Tags: faculty research

Elizabeth Stich holding up a brochure

Elizabeth Stich honored for dance education research

Elizabeth Stich, associate professor of dance at the University of Georgia, received the Outstanding Dance Education Researcher Award at the 2026 National Dance Education Organization Conference in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The award recognizes her scholarship and innovative contributions to aerial dance pedagogy, including her recent book, Aerial Arts and Dance Improvisation: A Practical Guide to Creativity for Aerialists.
Derrick Lemons in between olivewood figures

UGA scholar approaches the politics of prayer through ‘the proposition of the other’

J. Derrick Lemons brings the anthropological concepts of cultural relativism, reflexivity, and theologically engaged anthropology to his research on religion and politics. “Father Raymond Helmick, a Jesuit priest and conflict-resolution scholar who negotiated peace accords in Ireland and the Middle East, told me years ago that you have to consider the proposition of the other to resolve conflict,” Lemons said. This became a guiding principle for…
Two people looking and pointing and phone while watching football

Why knowing more did not help McKay Coppins beat the odds

McKay Coppins began his year of sports betting with $10,000 and a journalist’s curiosity. By the end, only $109 remained.  In his article for The Atlantic, “Sucker: My Year as a Degenerate Gambler”, Coppins recounts how he began betting online to examine the ways gambling was reshaping American life. The more he learned about teams and betting strategies, the more confident he became in his picks. That knowledge drew him further into…
Statue of Athena

What ancient literature remembers about the weather

A weather expert's “humanities-atmospheric sciences rabbit hole” raises new questions about how early writers observed the natural world. This story is part of Humanities in Practice, a Franklin College of Arts and Sciences series exploring the value of the humanities in work and everyday life. Marshall Shepherd calls it a “humanities-atmospheric sciences rabbit hole.” The atmospheric scientist entered it after watching the 2026 film…
Flatworms

Study from Franklin professor identifies genes that help flatworms regenerate their brains

Findings could help scientists design better therapies for humans with TBI, brain diseases The human brain is terrible at healing itself from injury or disease. But some animals can harness their own cellular abilities to not only repair injuries but also to regrow their brains entirely. Researchers from the University of Georgia have pinpointed several of the genes that make brain regeneration possible in one type of flatworm. “Big picture: We…
Stock image of someone using a laptop

AI agents have a memory problem. Franklin researchers are working to fix it.

Researchers in Franklin College of Arts and Science have built a new memory architecture for AI agents that improves response accuracy on complex tasks up to 23 percent.   The system, called Synapse (Synergistic Associative Processing and Semantic Encoding), addresses the current struggle for large-language models and agents to recall past conversations. This “contextual isolation” often results in weak and conflicting responses.…
Charlotte Garing, Rongjie Liu, and Yifan Wang

3 Franklin College of Arts and Sciences professors receive NSF CAREER Awards

Three professors in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences have received National Science Foundation CAREER Awards to fund research and community outreach.  Each year, the foundation recognizes about 500 early-career faculty who have displayed excellence in research and education. These faculty members have the potential to serve as academic role models in their careers, and their awards fund research, labs, equipment, and new…
Belen Cassera portrait

UGA scientists create new treatment to fight against drug-resistant malaria

A new antimalarial pill developed in part by University of Georgia researchers offers the potential for treatments to outsmart drug-resistant forms of the disease.  The drug was created through collaboration between researchers at University of Illinois Chicago and the lab of Belen Cassera, a professor in the Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology who focuses her research on the development of anti-parasitic drugs for diseases…
plants in test tubes

$21.1M in research awards secured by Franklin faculty over summer 2026

More than $21 million in external research funding was secured by faculty in the University of Georgia's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences during May, June, and July 2026.  The 31 awards from federal agencies, foundations, and industry partners underscore the breadth of Franklin's research enterprise and will support discoveries while providing new opportunities for graduate and undergraduate students.  Among the largest…
Magdy Alabady with students in the greenhouse.

