University System News:

Albany Herald

Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College faculty member uses language skills to assist judicial system

From staff reports

A few college professors will spend the summer taking a break from their regular duties, maybe relaxing with family and friends, or reading books that are not required for their classes. Rob Carpenter is not in that group. He will be in court. For more than 15 years, Carpenter, an assistant professor of Spanish in the School of Arts and Sciences at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, has worked as an interpreter in the south Georgia court system to assist immigrants from Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Cuba and Puerto Rico during their day in court. Imagine being summoned to appear before a judge in a country where you don’t know the language; the process is intimidating enough for citizens who know English and the court system.

WGAU Radio

UGA administrator wins Education Abroad Leadership Award

Yana Cornish is honored

By Sam Fahmy, UGA Today

The world’s largest association serving international educators has named Yana Cornish, director of global education in the University of Georgia Office of Global Engagement, the recipient of its 2021 Education Abroad Leadership Award. The award is given to members of NAFSA: Association of International Educators whose records of distinguished service to the education abroad profession exceed 15 years. One recipient is selected each year for the highly competitive award. “Dr. Cornish has dedicated her career to expanding access to academically engaging, life-changing study abroad experiences,” said Marisa Pagnattaro, vice provost for academic affairs. “The Education Abroad Leadership Award underscores her impact on students at the University of Georgia, but also her commitment to advancing international education throughout higher education.”

Statesboro Herald

Pro wrestling fundraiser set for Saturday in Boro

In honor of Juneteenth day, American Professional Wrestling will present “Wrestling with Pride: Juneteenth Jubilee,” a special outdoor pro wrestling show. The family-fun event with pro wrestling sports entertainment is set for Saturday, June 19, from 6–8:30 p.m. at the APW Slam Center off Highway 24, across from Mill Creek Park. The event will be hosted by Dr. Samose Mays, the recreation director at Bryan County Recreation. Admission for adults is $10 and is $5 for children 10 and under. Pizza, drinks and merchandise will be available for purchase. Proceeds from the show will be donated to the East Georgia State College African American Male Initiative.

WGAU Radio

Cultural Affairs Commission names new Walk of Fame Inductees

Five new members for Class of 2021

By Tim Bryant

There is a new class of inductees for the Athens Music Walk of Fame: Bob Cole, Lo Down and Duddy, Nuci’s Space and Linda Phillips, and of Montreal and Art Rosenbaum will have markers on sidewalks along the Walk in downtown Athens. …Athens is known for its creative and diverse music scene, as Athenians have enjoyed a rich musical heritage dating back to the 19th century. With sidewalk markers for the first ten inductees placed in September 2020, the Athens Music Walk of Fame enhances the visual and experiential appeal of downtown Athens, helping to foster community pride and a better awareness of the shared musical inheritance and cultural legacy for Athenians and visitors alike. …The five new inductees for the Athens Music Walk of Fame are: ….Art Rosenbaum – Known also as a visual artist, University of Georgia professor emeritus, musician, and folklorist Rosenbaum has documented Athens-area and other traditional musicians around the country, winning a 2008 Best Historical Album Grammy award for his Art of Field Recording Volume I: Fifty Years of Traditional American Music Documented by Art Rosenbaum.

GPB

Political Rewind: Federal Officials Pledge Review Of Election Laws, Audits In Ga. And Other States

By:Bill Nigut, Emilia Brock, and Sam Bermas-DawesMonday on Political Rewind: Georgia’s new election law could face federal scrutiny after Attorney General Merrick Garland announced plans for the Department of Justice to review state laws across the country that some say limit the right to vote. Garland announced he would double the number of voter enfranchisement lawyers on staff in his department’s Civil Rights Division. During his remarks on June 11, Garland noted that at least 14 states have passed new laws this year to make it harder to vote, including Georgia, Florida and Arizona. He said his staff will also look at post-election audits, such as those being proposed here.

Panelists:

Dr. Charles Bullock — Professor of Political Science, University of Georgia

Dr. Karen Owen —  Professor of Political Science, University of West Georgia

Jim Galloway — Former Political Columnist, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Science Daily

Plant-based diet protects from hypertension, preeclampsia

A plant-based diet appears to afford significant protection to rats bred to become hypertensive on a high-salt diet, scientists report. When the rats become pregnant, the whole grain diet also protects the mothers and their offspring from deadly preeclampsia. …The two new studies provide more evidence that the gut microbiota, which contains trillions of microorganisms that help us digest food and plays a key role in regulating the response of our immune system, is also a player in the unhealthy response to salt, investigators at the Medical College of Georgia and Medical College of Wisconsin report in the journals ACTA PHYSIOLOGICA and Pregnancy Hypertension: An International Journal of Women’s Cardiovascular Health. The findings provide more evidence of the “potential power” of nutritional intervention to improve the gut microbiota, and consequently our long-term health, says Dr. David L. Mattson, chair of the MCG Department of Physiology, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar in Hypertension and senior author on the two studies.

The National Provisioner

The Poultry plant of the future

Doug Britton , Ph.D.

… We are now on the cusp of a rapidly evolving fourth industrial revolution, or Industry 4.0, characterized by the fusion of many different technologies including robotics, artificial intelligence (AI), virtual reality (VR), autonomous systems, nanotechnologies, quantum computing and a completely interconnected internet-of-things. This confluence of enabling technologies has the potential to fundamentally change the definition of work, as it envisions a future manufacturing floor that does not require the physical presence of workers. …The Agricultural Technology Research Program (ATRP) at the Georgia Tech Research Institute has been heavily investing in highly transformational technology developments that leverage Industry 4.0 concepts. Our Poultry Plant of the Future strategic initiative includes the development of VR concepts that enable remote operation of robotics; novel paradigms for sensing and processing carcasses in individual work cells; AI-driven robotic solutions for performing cuts and manipulating product in processing; and deploying or developing advanced sensors to perform input product characterization in support of advanced manipulation. These projects form the pieces of a larger integrated puzzle that when completed presents a truly transformed poultry production and processing industry that looks very different than it does today.

