of public relations chair for the UGA Ballroom Performance Group.

“Twenty-five years of Ballroom Magic is a testament to the love for this show, not only among the dancers and producers, but also the audience members,” she said. “As a dancer, there is nothing quite as exhilarating as performing night after night in front of a full house who loves the show just as much as we do. It is our gift to the community and it’s their gift to us—and it truly is magical.”

Shows are Jan. 21-23 at 8 p.m., with a 2 p.m. matinee on Jan. 23. Tickets are available at the Tate Student Center, the UGA Performing Arts Center box office and online at pac.uga.edu. They are $16, $10 for students, senior citizens and children.

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.

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Jan. 20 (for Feb. 1 issue) Jan. 27 (for Feb. 8 issue) Feb. 3 (for Feb. 15 issue)

6 Jan. 19, 2016 columns.uga.edu

CAMPUS CLOSEUP

Bad acts

James C. Cobb, the Spalding Distinguished Professor of History in UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, penned an essay for Time magazine about the 165-year anniversary of the Fugitive Slave Act. The law required officials and citizens of free states to assist in returning escaped slaves to their masters.

“Surely one of the most critically misguided pieces of legislation in U.S. history, it proved strikingly cruel, even for a pro-slavery measure,” Cobb wrote. “It forced the federal government to grossly overstep its bounds in defense of slavery at a time when antislavery sentiment was clearly on the rise, sparking outrage and defiance in the North, and, in turn, further deepening southerners’ suspicions that their rights could no longer be protected within the Union.”

In his essay, “One of American History’s Worst Laws Was Passed 165 Years Ago,” Cobb concluded that the law, rather than protecting the practice of slavery, actually helped hasten its demise.

Monkey manners

Squirrel monkeys in a Stanford University lab learned how to eat and drink from cups—a first for the species using containers to carry food.

The monkeys’ food was given in large chunks— too large to eat at once—so they learned to use the cups to store the rest.

Dorothy Fragaszy, UGA psychology professor and director of the Franklin College’s Primate Cognition and Behavior Lab, commented on the story for New Scientist.

“It’s not surprising that at least one of them serendipitously put a piece of chow in a cup or picked up a cup with chow in it,” said Fragaszy, who recently reported skilled use of stone anvils by capuchin monkeys to crack open nuts. “The unexpected part of the story is that the monkeys that happened to do this developed the habit of doing it routinely, so they now collect a cup when they go to collect chow, and others nearby can learn to perform the same actions as the pioneer.”

Dorothy Kozlowski

Rebecca Scarbro, associate director of the Office of Student Conduct, has a passion for helping students handle and learn from the “speed bump” of a code of conduct violation.

Student conduct staffer focuses on students’ ‘transformative process’

By Matt Chambers mattdc@uga.edu

Attitude of gratitude

As a student, Rebecca Scarbro was parliamentarian for the Student Government Association and worked on the appeals process for an honors board at LaGrange College; she also served on the standards board for Gamma Phi Beta sorority at UGA. But it wasn’t until her job as a residence life coordinator at the University of South Carolina that she fully realized she had a passion for assisting students through challenging situations.

Scarbro currently is making an impact on the lives of UGA students as associate director of the Office of Student Conduct, a division of Student Affairs.

In her role, Scarbro meets with students about possible violations to the university’s code of conduct. She, and others in the six-person office, work with about 600 students annually to review alleged violations and come to resolutions for those cases that move forward.

“Our mission is to enhance the learning environment for everybody at UGA,” Scarbro said. “My role in this mission is to make sure that an educational process goes along with the accountability side of the student conduct process.”

Dangerous dispersants

COLLEGE OF VETERINARY MEDICINE

A recent UGA study found that frequently saying “thank you” is a trait in healthy marriages.

Expressions of gratitude can help ease the marital stress, according to the study from the College of Family and Consumer Sciences, which was picked up by news outlets worldwide.

Study co-author Ted G. Futris, an associate professor of human development and family science, told the Daily Mail, “We found that feeling appreciated and believing that your spouse values you directly influences how you feel about your marriage, how committed you are to it and your belief that it will last.”

Samantha Joye’s recent findings that the dispersants used after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill may have done more harm than good attracted news coverage from sources like The Atlantic and U.S. News&World Report.

