UGA Columns Oct. 16, 2017

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New livestock model for stroke could speed recovery, UGA researchers find RESEARCH NEWS

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New exhibition at Georgia Museum of Art highlights muses of Mickalene Thomas Vol. 45, No. 12

October 16, 2017

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UGA faculty awarded $3M grant to develop new vaccine platform

Shannah Montgomery

Catherine Downey has been in business more than 30 years, and the SBDC has been a part of her success.

Signs of success UGA-assisted media company submits first feature film to Sundance Film Festival

By Christopher James chtjames@uga.edu

Catherine Downey is succinct when she talks about the help she’s received from the University of Georgia Small Business Development Center over the last dozen years. “I’ve told many people I wouldn’t be in business without the SBDC,” she said. “They were essential.” This month, Downey’s company, CATMEDIA, entered its first full-length feature film to the Sundance Film Festival for consideration. In addition to being the company’s first narrative feature film, Mnemosyne is also a femaleproduced film. The production of Mnemosyne and submission to Sundance marks the culmination of

Downey’s more than 30-year career in a male-dominated industry. Downey credits the SBDC, a public service and outreach unit at UGA, with guiding her through some of the most important decisions during those years. From helping her come up with a new marketing plan to laying the groundwork for unprecedented revenue growth, the SBDC has played a role in her success. Signs of that success are everywhere in Downey’s metro Atlanta offices, which include a television studio. Shelves and walls are stacked with trophies and awards. “She’s absolutely brilliant,” said Lloyd Atkins, the SBDC’s former director of minority business development. “She’s a good listener. She took the advice I was able to give to her, and she put it into her

marketing strategy. As a result the business has grown steadily to the point where it has really taken off.” Downey’s company provides a range of communications services, including advertising, media production, program management, training and human resource management to public and private sector clients. She recently added the entertainment division that produced Mnemosyne and is working on a documentary. In the last year, CATMEDIA has seen growth of 300 percent with revenues exceeding $20 million. “There’s no magic here; it’s just hard work,” Downey said. “I’m surrounded by good people who are experts in what they do. Life is good. I’m happy.” See FILM on page 8

PUBLIC SERVICE AND OUTREACH

Researchers in the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine have been awarded a five-year, $3.2 million grant by the National Institutes of Health to develop a vaccine platform that will optimize vaccine development and administration. UGA Foundation Distinguished Professor M. Stephen Trent, along with associate professor Jeff Hogan and postdoctoral fellow Shawn Zimmerman, have developed the Surface Antigen/ Adjuvant Vaccine Engineering, or SAAVE, platform that engineers the surface of bacterium to be a vaccine.

This will allow a vaccine to be administered as an oral probiotic, which will improve efficiencies and create a versatile, interchangeable platform designed to help fight multiple infectious diseases. The grant, funded by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, will allow for the full development and expansion of the SAAVE platform, building on Trent’s research with engineered lipopolysaccharides, or LPS, as adjuvants, a key part of making vaccines more effective. “The most important factors in vaccine development and

See VACCINE on page 8

COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, COLLEGE OF EDUCATION

Researchers to improve STEM instruction in elementary classes By Kathryn Kao kathk1@uga.edu

In today’s increasingly technological world, students—especially young girls—who develop coding skills later rather than earlier in life are often less motivated to work in science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields, further contributing to the “engineering gap” between men and women. Thanks to a $2.1 million study funded by the National Science Foundation, the UGA College of Engineering and the UGA College of Education will develop a model course that prepares elementary school teachers to teach mathematics, science and coding more efficiently using interdisciplinary approaches, which may help increase student motivation in STEM fields of study. “There are numerous articles that provide evidence that coding

skills are needed in virtually any career that a young student may later choose to pursue,” said Tim Foutz, a professor in the College of Engineering’s School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering and principal investigator of the study. “The project is focused on learning to construct and critique arguments, an essential foundational skill for decision-making.” The three-year, STEM+C design and development project, titled Collective Argumentation Learning and Coding, or CALC, integrates the teaching of coding and robotics with the standard practices already used to teach mathematics, science and other curriculum content. The research team, which includes four investigators in the College of Education, is collaborating with the Jackson County See STEM on page 8

University wins national award for helping OFFICE OF THE PRESIDENT coastal Georgia communities reduce flooding risk Nominations being accepted for By Kelly Simmons economic development stakehold- Grant faculty, as well as faculty President’s Medal until Nov. 1 simmonsk@uga.edu ers across North America. from the Carl Vinson Institute of Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant at the University of Georgia received a 2017 University Economic Development Association Award of Excellence for helping communities on the Georgia coast reduce their risk of flooding and subsequently qualify for lower flood insurance rates. The award was presented to UGA representatives on Oct. 3 during the UEDA Annual Summit in Long Beach, California. UEDA represents higher education, private sector and community

“My deepest congratulations to the UGA faculty and staff who are behind this outstanding national award,” said President Jere W. Morehead. “Their efforts to support communities across Georgia underscore exactly what it means to be a land- and sea-grant university in the 21st century.” Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant won for adaptation plans, developed in partnership with the coastal cities of Tybee Island and St. Marys. Using a grant from the National Sea Grant, Marine Extension and Georgia Sea

Government, analyzed risks and vulnerabilities from tidal flooding over the next 50 years and developed a plan that enabled savings of $3 million on flood insurance for property owners. The plan has emerged as a model for other coastal communities across the country. Three UGA programs were finalists for the UEDA award, which are judged on the alignment of their institution’s core mission activities with regional economic development goals in three See AWARD on page 8

The University of Georgia will award the 2018 President’s Medal to recognize the longstanding, extraordinary contributions of individuals who have supported deserving students and meaningful academic programs, advanced research that creatively explored solutions for the challenges of our times and inspired community leaders to engage in enhancing the quality of life of Georgians through their support of the university. The medal, conceived by the UGA Emeriti Scholars, will be presented during the 2018

Founders Day program on Jan. 22, 2018. The celebration will begin with a luncheon and be followed by the annual lecture, traditionally delivered by a member of the UGA Emeriti Scholars. Nominations are now being accepted for the President’s Medal. Nominees must have a connection to the university but cannot be a current UGA employee. Individuals currently serving as appointed and elected officials in local, state or federal positions also are ineligible. The President’s Medal recipient

See NOMINATIONS on page 8

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HUMAN RESOURCES

Around academe

University of Michigan launches campus driverless shuttle system

The University of Michigan introduced a fully autonomous campus shuttle system, called the ARMA, this semester, according to a story in the University Network. Two buses, manufactured by the French company Navya, will transport up to 15 students, faculty and staff on a 2-mile route from the Lurie Engineering Center to the North Campus Research Complex on Plymouth Road. To implement ARMA shuttles on the North Campus, Navya collaborated with Mcity, a 32-acre automotive test facility at UM geared toward advancing transportation safety, sustainability and accessibility. As of now, autonomous vehicles are primarily confined to geofenced areas, such as a college campus. This is due to limited mapping capabilities and people’s skepticism toward self-driving vehicles. The ARMA is guided by a precise mapping system, but still only covers 2 miles.

Fall is the season to treat for fire ants

News to Use

Wayne Gardner, a research entomologist with the UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and his colleague UGA Extension entomologist Dan Suiter study fire ants and ways to control them as part of the urban entomology research program on the UGA campus in Griffin. They know, for instance, that the easiest time for homeowners to go after fire ant colonies is in the fall. The ants tend to be most active in the spring and fall, when daytime temperatures are between 70 and 85 degrees. In the fall, they spend a lot of time foraging for food. Actively foraging ants will pick up bait and carry it into the nest within the first hour or two. UGA specialists recommend treating fire ants by first broadcasting a fire ant bait. Apply the bait either across the home lawn or in a 4-foot circle around each fire ant mound. Use care not to disturb the mounds. Never apply bait using a spreader that’s been used to spread fertilizer. The bait’s scent can be altered by the fertilizer residue. Wear gloves and use only a new spreader dedicated to treating fire ants. Bait products do not protect against reinvasion by ant colonies from surrounding land or by newly mated queens. Ant populations can fully recover within 12 to 18 months of the last bait treatment. Low-lying, moist and floodprone areas are more prone to reinfestation. After a week to 10 days, kick the ant mounds or poke them with a stick and step back quickly. If there is any ant activity, apply a contact insecticide to target the mounds. Source: UGA Cooperative Extension

FINE DINING UGA placed 20th in a Niche ranking of college dining services with the best food. Selected schools and universities that also made the list include

