Tags: Human Nature

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Shirley Mathis McBay: UGA's first Black Ph.D. graduate

When she earned her doctorate in mathematics from the University of Georgia in 1966, just five years after the university was desegregated, Shirley Mathis McBay was already on her way to becoming one of our most important Georgia Groundbreakers: It’s been over 30 years since Shirley Mathis McBay first went to Capitol Hill with an urgent message. She implored members of Congress to take action to increase the numbers of minorities…

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Noted and Quoted, February 2021

From winter storms and the polar vortex to volcanoes, COVID romance and insect couple longevity, Franklin College faculty expertise was present across global media during February. A sample: Is Texas really a serious rival in Silicon Valley? Stephen Mihm, associate professor of history, writing in the ExBulletin Research finds link between CO2, big volcano eruptions – research by assistant professor of geology Mattia Pistone reported…

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Amazing student Zakiyya Ellington

Foundation Fellow Zakiyya Ellington came to UGA, in part for the big sports atmosphere—and in part for the travel associated with her fellowship. She’s studied at Oxford, and traveled to Tanzania, Morocco, Spain, France and Costa Rica. Still one of her favorite UGA experiences was playing women’s club rugby, which taught her to be fearless. In describing her study abroad experiences, Ellington said: After freshman year, I completed a…

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Kudos, February 2021

The 60th anniversary of UGA's desegregation, our newest Gates Cambridge Scholar and welcome news from the National Academy of Engineering headline Franklin College kudos for February: J. Marshall Shepherd, the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences, elected to the National Academy of Engineering –UGA Today Athens CEO, WGAU University of Georgia commemorates 60th…

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Writing for a Better World

  On February 22, 2021, Write@UGA hosts “Writing for a Better World,” an online educational event featuring keynote speaker Asao B. Inoue, Professor and the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Equity, and Inclusion for the College of Integrative Sciences and Arts at Arizona State University.  Featured Events – Keynote Address “What Does It Mean to Assess Writing for a Better World?” 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM (EST)…

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Fastest-growing alumni businesses – the Bulldog 100

On Feb. 11, the UGA Alumni Association recognized the 100 fastest-growing businesses owned or operated by UGA alumni during the 12th annual Bulldog 100 Celebration, which was hosted online. LeaseQuery, an Atlanta-based accounting software firm, was named the fastest-growing alumni business for the second year in a row: The company, led by two former college roommates, is the first business to repeat as No. 1 in consecutive years. CEO…

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Classics student named Gates Cambridge Scholar

UGA senior Emeline McClellan of Good Hope will continue her studies in classics this fall as one of 24 Americans selected as a Gates Cambridge Scholar. The scholarship fully funds postgraduate study and research in any subject at the University of Cambridge in England: McClellan is UGA’s eighth Gates Cambridge Scholar in the program’s 20-year history. The scholarship, which recognizes intellectually outstanding postgraduate…

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Shepherd elected to the National Academy of Engineering

Marshall Shepherd, the Georgia Athletic Association Distinguished Professor of Geography and Atmospheric Sciences at the University of Georgia, has been elected to the National Academy of Engineering, one of the highest professional distinctions accorded to an engineer or scientist: NAE membership honors those who have made outstanding contributions to “engineering research, practice, or education, including, where appropriate, significant…

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COVID-19 Threat Increases psychological distress among Black Americans

As the coronavirus pandemic continues to devastate communities worldwide, Black Americans who face racial discrimination in hospitals and doctor's offices weather additional stresses that can exacerbate threats from COVID-19. A new University of Georgia study examines the interplay between the perceptions of coronavirus threat, , and psychological distress among Black Americans. The additional stresses arise from the prevalent belief among Black…

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Kudos, January 2021

Excellence in research and scholarship already abounds in the New Year. Congratulations on the many recently announced, fellowships, grants and honors for Franklin College faculty. A sample: Cassia Roth, assistant professor of History & Latin American and Caribbean studies, has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship for research on her second book, “Birthing Abolition: Enslaved Women, Reproduction, and…

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Noted and Quoted, January 2021

“Unworthy Republic: The Dispossession of Native Americans and the Road to Indian Territory,” by UGA history professor Claudio Saunt, was a 2020 National Book Award finalist and has found a place on several best books of 2020 lists, including the Washington Post and The Atlantic magazine. In it, Saunt argues that removal of the Southeastern native tribes was not a historical sidebar, but a critical event leading to the Civil War two decades later…

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Focus on the Faculty: Eric Ferreira