Joye, the Athletic Association Professor in Marine Sciences in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, was quoted in the The Christian Science Monitor, explaining how dispersants suppressed oil-eating bacteria’s ability to degrade the oil.

“The fact that dispersants drove distinct microbial community shifts that impacted oil degradation efficiently came as a big surprise,” Joye said. “It is critical to quantify the factors that influence the efficiency of oil biodegradation in the environment, and that includes dispersants.”

Scarbro is responsible for supervising senior coordinators, overseeing the budget process for the office and handling conduct training and outreach around campus. She also reviews all police reports and determines the appropriate person to handle conduct cases as needed.

While she enjoys all aspects of her position, Scarbro’s passion is helping students handle and learn from the “speed bump” of a violation.

“Our office can start a really transformative process in students’ lives,” she said. “We facilitate that process; we don’t change the students, but we give them the opportunity and tools to change.

Sometimes it’s a bad decision that ends up being the catalyst for students realizing they need a new group of friends or what kind of things they want to do or not do.”

Scarbro said one goal of her work is to improve the campus environment for all students, and that it’s her responsibility to help students grow from the challenges they face.

“Having to deal with an adverse situation so early in life or college and having to persevere through that situation can be a great learning experience for students, and we hope to provide them with tools and knowledge to facilitate that learning,” she said. “We want students to get three things out of the process: integrity, resiliency and social responsibility. Sometimes it’s a tough

FACTS Rebecca Scarbro Associate Director Office of Student Conduct J.D., UGA, 2014 M.Ed., Higher Education and Student Affairs, University of South Carolina, 2007 B.A., Social Science, LaGrange College, 2005 At UGA: 11 months

process, but it’s also a good opportunity for students to have difficult conversations, to start to see and understand things differently and reflect on their impact on others.”

Her job also comes with an obligation to the students she doesn’t see as well as the thousands of UGA alumni.

“It is our job to help ensure that the UGA degree retains value and that this is a prestigious institution; this is a very important way that we serve alumni and the 34,000 students who don’t come through our office,” Scarbro said. “And for those students we do see, sometimes they appreciate being on campus more after having gone through the student conduct process because they really start to understand what it means to be part of the UGA community and want to make that community better.”

Bioengineer named Harbor Lights Chair in Small Animal Studies

By Kat Yancey Gilmore kygilmor@uga.edu

Karen J.L. Burg, a bioengineer whose cutting-edge work centers on absorbable polymers, biofabrication and tissue engineering, joined the faculty of UGA’s College of Veterinary Medicine Jan. 8 as its Harbor Lights Chair in Small Animal Studies.

Burg is one of five professors to be hired under UGA President Jere W. Morehead’s Presidential Extraordinary Research Faculty Hiring Initiative, which launched in 2014 to help bring internationally recognized scholars to UGA. “Dr. Burg brings an extraordinary record of accomplishment to the University of Georgia, and she will play a significant role in expanding this institution’s capacity to inquire and innovate

to improve human health,” said Pamela Whitten, senior vice president for academic affairs and provost.

Seven of Burg’s inventions have been patented, one of which is the basis Karen Burg of a biomedical company that focuses on developing tools to help doctors quickly diagnose and combat breast cancer. Her work in the laboratory includes building arrangements of cells, taken from patients, to assist in the identification of early stage diseases.

Her research team also is finding ways to use normal, healthy cells to build replacement parts for cancer or bone trauma patients who have had

unhealthy or damaged tissue removed.

“Dr. Burg will collaborate with our faculty working in regenerative medicine who are focused on treating conditions in animals and humans that will benefit from cells and tissues grown in the laboratory,” said Sheila W. Allen, dean of the College of Veterinary Medicine.

Burg earned her bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering, with a minor in biochemical engineering, from North Carolina State University and master’s and doctoral degrees in bioengineering from Clemson University. She subsequently completed a tissue engineering postdoctoral fellowship at Carolinas Medical Center.

Burg joins UGA from Kansas State University, where she served as vice president for research and a professor of chemical engineering since 2014.

OFFICE OF VP FOR INSTRUCTION, OFFICE OF VP FOR PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH

columns.uga.edu Jan. 19, 2016

7

Service-Learning Fellows selected

By Shannon O. Wilder swilder@uga.edu

The Office of Service-Learning has selected 19 faculty members to participate in its yearlong ServiceLearning Fellows program. It is the largest group in the program’s 10-year history.

