Tags: Human Nature

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BICAID 2025: Africa at the Crossroads of Global Politics

The University of Georgia African Studies Institute presents the Ninth Biennial International Conference on Africa and its Diaspora, or BICAID 2025, Nov. 5 – 7, 2025 in the Tate Student Center.  The theme of this year’s conference is, “Africa at the Crossroads of Global Politics: Indigenous Knowledge, Youth Agency, and Diaspora Partnerships.” The three-day international conference is being held in a hybrid format with registered…

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Three Franklin faculty members named 2025-2026 Aspire Fellows

The University of Georgia has named 11 faculty members – including three from the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences – to the 2025-2026 Aspire Fellows cohort. The Fellows represent seven UGA schools and colleges as well as the Center for Teaching and Learning. Established in 2017, the Aspire Fellows program is designed for mid-career and senior faculty on any career track to complete a signature project that extends their professional impact…

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UGA, Duke collaborate with insurers to rethink climate resilience

Funded by a five-year, $1.5 million grant from the National Science Foundation, a new partnership between the University of Georgia, Duke University and leaders from the insurance and climate data industries will launch the Center for Innovation in Risk, Catastrophes, and Decisions (CIRCAD),  a new initiative focused on insurance innovation and large-scale climate risk mitigation research. CIRCAD will convene researchers, insurers,…

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Molecular pathways bring GRA scholar to UGA

Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Molecular Cell Biology Nathan Lewis joined the University of Georgia in fall 2024 with appointments in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, the Center for Molecular Medicine, the Complex Carbohydrate Research Center. Our colleagues in UGA Research Communications share this Q & A with Lewis, in which he talks about his research into cellular…

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Award Applications in Undergraduate Science & Scientific Writing

Undergraduate STEM student writers can receive international recognition through two recently announced science communication awards honoring current and former UGA faculty members.   The Writing and STEM Business Group, part of the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) - the largest writing studies conference in the world - is now accepting nominations for these inaugural awards. The Kris…

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Collective experience strengthens social ties

Coincidental convergence aside - a Friday on campus, a getaway day for a big game away – new research from University of Georgia psychology suggests attending live events can combat loneliness and build social connections, particularly if those events are in person. Led by Franklin faculty member Richard Slatcher (Julianne Holt-Lunstad at BYU is co-lead of the project) the research team analyzed data from 1,551 participants who reported…

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Franklin College launches Franklin CREATE! startup initiative

The Franklin College has partnered with The Marcus Foundation to launch Franklin CREATE!, a new initiative designed to build students’ entrepreneurial confidence and to help them create successful startup companies. Funded by a $3 million grant from The Marcus Foundation, Franklin CREATE! will establish a robust three-phase model that allows arts and sciences students to gain hands-on experience, mentorship and access to the resources needed to…

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Ten years in the Top 20

The University of Georgia has placed in the top 20 among the nation’s best public universities for the 10th consecutive year, according to U.S. News & World Report’s 2026 rankings. UGA and Georgia Tech remain the only two Georgia institutions in the top 20, making Georgia and California the only two states with multiple universities ranked in that tier. Among private and public universities, UGA placed No. 46 in the nation: The USNWR…

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Risk of developing psychiatric conditions could be shaped by environment

A new University of Georgia research study links a lack of resources in a given area to a higher risk of certain psychiatric conditions for its residents. Living in low-income, high crime areas correlates with a 79% higher rate of psychotic disorders. Psychotic disorders such as schizophrenia can be debilitating, interfering with a person’s mental, physical and social health. The new study suggests a person’s risk for developing these conditions…

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Conducting fieldwork in Social Science

Rumya Putcha, jointly appointed faculty in the Hugh Hodgson School of Music and the Institute for Women’s and Gender Studies, has developed a career based on understanding her role as a social science researcher. A terrific feature from UGA Research Communications unpacks her approach and the rewarding career she in the process of building: Over her decades-long career studying the role of music in international cultures, that question has been…

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UGA's Maíllo-Pozo earns national teaching award

University of Georgia faculty member Sharina Maíllo-Pozo has been awarded the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) 2025 Faculty Teaching Award.  The CLASP Faculty Teaching Award recognizes excellence in teaching courses designated for Latin American Studies in which the recipient has demonstrated sustained accomplishment in outstanding teaching effectiveness, including pedagogical style and student success stories;…

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Noted and Quoted, summer 2025

Throughout the summer quiet and into the busy fall, Franklin faculty expertise and research findings continues to resonate broadly across the global media. A few of the many recent stores we've been following: How it’s not about the place — it’s about the people – research lead by Daisi Brand, graduate student in the department of psychology, reported by Health Medicine Network   New research illustrates how live events foster social…

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UGA's Shannon receives USG Hall of Fame Faculty Award

