Thirteen Clarke County School District middle and high school science teachers, along with five UGA College of Education master's students, will visit UGA science labs and meet with 10 science faculty from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Engineering on Dec. 4. The professional learning day on campus is a component of the Teach to Learn partnership between the College of Education and CCSD.
The goal is to connect local science teachers with UGA faculty and their research. Charles Kutal, professor and associate dean in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and a Teach to Learn Advisory Board member, organized the event, along with Julie Luft, Athletics Association Professor of Science and Mathematics Education, and Amy Peacock, CCSD K-12 science coach.
The University of Georgia Office of Sustainability awarded scholarships to two undergraduate students for study abroad opportunities in sustainability. The awards are made possible by the Brittney Fox Watts Memorial Endowment established by the family of UGA alumnus Brittney Fox Watts to "honor her creative spirit, adventurous soul and loving heart and to empower individuals to address the health and well-being of people and communities around the globe."
Zack Holmes, a senior from Atlanta double-majoring in ecology and biology, plans to engage in a Maymester study abroad program through UGA Discover Abroad. The program will explore the north and south islands of New Zealand, focusing on sustaining human societies and the natural environment. He plans on pursuing a Ph.D. in disease ecology with a focus on how climate change is driving the spread of ecologically related pathogens, and he believes that knowledge gained through this study abroad will help him to "narrow the gap between ecological science and sustainable practice."
Erin Lawless, a first-year graduate student from Cumming, Ga., in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences textiles, merchandising and interiors department, plans to participate in a China study abroad experience titled "Global Sourcing of Soft Goods."
Through enhanced understanding of current textile production methods, Lawless hopes to become better equipped to promote sustainable, fair-trade practices in the fashion industry. In an undergraduate study abroad, she had the opportunity to work with a master dressmaker in Ghana and learn from the craftspeople that developed the products.
Some 7,500 high school seniors will have additional cause for celebration this holiday season, as they learn today that they have been offered early admission to the University of Georgia for fall semester 2014.
The admissions office received more than 12,000 early-action applications for the freshman class that will enter in 2014-another record number of applicants, and a very academically accomplished group of high school seniors. Similar to last year, those offered admission at this point are academically superior with an average GPA of almost 4.0, a mean SAT of 1355 (with a mean SAT writing score greater than 650), or a mean ACT of 30. UGA requires students to submit writing scores for their ACT and SAT tests; those scores are an integral part of the selection process, McDuff said. Those students admitted through early action also took an average of seven advanced placement or international baccalaureate classes.
The University of Georgia was ranked 15th among all U.S. institutions in the 2013 Open Doors report on the number of U.S. students studying abroad. UGA had 1,991 students who studied abroad for academic credit in the 2011-2012 academic year.
The majority of UGA students participate in one or more of the approximately 100 faculty-led programs around the world, including programs at UGA’s year-round residential centers in Oxford, England; Cortona, Italy; and in the Monteverde region of Costa Rica. Others enroll in semester or year-round exchanges at one of UGA’s 50 exchange partners abroad or join external programs. Besides the traditional classroom-based programs, study abroad opportunities also include service-learning, lecture, fieldwork, internships and laboratory experiences.
Pamela S. Whitten, dean of the Michigan State University College of Communication Arts and Sciences, has been named the University of Georgia senior vice president for academic affairs and provost effective Feb. 1, President Jere W. Morehead announced today.
"I am deeply honored to join a university with the tradition and strong academic reputation of the University of Georgia," Whitten said. "As provost, creating a world-class educational experience for students will always be my highest priority. As an innovative public land-grant institution, we also will seek to improve the quality of life for the citizens of Georgia and the world through ground-breaking scholarship. With the strong leadership in place, outstanding faculty and top-notch students, I am enthusiastic about the future for the University of Georgia."
The University of Georgia will receive Phase II funding through Grand Challenges Explorations, an initiative created by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation that enables individuals worldwide to test bold ideas to address persistent health and development challenges.
