Tags: Human Nature

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Thomas to become Dean of Arts and Sciences at UAB

In her 27-year UGA career, Thomas has distinguished herself as an outstanding classroom teacher, graduate student mentor, and researcher. Her work on the psychology of workplace diversity has gained national attention, and she is an elected fellow of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Industrial-Organizational Psychology, and the Society for the Psychological Study of Culture, Ethnicity and Race. Thomas has also held several…

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Book by Franklin's You wins American Folklore Society Honor

Ziying You, Associate Professor in the department of Comparative Literature and Intercultural Studies and the Center for Asian Studies, is the author of "Impacts of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Chinese and Chinese American Women," published by the University of Indiana Press earlier in 2025.   The book examines how Chinese and Chinese American women in the United States experienced and responded to the double threat of the COVID-19 virus and…

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Connected Futures: Community, Risk & Networks

Franklin College Research Mixer  November 20, 2025 | Hendershots Coffee   The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences hosted a successful research mixer on November 20 at Hendershots Coffee, our new community partner for these networking events. Thirty-five faculty members gathered to explore collaborative opportunities under the theme "Connected Futures: Community, Risk & Networks," with six presentations showcasing…

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14th annual Spotlight on the Arts festival brings sights, sounds of UGA creative spirit

Exceptional arts programming, research, and scholarship across Franklin and UGA were on display throughout November during the 14th annual Spotlight on the Arts festival. Congratulations to the many students and faculty in arts units who worked so hard to capture and hold the attention of the campus community. The monthlong festival featured more than 40 events and exhibitions in the literary, performing, and visual arts, including the fifth…

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Local students Experience UGA through theatre program

Ten years after she was a Chase Street Elementary School third grader, Maya Shrivastav found herself on stage as a UGA student performing for an audience of third-graders. "It was a full-circle moment. It’s really great to see how everything I’ve done since third grade has led me here,” said Shrivastav, now a first-year UGA student majoring in international affairs, political science and ceramics. Both Shrivastav and the students at her former…

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New musical frontiers with Emily Koh

Composer Emily Koh, associate professor in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music, typically creates new emotional textures and moods in 24-pitch increments. Her work with two pianos dictated this constraint, an approach she stuck with for a long time. When she decided to explore music beyond 24 pitches, however, she knew she needed a new solution. Working with partners in the College of Engineering, Koh created ModμMIDI, a modular MIDI device with…

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Perspective illuminates ethics across disciplines

Rather than a specialized approach to a set of philosophical questions or political issues, ethics presents a way of evaluating choices in an open society. The tools to navigate choices may involve a variety of expertise and disciplinary specialties, but these are also connected simply by the physical world where they are put into practice. Piers Stephens, professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences department of philosophy, explains…

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Franklin genetics major named UGA's 10th Marshall Scholar

Finn Walsh will build on her studies in infectious disease post graduation as UGA’s newest Marshall Scholar. The senior from Atlanta will graduate in May with a bachelor’s degree in genetics and a minor in Spanish through the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences. She has conducted undergraduate research through the Center for Undergraduate Research Opportunities, with the majority of her work in the Odum School of Ecology. Up to 50 students are…

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Oyster shore strengthens Sapelo Island

Nik Heynen, Distinguished Research Professor of geography in the University of Georgia’s Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, and friends hit upon an ingenious idea to tackle waste in an Athens industry and arrest the effects of sea level rise on a Georgia barrier island. Tyler Leslie and Hunt Revell had worked at the popular downtown Athens seafood restaurant, Seabear. Working at an oyster bar, Leslie and Revell were aware of the high volume…

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Marine Education Center and Aquarium offers wonders, opportunities

The University of Georgia Marine Education Center and Aquarium on Skidaway Island, a barrier island just outside Savannah, offers visitors sweeping views of the marsh and a sense of wild seclusion. Since opening to the public in 1971 as Georgia’s first saltwater aquarium, the center has introduced generations to the wonders of the coast, combining hands-on education, immersive fieldwork, and engaging exhibits to spark curiosity and stewardship:…

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From UGA to AI Innovation: Azalea Robotics' Journey

In spring 2025,  Nikita Jha, a fourth-year computer science and economics major at the University of Georgia, was interviewed along with the co-founders of Azalea Robotics and UGA alumni, David Millard (BS Mathematics and Computer Science, `14) and John B. Stroud (BS Mathematics and Economics, `16). Stroud and Millard shared their journey from being students at Franklin to founding a Y Combinator-backed startup in Berkeley, Ca., where Jha…

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Communicating research through art and creativity

As the timer counted down 4 minutes and 33 seconds, presenters took the stage to share their integrative arts investigations. The presentations that unfolded went beyond standard explanations of an abstract and utilized creativity to captivate the audience.  The 2025 4’33” Competition featured a variety of presentations from poetry readings to immersive visuals. First place winner Younghyun Kim, Ph.D. student in Learning, Leadership, and…

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Top rankings affirm UGA as a leader for international education

