University System News:
The Augusta Chronicle
Augusta University Health uses new filter to calm dangerous immune response in COVID-19 patients
By Tom Corwin
Augusta University is using a unique dialysis filter to take out components of a dangerous inflammatory response in COVID-19 patients in hopes of keeping them from going into organ failure. Dr. Azeem Mohammed heard about a different type of dialysis filter a couple of years ago from international colleagues but it wasn’t until he saw the devastating inflammatory response provoked by COVID-19 that it became urgent for him to try it. Mohammed, an assistant professor in nephrology and fellow assistant professor Sandeep Padala, are now using a similar filter to treat COVID-19 patients in the Intensive Care Unit to try and prevent them from developing the overwhelming immune response that can lead to multi-system organ failure. The two helped to push AU Health System’s supplier, Baxter International Inc., to seek and receive Emergency Use Authorization from the Food and Drug Administration to use its Oxiris filter on ICU patients with COVID-19 who are in or in danger of going into respiratory failure.
accessWDUN
State officials oversee largest PPE shipment to date
By Bryan Pirkle
150 pallets-worth of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) were distributed by state officials on Tuesday, the largest shipment of such equipment made by Georgia to date. An announcement from Gov. Brian Kemp said the distribution was handled by the Georgia Emergency Management and Homeland Security Agency (GEMA/HS), in conjunction with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH). “We know that protecting our frontline workers is critical to our success in the fight against COVID-19,” said Governor Kemp. “GEMA/HS and DPH are leaving no stone unturned to acquire and distribute PPE, and today’s shipment is reflective of the priority that we are placing on keeping these workers safe.” The equipment was spread across more than 600 orders, and was sent from the DPH’s warehouse to healthcare facilities, hospitals and test sites statewide. …Officials also resupplied PPE for the Department of Agriculture, the Georgia Department of Corrections and the Georgia Tech CVS test site.
Global Atlanta
From Singapore to Athens: $260M Factory to Begin Tackling the World’s Plastic Crisis
RWDC Industries has unassumingly amassed nearly $200 million in venture capital to manufacture a biopolymer to replace single-use plastics
Trevor Williams
A Singapore startup’s partnership with the University of Georgia to tackle the global scourge of plastic waste entered a new phase as the company Tuesday announced plans for a $260 million factory and headquarters employing 200 people in Athens. RWDC Industries aims to produce biopolymers called polyhydroxyalkanoates, or PHAs, at a price and formula that will accelerate their use as a replacement for single-use applications like drinking straws, potentially making a dent in the source of up to half the world’s plastic pollution. Unlike petroleum-based plastics, which stick around for hundreds of years, PHAs can be made by fermenting used cooking oil and degrade naturally in the environment, said Daniel Carraway, an RWDC co-founder who earned a Ph.D. in forest biotechnology from UGA in the mid-1990s.
WRBL
MCG first to use new form of dialysis for COVID patients in GA
By: Ashley Osborne
The Food and Drug Administration is in emergency mode when it comes to COVID-19. Treatment approvals that usually take years are happening in a matter of days to help coronavirus patients. NewsChannel 6’s Ashley Osborne spoke to 2 kidney specialists who are using one of those emergency therapies now. 700 recently approved dialysis filers were sent out to US hospitals. The Medical College of Georgia at AU Health got 80 of the filters. AU Health is the first hospital in Georgia to use the new therapy for COVID patients.
GPB
Georgia Tech Professor Concerned About Contact Tracing App Project
By Sarah Rose
Two tech giants are hoping the phone in your pocket may be the key to fighting back against COVID-19. However, some argue it raises new questions about privacy and data. Several weeks ago, Apple and Google announced they were partnering to develop a contact tracing platform. In theory, this development would allow public health officials, and potentially governments, to track the spread of COVID-19 through phone data. Those who have been infected with the virus could retrace their steps and see who else they’ve come in contact with. “Google and Apple are announcing a joint effort to enable the use of Bluetooth technology to help governments and health agencies reduce the spread of the virus,” the companies said in a joint statement. “User privacy and security is central to the design.” Georgia Tech professor Deven Desai said this initiative raises a lot of questions.