1. UCLA 2. Virginia Tech 3. Culinary Institute of America 6. Washington U. in St. Louis 8. U. of Massachusetts 10. James Madison U. 11. Cornell U. 18. U. of Oregon 19. Rice U. 20. UGA

Source: Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Benefits open enrollment period set for Oct. 30 through Nov. 10 The University System of Georgia 2018 open enrollment period is Oct. 30 through Nov. 10. Main points for this year’s open enrollment are: • UGA will hold its first Benefits Fair Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in Mahler Hall of the Georgia Center. Twenty health, well-being and financial planning vendors will be at the fair to provide information and answer employees’ questions. • Faculty and staff are strongly encouraged to log in to OneUSG ConnectBenefits (http://oneusgconnect.usg.edu/) for additional information on benefits and to make open enrollment elections. • For employees who do not make any changes or new elections for open enrollment, current coverage will remain the same for 2018 with the exception of FSA enrollment. As always, an FSA election is required each year. The tobacco surcharge will remain the same as the current election if you do not need to change your tobacco status in 2018. • Benefits open enrollment is the only time donations can be made to the shared sick leave pool. Faculty and staff who wish to join the shared sick leave pool must have completed their

provisional employment period and make the required donation. Employees must donate a minimum of eight hours of sick leave during open enrollment. (Donation requirements and sick leave balance requirements are prorated for part-time employees.) Faculty and staff members who already are members of the shared sick leave pool are not required to donate additional sick leave to remain in the pool. However, they may donate up to 80 sick leave hours during the open enrollment period if they wish. • Check benefits plans for changes in deductibles, out-of-pocket maximums and premiums. There are no changes to the dental, disability, critical illness, accident, hospital indemnity and legal plans. • There is a new voluntary benefit plan. Purchasing Power is a Georgia-based company that provides an online purchasing site with a buy now–pay over time through payroll deduction over six to 12 months. Employees who wish to participate may set up an account in January. • With the implementation of the OneUSG Connect-Benefits system,

Human Resources will make additional decision support tools available to employees and retirees. Log in to OneUSG Connect-Benefits for cost and plan comparison tools. No action is required during open enrollment for employees whose tobacco use has not changed. Faculty and staff (or any covered dependents) who have changed tobacco use must use the OneUSG Connect-Benefits system during open enrollment to correctly reflect that tobacco use. Open enrollment is passive this year. No action is required on the part of employees who wish to make no changes in their benefits choices for 2018. EXCEPTION: Faculty and staff must enroll each year for flexible spending accounts, if desired. A comprehensive list of all the provided benefits options is online at http:// www.usg.edu/assets/hr/benefits_docs/ BOR_Comparison_Guide_NEW.pdf. Those who need assistance or have questions about open enrollment, can log in to OneUSG Connect-Benefits at http://oneusgconnect.usg.edu/ or phone the OneUSG Connect-Benefits call center at 1-844-587-4236.

WILLSON CENTER FOR HUMANITIES AND ARTS

BLACK FACULTY AND STAFF ORGANIZATION

By Dave Marr

Dawn D. Bennett-Alexander, associate professor of employment law and legal studies, will deliver the keynote address at the University of Georgia’s Black Faculty and Staff Organization’s 15th annual Founders’ Award Scholarship Luncheon. The luncheon will be held Oct. 23 from 12:30-2 p.m. in the Tate Student Center’s Grand Hall. The luncheon is rescheduled from the original Sept. 12 date, when the university was closed due to Tropical Storm Irma. Bennett-Alexander, who teaches in UGA’s Terry College of Business, publishes extensively in the employment law area with particular Dawn Bennettemphasis on race, gender and sexual Alexander orientation issues. In 1994 she coauthored a first-of-its-kind textbook, Employment Law for Business, which established the discipline in colleges of business. The text is now going into its ninth edition and remains the leading text in the country in its discipline. She also co-authored The Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Environment of Business in a Diverse Society and The Legal, Ethical and Regulatory Environment of Business. She is a cum laude graduate of the Howard University School of Law and a magna cum laude graduate of the Federal City College (now the University of the District of Columbia), both in Washington, D.C. She is licensed to practice law in D.C. and six federal jurisdictions. She has received more than 40 awards for teaching and service, including the 2017 award for UGA’s best Diversity & Inclusion program, Women’s Studies Professor of the Year and one of UGA Student Government Association’s 10 Outstanding Professors of the Year for 2016. She was also a Fulbright Senior Scholar Fellowship and taught and conducted research on race and gender at the Ghana School of Law in Ghana, West Africa, for 10 months. Before coming into academia, Bennett-Alexander worked in legal capacities in Washington, D.C., at the Federal Labor Relations Authority litigating federal sector labor law cases; the White House Domestic Council, serving as assistant to the associate director and general counsel; the D.C. Court of Appeals, as law clerk to Julia Cooper Mack, the first black female to serve on the D.C. Court of Appeals; the Federal Trade Commission’s Antitrust Division; the U.S. Department of Justice’s Honors Program; the University of North Florida; and the Antioch School of Law. For over 30 years, BFSO has been involved in conceptualizing and implementing programs and services focused on equity and diversity at UGA. BFSO played a role in the creation and growth of the Department of Minority Services and Programs, Institute for African American Studies, African American Cultural Center, Office of Institutional Diversity, Presidential Minority Advisory Committee and several initiatives.

Athens-born filmmaker James Rescheduled BFSO Ponsoldt to visit Cine Oct. 21 Luncheon set for Oct. 23 davemarr@uga.edu

Filmmaker James Ponsoldt will visit Cine Oct. 21 for a day of events celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. Ponsoldt is a writer and director whose credits include The End of the Tour, The Circle and Master of None. He was raised in Athens. Ponsoldt will introduce special screenings of Peter Bogdanovich’s 1971 masterpiece The Last Picture Show at 3 p.m. and his critically acclaimed 2013 film The Spectacular Now, which was filmed in Athens, at 7:15 p.m. Between the two films, at 5:30 p.m., Ponsoldt will take part in a public conversation about an education, life and career in the arts and humanities with Nicholas Allen, Franklin Professor of English and director James Ponsoldt of the Willson Center. A public reception in the CineLab will begin at 5 p.m. and continue after the conversation, with refreshments from The National and book sales by Avid Bookshop. Ponsoldt received his bachelor’s degree from Yale University as well as an M.F.A. in directing from Columbia University. His other credits include the films Smashed and Off the Black. Films that Ponsoldt has written and/or directed have won multiple awards at the Sundance Film Festival, been nominated for Independent Spirit Awards and been honored by the National Board of Review. He co-wrote the graphic novel Refresh, Refresh (selected by Alison Bechdel for Best American Comics) and is developing films with Disney, A24, Fox and Plan B. The Last Picture Show, based on the 1966 novel by Larry McMurtry, starred Timothy Bottoms, Cybill Shepherd, Jeff Bridges, Cloris Leachman, Ellen Burstyn and Ben Johnson. The film was nominated for eight Academy Awards including best picture and best director, with Johnson and Leachman winning best supporting actor and best supporting actress. “Concerned with adolescent experience seen in terms of flatlands anomie,” wrote Pauline Kael in The New Yorker, “— loneliness, ignorance about sex, confusion about one’s aims in life—the movie has a basic decency of feeling, with people relating to one another, sometimes on very simple levels, and becoming miserable when they can’t relate.” The Spectacular Now is based on the novel by Tim Tharp, a finalist for the 2008 National Book Award in Young People’s Literature. The film stars Miles Teller, Shailene Woodley, Brie Larsen, Jennifer Jason-Leigh and Kyle Chandler. Woodley and Teller were awarded a Special Jury Prize for Acting at the Sundance Film Festival for their performances as teens edging toward adult love in what Variety’s Rob Nelson called a “bittersweet ode to the moment of childhood’s end.” Cine is located at 234 W. Hancock Ave. in downtown Athens. All events are open free to the public. Tickets for the screenings will be available on the day of the show at the Cine box office. The conversation will be held in the CineLab, with admission and seating on a first-come, first-served basis.

RESEARCH NEWS

columns.uga.edu Oct. 16, 2017

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Digest Religion department to present seminar on ‘Universal Compassion’ Oct. 17

Andrew Davis Tucker

Franklin West, associate professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, and Emily Baker are part of a team that created a model for replacing stroke-damaged brain tissue.

