Tags: science

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National Academy convenes 'State of the Science' panel

How U.S. science and innovation are positioned to respond to rising global competition and shifting priorities for the nation’s economy, security, public health and well-being will be discussed at the first State of the Science address on June 26 in Washington, D.C. The State of the Science address will be followed by a panel discussion of seven eminent leaders from across academia, including J. Marshall Shepherd, associate dean for…

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Brickman, Thompson elected to AAAS

Three University of Georgia faculty members – two from the Franklin College – have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the organization announced this week, bringing the university to 45 total members of the exclusive group. Fellows are elected each year by the AAAS Council to recognize achievements that lead to scientific progress. This year, UGA’s new Fellows are Victor Thompson and Marguerite…

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Franklin College to enhance 2023 Presidential Seed Grants

The newest round of 10 Presidential Interdisciplinary Seed Grant Program awards chosen from 70 proposals reflect a commitment of $1 million from UGA President Jere W. Morehead. In a follow-up to the success of UGA research teams to pursue work initiated through the seed grant program, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences announced additional support for the Presidential Seed Grant projects. Franklin College Dean Anna Stenport announced…

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Silent Sky

UGA Theatre presents Silent Sky, the untold story of Henrietta Leavitt, a brilliant astronomer whose groundbreaking discoveries changed our understanding of the cosmos.  Fueled by determination, intellect, and an unyielding spirit, Henrietta struggles against the societal expectations of the early 20th century in Lauren Gunderson's thought-provoking meditation on perseverance, the pursuit of knowledge, and the indomitable human spirit.…

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Kudos, February 2022

Students lead our roundup of Franklin College awards, accolades, and achievements announced during February – though not to be outdone by our outstanding alumni!  Congratulations all: Shannon Rodriguez, Ph.D candidate in linguistics, studies a dialect of English spoken by Latinos born in Georgia, a particular blend of Southern drawl. She recently presented her dissertation on the topic “Latino English in Georgia: a sociophonetic…

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When pollen comes of age

New research from the University of Georgia has determined when pollen comes of age and begins expressing its own genome, a major life cycle transition in plants. Each grain of pollen is actually its own multicellular organism – with two to 40 cells, depending on the species. Pollen expresses its own genome and is genetically distinct from its parent plant. That means pollen grains from a single flower can have different traits and…

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Kissinger, Yager elected as AAAS Fellows

Jessica Kissinger, Distinguished Research Professor of genetics, and Patricia Yager, professor of marine sciences, are among three UGA faculty named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. In a tradition stretching back to 1874, these individuals are elected annually by the AAAS Council for their extraordinary achievements leading to the advancement of science. Fellows must have been AAAS members for at…

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50th Anniversary Earth Day

The University of Georgia’s celebration of the 50th anniversary of Earth Day 2020 will be held online. Most notably, the UGA Earth (Art) Day Challenge, open to the university and Athens community, to create an online exhibition of creative works expressing how participants are connecting with and appreciating the Earth, people or other living creatures during this time of uncertainty, and how this can inspire an even better future. The…

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Shepherd wins AAAS science engagement award

J. Marshall Shepherd, a meteorologist whose diverse communication efforts engage a wide audience on weather, climate, and the relationship between science and society, will receive the 2020 Mani L. Bhaumik Award for Public Engagement with Science from the American Association for the Advancement of Science: As the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor and director of the atmospheric sciences program at the University of…

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STEMzone brings research to Saturday tailgate

Students and faculty from anthropology, genetics, marine sciences and cellular biology offered up-close interaction with UGA research to young fans attending the UGA-Missouri game this past Saturday: STEMzone, now in its third year, hosted more than a dozen hands-on opportunities to engage people of all ages on research being done at UGA in the science, technology, engineering and math fields. “We are glad to report that STEMzone fall…

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International Year of the Periodic Table

The Periodic Table of Chemical Elements is one of the most significant achievements in science, a common language for science capturing the essence not only of chemistry, but also of physics, medicine, earth sciences and biology. 1869 is considered as the year of discovery of the Periodic System, and Dmitri Mendeleev was a major discoverer. 2019 will be the 150th anniversary of the Periodic Table of Chemical Elements and has…

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'Statistical significance' reaches its limits

Scientists are re-assessing one of their own most fundamental measurements: the use of statistical significance in research findings (as well as funding). An editorial co-authored by UGA statistics professor Nicole Lazar and published this week in a special issue of The American Statistician urges scientists to stop using the term: The issue, Statistical Inference in the 21st Century: A World Beyond P<0.05, calls for an…

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Undergraduate research at scale: C.U.R.E.