The Service-Learning Fellows program provides an opportunity for faculty members from a range of disciplines to integrate academic service-learning into their teaching.

Fellows meet regularly throughout the academic year and receive an award of up to $2,500 to develop a proposed service-learning project.

Academic service-learning integrates organized service activities that meet community-identified needs into academic courses as a way to enhance understanding of academic content, teach civic responsibility and provide mutual benefit to the community. Nearly 100 faculty have participated in the program since it was established in 2006, creating service-learning courses in all 17 of UGA’s schools and colleges.

The 2015-16 Service-Learning Fellows, their respective academic fields and proposed projects are: Lisa Bazzle, clinical instructor, small animal medicine and surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine.

Bazzle plans to start a studentmanaged pet clinic to allow veterinary students to develop and refine their clinical skills while engaging with community pet owners whose companion animals might otherwise not be served.

Abigail Borron, assistant professor, agricultural leadership and communication, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Borron is developing courses focused on culture-centered communication for a service-learning study-abroad program in Romania as well as supporting the work of Athens-area food pantries.

Peggy Brickman, professor, plant biology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Brickman will integrate project oriented

service-learning into an introductory Honors biology course, helping students develop and disseminate science content knowledge and literacy with the community.

Scott Connelly, assistant professor, Odum School of Ecology.

Connelly plans to develop servicelearning opportunities to better engage students in large introductory ecology and environmental sciences courses, including through the new Watershed UGA initiative.

Cheryl Fields-Smith, associate professor, educational theory and practice, College of Education.

Fields-Smith will develop a servicelearning course in education focused on emancipatory and place-based pedagogy for both UGA students and Athens-area children and families modeled after historical “Freedom Schools.”

Laurie Fowler, associate dean, Odum School of Ecology, and clinical faculty, School of Law. Fowler is leading the development and implementation of a multidisciplinary initiative,Watershed UGA, that uses campus streams as a tool for engaging students with service-learning, undergraduate research and core content knowledge.

Leslie Gordon, associate director, Office of Academic Planning, and adjunct assistant professor, Romance languages, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Gordon will integrate a service-learning component into a course on Spanish linguistics, helping students to better understand issues of language variation through engagement with local Latino populations.

Katie Darby Hein, assistant professor, health promotion and behavior, College of Public Health.

Health promotion students in two of Hein’s courses will develop skills in community health assessment by undertaking needs assessments with local community organizations as service-learning case studies.

Meg Easom Hines, lecturer, educational psychology, College of Education. Hines is developing a new course on creative thinking and creative problem-solving to engage

WEEKLY READER

Book revisits inquiry into US spy agencies

A Season of Inquiry Revisited: The Church Committee Confronts America’s Spy Agencies Loch K. Johnson University Press of Kansas Hardcover: $34.95

America’s intelligence agencies have been under public scrutiny since 9/11. Most recently, these questions have centered on whether these agencies were overstepping constitutional protections through wiretapping and bulk electronic data collection.

These excesses were not the only time the secret agencies pushed legal bounds. In 1975, the Church Committee in the U.S. Senate discovered a range of improper activities carried out by these organizations.

Loch K. Johnson, Regents Professor of International Affairs, examines these earlier abuses of power and connects them to the more recent revelations about unlawful spying at home.

A Season of Inquiry Revisited details a moment that was at once a high-water mark for intelligence accountability in the U.S. and a low point in the American people’s trust of the agencies sworn to protect them.

Nineteen faculty members, the largest group in the program’s history, have been named 2015-16 Service-Learning Fellows. Nearly 100 faculty have participated in the program since it was established in 2006, creating service-learning courses in all of UGA’s schools and colleges.

her students with teaching, learning and implementing enriched experiences with H.B. Stroud Elementary School students in north Athens.

Alice Kinman, lecturer, economics, Terry College of Business.

Kinman will create a servicelearning option for economics majors working on their senior theses, involving them with undergraduate research on education economics in conjunction with the Clarke County School District.

Theodore “T.J.” Kopcha, assistant professor, career and information studies, College of Education.

Kopcha is building on prior work as a public service and outreach fellow to have his master’s students in instructional technology develop and implement content and materials for hands-on STEM activities for upper elementary students in Hart County.

Juan Meng, assistant professor, advertising and public relations, Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication. Students in Meng’s public relations campaigns classes will use research, communication and media skills to help community partners reduce summer hunger among Athens-area schoolchildren.

