USG e-clips for June 14, 2021

University System News:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

AJC On Campus: Leadership hires, college enrollment declines

By Eric Stirgus

You’re hired! Several Georgia universities said those words in recent days to people hired in important positions at their schools. This edition of AJC On Campus looks at some of those new hires, new reports on college enrollment, Black student achievement and research on dunes and where people decided to move since the coronavirus pandemic. Leadership moves at local universities …Chancellor search firm cost …Report: U.S. college enrollment down by 3.5% …Georgia Southern dune research … Georgia colleges and universities join vaccine challenge …New programs and facilities

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

University of Georgia’s construction boom

By Eric Stirgus

Projects focused on science, technology, engineering and math

The University of Georgia’s spring semester is over, but there’s still plenty happening on the Athens campus. A flurry of construction projects are underway or near completion with a cost of about $288 million. The money is coming from state and university funds and from its foundation. University officials say this is one of the largest construction periods in its 236-year history.

WJBF

AU Health nurse inspiring others after traumatic injury

by: Chloe Salsameda

In just seconds, Amber Hendrix’s life changed. “They weren’t sure how I was going to recover with how bad it [my injury] was,” she says. Hendrix was just 19-years-old when she was tanning in her front yard and run over by a car. She was rushed to Augusta University Medical Center and had no feeling in her legs. “They weren’t sure if my nerves would grow back or if I would be able to walk again.” Hendrix was determined to walk again. The team at AU Health was with her for every step. …After a year of rehabilitation, Hendrix defied odds and learned to walk again with no assistance. …Five years later, and Hendrix is back at AU Health. She’s not there as a patient. She’s there as a nurse. …Hendrix was so touched by those who treated her as a patient, she now wants to care for others.

EdScoop

Universities review peer note-taking as assistive technology options multiply

Written by Emily Bamforth

As offerings for assistive technology for note-taking proliferate, universities are deciding whether to supplant traditional note-taking programs with assistive technology and how to best shape accommodations for students with disabilities during the return to campus from the coronavirus pandemic. Note-taking software company Glean published a white paper in May that surveyed staff at 95 higher education institutions about peer note-taking and assistive technology. …Peer note-taking programs are when students are paid to take students are employed through a college accessibility office to take notes during class to provide to other students as part of disability accommodations. …‘Point A to point B’ Some schools, like Georgia Tech and Concordia University, generally slowed their peer note-taking programs in favor of a shift to assistive technology software, though peer note-taking remains an accommodation for those with hearing difficulty. While AI-powered transcriptions and note-taking tools can be helpful, how useful an assistive technology can be depends on the student, said Thomas McCoy, director of Student Disability Services at the University of North Georgia.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Discover This Year’s Most Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs

by Lois Elfman

Now in its 8th year, Promising Places to Work in Student Affairs (PPWSA) is a national recognition that celebrates student affairs workplaces that are vibrant, diverse, supportive and committed to staff work-life balance, professional development and inclusive excellence. PPWSA offers institutional leaders information that can be used to improve practices across their student affairs community, while also serving as a useful tool for employers, career services staff and job-seekers across the country.

…University of West Georgia

Located in Carrollton, Georgia, the University of West Georgia is a public institution and a familiar name on this list. There are more than 13,000 students pursuing both undergraduate and graduate degrees. “I am grateful to serve alongside colleagues in an environment in which we intentionally focus on cultivating a diverse and inclusive environment reflective of the students we serve, and this recognition for eight consecutive years is a testament to that commitment,” says Dr. André L. Fortune, vice president, student affairs and enrollment management.

Middle Georgia CEO
MGA’s First Doctorate Attracts Aspiring Technology Leaders and Educators

Jason Ellingson’s long career in information technology dates back to his Air Force service in the mid-1990s, where as a senior airman he served as a communications/computer systems operator. “A good search on the internet and you can probably still find websites I made for units at Osan Air Force Base in South Korea,” said the 48-year-old Minnesota native who now lives in Warner Robins. He later taught at KRS Computer and Business School in Bloomington, Minn., where one of his proudest achievements was helping a blind student earn his CompTIA A+ certification. Ellingson went on to build an impressive resume that includes serving as a software development manager for a company he helped land billion dollar contracts. Today he is a senior staff cyber software engineer for Lockheed Martin. …In less than four years, he completed two certificates and an associate’s degree from Central Georgia Technical College and bachelor’s and master’s degrees in information technology from Middle Georgia State University (MGA). Now Ellingson has his sights set on MGA’s Doctor of Science in IT, the University’s first doctorate. He has been teaching part-time at MGA and hopes a doctorate will, among other things, help him expand that phase of his career.

Middle Georgia CEO

New Agreement Between CGTC and GSW Smooths Transition for Information Technology Students

Georgia Southwestern State University (GSW) and Central Georgia Technical College (CGTC) are partnering to provide new educational opportunities to students in an essential career field in today’s workforce. On June 7, the two higher education institutions signed a transfer articulation agreement to give students in Computer Information Systems (CIST) at CGTC a seamless pathway into a Bachelor of Science degree in Information Technology (IT) at GSW. GSW President Neal Weaver, Ph.D., and CGTC President Ivan H. Allen, Ph.D., signed the agreement which officially facilitates the transfer of coursework for associate degree graduates in CIST from CGTC to GSW. CGTC graduates who choose to pursue GSW’s Bachelor of Science degree in IT can transfer 18 hours of CIST coursework, in addition to the 40+ semester hours of transferrable core coursework, shortening time to completion.

