Tags: Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute

black and white photo of two men, with drums and cymbals
Adams recalls our favorite 'Neighbor'

A great feature on Timothy K. Adams Jr., the Mildred Goodrum Heyward Professor in Music and chair of the percussion area in the Hodgson School of Music, who has the distinction of being the last musician to appear on PBS' “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” in 1999: “Most people on television have a different persona, and I kind of expected ‘Crazy Freddie’ to come out or something, but he was just that sincere and beautiful as a person when we…

photo of kids with microscope and computer
Bio sciences lab team brings science to life for elementary school students

"Our community and our school have deep schisms in our population, having both students whose families live in poverty and those who live in affluence, so it is crucial that we provide extra enrichment and sparks to learning for them all," Mullins said. "UGA is a treasure trove for us and the community at large." Indeed, Ms. Mullins. And Barrow Elementary is itself one of our community jewels, educating Athens school kids adjacent to UGA in a…

photo of two hands holding an iPad with books image
A better grasp on textbook material

In large-enrollment courses, Franklin faculty continue to be instrumental in pioneering access to free, online textbooks to help students save money and to improve teaching: The University System of Georgia (USG) has been a nationwide leader in using free online textbooks, and UGA has been at the forefront of those efforts, helping its students save more than $2.5 million since 2013. The bulk of that effort has come through a partnership with…

monkeys with rock tools
The Culture of Learning

A provocative new study from psychology researchers published this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences indicates that practicing with others shapes not only what monkeys learn, but also how they learn: Culture extends biology in that the setting of development shapes the traditions that individuals learn, and over time, traditions evolve as occasional variations are learned by others. In humans,…

students in army fatigues, photo
ROTC and critical foreign language study

The Red & Black explores a program whereby Army ROTC students are paid to learn a foreign language and study abroad: The program outlines 10 different languages that are considered to be “critical languages” contracted cadets can take and receive a stipend for upon completion. “The army wants these students to have some sort of exposure [to the language] just for the potential of having that knowledge in the future where it could be…

students on the lawn in front of old college
WRITE@UGA 2017

Beginning Feb. 13, the Writing Intensive Program and Center for Teaching and Learning present a series of workshops, exhibitions and opportunities that put the spotlight on writing - the annual Write @ UGA Celebration and Showcase of Writing: writing is an integral part of a well rounded academic experience, no matter the background, no matter the degree. That principle has led to the creation of numerous initiatives, courses, programs…

graphic illustration with microscope, thespian
STEM education and the humanities

Scientific American weighs in on the tendency to prioritize STEM disciplines over the humanities and how Voltaire and Camus have an important role to play, especially in a high-tech future: Promoting science and technology education to the exclusion of the humanities may seem like a good idea, but it is deeply misguided. Scientific American has always been an ardent supporter of teaching STEM: science, technology, engineering and…

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…

students with Greek ruins
Study Abroad Fair January 20

If you know the Franklin College, you know we support and encourage student educational experiences abroad. To learn more about which international experience might be right for you, the Office of International Educational will host a Study Abroad Fair on Wednesday, January 20 at the Tate Center: Learn about different study abroad programs. Meet UGA students who have studied abroad. Talk with faculty directors and program…

child in b/w with trains
How humans become tool users

Dorothy Fragaszy's sustained investigations have made her one of the world's foremost experts on tool use by capuchin monkeys and chimpanzees. A new paper from her research group provides a unique glimpse at how humans develop an ability to use tools in childhood while nonhuman primate remain only occasional tool users: Fragaszy, a psychology professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences and director of the Primate Behavior…

hand illustration
Changing Students' Lives

A commentary essay in the CHE uses a course on 'philosophical anthropology' as a jump off point to discuss the importance of letting students discover their interests and excitement about learning: When I was an undergraduate at Antioch College in the early ’80s, I took a course in philosophical anthropology. I’m still not entirely sure what "philosophical anthropology" means, but it was the best course I ever had. It did more to prepare me for…