Major milestone

New model for stroke could speed discovery By Charlene Betourney cbetourney@uga.edu

It is well-known in the medical field that the pig brain shares certain physiological and anatomical similarities with the human brain. So similar are the two that researchers at the University of Georgia’s Regenerative Bioscience Center have developed the first U.S. pig model for stroke treatments, which will provide essential preclinical data and speed the drug discovery process. Often referred to by research teams as “the animals most like people,” pigderived medical products have a long history of use in humans and have improved the lives of countless patients. Pig heart valves are used to replace damaged or diseased human valves, diabetics may use insulin taken from pigs, and the blood-thinning drug heparin was first derived from a pig. “Compared to mice, our large animal stroke model is a more rigorous test of potential therapeutics with findings that are likely more clinically relevant,” said Franklin West, an associate professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences and senior author of the paper describing the model. Using their model, the team has

shown that induced neural stem cells, or iNSCs, can replace stroke-damaged brain tissue and stimulate neuroplasticity—the brain’s ability to naturally repair itself. “This is the first time that a neural stem cell therapy has been tested in a large animal model with a brain more similar to humans,” said Emily Baker, lead author of the study, who recently received her doctorate in neuroscience from UGA. “With greater predictive capabilities, there’s a better likelihood of it working in a human.” Stroke is the cause of one in every 19 U.S. deaths and has an estimated annual cost of $315 billion—56 percent higher than treatment associated costs of all cancers, according to the American Heart Association. Despite the urgent need, almost all clinical trials of neuroprotective therapies to date have failed to translate from the laboratory to the clinic, according to the RBC research team. Stroke therapies that worked on small animals such as mice more often than not proved ineffective in human strokes. With the failure of so many clinical trials, the concept of neuroprotection and the inability to demonstrate a regenerative action to restore and

replace brain tissue has been the subject of many discussions in both research and medical communities. Through this model, the research team was able to more precisely establish the repair mechanism by which stem cells work in neural tissue regeneration and neuroprotection than was previously known. “The takeaway from this work is that the injected stem cells led to cellular and tissue improvement,” West said. “Basically, if you have a stroke and you get this treatment, fewer neurons are going to die, and for stroke research that’s critically important.” The findings from the study, published in Nature’s Scientific Reports, suggest that there are peripherals of salvageable brain tissue that would benefit from cell-based restorative therapies after acute ischemic stroke. Specifically, iNSCs that naturally promote brain plasticity and recovery. The research marks a major milestone and, while a long way from clinical use, it may speed stroke discoveries by providing a better, more predictive translational model. Researchers within the RBC are already using this model as a platform for future nanotechnology applications.

FRANKLIN COLLEGE OF ARTS AND SCIENCES

Researchers study how wet soils fuel tropical storms By Alan Flurry

aflurry@uga.edu

As the Atlantic hurricane season continues, researchers at the University of Georgia in partnership with NASA Goddard Space Flight Center have been awarded a grant to study how wet soils may strengthen tropical storms over land. The research funding totaling nearly $1 million will allow the scientists to build on an idea first advanced in two UGA-based studies suggesting that wet soils could sustain or intensify hurricanes, typhoons and other tropical cyclones as they move over land. The UGA researchers called this the “brown ocean” effect. “The more common behavior is that hurricanes weaken when they move over land so this research has implications for assessing storm

hazards and flood potential as storms move over land,” said Marshall Shepherd, Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences and principal investigator. “Our previous work found that smaller or weakening storms can be the biggest rain producers, not the powerhouse Category 5 storms.” The new research, funded by NASA’s Modeling and Analysis Program, will augment Earth system models by using satellite-based soil moisture estimates to better predict when storms will strengthen over land. “The brown ocean effect also may go beyond hurricanes, as we possibly saw with the storm system that caused the devastating Louisiana floods in 2016,” Shepherd said. “The combination of advanced NASA datasets and models will allow us to better understand how the land and atmosphere talk

to each other during storms.” Shepherd said the team will explore how wet soil, swampy regions like the Everglades and even irrigated areas affect storms as they move inland. Recent research from one of Shepherd’s former doctoral students now working at the U.S. Forest Service suggests that irrigated landscapes in southwest Georgia may provide a moisture source for storms in that region. “The concept of the brown ocean effect is very intriguing scientifically and has practical implications for tropical cyclone forecasting,” said Joseph Santanello of the NASA Goddard Center Hydrological Sciences Laboratory. “This proposal will allow us to bring together the expertise and tools required—including NASA weather and land surface models, and satellite data—to properly address the processes and predictability of this phenomenon.”

As part of its Religion and the Common Good seminar series, the religion department in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences will present a research seminar Oct. 17 at 7 p.m. in Room 248 of the Miller Learning Center. Supported by the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts, the seminar will feature the talk “Universal Compassion: Modern Buddhists and Altruism” by American Buddhist monk Gen Mondrub. It is open free to the public. Mondrub will discuss connections between the search for inner peace and the creation of more peaceful relations between human beings in the context of modern Buddhism. Mondrub serves as resident teacher of Kadampa Meditation Center Georgia, a meditation and study organization in Atlanta dedicated to the achievement of world peace through such practices. For Kadampa Buddhists, meditative practices help people to attain what they see as the heart of the Buddha’s teaching: universal love and compassion. The Religion and the Common Good Seminar is an interdisciplinary initiative that builds on existing networks between faculty, students, community members and other professionals with research, teaching and service interests in religion’s contribution to the common good.

UGA Student Alumni Association to host North Campus ghost tours Oct. 24-25 On Oct. 24 and 25, the University of Georgia’s Student Alumni Association is hosting its annual Nightmare on Broad Street Ghost Tours on North Campus. Tours are free and leave at 8 and 10 p.m. both nights. The tours begin and end at the Arch in downtown Athens. Stories heard throughout the tour range from the history of certain buildings on campus to paranormal activities that occur in some of the older sorority houses off campus. Canned food donation is encouraged.

Four athletes, coaches to be inducted into Georgia Sports Hall of Fame

Four athletes and coaches with ties to the University of Georgia highlight the Class of 2018 for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame. Football standout Champ Bailey, swimming and track letterman and philanthropist Tom Cousins, current men’s golf coach Chris Haack, and women’s golf star Terri Moody Hancock were among those chosen by the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame’s Honors Court. The additional members of the Class of 2018 are Atlanta Falcons and Atlanta United owner Arthur Blank, Lombardi and Outland award winner and longtime collegiate coach Tracy Rocker, Olympic gold medal sprinter Angelo Taylor and basketball standout Kenny “Sky” Walker. The official induction will take place Feb. 4, 2018, at the Macon City Auditorium. Bailey, one of the most versatile players in UGA history, starred for the football team from 1996-1998. A UGA swimming letterman in 1950 and 1951 and a member of the 1950 SEC track and field championship squad, Cousins is a real estate developer who brought the Hawks (NBA) and the Flames (NHL) to Atlanta. Haack is in his 22nd season at UGA as the head coach for golf. He has guided UGA to a school-record 60 tournament titles, including two national and eight SEC championships. Moody Hancock was the first female to receive a full athletic scholarship to UGA. A twotime All-American, she was named 1981 National Golfer of the Year after she captured medalist honors at the AIAW national championships.

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 Division of Marketing & Communications. Periodicals postage is paid in Athens, Georgia. Postmaster: Send off-campus address changes to Columns, UGA Marketing & Communications, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Athens, GA 30602-1999.

For a complete listing of events at the University of Georgia, check the Master Calendar on the web (calendar.uga.edu/­). The following events are open to the public, unless otherwise specified. Dates, times and locations may change without advance notice.

UGAGUIDE

EXHIBITIONS

Spirited: Prohibition in America. Through Oct. 20. Special collections libraries. 706-542-5788. jhebbard@uga.edu Modern Masters from the Giuliano Ceseri Collection. Through Nov. 12. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Gold-digging in Georgia: America’s First Gold Rush? Through Dec. 5. Special collections libraries. 706-542-8079. jclevela@uga.edu Louise Blair Daura: A Virginian in Paris. Through Dec. 10. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Covered With Glory: Football at UGA, 1892-1917. Through Dec. 22. Special collections libraries. 706-542-7123. hasty@uga.edu Martha Odum: Art Intersects Ecology. Through Dec. 31. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs and Tete-a-Tete. Through Jan. 7. ­Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu (See story, right.)