Svoboda “Bodie” Pennisi, professor, horticulture, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences-Griffin campus. Pennisi

will develop a service-learning course for the Griffin campus to engage students in water quality and conservation efforts with the Spalding County community.

Nancee Reeves, lecturer, English, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Reeves is redeveloping a service-learning based, first-year composition course helping students to think critically and write effectively, with a focus on local animal rescue and well-being.

Jerry Shannon, assistant professor, geography and family and consumer science, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and College of Family and Consumer Sciences. Shannon is integrating community-engaged research with geospatial technologies to create a community geographic information services course that also will benefit local governmental and nonprofit agencies.

Jennifer Jo Thompson, assistant research scientist, crop and soil sciences, College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences. Thompson is developing a new split-level course focused on community-based research, enhancing students’ understanding of the methodology through applied engagement with community issues relating to food, agricultural and environmental systems.

Susanne Ullrich, associate

professor, physics and astronomy, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. Students in Ullrich’s new service-learning course will implement “science shows” that incorporate compelling demonstrations of science to help explain and interest middle and high school students in physics.

Brandy Walker, public service assistant, J.W. Fanning Institute for Leadership Development, Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach. Walker plans to engage students in interviewing and collecting digital oral histories of local community leaders across the state.

Elizabeth Watts Warren, lecturer, sociology, Franklin College of Arts and Sciences-Griffin campus. Warren’s students will apply their understanding of sociology and criminal justice course content to research, identify and implement effective programs with local community partners, focusing on keeping at-risk adolescents in school and out of the justice system.

The Office of Service-Learning is jointly supported by the Office of the Vice President for Instruction and the Office of the Vice President for Public Service and Outreach.

For more information on the Service-Learning Fellows program, visit servicelearning.uga.edu .

ABOUT COLUMNS

CYBERSIGHTS

Columns is available to the campus community by ­subscription for an annual fee of $20 (secondclass delivery) or $40 (first-class delivery). Faculty and staff members with a disability may call 706-542-8017 for assistance in obtaining this publication in an alternate format.

Columns staff can be reached at 706-542-8017 or columns@uga.edu

Editor Juliett Dinkins Art Director Janet Beckley

MSP unveils new website

Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski

msp.uga.edu

Students may now easily learn about the numerous engagement opportunities offered by Multicultural Services and Programs by visiting the department’s newly redesigned website.

New features include a student organization splash page, intuitively organized resources and programs as well as information

Senior Reporter Aaron Hale

about The Intersection and other campus diversity resources.

“MSP offers a robust slate of resources and programs for all UGA students, and its new website puts those opportunities right at students’ fingertips,” said Stan Jackson, director of communications for the Division of Student Affairs.

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

7 8 5

8 Jan. 19, 2016 columns.uga.edu

DEAN from page 1

Walk Georgia classes offer faculty, staff ways to get fit

By Bridget Thompson bridget@uga.edu

A new partnership between UGA Cooperative Extension and UGA Recreational Sports Fitness and Wellness returns again this semester with free classes exclusively for faculty and staff with the mission of teaching fitness and wellness.

UGA Extension’s program, Walk Georgia, sponsors the classes to encourage campus employees to move more outside of their office or classroom. Four weekly classes are offered to all Ramsey Student Center members who are faculty and staff. Class options include bootcamp, circuits and yoga.

“I recently had to give up racquetball for injury-related reasons,” said Stuart Ivy, an IT manager in the College of Veterinary Medicine. “I thought with a bootcamp style class I would get pretty much the same amount of exercise as my racquetball. And I was correct.”

The free classes, which first were offered in mid-August, were taught before and after regular working hours this fall.

This semester, classes are offered at noon and after regular working hours.

“The class was at a very convenient time for me … and the mix of people was very good from old to young and male and female,” Ivy said.

Class participants are encouraged to attend at least once a week, then log their progress on the Walk Georgia website,

which tracks physical activity and provides resources for Georgians looking to prioritize their fitness.

“We have loved partnering with Ramsey to provide an opportunity for faculty and staff to help make their personal health and fitness a priority,” said Maria Bowie, program coordinator for Walk Georgia. “It speaks volumes to have professional staff commit to a routine and encourage their peers to do the same.”