Ralph A. Tripp, a professor and Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Vaccine and Therapeutic Studies in the University of Georgia College of Veterinary Medicine Department of Infectious Diseases, will lead a team in the pursuit of an innovative global health research project, titled "Improved Vaccine Production Technology for Rotavirus Vaccines."
Tripp's research team is receiving $1,327,570 to support the project, which involves identifying genes in vaccine cell lines that resist virus replication. This information is then combined with state-of-the-art gene editing technologies to create a new generation of high performance rotavirus vaccine manufacturing cell lines capable of sustained vaccine production at increased titers.
Tom Reichert, head of the advertising and public relations department in the University of Georgia Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, has been named the inaugural UGA Athletic Association Professor in Advertising Information. The professorship supports the academic mission of the university and recognizes Reichert for his contributions to the field.
Reichert has been teaching, researching and writing about advertising since 1993, and his research interests include advertising and mass communication content and effects. He has written or edited seven books about major issues and concerns regarding the uses and effects of advertising on professional practice and culture.
The UGA Athletic Association has funded professorships since May 2006 as a demonstration of its commitment to academics.
The University of Georgia College of Education has received a full seven-year continuance of accreditation of its undergraduate and graduate teacher preparation programs from the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.
To maintain accreditation, the college underwent a rigorous review requiring it to demonstrate a continued commitment to meeting or exceeding NCATE and Georgia Professional Standards Commission benchmarks for its certification programs. Nine reviewers-five from NCATE and four from the GaPSC-assessed the college's 47 initial certification programs and endorsements for educators, as well as its graduate programs.
A team of students and faculty from the University of Georgia College of Environment and Design will be in Griffin to give a presentation on potential design improvements for the Fairmont Neighborhood and Historic Rosenwald School.
The presentation will be Dec. 5 from 10-11:30 a.m. in the Resource Room at A Z Kelsey Academy. The UGA students will present options for reuse of the school, improvements at Fairmont Homes and in the surrounding area at the monthly meeting of the Educational Prosperity Initiative. The public is invited to attend, explore the conceptual ideas and give feedback.
The UGA environment and design students have been addressing issues of affordable housing in Georgia this semester. One of their targeted projects is the Fairmont Neighborhood and Historic Rosenwald School in Griffin. Over the weekend of Oct. 25-27, they and their professors spent three days in the neighborhood talking with residents and community leaders.
Students, from the landscape architecture and historic preservation programs, have been building upon the citizen input gathered through the Educational Prosperity Initiative-a partnership which includes the Griffin Housing Authority, the UGA Center for Urban Agriculture, the City of Griffin, Spalding County, the Spalding Collaborative, the Griffin Branch of the NAACP, Spalding County Cooperative Extension, Griffin Spalding County Schools, Southern Crescent Technical College, Griffin-Spalding Chamber of Commerce, Southern Regional Hospital and others, as well as residents from the adjacent neighborhoods. The study envisions reuse of the school as a community center and sees opportunity for returning the Fairmount area to the active and proud neighborhood it was historically.
The UGA study will be finalized based on input gathered at the meeting. The final report will be available shortly after the first of the year.
The University of Georgia Alumni Association has released the 2014 Bulldog 100. This annual program recognizes the fastest growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni. More than 700 nominations were submitted for the 2014 list.
The 2014 Bulldog 100 includes businesses of all sizes and from industries such as real estate, forestry and land management, staffing, accounting, pest control and veterinary medicine. Several areas of the country are represented, including companies from as far north as New Jersey and as far west as Kansas and Texas. Of the 100 businesses, 78 are located within the state of Georgia. Atlanta CPA firm Warren Averett, CPAs and Advisors, formerly Gifford Hillegass & Ingwersen, LLP, verified the information submitted by each company and ranked the businesses based on a compounded annual growth rate during a three-year period.