MONDAY, OCT. 16 HEALTHTRAILS AND FINANCIAL IQ DEADLINE Last week for benefits-eligible faculty and staff to register for HealthTrails and Financial IQ. THE ‘GEORGIA REVIEW’S’ FALL ISSUE RELEASE Join The Georgia Review for its fall issue release featuring poet Kaveh Akbar, who, accompanied by sign language interpreter Lynn Young, will read at 7 p.m. The Foundry, 295 E. Dougherty St. Athens. 706-542-3481. lagsolo@uga.edu

TUESDAY, OCT. 17 STATE OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONFERENCE Now in its sixth year, the State of Public Health Conference at the University of Georgia is a day-long annual gathering focused on fostered on meaningful, constructive dialogue and practical solutions for Georgia’s public health challenges. 8:30 a.m. Georgia Center. lmoak@uga.edu ECOLOGY SEMINAR “Disease-driven Movement,” Allison Shaw, University of

Hodgson School brass area concert Oct. 18 to honor Fred Mills By Clarke Schwabe ccschwabe@uga.edu

The music of legendary trumpet player and former Hugh Hodgson School of Music faculty member Fred Mills will be the focus of a special recital from the Hodgson School’s brass area in Ramsey Concert Hall Oct. 18 at 8 p.m. Mills was an early and longtenured member of the worldrenowned brass quintet Canadian Brass, playing with the ensemble from 1972 to 1996, when he joined the Hodgson School faculty as professor of trumpet, a post he held until his untimely passing in 2009. “I was lucky Fred Mills enough to spend a year working with Fred—he was a great mentor and friend to me,” said Brandon Craswell, associate professor of trumpet. “Jean Martin-Williams and David Zerkel worked with Fred for many years here at UGA, and Philip Smith collaborated with Fred and the Canadian Brass on many occasions.” Mills’ legacy as a performer and an educator endures, and now a new dimension of that legacy has come to light. “Fred had an immense collection of music and memorabilia which was gifted to the special collections libraries following his death,” said Craswell. “It has taken several years, but the collection is finally organized and accessible for our students.” The collection, much of which is handwritten, unpublished music from Mills, figures to be a tremendous teaching tool for Hodgson School students. The admission-free concert will feature original transcriptions by Mills for brass quintet. Several undergraduate groups will perform, as well as the Bulldog Brass Society, an ensemble formed by Mills in 1996 that gathers some of the school’s finest graduate brass performers. Smith, the current holder of the professorship first given to Mills, the William F. and Pamela P. Prokasy Professorship in the Arts, will join that ensemble for a piece before joining other brass faculty for the closing work of the performance.

Minnesota. 3:30 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. A reception hosted by Richard Hall and Sonia Altizer will follow the seminar at 4:30 p.m. in the lobby. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu

SEMINAR “Universal Compassion: Modern Buddhists and Altruism,” Gen Monrub, resident teacher of the Kadampa Meditation Center Georgia. Part of the Religion and the Common Good Seminar, supported by the Willson Center for Humanities and Arts. 7 p.m. 248 Miller Learning Center. (See Digest, page 3.) CINEMA POLITIQUE Film screening and discussion. Yawar Mallku (Blood of the Condor) is a 1969 film by Jorge Sanjines. Set in Bolivia, the film tells the story of a Peace Corps-like American agency that is secretly sterilizing indigenous women under the guise of providing health care, provoking an uprising by the targeted population. Based upon information shared with the filmmaker by the indigenous population. Discussant: Khedija Gadhoum, who specializes in contemporary Latin American literature and culture. A widely published poet, she is the Spanish language supervisor in the Romance languages department of UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. 7 p.m. 250 Miller Learning Center. 706-542-4789. mlmiller@uga.edu CONCERT Neil Berg’s 50 Years of Rock and Roll tells the fascinating story of the groundbreaking music that changed the world. $46-$39. 8 p.m. Hodgson Concert Hall, Performing Arts Center. 706-542-4400.

WEDNESDAY, OCT. 18 CONSERVATION SEMINAR “The Importance of National Forests in the Southeastern U.S. in Providing Water Supplies,” Suzanne Krieger, USDA Forest Service. 1:25 p.m. Auditorium, ecology building. 706-542-7247. bethgav@uga.edu TOUR AT TWO Join William U. Eiland, museum director, for a special tour of Modern Masters from the Giuliano Ceseri Collection. 2 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu ROMANCE LANGUAGES SPECIAL GUEST COLLOQUIUM “Post-Truths and People: The Armenian Genocide and its Negation,” Antonia Arslan, author and former professor of modern and contemporary Italian literature at the University of Padova, and Siobhan Nash-Marshall, professor of philosophy and the Mary T. Clark Chair of Christian Philosophy at Manhattanville College. 3:30 p.m. 118 Gilbert Hall. lexjulia@uga.edu OPENING RECEPTION Opening reception for A Partial View: Artworks by Cecile Martin. 4:30 p.m. Circle Gallery, Jackson Street Building. 706-542-8292. mtufts@uga.edu FACULTY/STAFF GOLF CLINIC The University of Georgia Golf Course staff will host free golf clinics for UGA staff and faculty. Each session will include long and short game instruction. To reserve a space, email PGA Golf instructor Clint Udell at cudell96@uga.edu and indicate if borrowed golf clubs are needed for the clinic. 6 p.m. UGA Golf Course. (See Bulletin Board, page 8.) DEBATE: DO FACTS STILL MATTER? The Georgia Debate Union and UGA Libraries are hosting the debate topic: Do facts matter more than fake news in

By Jinsui Li

jinsuili@uga.edu

The word “muse” conjures an image of an ethereal ancient Greek figure, but artist Mickalene Thomas has a different, more grounded set of muses comprised of strong African-American women. Thomas is best known for her large-scale paintings of women, which complicate the art historical representation of female beauty and reconsider tropes around femininity, identity and desire. Currently based in Brooklyn, Thomas earned her bachelor’s degree in painting at Pratt Institute in 2000 and a master’s degree in fine arts at the Yale University School of Art. She experimented with photography by taking photographs of herself and her mother. For each image, Thomas creates a tableau with furniture and fabrics that the models pose within. She uses stylistic influences from the 1970s, the civil rights movement and second-wave feminism as she puts forward a complex depiction of what it means to be a woman and an expansive definition of beauty. The Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia will present the exhibition Muse: Mickalene Works by artist Mickalene Thomas will be on display at the Georgia Museum of Art through Jan. 7. Thomas Photographs and Tete-a-Tete through Jan. 7. More Thomas served as curator of the other artists’ Programs related to the exhibition include Muthan 40 works by Thomas and artists whose work she works on display in the exhibition, an installation of seum Mix, the museum’s thrice-annual art party, with has selected will be on view. work by fellow photographers that includes specific a live DJ and free refreshments, Oct. 19 from 8 to Thomas’ work both deconstructs and reappropri- works of art that have inspired her. Artists include 11 p.m.; “Conversations on Muses,” a gallery tour ates art history while it reflects a personal community of Derrick Adams, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Lyle Ashton and discussion with Harris in collaboration with the inspiration. Her photograph “Le Dejeuner sur l’Herbe: Harris, Deana Lawson, Zanele Muholi, Malick Sidibe, UGA Institute for Women’s Studies and Institute for Les Trois Femmes Noires,” for example, reimagines Xaviera Simmons, Hank Willis Thomas and Carrie African American Studies on Oct. 20 at 12:20 p.m.; a Edouard Manet’s famed painting of a bohemian picnic Mae Weems. screening of the documentary Through a Lens Darkly: with three women who are close friends of the artist. This exhibition is organized by Aperture Founda- Black Photographers and the Emergence of a People on Oct. “We are excited about the opportunity to exhibit tion in New York, a not-for-profit foundation that aims 26 at 7 p.m.; a public tour on Nov. 1 at 2 p.m.; a Teen the work of this cutting-edge contemporary artist,” said to connect the photo community and its audiences with Studio program on Nov. 9 from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. (a Shawnya Harris, the museum’s Larry D. and Brenda A. the most inspiring work. This exhibition is sponsored free program for ages 13-18 that includes a pizza dinThompson Curator of African American and African by the Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation, Inc., and ner; email sagekincaid@uga.edu or call 706-542-0448 to Diasporic Art. “We anticipate that our audiences will locally by UGA’s Willson Center for Humanities and reserve a spot); and an Artful Conversation on Dec. 13 be engaged and fascinated with works that are both Arts, the W. Newton Morris Charitable Foundation at 2 p.m. Several of these programs are in conjunction accessible and thought provoking.” and the Friends of the Georgia Museum of Art. with UGA’s 2017 Spotlight on the Arts festival. contemporary society? 7 p.m. Auditorium, special collections libraries. christof@uga.edu