In the fall, Walk Georgia also offered monthly outdoor fitness sessions throughout campus and several lunch-and-learn style classes at noon so that employees could participate during their lunch break and meet like-minded colleagues.

Since January 2012, UGA has made a commitment to address the growing epidemic of obesity through the UGA Obesity Initiative. The initiative encourages programs like Walk Georgia to connect specifically with the UGA community in order to address these concerns within the university.

For more information, email walkga@uga.edu or visit walkgeorgia.org .

Bulletin Board Mileage reimbursement rate

The State Accounting Office has updated the mileage reimbursement rate for travel by state-owned or personal vehicles.

When it is determined that a personal vehicle is the most advantageous form of travel, the employee will be reimbursed for business miles traveled at $0.54 per mile (the previous rate was $0.575 per mile).

If a personal motor vehicle is not determined to be the most advantageous form of travel, but it is used, the employee will be reimbursed for business miles traveled at $0.19 per mile (the previous rate was $0.23 per mile).

The travel expense statement (http://t.uga.edu/1ad) has been modified to reflect these changes.

The UGA travel policy has been updated and can be viewed at http://t.uga.edu/1ae .

Email questions to Jennifer Collins at jfinch@uga.edu .

Student employee award

The Career Center is accepting nominations until Feb. 5 for UGA’s Student Employee of the Year Award.

Nominations are being accepted from faculty and staff for student employees they supervise.

The top 100 student employees will be invited, along with their nominating faculty or staff member, to an awards luncheon on April 20 at the Tate Student Center. One student will be honored as the UGA Student Employee of the Year.

Nominate eligible student workers at career.uga.edu/hireuga/seoty .

Grant proposal deadline

The UGA Parents and Families Association’s Parents Leadership Council is accepting grant proposals for the 2016-2017 academic year to fund program and events that enhance the student experience at UGA.

Grant applications are due by the close of business Feb. 12. Grants will be accepted only from UGA schools, colleges, units, departments, divisions or student organizations registered with the Center for Student Organizations.

Proposals must demonstrate a direct and positive affect on student life at UGA. Grants will be awarded in the spring by a committee established by the Parents Leadership Council.

Since 2002, the council has funded $1.3 million in grants to several programs and organizations on campus, including the Counseling and Psychiatric Services Center at the University Health Center, the Office of International Education and the Office of Student Financial Aid. The complete list of guidelines and requirements is at parents.uga.edu .

For more information, email Diane Johnson, director of the Parents Leadership Council, at dfjohn@uga.edu .

Research participants sought

Researchers in the College of Arts and Sciences’ psychology department are conducting a study to learn more about how families communicate about emotions in their marital and parenting relationships.

Those eligible to participate in the study must be married and have a child between the ages of 7-11. Participation in the study will involve completing questionnaires at home and a one-time campus visit of one to two hours in the psychology building. Both parents and the child are required to attend the session together.

Participating families will receive $75.

Call 706-542-1299 or email ugamarriagelab@gmail.com for more information.

Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.

he served for seven years as the head of the department of poultry science, which in 2012 was named the Prestage Department of Poultry Science in honor of a $10 million gift he helped secure.

“Dr. Pardue has demonstrated extraordinary leadership in advancing agricultural instruction, research and extension,” said Provost Pamela Whitten. “I am confident that he will work with our faculty, staff, students, alumni and other supporters to take our College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences to an even higher level of excellence.”

Pardue helped double the number of poultry science majors, expanded distance education offerings and acquired external funding to modernize teaching laboratories.

In addition, he served as the co-principal investigator on a USDA grant to increase the multicultural diversity of agriculture students and was a founding member of the college’s Diversity Council.

He sits on the administrative board

of NC State’s Graduate School, served as the faculty athletics representative for five years and served as the college’s liaison for accreditation by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges. He has conducted his research with $2.5 million in external funding, holds three patents and has published nearly 100 journal articles, book chapters and abstracts.

His additional honors include being named to the NC State Academy of Outstanding Teachers and Alumni Distinguished Undergraduate Professor.

“I am honored to have the opportunity to work with UGA’s outstanding administration, faculty, staff, students, alumni, friends and Georgia’s dynamic agricultural community,” Pardue said. “The College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences has played a significant role in growing Georgia’s No. 1 economic sector. It is a college with a long and honored history. I look forward to an even brighter future for CAES.”