Eric Ferreira’s own early fascination with solving puzzles helps him inspire students to piece together the logic behind organic chemistry. “I was always interested in logic puzzles and things of that nature that as a kid,” said Ferreira, an associate professor in the Franklin College of Arts and Sciences’ chemistry department. “As a sophomore in college, my first semester organic chemistry professor really illustrated the logic behind it,…

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Roth awarded NEH fellowship

Cassia Roth, assistant professor of History & Latin American and Caribbean studies, has been awarded a National Endowment for the Humanities fellowship. Roth’s award is among the grants announced by the NEH Dec. 16 to support 213 humanities projects in 44 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico. The fellowship will support Roth’s writing a book based on her scholarship, “Birthing Abolition: Enslaved Women, Reproduction, and…

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Learn to Live Together

The Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. explained it succinctly in a March 22, 1964 speech in St. Louis, that "We must learn to live together as brothers or we will perish together as fools." Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. We can do better, let's do better.

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How people solve global problems

What do the 3,000-year-old actions of an Egyptian pharaoh say about how we should tackle the biggest challenges of the 21st century? Quite a bit, according to anthropologists at the University of Georgia who analyzed archeological evidence over thousands of years to examine how societies have approached adversity. Their work suggests that rigid, top-down approaches to complex problems have been a doomed strategy throughout human history.…

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Willson Center receives $1M Mellon Foundation grant

The UGA Willson Center for Humanities and Arts has received a $1 million grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to partner with Penn Center, one of the nation’s most important institutions of African American culture. The partnership will support education and sharing among communities in the Sea Islands region of the Southeastern United States and students from UGA and its partner institutions. Located on St. Helena Island, one of the…

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[Not] sharing child care during the shutdown

Traditional gendered patterns of child care persisted during the COVID-19 shutdown, with more than a third of couples relying on women to provide most or all of it, according to a study from University of Georgia researcher Kristen Shockley. Some previous research has found that typical familial patterns may get upended during crises, but that’s not what Shockley and her colleagues found in the early months of the COVID-19 shutdown. “Most people…

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Royal Astronomical Society honors stars of astronomy and geophysics

The Royal Astronomical Society has announced the winners of its medals and prizes, awarded to scientists around the world for significant achievement in the fields of astronomy and geophysics. University of Georgia Assistant Professor Cassandra Hall has received the Winton Capital Award for astronomy for 2020.  There are two Winton awards per year, one each in astronomy and geophysics and they are funded by the Winton Capital…

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Happy 2021!

The Franklin College wishes all University of Georgia students, faculty, staff, friends and alumni a safe, happy and healthy 2021. Let your creative pursuits, your scholarly endeavors, and your generous spirit flourish from the very beginning this year.  See you in 2021!

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Happy Holidays

The Franklin College of Arts and Sciences wishes you a very happy and healthy holiday season. Stay safe, protect your loved ones and your community, and enjoy the rest and relaxation of the holidays as we look forward to 2021.

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New service-learning course, Philosophy for Children

The Department of Philosophy is excited to announce a partnership with the Office of Service Learning to introduce the new course, Philosophy for Children (PHIL 3900S). Developed by PhD student Michael Lindquist, the course allows UGA students an opportunity to do philosophy with K-12 students in programs at the Athens-Clarke County Library as well as at the East Athens Community Center, enabling them to fulfill UGA’s…

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Virtual Commencement Dec. 18

Graduates and their families, friends and Bulldogs worldwide are invited to gather online to welcome the University of Georgia’s newest alumni on Dec. 18 as 1,874 undergraduates and 2,526 graduate students—a total of 4,400—have met requirements to graduate: This virtual ceremony brought on by the novel coronavirus will integrate traditional ceremonial components, such as the singing of the national anthem, formal remarks by President Morehead…

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UGA Teaching Academy Fellows

The UGA Teaching Academy program brings together promising instructional faculty with experienced mentors across campus to promote excellence in the classroom. The Teaching Academy launched its 10th cohort of early-career fellows program in August: In addition to workshops with campus leaders, fellows participate monthly in small group sessions, led by mentors from the Teaching Academy, throughout the academic year. The Teaching…

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Top stories of 2020

Prior to and throughout the pandemic and the switch to online instruction, work and life as we know it, news about Franklin College faculty and students garnered media attention near and far. In a non-scientific sampling, we look back at some of the year's most impactful stories, the sheer breadth of which define a great university in this or any year: In January, a new UGA study a described a way to attack…

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Helping minorities navigate racial trauma

Psychology faculty member Isha Metzger is engaged in vital work towards improving the health of our community, developing an expertise that grew out of her own experience as well as a heart for public health and wellness. The Office of Research shares a terrific deep-dive into her program and projects: For Isha Metzger, it’s a chicken and egg question. Which came first—her interest in psychology, or her interest in helping…
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