THURSDAY, OCT. 19 WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE For fall semester. DIWALI Hindu religious observance. MICROBIOLOGY SEMINAR “Sticking to Your Point: Mechanisms and Control of Polar Attachment in Agrobacterium tumefaciens,” by Clay Fuqua, Indiana University-Bloomington. 11 a.m. 404D Biological Sciences Building. khbrown@uga.edu LECTURE “The Enigma of the Riace Bronzes: A New Approach,” Vinzenz

Brinkmann, head of Antiquities, Liebieghaus, Frankfurt, Germany. 5:30 p.m. S150 Lamar Dodd School of Art. 706-542-8146, ext. 24234, abbe@uga.edu LECTURE Howard Weir III will discuss his book A Paradise of Blood: The Creek War of 1813-14. Using contemporary letters, military reports and other primary sources, many from UGA’s Hargrett Library, A Paradise of Blood is a history of one of America’s most important and influential early wars. 5:30 p.m. Sidney Samuel Thomas Reading Room, Miller Learning Center. 706-542-3879. lnessel@uga.edu THIRD THURSDAY Seven of Athens’ established venues for visual art hold “Third Thursday,” an event devoted to art in the evening hours, on the third Thursday of every month. The Georgia Museum of Art, the Lamar Dodd School of Art, Lyndon House Arts Center, Glass Cube & Gallery@Hotel Indigo-Athens, Cine, the Classic Center and ATHICA will be open from 6-9 p.m. to showcase their visual-arts programming. Full schedules are posted at 3Thurs.org. HOCKEY vs. Clemson. $2, students; $10 general admission. 7 p.m. Classic Center, Akins Arena, 300 N. Thomas St. 706-207-8819. jeb@ugahockey.com

By Clarke Schwabe

PHI KAPPA LITERARY SOCIETY DEBATE Join the Phi Kappa Literary Society as its members debate the following resolution: Be It Hereby Resolved: The MLB should permit the use of legal performance enhancing drugs. The First Affirmation and First Negation are to be determined. In addition, there will be poetry and orations and holding at least one off-the-cuff, extemporaneous debate. After the main debate, the group will recess to Taco Stand downtown for dinner. 7 p.m. Upper Chamber, Phi Kappa Hall. phikappals@gmail.com

ccschwabe@uga.edu

Calendar items are taken from Columns files and from the university’s 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 at calendar.uga.edu/.

4&5

Exhibition highlights muses of Mickalene Thomas

UGA Opera Theatre takes on ambitious, unprecedented project with ‘Viva Verdi’ Thirteen UGA Opera Theatre soloists, the UGA University Chorus and the UGA Symphony Orchestra join for two performances celebrating the works of opera master Giuseppe Verdi when the UGA Opera Theatre mounts its annual fall performance in Hodgson Concert Hall Oct. 21 and Oct. 22. Frederick Burchinal, UGA Opera Theatre director and Wyatt and Margaret Anderson Professor in the Arts at the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, calls the “Viva Verdi” concerts “one of the most exciting projects we have presented in my entire time here.” “Because Verdi is too difficult for us to present in a single full opera version, we decided to offer a rare occasion to hear some of the great and well-known choruses along with arias, duets, quartets and ensembles to give our audience a two-hour ‘sampler platter’ of Verdi’s greatest works,” said Burchinal. Nine Verdi works will be represented during the performances, including classics like Aida, Il Trovatore, Nabucco, Falstaff and La Traviata. The reasoning behind the scale and the Verdi focus is two-fold: Burchinal believes the talent at the music school is deep enough to be suited for such a challenging, large project, and his own experience with

columns.uga.edu Oct.16, 2017

WOMEN’S SOCCER vs. Mississippi State. 7 p.m. Turner Soccer Complex. 706-542-1621.

Members of the UGA Opera Theatre join the UGA University Chorus and the UGA Symphony Orchestra for two performances celebrating the works of opera master Giuseppe Verdi on Oct. 21 and 22.

the composer’s works. “Verdi has been a major part of my life for over 50 years and is the one composer that I have personally performed the most often,” said Burchinal. “I wanted to bring to Athens the grandeur and brilliance of his music in the only format that we can offer to the public at this time.” The majority of soloists are Hodgson School students, many with considerable professional experience of their own, but two soloists stand apart. Lawrence Bakst, tenor, has had a long professional career in Germany and Europe and is now

in residency in Athens singing the role of Otello. Bakst has also recently performed with Hodgson School professor emeritus Richard Zimdars. Burchinal himself will perform during the concert, as well. A renowned international baritone, Burchinal enjoyed a 22-year presence at the Metropolitan Opera following his debut as Macbeth in 1988. Tickets to each concert— Oct. 21 performance at 8 p.m., Oct. 22 performance at 3 p.m.—are $20 each or $6 for students and children and can be purchased at pac.uga.edu or the PAC box office.

MUSEUM MIX The museum’s thrice-annual late-night art party features a live DJ, free refreshments and galleries open until 11 p.m. Free admission. #museummix. 8 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu

FRIDAY, OCT. 20 CONVERSATIONS ON MUSES The Women’s Studies Friday Speaker Series will highlight the exhibition Muse: Mickalene Thomas Photographs and Tetea-Tete through a gallery tour and discussion led by curator Shawnya Harris in collaboration with the UGA Institute for Women’s Studies and Institute for African American Studies. 12:20 p.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu CONCERT ON THE LAWN A Hugh Hodgson School of Music fall tradition continues with this year’s Concert on the Lawn. The concert—featuring the Hodgson School’s premier wind band, the Hodgson Wind Ensemble, with special guests the UGA Jazz Ensemble—leans into its proximity to Halloween with a theme of “Witches and Wizards.” Pieces from The Wizard of Oz, The Wiz, Wicked and the Harry Potter series join Sousa marches and Karl King’s “Invictus” on the program. 12:30 p.m. Chapel. 706-542-4752.

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, Marketing & Communications, 286 Oconee Street, Suite 200 North, Campus Mail 1999.

GEORGIA DRONE SUMMIT The Georgia Drone Summit will take drone knowledge to new heights, gathering students and educators, operators and curators, professionals and enthusiasts to collectively explore drone technologies and applications. Participants will explore the technology’s possibilities, strengthen professional networks and help uncover the advantages drones can bring to your industry. This two-day program will feature a festival-style showcase of innovative drone projects along with keynote presentations and panel discussions covering technology, business practices, legal issues and ethics. $175, industry professional; $125, UGA alumni and affiliates; $125, NPPA; $50, students; $10 Drone Dawgs. Classic Center, 300 N. Thomas St., Athens. drones@uga.edu HOCKEY vs. Florida. $2, students; $10 general admission. 7:30 p.m. Classic Center, Akins Arena, 300 N. Thomas St. 706-207-8819. jeb@ugahockey.com

SATURDAY, OCT. 21 FAMILY DAY Check out landscapes, still lifes and portraits by Louise Blair Daura in the exhibition Louise Blair Daura: A Virginian in Paris, then head to the Michael and Mary Erlanger Studio Classroom to make your own work of art inspired by those in the show. 10 a.m. Georgia Museum of Art. 706-542-4662. hazbrown@uga.edu FILM SCREENINGS: HOME MOVIE DAY There will be screenings of home movies the public brings in and from the Media Archives’ holdings, including footage from archivists and librarians at UGA. Attendees are encouraged to bring in their 16mm, 8mm and Super8 films; VHS videotapes; and DVDs for inspection and screening when possible. Archivists will be in attendance to answer questions. 2 p.m. Auditorium, special collections libraries. 770-307-7992. jclevela@uga.edu ‘VIVA VERDI’: AN OPERA GALA CONCERT This UGA Opera Theatre concert presents arias, duets, trios, quartets and ensembles from a dozen of Giuseppe Verdi’s greatest compositions, as well as the well-known choruses from Aida, Il Trovatore, Nabucco, Falstaff and La Traviata. Performances are at 8 p.m. Oct. 21 and 3 p.m. Oct. 22. $20; $6 for students, children. Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall. 706-542-4752. (See story, left.)

MONDAY, OCT. 23 BFSO FOUNDERS AWARD SCHOLARSHIP LUNCHEON The Black Faculty & Staff Organization will host its 15th annual Founders’ Award Scholarship Luncheon. BFSO will celebrate the achievements of several UGA students in the areas of academic excellence, leadership and service. 12:30 p.m. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center. yspnarke@uga.edu (See story, page 2.) CLARK HOWELL HALL OPEN HOUSE 2:30 p.m. Clark Howell Hall.

COMING UP DISABILITY RESOURCE CENTER RECOGNITION RECEPTION Oct. 24. The Disability Resource Center’s annual Faculty and Staff Recognition Reception honors an outstanding faculty member and the recipients of DRC scholarships. 3 p.m. Grand Hall, Tate Student Center.