Slate
This Chart Explains Why Reopening the Economy Is Still So Risky
Most Americans still don’t know someone who’s had the disease, never mind died from it. But the numbers are still extraordinarily high.
By Jeremy Samuel Faust and Megan L. Ranney
… But the number of cases that are in our communities is likely to be high enough that going out and about “as normal” presents unacceptable risk of exposure. While the risk of fatality to people young enough to be in the workforce may be quite low, the risk of these individuals introducing it to nursing homes and other at-risk zones becomes high. It may come to pass that the legend of Typhoid Mary will yield to the reality or COVID-19 Communities, unknowingly dispensing death upon death upon the vulnerable, while skating by unscathed. A graphic representation, below, created by Joshua Weitz, a professor at Georgia Tech studying theoretical ecology and quantitative biology, demonstrates this well. One flaw with this graph is that it assumes that the cases are equally distributed nationally, even though we know some areas have higher risk and others have lower risk, currently. But still, we can quickly see that for the number of known cases in the United States (y-axis), even in modestly sized crowds, the chance that one or more people is SARS-CoV-2 positive is high. The horizontal lines represent a few scenarios of where we are right now—we know there are 400,000 cases circulating in the United States, but it’s likely there are five or 10 times that number (those are the scenarios at 2 million and 4 million cases). You can scan across those lines to see the risk of presence of the virus at gatherings of various sizes.
The Brunswick News
College to distribute grants to eligible students
By Lauren McDonald
College of Coastal Georgia announced Monday a plan to distribute $1.4 million in grant to eligible students through the Coastal CARES grant program. The grants are part of efforts by the college and the University System of Georgia to alleviate some of the financial stress caused as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Qualifying students will be eligible for one or more levels of funding.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
AJC On Campus: The latest on Georgia college reopening plans
By Eric Stirgus
Will they reopen their campuses this fall semester? The leaders of Georgia’s colleges and universities are having internal discussions with campus administrators to determine what they should do as the coronavirus pandemic continues and if there is an uptick in new cases this fall. Several schools have said they want to have in-person classes in August. Meanwhile, some schools nationally, such as Boston University, have said they may not reopen their campus until January 2021. Here’s a breakdown of the current plans and statements from Georgia colleges:
Campus Safety
Here’s How Colleges Are Planning to Reopen Amid COVID-19 Threat
For many campuses, a fall reopening is contingent on coronavirus testing availability and the capacity to socially distance students.
Amy Rock
As states continue to lay out plans for reopening amid the coronavirus pandemic, colleges and universities are doing the same. Campuses are announcing their “phased” reopening approaches, carefully curating messages to their communities that suggest any proposed plan can change based on the trajectory of the virus and continuously evolving state mandates. A few sentiments seem to be prevalent in most colleges’ announcements: campuses will not reopen at full capacity in the fall and social distancing measures will need to be put into place for the parts of campuses that do reopen. Significant considerations for campuses planning to reopen for the fall semester include class sizes, student housing, food service, sanitation efforts, COVID-19 testing and personal protective equipment (PPE) availability, and quarantine plans for students or staff who become sick, among other things. All of these factors are a significant undertaking, which is why many colleges are creating committees and task forces to divide and conquer. University of Georgia (UG) President Jere Morehead, along with four other presidents at colleges in the University System of Georgia (USG), have worked together to determine the best approach to a phased reopening, reports 11 Alive. USG Chancellor Steve Wrigley accepted the presidents’ recommendations to consider a “staggered, phased-in approach” that is “appropriate for the unique needs of each campus.”