CAMP

TREATMENT from page 1

from page 1

Steve French, dean of Georgia Tech’s College of Architecture, said, “Our students and faculty are constantly breaking new ground in design ... from health care devices to musical instruments; buildings to neighborhoods; cities to mega-regions, the College of Architecture at Georgia Tech is designing the future. Now, they are breaking new ground and making a difference in a place for kids who are often overlooked or forgotten.”

For Extra Special People, Camp Hooray is an opportunity to expand its mission beyond the state. For 30 years, Extra Special People, based in Watkinsville, has focused its mission on enhancing the lives of children with developmental disabilities and their families by emphasizing their abilities, not disabilities.

Additionally, an Athens-area civil engineering and landscape architecture firm, Williams and Associates, which is associated with ESP programs in Watkinsville, has provided its assistance to the colleges.

Both deans agree the partnership should continue after this project. A memorandum of understanding between the two colleges creates the “Georgia Design Collaboration.”

An annual publication, Georgia Design Matters, will create a permanent record of this project and future collaborations.

STEM from page 1

and nation,” said Provost Pamela Whitten.

“Dr. Burg brings an extraordinary set of qualifications to UGA, and he will play a significant leadership role in advancing STEM education across the university and across Georgia.”

The Office of Stem Education was founded in 2007 and represents UGA in the University System of Georgia Board of Regents STEM Initiative. The percentage of undergraduate students receiving degrees in STEM majors has increased dramatically at UGA, rising from 15 to 21 percent over the past decade. At the doctoral level, 29 percent of UGA degrees awarded last year were in STEM fields.

“Dr. Burg brings a unique set of experiences and insight from both industry and education, and will serve to increase UGA’s efforts to prepare the next generation of professionals who can make a global impact in STEM areas,” said Vice President for Instruction Rahul Shrivastav.

support and leadership to drive a global research agenda to face this challenge.”

Cryptosporidium is notoriously difficult to study in the laboratory, and this has stalled the development of better treatments. But last year, Striepen and his research group created new tools to genetically manipulate the parasite, and his team will use funds from the Wellcome Trust and Gates Foundation to leverage this new technology and speed drug discovery.

The Wellcome Trust’s Pathfinder Award of $244,000 will support a collaboration between UGA and the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases, a public-private partnership between the pharmaceutical company Novartis and the Singapore Economic Development Board.

The primary goal of the joint project is to develop better ways to evaluate the effectiveness of drugs in cell cultures and mice. These tests will be used to discover novel candidate drugs using the Novartis Institute for Tropical Diseases’ large collection of candidates.

A $775,000 grant from the Gates Foundation will support the development of genetic technology to discover specific drug targets within the parasite, which ultimately will help enhance drug potency and reduce side effects.

Burg has served as an investigator in a National Science Foundation-funded program to train graduate students in mentoring undergraduates at risk of dropping out and recently completed the NSF I-Corps-L program, which teaches participants how to disseminate evidence-based instructional approaches. He is a professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine, and his recent research focuses on designing and testing a robotic system that stacks living cells to make tissues and ultimately build new organs.

“It is an exciting time to be involved in STEM education at UGA,” Burg said.

“Research over the past decade has revealed so much about learning styles, teaching techniques, and motivation. UGA and the University System of Georgia have created an environment where this knowledge can be used to enhance our teaching, mentoring and outreach programs. I am honored to join the faculty and staff in these efforts.”

SCHOLAR from page 1 Lavelle said. “I am thrilled to explore the region, and I am beyond grateful to my family, friends, the University of Georgia, the Foundation Fellowship and my high school community of Mount de Sales Academy.”

Lavelle, who was named a Udall Scholar last spring, has engaged in a number of hands-on learning experiences on campus and around the world. She studied conservation and ecotourism in Fiji and Tanzania and also studied literature through the UGA at Oxford program.

She interned in Thailand at the Freeland Foundation and at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute in Virginia.

Lavelle currently is interning at the U.S. Department of State, and earlier this year was one of six students nationwide invited to present a policy paper at the White House.

Blackstone co-founder Stephen A. Schwarzman personally contributed $100 million to the program and is leading a fundraising campaign to raise an additional $300 million from private sources to endow the program in perpetuity. Tsinghua University is one of China’s most prestigious universities, and Schwarzman Scholars will live and study together on the campus of Schwarzman College, a newly-built, state-of-the-art facility.