classroom with students
Narrative in the Classroom

Instructive article in the CHE that echoes the recent Reacting to the Past conference at UGA on pedagogy that connects students to history. Telling stories can help students learn, certainly: But research by cognitive psychologist Roger Schank suggests that the long-term effects of narrative-based learning are more limited than it sometimes seems. We learn by hearing stories from others — like from a professor, say — mostly when the…

social media companies graphic
Social Media and Informal Learning

An interesting new study highlighted on the CHE blog, Wired Campus, expands on the expanding reality of the impacts of social media on informed discussions within and beyond the classroom: In a paper released on Monday, Christine Greenhow, an assistant professor of education at Michigan State University, argues that using informal social-media settings to carry on debates about science can help students refine their argumentative skills,…

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…


Changing the Humanities

It is difficult to defend the humanities and simultaneously champion the idea that they must change with the times. An article in the CHE shows the Mellon Foundation grappling with this contradiction: Other private donors and foundations—the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation and the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, for instance—foot the bill for occasional humanities projects. But the Mellon foundation and the National Endowment for…


Organic Chemistry II app

Local High School Student, UGA Professor Team Up to iPhone/iPad application By Jessica Luton  jluton@uga.edu For North Oconee High School student Chuanbo Pan, computer programming just comes naturally. After creating an iPhone app to help fellow high school students learn Latin, Pan was sought out by his neighbor, chemistry professor Jason Locklin, to help create an app for what is often known as one of UGA’s most difficult classes—Organic…


Developing general education skills

In our contemporary campus culture, broadly construed, developing a well-rounded general education can be quite elusive. Though a broad educational experience is a perennial touchstone in strategic plans and commencement speeches alike, pressures for more narrowly defined jobs and career paths upon graduation create a tendency to whittle away at the very broadness we cherish and that we recognize as important. On Thursday Nov. 7 at 10 am in the…

students in class, with laptop
The SCALE-UP teaching method

Terrific article on classroom innovations by two of our very best: Steven Lewis and Craig Wiegert: Two physics professors have taken Isaac Newton's first law of motion-an object at rest will continue to be at rest unless acted upon by an external force-and applied it to the way they teach the subject. For decades there was inertia on how physics classes were taught to undergraduates: A lecturer would talk to students about physics without the…


Franklin-Morris Visiting Scholarship

Speaking of Study Abroad, how about the reverse? UGA and the Franklin College have many extraordinarily vibrant programs that bring visiting scholars and artists for extended stays on campus. Much like the opportunites during Study Abroad, these programs allow our students and faculty to learn from and interact with some of best scholars and artists in the world. One of these, the Franklin-Morris International Scholars program, is a…


Study Abroad: A Franklin experience

  Don’t miss next week’s Study Abroad Fair By JESSICA LUTON  jluton@uga.edu  A well-rounded education can only be enhanced by an international experience. Franklin College of Arts and Sciences students are taking advantage of the many UGA programs all over the world. Our own Dean Alan Dorsey’s endorsement of the international educational experience speaks to the wonderful opportunities open to students and the importance of a…


Study in a second discipline

Careers in academia are, in some ways, like those of any other profession: once you have secured a position, you set about to address professional obligations, establish personal goals and pursue opportunities for advancement. Most of all of these would occur within the framework of the position for which you were intially hired. An important difference in the professoriat, and one emphasized by a program at UGA, is the opportunity to study…


Technology improves logistics - but not learning

The Chronicle of Higher Education reports on a new study authored by a UGA sociology PhD candidate with some interesting findings: the study, “Technological Change and Professional Control in the Professoriate,” includes interviews with more than 40 professors at three universities. It suggests that professors often use such technologies for logistical purposes rather than to improve learning. “There is little or no indication that innovative…


Renowned educator to join chemistry department

 


Study abroad blogging

It's the medium of the internet age, but still one we don't take enough advantage of: blogging. A funny argument to make on a blog, sure; but here I'm thinking specifically of a weblog as a kind of informational travelogue for students when they study abroad. Not only can you share photos and written descriptions of your experiences with family, friends and colleagues; a blog helps us all piece together and understand the story of what it is you…
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