NEXT COLUMNS DEADLINES Oct. 18 (for Oct. 30 issue) Oct. 25 (for Nov. 6 issue) Nov. 1 (for Nov. 13 issue)

6 Oct. 16, 2017 columns.uga.edu

C.K. “David” Chu, a Distinguished Research Professor and Professor Emeritus at the University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, was presented the Antonin Holy Memorial Lecture Award, which recognizes significant contributions in medicinal chemistry, at the annual meeting of the International Society of Antiviral Research held recently in Atlanta. Antonin Holy was a medicinal chemist whose discovery of antiviral drugs led to the C.K. “David” Chu treatment of millions of patients worldwide infected with AIDS and hepatitis B. Chu has spent a majority of his 40-year career in medicinal chemistry, which has led to the discovery of numerous anticancer and antiviral agents. During his academic career, he discovered a number of clinical candidates for cancer and viral diseases, and he is listed as inventor on 60 U.S. patents. He has published more than 300 peer-reviewed articles in organic, biochemical and medicinal chemistry, edited four textbooks and trained more than 130 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. As a co-founder of Pharmasset and ATEA Pharmaceuticals, Chu has maintained an active research program in drug design and synthesis since his retirement in 2008. His work in drug discovery has been recognized nationally and internationally. Following a record-breaking 2017, UGA track and field head coach Petros Kyprianou has been named National Women’s Head Coach of the Year by the U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association. Named the 2014 and 2015 USTFCCCA National Indoor Women’s Assistant Coach of the Year, Kyprianou also earned six regional honors as an assistant coach, bridging his career at Boise State from 2005-2008. Kyprianou is the first women’s head coach who did not win the team national championship to Petros Kyprianou garner this honor since 2001 when it was given to Kansas State’s Cliff Rovelto. Kyprianou, who recently completed his second year as the Bulldogs’ head coach and his ninth year with the program, led the UGA women to a school record second-place finish at the NCAA outdoor championships with the most points (62.2) in school history at the meet. This marked the team’s fourth straight top-five national outdoor finish and second consecutive finish in the top three. UGA left Eugene, Oregon, with a school record four national champions and two runner-up finishes. Paul Thomas, a horticulture professor in UGA’s College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, was recently named the recipient of the 2017 Alex Laurie Award from the Society of American Florists. He received the award at SAF’s 133rd annual convention in September at The Breakers in Florida. The Laurie Award is presented annually to an individual who has made broad-scope, long lasting contributions to research or education in the floriculture industry. Thomas currently serves as the UGA Cooperative Extension state specialist in floriculture and conducts research into water conservation, sustainable greenhouse practices and smart greenhouse irrigation systems. Thomas teaches classes on greenhouse management, horticultural business practices and interiorscaping—landscaping indoors—and he is known for connecting his students with the greenhouse industry internships to help launch their careers. 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

Dorothy Kozlowski

Trisha Branan’s innovative teaching module led to her receiving one of the university’s Creative Teaching Awards last spring.

Clinical faculty member uses interactive learning to engage pharmacy students By Mickey Y. Montevideo mickeym@uga.edu

Trisha Branan’s dedication to teaching, coupled with her commitment to critical care pharmacotherapy, are daily experiences that complement her role as a clinical assistant professor in the UGA College of Pharmacy. “In the hospital acute care units, the health care team has to quickly interpret a great deal of patient data and communicate effectively with each other, often to keep patients alive,” said Branan, 2006 alumna of the UGA College of Pharmacy. “The critical care program is vitally important as it develops the knowledge and skills our students need to optimize patient care and outcomes, not just in the critical care setting, but in all pharmacy practice settings.” Branan’s research interests expand beyond the critical care setting to include innovative teaching methods and interprofessional education. Last year, she combined these interests and led a major redesign of PHRM 5370, a critical care pharmacy course at the pharmacy college. Collaborating with colleagues Anthony Hawkins, Russ Palmer and Katie Smith, Branan developed a virtual intensive care unit patient room that allows students to interact with various health care disciplines and providers, along with patients and their families. The virtual patient care room uses pre-formed dialogue, replicated vital sign monitors and access to laboratory data to mimic clinical practice. “Her innovative instructional

approach and careful attention to the learning needs of students combined to create an exciting learning environment that is positively impacting our students today,” said Palmer, who, along with Smith, is an instructional designer at the college. Hawkins, a clinical assistant professor at the college’s clinical campus in Albany, agrees. “Trisha’s innovative efforts provided a set of immersive and interactive learning tools that allow our students to think critically and communicate effectively to make clinical decisions in scenarios that are reflective of real-world critical care pharmacy problems,” he said. Branan’s innovative virtual reality teaching module led to her receiving a major university award. This past spring, she was one of the recipients of UGA’s Creative Teaching Awards, which recognizes faculty for excellence in developing and implementing creative teaching methods to improve student learning. “I was very humbled to receive this award,” said Branan. “I am fortunate to collaborate with others within the college, especially Dr. Hawkins, Russ Palmer and Katie Smith, who share the same excitement and passion for innovative teaching. As a faculty member, there is little that is more rewarding than connecting with your students and partnering alongside their learning.” Her students are not short on affirmation for their pharmacy professor. “The critical care class with Dr. Branan [and Dr. Hawkins] has

FACTS

Trisha N. Branan, Pharm.D., BCCCP

Clinical Assistant Professor Doctor of Pharmacy, University of Georgia, College of Pharmacy, 2006 PGY-1 Pharmacy Residency, UGA College of Pharmacy/Medical College of Georgia Health System, Augusta, 2007 PGY-2 Critical Care Residency, University of Virginia Health System, Critical Care, 2008 At UGA: 31/2 years

taught me how to ask the right questions to prioritize my patients’ therapies and optimize their outcomes,” said Caitlin Casper, a third-year pharmacy student. Brad Proctor, another third-year pharmacy student, said, “Dr. Branan’s class allows a student to learn using real world examples, which provides a great foundation for someone who wants to practice in a critical care setting.” “This class has provided me with some of the most applicable information I have learned in pharmacy school,” said fellow third-year student Tim Jones. “Dr. Branan is one of the best at simplifying complex topics, and her critical care class has stimulated my interest in this important area of pharmacy. Her teaching method makes it easy to ask questions and have discussions, which ultimately will allow us to be better practitioners.”

COLLEGE OF PUBLIC HEALTH

Professor awarded medal for public health service By Lauren Baggett lbaggett@uga.edu

UGA professor Jose F. Cordero has been awarded the 2017 Sedgwick Memorial Medal for Distinguished Service in Public Health, the oldest and most prestigious award bestowed by the American Public Health Association. An international leader in infant and maternal health, Cordero will be honored for his “remarkable record of service in the advancement of public health knowledge and practice” at the association’s annual meeting in Atlanta on Nov. 7. Cordero is the Gordhan and Jinx Patel Distinguished Professor of Public Health and head of the epidemiology and biostatistics department in UGA’s

College of Public Health, where he mentors graduate researchers in infectious disease studies and infant and maternal health. “Dr. Cordero has positively imJose Cordero pacted millions over the course of his career not only through his scholarship and practice, but also by teaching and mentoring the next generation of global health practitioners,” said UGA President Jere W. Morehead. “I commend him on his achievements and on his receipt of this singular distinction.” Originally trained as a pediatrician,

Cordero has dedicated his career to addressing maternal and child health as well as minority health and health disparities. His many contributions to public health include identifying nutritional deficiencies of infant formula, advocating for nutrient fortification in corn and flour to prevent neural tube defects in Hispanic children, promoting child immunizations in the U.S. to eliminate measles, mumps and rubella, and championing early diagnosis for children with autism. For 27 years, Cordero served at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, where he focused on improving the health of mothers and children. His most prominent roles were deputy director of the National See MEDAL on page 7

GRADY COLLEGE OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATION, GEORGIA MUSEUM OF ART

Creative contributors Journalism faculty member, Georgia Museum of Art director receive Governor’s Awards