Albany CEO
Georgia Southwestern Plans to Resume Face-to-face Instruction for Fall Semester
Staff Report
Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW), along with the other University System of Georgia (USG) institutions, plans to reopen in June and resume face-to-face instruction in August for the Fall semester should guidance from Governor Kemp’s office and public health officials allow it. Currently, USG institutions are developing complex plans to ensure the health and safety of faculty, staff and students. The May and summer semester will continue to be online-only at all 26 USG institutions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. “We are making the necessary adjustments to modify our campus operations and our facilities to ensure we can accommodate for social distancing guidelines,” said GSW President Neal Weaver. “GSW administration and staff are working diligently to make this a smooth transition as we look to resume normal operations. We understand there will be many questions, we just continue to ask for patience as we work through these details moving forward.”
WTVM
CSU plans to return to face-to-face classes for fall semester
By Alex Jones
Columbus State University is planning to return to having in-person classes for the fall 2020 semester. Officials say face-to-face instruction will resume should guidance from the University System of Georgia and public health officials allow it.
WGXA
MGSU looking to have in-person graduation in December
by Nick Gibson
Middle Georgia State University has decided to move its spring graduation virtually to May 7th but the date for an in-person commencement for the spring graduates has been decided. The University is looking to have an in-person commencement ceremony that is slated for December 10th and December 11th. This accommodation is for students who were unable to walk due to COVID-19 school closures.
Columbus Ledger-Enquirer
How Columbus ballet teachers found creative way to still hold lessons in coronavirus
By Mark Rice
“Ballett Nussknacker” played on her speaker as Columbus dance teacher Bridget Adams demonstrated the “Reverence” for her students. The lesson wasn’t being conducted in their usual space at the Rankin Arts Center. Instead, this virtual studio was a combination of their homes, linked together via digital technology. Like the sunbeams streaming into the kitchen of her Green Island Hills house, Adams streams light into the darkness of the stay-at-home existence for these girls who love to dance but can’t attend classes in person because of the deadly coronavirus pandemic. Adams is one of three teachers in the Columbus State University Youth Dance Conservatory who still teach their students despite the COVID-19 restrictions by using online platforms to remotely connect with them.
The Red & Black
UGA housing donates leftover student furniture to Athens nonprofits
Alden Lisse | Contributor
Leftover furniture and unwanted items from University of Georgia students’ dorms were donated to local nonprofit organizations, according to an April 28 email from Greg Trevor, UGA spokesperson. Although UGA students moved out early this year due to the coronavirus, University Housing provides donation opportunities for students’ unwanted items each year, Trevor said in the email. A March 17 email instructed UGA housing residents to leave unwanted items behind when moving out of their dorms. Project Safe, a nonprofit organization working to end domestic violence, and the Athens-area Habitat for Humanity received the donations, Trevor said in the email.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Keep Calm and Hire On (If You Get the Chance)
By Bryan A. Banks, Stacey Blersch, Patty Chappel, Amanda Rees, and Eric Spears
With much of academe facing financial losses, hiring freezes, and fall-semester uncertainties, it’s unclear how much faculty hiring will actually be done in the months ahead. But if your department does get an opportunity to fill a critical hire, or if — like us — your search was approved just before Covid-19 disrupted the world, you will have to rethink almost every aspect of the hiring process to fit the new norms of social distancing and remote work. Once we got the go-ahead from the administration, the five of us were involved in the search to fill an opening for an assistant professor of geography (with an emphasis on GIS and community geography) here at Columbus State University, in Georgia. We had already conducted the initial interviews by Skype before social distancing became our national mantra. Little did we know that remote communication would become the primary medium for our entire search process.
Morning AgClips
Two UGA scientists named Fellows of the American Phytopathological Society
Recognition as a Fellow is based on significant contributions
Two prominent faculty members of the University of Georgia College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, Albert Culbreath and Harald Scherm, have been named 2020 Fellows of the American Phytopathological Society (APS). The society grants this honor to a current APS member in recognition of distinguished contributions to plant pathology or to APS. Recognition as a Fellow is based on significant contributions in original research, teaching, administration, professional and public service, and/or extension and outreach.