With more than 50 study abroad programs across five continents and 57 countries, the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences is no stranger to the power of the international student experience. With the University of Georgia ranked No. 1 in the nation for short-term study abroad participation and No. 5 overall, the reach of that power for all UGA students is assured – and growing: A total of 3,322 UGA degree-seeking students studied abroad for…

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Alumni emphasize flourishing theatre program

Five accomplished alumni from the University of Georgia’s Department of Theatre and Film returned to campus this fall to share insights from careers spanning film, television, arts administration, production technology, and fundraising.  Moderated by theatre major Abby McWethy (BA, ‘27), the panel showcased the department’s growing influence across creative industries and affirmed the enduring value of a UGA education. The event was a…

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The collaborative power of poetry and photography in Andrew Zawacki’s Endscape

UGA professor explores a distressed landscape in new interdisciplinary collection This November Andrew Zawacki, Distinguished Research Professor in the department of English, published Endscape, a collection of his poetry and photography. The work appears in the inaugural edition of the P5 Photo Poetry Pamphlet series, directed by Photoworks.    Endscape began around 2019, born out of an interest in the landscape surrounding…

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English and German double major explores summer in Berlin

For one UGA Franklin student, the summer of 2025 was more than an experiential learning opportunity – it was an awakening of perspective, creativity, and cultural understanding. As a double major in German and English, Cooper Sunderland spent a six-week study abroad immersed in Berlin, exploring not only a new city but new ways of seeing the world and himself as a writer – all through the funding made possible by the SPARK Fellowship. …

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Creative Writing Program reading casts Spotlight on lyricism

 As a part of the month-long Spotlight on the Arts event, Karla Kelsey, the Diann Blakely Visiting Poet spent the last week participating in events, visiting classes and finally a reading of her most recent work, Transcendental Factory: For Mina Loy (2024).  Kelsey was introduced by Nik Moore, graduate student in the Creative Writing Program and began her reading, not with her own work but an excerpt from Mina Loy, giving the…

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Beyond Swann's Way

After discovering his singular passion for the French language as an undergraduate at UGA, William Carter AB ’63, MA ’67, made teaching and interpreting Proust’s novel a lifelong passion. Georgia magazine shares the story of an inspiring alumnus: "I loved it immediately,” he says. “I wasn’t even sure what I wanted to major in when I came to UGA, but once I took that first class, I never looked back.”…

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Georgia Statistics Day shines spotlight on student research, industry connections

Georgia Statistics Day is an annual event, designed to promote interdisciplinary research among the three premier academic institutions in the state of Georgia – UGA, Emory, and Georgia Tech – initiated by statistics units at the three institutions in 2015 to emphasize mentoring of junior researchers and interaction between industry and academia. The 2025 iteration delivered that and more. The one-day conference enabled junior researchers to…

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The Generative AI Competition 3.0

The Generative AI student competition returns for its third year and asks students to use Artificial Intelligence to create something meaningful to enrich the UGA community/experience. Submissions are due March 6, 2026. Monetary prizes and swag will be awarded to the top three submissions, judged according to the innovative use of AI, creativity, impact on our local community or the lived experience of UGA community members, and…

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Musical performance as experiential learning

Director of Bands and professor of music Nicholas Enrico Williams oversees five ensembles for the Hugh Hodgson School of Music as open routes to creative discovery for student performers. What began as a dream to be a music school faculty member has matured into a passion for achievement and bringing out the best in musicians on stage: Now in his fourth year as a professor and director of bands for the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Hugh…

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Pre-med journey takes student across campus – and to Cortona

Swetha Pendela's four years exploring just about every corner of the University of Georgia has included different clubs, majors, and international trips, but these unexpected turns have helped her find her direction. Now, as the double major in biochemistry & molecular biology and international affairs finishes her applications to medical school, her journey appears inspiringly path-dependent: “I didn’t come into college knowing exactly what…

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Franklin student turning research into results

Foundation Fellow, Franklin College SGA Senator, and Blue Key Honor Society President Rayna Carter is building a lofty set of credentials to match her work ethic and soaring ambitions. A triple-major in psychology, sociology, and women and gender studies, her work has spanned four labs—from neuroimaging to bioinformatics—and she has presented it at national conferences and published peer-reviewed work as an undergraduate student.  From…

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UGA’s Small Satellite Research Lab showcases student-powered space innovation

To mark a major milestone of the fifth anniversary of launching UGA’s first satellite into orbit — and the lab’s 10th anniversary fast approaching in 2026 – the University of Georgia’s Small Satellite Research Lab welcomed UGA President Jere W. Morehead; Marisa Pagnattaro, vice president for instruction and senior vice provost for academic planning; and Anna Stenport, dean of the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences, for a special visit on Oct…

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Exploring expression and unity through Bad Bunny's music

This fall, Sharina Maíllo-Pozo, associate professor in the department of Romance Languages, taught a First Year Odyssey class focused on rapper, singer, and record producer Bad Bunny and the reggaetón music genre, which encouraged students to engage with Bad Bunny’s music from global and personal perspectives.   Maíllo-Pozo gave an overview of her seminar: “At the intersection of music, culture, and critical inquiry, this seminar invites…
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