Newswise

CUR Engineering Division Announces 2021 Mentoring Awardees, Student Video Competition Winners

by Council on Undergraduate Research (CUR)

The Engineering Division of the Council on Undergraduate Research announces the 2021 recipients of its Mentoring Awards and winners of its Student Video Competition. The Mentoring Awards recognize mentors who have influenced undergraduate research through direct mentoring of individuals or groups of undergraduate students in engineering research. The video competition is designed to highlight faculty-mentored undergraduate research projects in engineering. …

Winners, Student Video Competition (View the judging criteria. See the videos)

Austin Brant (Georgia Southern University; mentor Valentin Soloiu), “Jet Engine Emissions and Vapor Contrail Reduction through Increased Combustion Efficiency with the Aim to Mitigate the Greenhouse Effect and Greenhouse Gases Emissions” …James O’Hara (Georgia Southern University; mentor: Valentin Soloiu), “Thermoelectric Effect Augmented Solar Power Generation for Orbital Applications”

WRDW

Local researchers receive additional funding to study post COVID-19 syndrome

By Celeste Springer

Researchers at the Medical College of Georgia just received an additional $300,000 to fund their study diving into the neurological effects of COVID-19. You may have heard of this before, it’s called post COVID-19 syndrome. They say their biggest question is what percentage of the population has long-term symptoms like brain fog after recovering from COVID-19. They say studies show about one-third of people don’t have any lingering symptoms, one-third will have symptoms for a few months to even a year, and the others could face very long-term side effects. Augustans are ready to return to normal and stop to smell the roses, but for some, it’s not so easy.

The Daily News

Over half of adults unvaccinated for COVID-19 fear needles – here’s what’s proven to help

Amy Baxter Augusta University

If you’re among the 25% of Americans averse to needles, you’re probably not surprised by the COVID-19 immunization stall. Even for those who want immunity, bribes with beer or lottery tickets may not be enough to override anxiety made worse by pervasive images of needles in the media. As a physician specializing in pain management, I study the impact of pain on vaccination. Research-proven adult interventions for pain, fainting, panic and fear can make vaccination more tolerable. At a minimum, understanding the reasons needle fear has become common might make the embarrassment easier to bear.

Why needle anxiety has increased

News Medical Life Sciences

Experts in camouflage breaking can accurately detect target in less than a second

Reviewed by Emily Henderson

After looking for just one-twentieth of a second, experts in camouflage breaking can accurately detect not only that something is hidden in a scene, but precisely identify the camouflaged target, a skill set that can mean the difference between life and death in warfare and the wild, investigators report. They can actually identify a camouflaged target as fast and as well as individuals identifying far more obvious “pop-out” targets, similar to the concept used at a shooting range, but in this case using easy-to-spot scenarios like a black O-shaped target among a crowd of black C shapes. In fact, the relatively rapid method for training civilian novices to become expert camouflage breakers developed by Medical College of Georgia neuroscientist Dr. Jay Hegdé and his colleagues, also enabled the camouflage breakers to sense that something was amiss even when there was no specific target to identify.

Ag Information Network

UGA on World Food Safety Day and USDA Invests $4-billion in Supply Chain

**World Food Safety Day was celebrated June 7th. It was established in 2018 through a U.N. General Assembly resolution to bring awareness to foodborne risks and “to celebrate the myriad benefits of safe food.” One of the leaders in this field, the University of Georgia’s food-safety research is led by its Center for Food Safety, where they develop ways to detect, control and eliminate harmful microorganisms and their toxins from the food supply. The National Ground Water Association and 18 state groups sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to consider utilizing water wells in any future infrastructure legislation. …Citing lessons learned from the pandemic and recent supply chain disruptions, the USDA has announced plans to invest more than $4 billion to strengthen critical supply chains through the Build Back Better initiative. This new effort could strengthen the food system, create new market opportunities, tackle the climate crisis, help left behind communities, and support good-paying supply chain jobs.

Atlanta Business Chronicle

Buckhead apparel business poised to be first to pay UGA athletes

By Eric Jackson – Sports Business Reporter

TJ Callaway is always tickled when sees college athletes at the University of Georgia sporting Onward Reserve, a men’s apparel brand he launched 10 years ago. A UGA alum and diehard Bulldogs fan, Callaway is now poised to connect with college athletes in a way he couldn’t have fathomed a decade ago: paying them to endorse his products. Onward Reserve will offer a handful of standout UGA athletes after midnight on July 1 — the date Georgia law says athletes can officially cash in on their name, image and likeness.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Dr. M. Brian Blake Selected as Finalist for Georgia State University Presidency

by Arrman Kyaw

Dr. M. Brian Blake has been selected as the finalist for president of Georgia State University, a role which would make him the first Black person to hold it, The Atlanta Journal Constitution reported. Blake is currently provost and executive vice president for academic affairs at George Washington University. Previously, he served in administrative roles at Drexel University, the University of Miami, the University of Notre Dame and Georgetown University. Blake holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering from Georgia Tech, a master’s degree in the same subject from Mercer University and a doctoral degree in software engineering from George Mason University.

GHC Inform

GHC EMAIL DIGEST (FACULTY & STAFF)

USG e-clips for June 14, 2021