Growing America
Georgia 4-H Hosts Virtual Series to Connect Youth with Science Experts
Georgia 4-H Science and Environmental Education Programs are empowering youth to learn, discover and create by offering a collection of virtual learning sessions, connecting youth with specialists and experts in a variety of scientific fields. The “Zoom into Science” series will include an assortment of hour-long Zoom sessions and allow participants to learn from experts as well as to be exposed to a variety of science-related careers. …Each session will include a presentation from an expert or specialist and conclude with a Q&A segment with participants. All sessions are free to attend and open to the public.
WGAU
UGA EcoReach connects with students from closed campuses
By: Beth Gavrielles
For many K-12 students, hands-on activities are an important tool for learning about science. With schools closed, students no longer have access to labs or other facilities for experiential learning. To fill that gap, University of Georgia student organization EcoReach has created a suite of online hands-on science activities that students can do from home. “Over the past few weeks, EcoReach officers and members have been hard at work developing online environmental education resources for teachers and caregivers working with K-12 students during the COVID-19 shelter-in-place,” said Carolyn Cummins, a doctoral student in the Odum School of Ecology who is the organization’s co-president. “We’ve turned several of our classroom activities into an at-home format and uploaded them to our website for anyone to use.” EcoReach, housed in the Odum School of Ecology, connects graduate, undergraduate, and professional ecologists at the University of Georgia with school-age children in the Athens area. Their goal is to raise awareness about the science of ecology and environmental issues while supplementing local schools’ courses to meet objectives in the state curriculum guidelines.
Other News:
The Augusta Chronicle
Georgia lawmakers seek federal relief to ease budget strain
By Beau Evans, Capitol Beat News Service
State lawmakers are pushing for Congress to release $500 billion in federal funds to help prop up state budgets in Georgia and across the U.S. amid the coronavirus-prompted economic downturn. In a letter Monday, top budget-writing lawmakers in the General Assembly formally asked the state’s congressional delegation to back the $500 billion relief package for state governments, echoing calls by a handful of governors last month for the same amount. State agencies are already being asked to slice their budgets by 14% ahead of expected revenue shortfalls in Georgia of between $3 billion and $4 billion, as state lawmakers scramble to draft a budget for the 2021 fiscal year before a July 1 deadline. The revenue decline has been fueled in part by drastic slowdowns in economic activity seen at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, the Port of Savannah and the Georgia World Congress Center, according to the letter.
MSN
#MaskUpAlbany releases 6 new mask distribution dates
Krista Monk
Coronavirus has quite literally changed the face of public outings and #MaskUpAlbany hopes to put a mask on the face of all Albany and Dougherty County residents to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.
The City of Albany has received 25,000 masks from Procter & Gamble to help put a mask in the hands, and on the face, of everyone, especially those who don’t have one yet. With the help of Sherwood Baptist Church’s Hope Center, in partnership with the Lord’s Pantry and Feeding the Valley, the city has released six new dates to distribute the masks.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Latest Atlanta coronavirus news: Georgia’s COVID-19 cases near 30K
There are now 1,294 deaths from COVID-19 and 29,839 confirmed cases
The Augusta Chronicle
May 6: Georgia COVID-19 cases jump overnight but few new patients in Augusta area
By Tom Corwin
Georgia saw a big increase in cases overnight but Augusta area counties did not. After slow starts the last two days, Georgia saw a flurry of new COVID-19 cases Wednesday morning but Augusta area counties changed little.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
In northeast Georgia, a new COVID-19 hot spot emerges
By Alan Judd
A new coronavirus hot spot has emerged in northeast Georgia, stirring fears the region could see the devastating human toll already experienced in the state’s opposite corner. The number of new cases in the Gainesville area increased exponentially each week during April, according to state data. By Tuesday, nearly four dozen patients had died in the area’s dominant hospital system. State officials are setting up a mobile hospital and sending in reinforcements: as many as 100 physicians, nurses and other health care professionals.
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
The second virus wave: How bad will it be as lockdowns ease?