How do students find their way into the laboratory? Integrating research experiences into lab courses, where students are tackling a problem related to a faculty member’s ongoing research, can introduce undergraduates to a world of career paths and opportunities as they come to understand research. Students learning research skills in the context of solving real research problems is the focus of work by Georgia Athletic…

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Marshall Shepherd on TED.com

A TED talk by Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences J. Marshall Shepherd is featured today on TED.com, 3 kinds of bias that shape your worldview: What shapes our perceptions (and misperceptions) about science? In an eye-opening talk, meteorologist J. Marshall Shepherd explains how confirmation bias, the Dunning-Kruger effect and cognitive dissonance impact what we…

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Franklin College faculty members elected to AAAS

Six UGA faculty members, including three from the Franklin College, have been named Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), an honor bestowed by their peers for “scientifically or socially distinguished efforts to advance science or its applications.” These six faculty members are among 416 new AAAS Fellows who will be presented with an official certificate and a gold and blue—representing science and…

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Noted and Quoted, November 2018

Too much screen time, the Deepwater Horizon spill, and Thanksgiving were a few of the leading headlines over the last month that quoted and reported Franklin College faculty experts: The great family exodus – associate professor of history Stephen Mihm quoted in a news story on families fleeing the city at – Axios, and reported as‘Increasingly in big cities, youth isn’t being served’ in Crain’s Cleveland Business  …

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Football and Science outreach in the STEMzone

For the second consecutive year, students from a variety of STEM disciplines will fill the lawn of the Miller Learning Center five hours leading up to kickoff for the Auburn game, from 2–7 p.m. on Nov. 10, to share their research in the STEMzone: This year’s booths will once again feature the breadth of research interests represented at UGA, with the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources offering introductions to a host…

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New research traces the impact of weather safety training from teacher workshops to students' homes

Does knowledge about severe weather translate into meaningful planning that helps the public protect themselves? A new study authored by University of Georgia researchers demonstrates the effectiveness of weather science and safety education for teachers, their students, and the students’ parents.   Weeklong weather science and safety workshops were conducted over the course of the summers of 2011 and 2012 with 66 teachers of kindergarten…

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Shepherd featured in 'Let Science Speak' series

The new documentary series Let Science Speak premiered September 20 on Youtube and the Let Science Speak website. The new six-part series aimed at combatting the “escalating efforts to suppress environmental science and silence scientists,” as well as stressing the importance of the work scientists are doing, features our own J. Marshall Shepherd and was filmed partially on the UGA campus: It’s not just scientists who lose…

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Women at UGA: 100 years of evolving gender roles

Coeducation at the University of Georgia opened up a variety of fields where opportunities had been few, and over the decades has begun to change how women see themselves and engage their intellectual and career interests. Doctoral candidate Michelle Ziadie shares this thoughtful perspective from a scientist: It wasn't until I started graduate school that I really began to reflect on the challenges I faced as a woman of…

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Grant brings new equipment, research potential to campus

The University of Georgia will soon be home to a new state-of-the-art spectrometer that will benefit researchers across campus and beyond. The instrument, known as an electron paramagnetic resonance spectrometer (EPR), is funded by a nearly $350,000 grant through the National Science Foundation’s (NSF) Major Research Instrumentation (MRI) program. “The MRI program serves to increase access to multi-user scientific and engineering instrumentation…

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Science into Action: Shepherd on engaging the public

The Pew Charitable Trusts ran a great background feature and Q&A this week with Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences Marshall Shepherd, where he explains his flood-related research and the importance of experts interacting with policymakers and the public: Q: The public isn’t always fully informed about flood risks. How can that change to help people make better decisions? A:…

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2nd Southeast Quantum Computing Workshop at UGA May 18

With development timetables already showing practical quantum computing machines arriving much sooner than expected, researchers from the region will gather at UGA for second consecutive year fotr discussion on new work and ideas at the Southeast Quantum Computing Workshop May 18: Quantum computers, which use quantum states of subatomic particles to store information, was initiated as a field in 1980, and though its development remains…

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Capturing Science contest winners

Congratulations to the student winners of the Inaugural Capturing Science contest sponsored by the University of Georgia Libraries and the Office of Research to communicate science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM, concepts using any media or genre: In the graduate category, the first-place winner [microbiology PhD candidate] Megan Prescott received $500 for her submission “Designing Science-Fashion Content.” Katlin Shae […

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Focus on the faculty: Robin Shelton

The impact of my research is that it has moved forward our understanding of the galaxy in which we live. How does your research or scholarship inspire your teaching, and vice versa? Students greatly enjoy when I tell them about the newest astronomical discoveries. Some of that information is learned at scientific meetings that I attend as part of my research and scholarship duties. Probably, my scientific presentations have benefited from…
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