By Sarah Freeman and Hillary Brown freemans@uga.edu, hazbrown@uga.edu

Valerie Boyd, the Charlayne HunterGault Distinguished Writer in Residence and an associate professor of journalism, and William U. Eiland, director of the Georgia Museum of Art at the University of Georgia, each received a Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities from Gov. Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal. The sixth annual awards were presented Oct. 4 in a ceremony at the Georgia Capitol. The awards are a partnership with the Georgia Council for the Arts and Georgia Humanities. “The first lady and I are longtime supporters of the arts, humanities and expressions of creativity,” Deal said. “These awards recognize outstanding individuals and organizations who have made significant contributions to Georgia’s economic, civic and cultural vitality. Our state’s creative industries provide some 200,000 jobs for Georgians and generate $62.5 billion in economic impact. I congratulate the individuals and institutions being honored and am grateful for their contributions to communities throughout Georgia.” Boyd’s nomination biography said that “her passion for story inspired emerging writers to find their voice and develop their craft,” and “she animates the writing life, rousing her students’ creativity and zeal for truth by her own example.” Boyd was introduced at the ceremony by friend and former student Monica Pearson. Pearson spoke of Boyd as a “history maker in the state and around the world” through writing books including Wrapped in Rainbows: The Life of Zora Neale Hurton, and her upcoming book, Gathering Blossoms Under Fire, a curation of the journals of Alice Walker. When Wrapped in Rainbows was released, the Georgia Center for the Book included it in a list of “25 books that all Georgians should read.” In addition to her writing, Boyd was celebrated for her contributions to educating future writers, including her role as co-director of UGA’s Master of Fine Arts

Andrea Briscoe

Recipients of the Governor’s Award for the Arts and Humanities, given out by Gov. Nathan Deal and first lady Sandra Deal, include UGA’s Valerie Boyd, the Charlayne Hunter-Gault Distinguished Writer in Residence and an associate professor of journalism, and William U. Eiland, director of the Georgia Museum of Art.

Program in Narrative Media Writing. During her comments, Pearson cited a nomination letter written by Alice Walker to Deal. “Talking with her is akin to standing before a mirror,” Walker said in her nomination letter, “but, one that shows not only yourself, but all the surrounding possibilities as she dives straight for the heart of the image and view.” Prior to teaching, Boyd spent nearly 20 years writing for the Atlanta Journal Constitution, including time as the arts editor. Eiland has been director of the museum since 1992, during which time its permanent collection has tripled in size and it has both moved to a new facility on UGA’s East Campus and then expanded that facility. Instead of relying on state funds, Eiland has made fundraising an integral part of the operations of the museum, enabling its growth during his tenure even during tough economic times. The museum’s present facility, built in two phases, was paid for completely by money raised from external sources. Eiland is perhaps even better known

WEEKLY READER

New book details sacred natural sites

Indigeneity and the Sacred: Indigenous Revival and the Conservation of Sacred Natural Sites in the Americas Edited by Fausto Sarmiento and Sarah Hitchner Berghahn Books Hardcover: $120

The conservation of sites that indigenous people hold sacred has taken urgency as globalization and population growth increased demands for resources in the mountains of the Western Hemisphere. UGA faculty members Fausto O. Sarmiento and Sarah Hitchner have coedited Indigeneity and the Sacred: Indigenous Revival and the Conservation of Sacred Natural Sites in the Americas, which presents current research in the political ecology of indigenous revival and its role in nature conservation in the Americas. Indigeneity and the Sacred explores the struggles for land rights and political power embedded in mountainscapes with reconstituted identity, as globalizing forces simultaneously threaten and promote the notion of indigeneity. A professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Science’s geography department, Sarmiento also directs UGA’s Neotropical Montology Collaboratory. Hitchner is an assistant research scientist at UGA’s Center for Integrative Conservation Research and an adjunct professor in Franklin College’s anthropology department.

outside of Georgia than within it, due to his participation at a high level in many peer and professional groups, such as his service as a site visitor for the American Alliance of Museums accreditation program. In addition, he has consistently kept in mind the museum’s role as the official state museum of art, striving to keep admission free and developing outreach programs that span the state. Linda Chesnut and Peggy Galis of the museum’s Decorative Arts Advisory Committee wrote in their nomination letter, “His welcoming spirit has opened [the museum] to all ages, all races, ALL Georgians,” and referred him as a “franchise player” for the state of Georgia. In addition to Boyd and Eiland, the following individuals and organizations were recognized with Arts and Humanities Awards: Karen Berman, Gilmer Arts and Heritage Association, HartsfieldJackson Atlanta International Airport Art Program, Virginia Hepner, Kenny Leon, The Annette Howell Turner Center for the Arts, Pearl McHaney, National Infantry Museum Foundation, Janisse Ray and Lois Reitzes.

columns.uga.edu Oct. 16, 2017

7

MEDAL from page 6 Immunization Program and founding director of the National Center for Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities. In the U.S. Public Health Service, he attained the rank of assistant surgeon general. “The College of Public Health was very fortunate to recruit Dr. Cordero,” said Phillip L. Williams, dean of the college. “He is an inspiration to our faculty and students in public health, and it is an honor to know him as a colleague.” Cordero currently co-directs the Puerto Rico Test site for Exploring Contamination Threats (PROTECT) Center as well as the Center for Research on Early Childhood Exposure and Development (CRECE), both of which examine how exposure to environmental contaminants contributes to the high rate of preterm birth in Puerto Rico. At the advent of the Zika epidemic in 2015, the PROTECT Center was poised to assist the CDC with Zika surveillance and prevention efforts in Puerto Rico, and Cordero regularly flies there to check on expectant mothers at risk for preterm births or contracting the Zika virus. “At the outbreak of the Zika virus threat, he was the first to organize a conference with physicians and other health professionals to educate them and implement plans for managing the threats of Zika for people in Puerto Rico,” said Carmen Velez-Vega, an associate professor of social sciences at the University of Puerto Rico Graduate School of Public Health and principal investigator with the PROTECT and CRECE programs. “In my opinion, Dr. Cordero talks the talk and walks the walk.” Cordero is a former national trustee of the March of Dimes Foundation, a nonprofit organization that works to improve the health of mothers and babies, and he is a longtime member and past president of the Teratology Society, an international and multidisciplinary group of scientists who study birth defects, reproduction and disorders of developmental origin. “Throughout his career, Dr. Cordero has been a dedicated and passionate teacher, mentor and leader in public health,” said Dr. Hani K. Atrash, director of the Division of Healthy Start and Perinatal Services within the Maternal and Child Health Bureau at the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. “He has touched and affected the lives of hundreds of public health workers in the United States and globally, including my own.” UGA Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten lauded Cordero for his contributions to advancing health and also for inspiring students. “Dr. Cordero’s record of accomplishment underscores his unwavering commitment to helping people lead healthier lives,” Whitten said. “His students go on to make significant contributions of their own, resulting in a far-reaching, world-changing impact.” The APHA notes that the Sedgwick Medal is “a true accolade of the profession—the recognition by an individual’s colleagues of outstanding accomplishments in the field of public health.” “I’m honored for this recognition and in awe for the many distinguished heroes of public health that have been recognized with this award,” said Cordero. “Public health work requires a community, and this recognition goes to the many wonderful colleagues who I have worked with during my career.” The award was established in 1929 in honor of William Thompson Sedgwick in recognition of his service and advancement of the public health field.

CYBERSIGHTS

ABOUT COLUMNS Columns is available to the 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

Disability Resource Center refreshes site

drc.uga.edu

The Disability Resource Center has updated its website to match its newly renovated home in Clark Howell Hall. Simpler navigation makes essential services easy to locate, including the AIM online portal, note-taker registration and registering for services. The website is full of useful information

regarding accommodations for students, families, faculty and staff. “This website will assist the DRC in promoting a welcoming academic, physical and social environment for students with disabilities at UGA,” said Stan Jackson, communications director for the Division of Student Affairs.

Art Director Jackie Baxter Roberts Photo Editor Dorothy Kozlowski Writer Leigh Beeson Communications Coordinator Krista Richmond 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.

8 Oct. 16, 2017 columns.uga.edu

STEM

FILM

School District during the 2018 spring semester to provide professional development for a group of elementary school teachers enrolled in a robotics for teachers course designed by Roger Hill, a professor in the College of Education’s career and information studies department and a co-principal investigator of the project. “There are many different kinds of scientific and mathematic principles that might be incorporated into one of these lessons,” said Hill. “We pick and choose depending on what we need to teach, and one of the strategies has been to have teachers identify areas where they have struggled in the past.” A range of robotic kits will be used to enhance traditional lesson plans with a focus on STEM content. By using these tools, participating teachers will not only help students develop a fundamental understanding of programming and coding, but also the mechanics, assembly and wiring required to make the robots function. Additionally, the team will coach the teachers in their lesson instruction and assess the effectiveness of the CALC concept as a method to teach and learn computer science. The assessments will include capturing teacher actions via video recordings that will be analyzed in an ongoing process as well as interviews of teachers and assessment of student work. “And so the approach here is a little bit different too in that it’s integrated,” said Hill. “Our traditional approach to instruction in not only elementary school, but at all different levels, tends to be split into silos. With this study, we don’t do that. It’s all mushed together kind of like real life because it’s contextualized.” Another component of the study will build on an argumentation framework for teachers that encourages students to learn mathematics and science by behaving like an actual mathematician or scientist in the field. For example, a teacher focused on argumentation may pose a problem that can be

Photos by Chad Osburn

‘DISCARDED OBJECTS’ ON DISPLAY—Kira Hegeman, left, and Abigail West, students in the Lamar Dodd School of Art and interns in the Office of Sustainability, hope to encourage people to think about the full life cycles of objects in their exhibit Athens Home for Discarded Objects in the science library. The installation features items found as part of a highway and stream cleanup and then “adopted” and given a “birth certificate” with its story, name and date of birth.

