News Archive - 2016

woman with large painting
Painting the Luster: Margaret Morrison

How did this stunning piece come to life? How long did it take to complete it? Can we expect more of such artworks? On this and more, we had the pleasure of talking about with the artist herself. Scroll down to read our interview with Margaret Morrison! Read the whole thing, as they say. A wonderful discussion of Morrison's relationship with her gallery as well as her career, all in the artist's own words. Our visual arts faculty members blend…

animated portrait book cover
Neupert book explores Pixar revolution

Animation in modern storytelling is the focus of a new book by Wheatley Professor of the Arts in the Department of Theatre and Film Studies Richard Neupert on Pixar's "Chief Creative Officer," John Lasseter: Lasseter films from Luxo Jr. to Toy Story and Cars 2 highlighted his gift for creating emotionally engaging characters. At the same time, they helped launch computer animation as a viable commercial…

man outdoors
Amazing student: Jonah Driggers

For St. Simons Island native Jonah Driggers, the ecology of the small island community has instilled a sense of mission that has been shaped by his UGA experiences: Although I began my freshman year with vague intentions of pursuing a career in business, I always harbored a love of the outdoors that was developed over years of Scouting and working in the garden with my dad. Experiences made possible through the Foundation Fellowship, like taking…

words on a chalkboard
The power of mnemonics

While it may not ring with the poetry of 'memory,' mnemonics represent the patterns and associations that allow us to remember - and learn - and will be the topic of what sounds like a fascinating presentation this afternoon, sponsored by the department of psychology and CTL: Henry L. Roediger III, the James S. McDonnell Distinguished University Professor at Washington University, will provide a quick history of interest in mnemonics and then…

woman at board with students
UGA moves into top 20

The University of Georgia moved up three spots to No. 18 in the latest U.S. News & World Report ranking of Best Public Universities, released today. "I am pleased that the University of Georgia continues to be recognized as one of the very best public research universities in the nation," said President Jere W. Morehead. "I want to thank our outstanding faculty, staff, students, alumni and supporters for this achievement. UGA's upward…

man with glasses, close up
Including Inclusion: Lester leads discussions on race

An important series of events this week, already in progress, featuring Dr. Neal Lester and organized by linguistics doctoral student Kim Waters to address issues of diversity and inclusion with the University of Georgia and the city of Athens: Waters has organized a series of events that will take place from Sept. 13–17, both on campus and in town, in an effort to promote social healing and cross-cultural understanding. Waters is working…

man in the street with hat
'Humans of New York' creator on campus today

Taken together, these portraits and captions became the subject of a vibrant blog. HONY now has over twenty million followers on social media, and provides a worldwide audience with daily glimpses into the lives of strangers on the streets of New York City.   With a degree in history, Stanton moved to Chicago and worked in finance until he decided on a new direction. HNY is truly sui generis in the realm of social media and has had…

young woman with mountain
Remembering Ashley Block

Anthropology graduate student Ashley Block, the victim of a tragic accident earlier this week, was a conservationist, athlete and one of our best: Thursday morning, more than 200 people filled the church’s Common Room at Emmanuel, where Block became a treasured member of the church community as soon as she arrived in Athens as a University of Georgia graduate student two years ago. She was a Eucharistic minister for the church, licensed by…

woman i n lab with glasses
'Good as gold' at the nanoscale

"Medieval alchemists tried to create gold from other metals," she said. "That's kind of what we did with our research. It's not real alchemy, in the medieval sense, but it is a sort of 21st century version." Gold has long been a valuable resource for industry, medicine, dentistry, computers, electronics and aerospace, among others, due to unique physical and chemical properties that make it inert and resistant to oxidation. But because of its…

ancient hand-drawn map in color
Noted and Quoted, September 2016

Research and expertise of Franklin faculty members mentioned widely in the media in September (plus a few notable examples from August): University researchers discover remains of 16th century Spanish fort associate professor of anthropology Victor Thompson mentioned in multiple outlets – R&B, Beaufort Gazette, The Atlantic, Kokomo Tribune, ABH, Ancient Origins HyperSolar names chemistry professor John Stickney as scientific advisor –…