A carnivorous plant offers clues to one of biology's biggest questions

New research into a carnivorous pitcher plant is helping University of Georgia scientists understand one of biology's most challenging questions: how plants assemble and maintain stable, functioning microbial communities. The work could eventually help researchers design beneficial microbial communities for crops.  The research is moving microbiome science beyond simply cataloging microbes and their genes toward uncovering the genetic…
Greg Strauss working with patient

The first signs of schizophrenia may appear years before psychosis

Most people associate schizophrenia with hallucinations and delusions. Gregory Strauss, professor of psychology in UGA's Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, studies symptoms that often precede both. People in the early stages of schizophrenia may gradually lose motivation, withdraw from friends, and stop enjoying activities they once loved. These changes, known as negative symptoms, often have a greater impact on daily life than…
Leg short of police walking in sync in dark uniforms

Franklin research questions whether anti-crime crackdowns reduce violence

When violence surges, governments often reach for the same playbook: send more police, deploy the military, increase arrests, and impose harsher penalties. But new research from the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences suggests those strategies may sometimes result in more violence, not less. In two studies conducted with collaborators led by Guillermo Escaño of Villanova University, Franklin sociologist William…
Timothy Yang

Franklin history professor Timothy Yang unearths hidden histories

For Timothy Yang, history isn’t just about the past. It’s also key to understanding how the world came to be. As an associate professor at the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, Yang approaches his research using a “microhistory” perspective, using one event or case study to demonstrate larger themes and global impact. On the surface, his research focuses on Asian history and the role of commodities like food and…
Jeff Pilgrim

Artemis II: Franklin alumnus Jeff Pilgrim’s innovation on its way back to Earth

Artemis II returns to Earth late tomorrow afternoon, April 10, with Franklin–connected innovation on board. Jeff Pilgrim (B.S., chemistry, ’95), a University of Georgia Franklin College of Arts and Sciences alumnus, designed a laser spectroscopy instrument that monitors cabin air aboard the Orion spacecraft, helping safeguard astronauts on deep-space missions. This achievement underscores the impact of Franklin-trained scientists on space…
Researcher reaching through window

Franklin “Spark Hub” looks to expand into a new generation of chip-based biotechnical platforms

Led by physics professor Yiping Zhao, the Smart Biochips and Sensing Systems research “Spark Hub” at the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and the Office of Research is building on UGA’s internationally recognized strengths in chemical and biological sensing. Researchers are developing precision sensor-based tools that rapidly detect disease, monitor health, and track environmental conditions. The Smart Biochips and Sensing…
Building and streetlight in evening

Celebrating the Franklin Spark: Honors Week celebrates top Franklin faculty

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences faculty and students are receiving top UGA awards during Honors Week. Since the 1930s, UGA has celebrated the accomplishments of its students and faculty with a dedicated week each spring semester. This year’s honorees exemplify the Franklin Spark, the characteristics that define faculty, students, and alumni at the intersection of the arts and sciences: ambitious, curious, creative, innovative, and tomorrow…
circles and squiggly lines

Unlocking cellular secrets: Franklin researchers named AAAS fellows

Two faculty members from UGA’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences are among the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) 2025 Fellows, retired biochemistry and molecular biology professor Gerald Hart and cellular biology professor Karl Lechtreck. Election to AAAS is one of the nation’s most prestigious scientific honors.  Hart’s work has revealed how complex sugar modifications regulate cellular…
man drinking from bottle

What really drives us to drink? New research from Franklin faculty offers insight

New research by Franklin College of Arts and Sciences professor Dylan Richards, recently published in the APA journal Psychology of Addictive Behaviors, explores a straightforward question: what influences whether people drink alcohol responsibly? Drawing on data from college students and adults followed over time, the research identified a clear pattern. People whose psychological needs are met are more likely to maintain healthier…
Man in lavender shirt smiling

UGA biochemist Lance Wells named prestigious 2026 ASBMB fellow

Franklin College biochemistry and molecular biology professor Lance Wells was appointed  a 2026 Fellow of the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology (ASBMB). In addition to his teaching, Wells serves as associate director of the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center (CCRC), one of the few research centers worldwide dedicated to the study of complex carbohydrates. A graduate of Georgia Institute of…
photo of mound lodge entrance, with grass and cloudy skies

Archaeologists collaborate with Tribal Nations to hone research methods

University of Georgia researchers recently co-authored an article with members of the Muscogee and Huron-Wendat Nations (HWN) to shine a light on the importance of meaningful collaboration between archaeologists and descendant communities and nations as a necessary component of archaeological practice in the 2020s and beyond. Jennifer Birch, associate professor and undergraduate coordinator in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and…
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