The Associated Press
ROME — From the marbled halls of Italy to the wheat fields of Kansas, health authorities are increasingly warning that the question isn’t whether a second wave of coronavirus infections and deaths will hit, but when — and how badly. As more countries and U.S. states chaotically reopen for business — including some where infection rates are still rising — managing future cases is as important as preventing them. In India, which partly eased its virus lockdown this week, health authorities scrambled Wednesday to contain an outbreak at a massive market. Experts in hard-hit Italy, which just began easing some restrictions, warned lawmakers that a new wave of virus infections and deaths is coming. They urged intensified efforts to identify possible new victims, monitor their symptoms and trace their contacts. …“There will be a second wave, but the problem is to which extent. Is it a small wave or a big wave? It’s too early to say,” said Olivier Schwartz, head of the virus and immunity unit at France’s Pasteur Institute.
Higher Education News:
Education Dive
Georgia may drop controversial teacher licensing test
Linda Jacobson
Dive Brief:
The Georgia Professional Standards Commission, which sets policy for teacher certification in the state, will decide by June 11 whether to stop requiring candidates to pass edTPA, a widely used portfolio assessment designed to determine whether aspiring educators have the skills to teach. Last Friday, Matt Arthur, executive secretary of GaPSC, posted a notice calling for public comment on the proposal, which would eliminate the assessment as of July 1. If at least 25 people, who would be affected by the decision, request it, an oral hearing will be held. “While we have gained much from edTPA, we, as an agency, need to be as responsive as possible to the expressed needs of schools related to staffing and capacity,” Arthur wrote in an email Brian Lawler, an associate professor of math at Kennesaw State University, posted on Facebook. The state adopted the exam as a requirement for licensure in 2015. Dive Insight: Used in over half of the states, edTPA has been criticized for multiple reasons, including a $300 exam fee, the time involved in completing the multipart assessment and a videotaping component. Others, however, argue it sets an appropriate higher standard for entering the profession.
Inside Higher Ed
Chinese students who remain on American college campuses during the pandemic adjust to quieter lives.
By Elizabeth Redden
…Thousands of international students stayed in the U.S. after their campuses largely shut down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. In many cases they might not have had good options to go home: at the time U.S. campuses canceled in-person instruction, China was at the epicenter of the coronavirus outbreak, and air travel to and from China had largely been suspended. As the focus of the pandemic has shifted from China to the U.S., many Chinese students remain on U.S. campuses, living in the dorms like Li. Terry Brown, vice president for academic innovation and transformation at the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, said the majority of Chinese students enrolled across AASCU institutions through a formal partnership program coordinated by the association remain on their campuses. She said before classes went online, there were about 1,500 students enrolled through 1+2+1 dual degree programs, which let students start and end their programs at a Chinese university and take their middle two years at an AASCU member institution such as NAU. About 1,200 of those students stayed.
Inside Higher Ed
Students at some institutions have lost much-needed income from work-study jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.
By Greta Anderson
…Federal Work-Study is a financial aid program funded and administered by the U.S. Department of Education, which provides about $1 billion in funding to help colleges provide students with paid jobs. It is designed to help needy students pay for costs associated with attending college. The program requires institutions to match up to 50 percent of the department’s allotment in most cases, according to DOE. The department has said colleges can continue to use federal funds to pay students who had work-study jobs before the pandemic, even if campus closures are preventing them from performing those jobs, said Megan Coval, vice president of policy and federal relations for the National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators, or NASFAA. These are “optional provisions,” and colleges and universities are following them in various ways, whether that’s paying student employees for the time they would have worked or providing partial payments or telework options, Bridget Schwartz, president of the National Student Employment Association, said in an email.
GPB
6 Ways College Might Look Different In The Fall
By Elissa Nadworny
… All virtual – Perhaps the most obvious option for the fall is to continue doing what they’ve been doing this spring. Colleges have signaled that they’re planning for this option — even if it’s a last resort. California State University, Fullerton, was one of the first to announce publicly it was planning for a fall semester online.
The Chronicle of Higher Education
Are Colleges Ready for a Different Kind of Teaching This Fall?
