News Archive - 2015

chem formula with sand
Chemists trap molecular species of silicon oxides

In an inspiring breakthrough, chemistry researchers have stablized one of the most abundant silicon oxides in the universe: Using a technique they developed in 2008, the UGA team succeeded in isolating silicon oxide fragments for the first time, at room temperature, by trapping them between stabilizing organic bases. "In the 2008 discovery, we were able to stabilize the disilicon molecule, which previously could only be studied at extremely low…

painting with seated people
Art in Embassies

The UGA campus is replete with people doing wonderful work - whether teaching, making art, conducting research, or some combination of all of these (and yes, that does exist), so much goes on that it can be easy to miss some of the sublime trees for the enchanted forest. One of those trees would be artwork by associate professor of painting Margaret Morrison, which been on prominent display in the U.S. embassy residence in Tel Aviv since 2012:…

Boren logo with globe
Boren Study Abroad Scholarship

• Chenee Tracey, a third-year Honors student and Foundation Fellow from Lawrenceville pursuing a combined bachelor's/master's degree in international affairs and international policy in SPIA, who was awarded a Boren Scholarship to study Portuguese in Florianopolis, Brazil, before beginning coursework at Universidade de Sao Paulo. Fantastic opportunies await these students and we take great pride in thier accomplishments. Even from that…

storm on radar
Shepherd in WAPO

Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Atmospheric Sciences and Geography J. Marshall Shepherd addressed the debate (and political gamesmanship) surrounding cuts to NASA's earth science budget in the Washington Post last week: NASA Administrator Charles Bolden, one of the few people that has actually seen our home planet from the vantage point of space, issued a statement noting that proposed cuts, “gut our Earth science program and…

HiA logo
Humanity in Action Fellowship

We mentioned unlocking international opportunities just the other day, and in the time since, the international organization Humanity in Action, has awarded a travel abroad fellowship to John Esteban Rodriguez to explore global humanitarian issues: Rodriguez is one of 43 American college students chosen to participate in the international Humanity in Action Fellowship, a travel abroad experience that brings together students from two continents…

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Dodd graduation coin

Honestly, we have so many fantastic stories from around Franklin every single day, it's easy to get used to. But this is just cool: graduates of the Lamar Dodd School of Art will receive a commemorative graduation coin at commencement this afternoon, made at the Dodd, by faculty and students at the Dodd, for graduates of the Dodd: Graduates of the Lamar Dodd School of Art will receive a commemorative medallion at the May 6 commencement ceremony…

arch with German flag colors
New Dual Degree in Engineering, German

When UGA began working in earnest to set the stage to expand its engineering programs in the early 2000s, the goals and ambitions of the expansion were focused on new opportunities for students. Comprehensive engineering in a liberal arts environment is more than a catchphrase - it is a potential gateway to changing the nature of the engineering disciplines themselves: making engineering design solutions more responsive to and reflective of the…

stadium with fireworks
Commencement 2015

Amazing. Today is the day - the culmination of so many individual, familial and collective efforts. It's why all the buildings are here and the reason we need a word for 'campus.' The desks and chairs, the technology and the books, the assembly of learning and the skill to share it all present together in the diplomas that will be handed out this evening in that edifice normally reserved for contests of will and strength. Today and this evening…

football player in action
Games and changes

We don't talk about college sports very often on the blog, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't. The subject of paying student-athletes is very fast moving, and can quickly move out beyond where you thought it was, as this Macon Telegraph article makes clear: The reason that Daley and other recruits could have this to consider is because of the cost-of-attendance issue. Schools will be allowed, starting in the upcoming school year, to pay athletes…

salaam, peace, trees
Teaching Arabic

If you noticed the recent international scholarships won by UGA students, a common thread of their degrees and/or undergraduate training is Arabic language instruction. This commentary in the Chronicle of Higher Education expands on the notion that, To Make the World a Better Place, [we should] Teach Arabic: Today few would doubt that the reach and power of American culture is global, nor that the country is an international power. Colleges…