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There have been a few struggles along the way. Back in 2005, her revenues were declining sharply. Downey enrolled in what is now the SBDC’s GrowSmart program. She began working with Atkins to build her business acumen to complement her creativity. Atkins helped her develop a new marketing direction that appealed to large corporations and the federal government. With the SBDC’s help, Downey got into a U.S. Small Business Administration program that helps small, disadvantaged businesses get a leg up in bidding for government contracts. CATMEDIA was eligible as a female-owned company. That helped Downey establish a relationship with the federal government that now includes work with the Office of Personnel Management, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Department of Veterans Affairs. “The (SBA program) allowed the business to grow,” she said. “It was the SBDC that really opened that door and helped me get it. Federal contracting is not for the faint of heart. There’re a lot of hoops to jump through, and it would’ve been impossible for me to do that on my own.” On solid ground in 2012, Downey came to Atkins again to plan for the future. He met with CATMEDIA employees to get their assessment of the company and Downey’s management. She had ambitious goals for revenue and staff growth, which the company has since surpassed. The film, Mnemosyne, is a southern-gothic thriller. Set on an isolated island off the coast of the southeastern U.S., the story delves into the world of a mysterious, sequestered

commune. It follows the story of Cam, the son of Pastor, the tyrannical, yet charismatic leader of the island. When Cam’s sister Reilly falls ill, he must find a way to get her to safety or watch her die. Together with his friend Hannah, Cam discovers the sinister nature of the island. A harrowing game of memory and manipulation unravels—revealing that things are not always what they seem. Downey hopes that the film will be accepted into the Sundance Film Festival and that her documentary, about the victims of sex trafficking scheduled for completion in 2018, will win an Academy Award—the only milestone left on her to-do list from that 2012 session with the SBDC. “In 2012, it was OK, that’s a big one,” CATMEDIA Web Developer Rob Nale said of the Oscar goal. “We were still a small company getting our bearings but (Downey) believed in us. The focus groups allowed us to be more relaxed.” Atkins worked with Downey to find tangible ways to move toward completing her vision. It’s that eye on the future which Atkins said sets Downey apart. She’s always looking toward the future. She didn’t let the day-today keep her from having that vision despite, until recently when she hired a company president, managing both the finances and the creative side of her company. Atkins, who recently retired after 33 years with the SBDC, said working with Downey was one of the highlights of his career. “Successful entrepreneurs are good planners,” Atkins said. “That’s what Catherine was not afraid to do. Sometimes I’d run into her at different events, and we’d sit on the side just brainstorming. She has truly earned everything she has gotten.”

Bulletin Board Free golf clinic

The University of Georgia Golf Course staff will host a free golf clinic for UGA staff and faculty Oct. 18 from 6-7 p.m. Players from all skill levels are welcomed to participate. Each session will include long and short game instruction. To reserve a space, email Clint Udell, PGA golf instructor, at cudell96@uga.edu and indicate if you would like to borrow golf clubs for the clinic.

Dream Award nominations

The Office of Institutional Diversity is calling for nominations for the President’s Fulfilling the Dream Award 2018. The award honors those in the university and Athens-Clarke County communities who are keeping Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s belief in equality and justice alive. Nominations are open until Oct. 29. The Fulfilling the Dream Award

showcases members of the community, faculty, staff and students who advance issues of race relations or human rights. Award winners are dedicated to volunteerism and civic engagement and use King’s teachings to reduce tensions between communities and unite people across different cultures and backgrounds. Recipients of the award are honored at the annual MLK Freedom Breakfast, which will be held Jan. 12 at UGA. The breakfast is held in honor of King’s life and legacy and is sponsored by UGA, the Athens-Clarke County Unified Government and the Clarke County School District. To nominate someone for the award, visit https://ugeorgia.qualtrics. com/jfe/form/SV_899RN74wSEHuuQR or contact the Office of Institutional Diversity at 706-583-8195. Bulletin Board is limited to information that may pertain to a majority of faculty and staff members.

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AWARD

from page 1 categories: Innovation, Talent and Place, as well as the intersections of these three categories. Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant were in the Place category, along with the Archway Partnership, which focused on work that helps Georgia communities address critical locally identified economic development needs, including infrastructure for growth and business recruitment, workforce development, leadership, tourism and downtown revitalization. Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant, the Carl Vinson Institute of Government and the Archway Partnership are UGA public service units. “I am extremely proud that we have been recognized nationally for the work we are doing on the coast as well as throughout the state,” said Laura Meadows, interim vice president for public service and outreach. “Marine Extension and Georgia Sea Grant and the Archway Partnership are tapping into the vast resources of the university to help Georgia communities thrive.” Innovation Gateway, a unit of UGA’s Office of Research, was a finalist in the Innovation category. That program was launched in 2015 to consolidate UGA’s technology transfer and new business startup programs, thereby streamlining the path from lab or field to the marketplace. The competing organizations were judged by a panel of university and

VACCINE

from page 1 administration are vaccine efficacy, safety, production time and cost,” said Trent. “The SAAVE platform will help us be able to offer vaccines to a population that can be delivered quickly, in a noninvasive manner and at a lower cost. It has the potential to make a very large impact in regions of the world where the costs of vaccine administration are prohibitive.” Over the next five years, the team will work to pair a variety of antigens from

solved using multiple methods. The teacher will focus on what the students claim, what they use for evidence for their claims and how they explain their reasoning. “One thing we are hoping is that helping students to make arguments in their coding rather than relying on trial and error will decrease their frustration with coding and increase their connections to mathematics and science, as they will use similar methods and vocabulary across the subjects,” said AnnaMarie Conner, an associate professor in the mathematics and science education department. “Also, exposing students to coding and robotics at an early age will hopefully spark an interest in these and other STEM areas of study.” While the impact of the project may begin with coding and computer science instruction, the skills that the CALC approach builds are needed in many other important facets of 21st-century living, said Foutz. “We’re going to teach what we already teach, but we’re going to try to do it better,” said Hill. “We’re already teaching computation, but we want to do a better job of doing that. We want the students to understand it at a deeper level; we want them to have an appreciation of what data are; and we want them to have an appreciation of how data can lead us to good decisions.” Ultimately, the outcomes of the study will inform the fields of computer science, mathematics and science education on the benefits of using an argumentation-based approach to learning that integrates STEM teaching with standard practices—a core objective of the STEM+C program. Other researchers working on this grant include the College of Education’s ChanMin Kim, an associate professor in the career and information studies department; Barbara Crawford, a professor in the mathematics and science education department; and Sid Thompson, current chair of the College of Engineering’s School of Environmental, Civil, Agricultural and Mechanical Engineering.

economic development professionals. Criteria for judging included originality, scalability, sustainability, impact and the feasibility of other organizations replicating the initiatives in their communities. “The fact that so many University of Georgia programs were recognized in this national economic development competition highlights just how deeply committed our faculty and staff are to changing lives for the better,” said Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost Pamela Whitten. “The impact of their work extends across our state and beyond, and I am delighted that they have received this significant honor.”

NOMINATIONS

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must be willing to be present at the Founders Day celebrations to receive the award. Nominations must be received by the UGA Office of the President no later than Nov. 1. Submit a nomination letter, a resume or biography of the nominee and at least two letters of support to the attention of Arthur L. Tripp Jr., Office of the President, Administration Building, 220 S. Jackson St., Athens, Ga. 30602. Nominees not selected may be considered for the following two years.

different disease-causing organisms with the adjuvant MPL, an engineered form of LPS. They are currently working on a vaccine to protect against the influenza virus and have made progress on a vaccine to fight cholera. “We should never forget that vaccination is one of the greatest public health interventions of all time, and it is critical for maintaining the well-being of the human population,” Trent said.