By Beth McMurtrie
…Higher education has been granted good will these past couple of months by students and their families. But as with an unhappy marriage, everyone involved agrees that the patched-together system of awkward Zoom classes, glitchy technology, and uncertain expectations, among both students and professors, needs to end. Skeptical students and their parents don’t seem willing to pay full price for an experience similar to what they lived through this semester. If virtual learning is mandatory this fall, one survey found, two-thirds of students will expect discounts on tuition and fees. Some may avoid enrolling altogether. For now, college and university leaders are sounding an optimistic note, with a heavy dose of caveats, about the coming academic year. Currall and other leaders, including Mitch Daniels of Purdue University and Christina H. Paxson of Brown University, have said that vigilant testing of students, faculty, and staff for the coronavirus, social distancing, and a blend of in-person and remote learning could get them through the fall. Rice University just announced that it would run a shorter semester, with all classes available both in person and online. Even that degree of optimistic planning will require some serious rethinking of the undergraduate educational experience, with online learning playing a prominent role. The virus has already prompted some colleges to reimagine the traditional calendar. Now they’re considering what the classroom will look like, too. Several options for course delivery are emerging, in three broad categories:
Inside Higher Ed
The Shift to Remote and What’s Ahead for Fall: Your Turn
Readers share “feasible” ideas for a fall instructional model with students on campus but physically distancing. And the particular challenges this spring for instructors and students at institutions that use the quarter system rather than semesters.
By Doug Lederman
This week I turn my column largely over to you, faithful readers. You’re on the ground doing the good, hard work of teaching or caring for students or leading your departments or institutions. So we take it seriously when you disagree with assertions we’ve made or have ideas to share that provide alternatives to ours. Below you’ll find several responses to articles “Transforming Teaching and Learning” has published in recent weeks, which I hope will inspire more discussion about how colleges, instructors and students should view what they’ve encountered this spring and what might lie ahead for the fall.
Education Dive
More than 700 colleges report open slots for fall
Jeremy Bauer-Wolf
Dive Brief:
Some 700 colleges have open slots for the fall 2020 term, according to the annual College Openings Update, compiled by the National Association for College Admission Counseling (NACAC). The list of two- and four-year public and private colleges primarily serves to let students know which colleges have space, as well as financial aid and housing, for the coming academic year. This year’s figure represents a major increase from previous years and is a sign that the coronavirus will likely hamper institutions’ enrollment goals.
Dive Insight:
NACAC has published the list for more than 30 years to give students an indication of which colleges are accepting applications past the traditional admissions deadline of May 1. However, it includes colleges that maintain rolling admissions throughout the year, and some institutions report open spots to NACAC after the list is made public, meaning it is not comprehensive. Most, but not all, of the schools are located in the U.S.
Diverse Issues in Higher Education
Report Explores Equity in Pathways to Ensure Students’ Math Success
It has been researched and discussed at length that placement tests and remedial mathematics courses are obstacles for many students, particularly those from marginalized and underserved communities. Colleges and universities throughout the U.S. have been examining and revising math requirements and creating new options beyond the traditional entry level algebra course. Just Equations, a non-profit organization that seeks to re-envision mathematics to ensure greater educational equity, issued a report, “Go Figure: Exploring Equity in Students’ Postsecondary Math Pathway Choices.” Authored by Dr. Rogéair D. Purnell and Just Equations founder Pamela Burdman, the report presents a preliminary look at how students at three California institutions—one California State University campus and two community colleges—are choosing their math courses and pathways.
Inside Higher Ed
Ohio to Cut Public College Funding by $110 Million Over 2 Months
By Paul Fain
Mike DeWine, Ohio’s Republican governor, announced that the state will cut its spending by $775 million over the next two months, with a $110 million reduction for the state’s public colleges and universities. The state’s revenues have taken a “dramatic turn” with a $1 billion swing downward during the last two months, DeWine said on Twitter. And projected revenues will continue to fall below the planned budget in coming months. Ohio will not draw from its rainy-day fund to cover the deficit, DeWine said. “Simply stated, we are going to need the rainy day fund for next year, and possibly the next,” he said.