UGA faculty member Sarah Shannon was among three USG faculty honored with the Felton Jenkins, Jr. Hall of Fame Faculty Award at the University System of Georgia (USG) 21st annual Regents’ Scholarship Gala "The Sky's the Limit," which raised more than $4.5 million from generous sponsors to expand need-based scholarships for USG students across the state.  The black-tie gala, hosted at the Delta Flight Museum in August 23 by Maria…

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Study Abroad journal: Study at Oxford

The UGA at Oxford program has been in existence for over thirty years. One of the best established study abroad programs in Oxford and at UGA, it offers a vast array of courses in a wide range of disciplines – humanities, sciences, international affairs, business, communications, law and more – with something for every major. With sessions at every stage of the year, with regular semester programs for Fall and Spring, an intensive…

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UGA English professor receives British Arts and Humanities award

University of Georgia faculty member Susan Rosenbaum, along with Jonathan Ellis, Reader in American Literature at the University of Sheffield, received a $351,000 grant from Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) of UK Research and Innovation, a non-departmental public body sponsored by the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). Rosenbaum, associate professor in the UGA Franklin College of Arts and Sciences…

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Implanted medical devices can also incubate deadly fungal infections

Medical devices that extend lives and improve quality of life for tens of millions of Americans are generally understood to be wonders of modern science. Prosthetic joints and pacemakers are all but a common occurrence in the lives of many, even as they meaningfully alter the health of the patient. But implanting any foreign object into the body also carries risk of introducing deadly fungal infections. New research from University of Georgia…

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New Faculty Tour lets professors get to know Georgia

28 University of Georgia faculty members toured the state in early August on the 2025 New Faculty Tour. The immersive five-day trip introduces new faculty to UGA’s statewide mission and helps them connect their academic expertise to the real-world needs of Georgia communities.  The tour provided a thorough introduction to UGA’s vital role in the state as participants traveled through 45 counties and 15 cities: Tour stops included the UGA…

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Jack Hartpence: Supplying Water, Serving Humanity 

In this seven-part series, we’re excited to highlight our 2025 Franklin alumni award winners—showcasing their accomplishments and providing some insights as we seek this year’s nominations. The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Alumni Awards honor a group of outstanding alumni across various categories. These individuals exemplify The Franklin Spark, the characteristics that unite the arts and sciences: ambition, curiosity, creativity,…

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Snyder named Meigs Teaching Professor

A leader in the classroom and innovator on stage, Hugh Hodgson School of Music faculty member shares her art form in ways that change lives. In honor of her commitment to students coupled with her dedication to craft,  Snyder is one of three UGA faculty members named Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professors in 2025. The professorship is the university’s highest recognition for instruction at the undergraduate and graduate levels.…

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Conversation wins over setting in new dating study

'Location, location, location' turns out not to be so decisive when it comes to dating, according to new research from the department of psychology. What resonates more, researchers found out through a clever experiment, is of course the human connection: The researchers randomly paired up 200 strangers in two different first date environments. One room was adorned with comfortable furniture, decorations and nice lighting. The other space was…

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UGA's Rodrigues earns national education award

University of Georgia faculty member Cecília Rodrigues has been awarded the Consortium of Latin American Studies Programs (CLASP) 2025 Excellence in Language Education Award.  The CLASP Excellence in Language Education Award recognizes excellence in Less Commonly Taught Languages (LCTLs) spoken in Latin America and the Caribbean, including language instruction, pedagogical success, curriculum development, and efforts to promote,…

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Welcome, Class of 2029!

It's that time – crowded buses and sidewalks, nervous energy and general wonderment of students back on campus for the fall of 2025. Welcome to the Class of 2029 – the next in a distinguished line of high-achieving, ambitious, creative freshmen entering UGA and the Franklin College with big dreams: This year, every measure of the incoming class’s academic profile increased. These first-year students arrive with an average of 11 Advanced…

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Three Franklin professors named as UGA Faculty Innovation Fellows

The University of Georgia Innovation Fellows Program, a university-wide initiative to provide the UGA community with improved, peer-delivered access to information, training, and assistance related to innovation and entrepreneurship, announced its first cohort of Faculty Innovation Fellows. The program recruited faculty members from select colleges to act as peer-liaisons and ambassadors between researchers and innovation programs…

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Alumni Awards are open!

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences is excited to announce the 2026 Franklin College Alumni Awards! These awards honor a group of distinguished alumni who exemplify the characteristics of the Franklin Spark that unite us across the arts and sciences. These traits are undeniably ambitious, exceptionally curious, wildly creative, incredibly innovative, and tomorrow’s leaders. When the arts and sciences come together, innovative multi-…

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Thirst for history always ripe for discovery

The story of how the steel industry in the United States was caught flat-footed by foreign competition as well as a nascent environmental movement embraced by their labor union represents a fascinating turn in the historical arc of American industrial development. It was also sufficiently captivating to power Louise Milone to get her doctorate degree after age 75. “The real history of the 1950s is how US steel and the other major companies…
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