Athens Banner-Herald

This Agave americana now towers over the UGA staff member who planted it 17 years ago

Andrew Shearer

It’s not quite “Little Shop of Horrors,” but the monstrous size of an Agave americana plant behind a yellow house at 290 South Hull St. definitely borders on intimidating. Planted in 2004 by Paul Duncan, associate director of the Latin American and Caribbean Studies Institute at the University of Georgia, the “queen” currently stands 20 feet tall, and has sprouted 15 root stems around the base. Atop the asparagus-like stem that measures 8 inches in diameter, flowers are about to bloom. According to Duncan, who is also the supervisor of UGA’s Latin American Ethnobotanical Garden, this event occurs once in a generation.

Foundation for Economic Education

Harvard Business Review: Minimum Wage Hikes Led to Lower Worker Compensation, New Research Shows

New research published in the Harvard Business Review reveals (once again) that minimum wage laws achieve unintended results.

Jon Miltimore

Opponents of minimum wage laws tend to focus their criticism on one particular adverse consequence: by artificially raising the price of labor, they reduce employment, particularly for the most vulnerable in society. “Minimum wage laws tragically generate unemployment, especially so among the poorest and least skilled or educated workers,” economist Murray Rothbard wrote in 1978. “Because a minimum wage, of course, does not guarantee any worker’s employment; it only prohibits, by force of law, anyone from being hired at the wage which would pay his employer to hire him. Though some economists, such as Paul Krugman, reject Rothbard’s claim, a recent study found the overwhelming body of academic research supports the idea that minimum wage laws increase unemployment. New research, however, shows this is not the only adverse outcome of wage floors. ‘When a Higher Minimum Wage Leads to Lower Compensation’ On Thursday the Harvard Business Review published an article under the headline, “Research: When a Higher Minimum Wage Leads to Lower Compensation.” The article explores research conducted by Qiuping Yu (Georgia Tech), Shawn Mankad (Cornell University), and Masha Shunko (University of Washington), which leveraged a highly granular set of scheduling data to measure how changes in the minimum wage affected workers’ schedules.

Phys.org

North Atlantic currents may not be linked to Meridional Overturning Circulation

by National Oceanography Centre, Southampton

A new international study has cast doubts on the view that variations in the density of some of the deepest currents of the subpolar North Atlantic Ocean are caused by winter surface conditions and represent changes in the strength of the Meridional Overturning Circulation (MOC). The study included the efforts of 15 research institutes and was led by Dr. Feili Li and Professor Susan Lozier from Georgia Institute of Technology, in partnership with Professor Penny Holliday, from the National Oceanography Center (NOC).

WJBF

AU offering vaccine clinic at Washington Square

by: Dawn Wise

Augusta University will be offering vaccines this week at the Washington Square clinic off of Washington Road in Augusta. Pfizer 1st and 2nd Doses and the Johnson and Johnson one shot will be offered starting Tuesday. Patients 12 years and older can receive the vaccine, those under 18 must have a parent or guardian present. You must be at least 18 for the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

Industry Today

“Georgia Made:” A PPE Strength

How the state of Georgia has helped manufacturers adapt production to provide PPE.

By Scott McMurray, Deputy Commissioner of Global Commerce – Georgia Department of Economic Development, and John Morehouse, Director of Manufacturing, Georgia Center of Innovation at the Georgia Department of Economic Development

In Georgia, we work together to ensure that our diverse array of industries succeeds. From life sciences to advanced manufacturing and logistics, our partnership approach to economic development and culture of innovation have helped the state consistently set new economic development records throughout the pandemic. Our relationships are at the forefront of everything we do, and by developing and implementing our assets together, we continue to thrive as the No. 1 state for business. …Several companies looked toward switching to supplying these products to not only help their neighbors but also to ensure a continued stream of revenue. Our department connected these companies with organizations like the Manufacturing Extension Partnership at Georgia Tech and the Global Center of Medical Innovation to help them make this critical shift. During the COVID-19 crisis, world-renowned Georgia Made company Kia Motors Manufacturing Georgia adapted its operations to produce face shields. …TSG Resolute assembled more than 100,000 of their own shields in 10 days, thanks to additional assistance from nearby University System of Georgia school Georgia Southwestern State University. Now, the face shields are part of the company’s product line.

Other News:

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

Coronavirus in Georgia: COVID-19 Dashboard

Latest stats and the news on the coronavirus outbreak

Q: What is the latest on confirmed and probable coronavirus cases in Georgia?

899,596 TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES

1,128,870 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE CASES

Q: What is the latest on coronavirus deaths in Georgia?

18,300 TOTAL CONFIRMED DEATHS

21,158 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE DEATHS

Higher Education News:

Inside Higher Ed

Department of Education Releases Updated Student Aid Data

By Alexis Gravely

The Office of Federal Student Aid at the Department of Education has updated two of its quarterly portfolio reports with new figures on student loans, showing that the federal student aid portfolio has increased by $49 billion since this time last year. The outstanding federal student loan portfolio now stands at $1.59 trillion among 42.9 million recipients. But the number of borrowers in repayment status has decreased due to flexibilities provided for student loans because of the pandemic — currently, 23 million Direct Loan borrowers are in forbearance status, with 99 percent of the balances in the special CARES Act forbearance. As a result, no Direct Loan borrowers entered default during the second quarter of 2021.

Atlanta Business Chronicle

Biden administration plots expansion of $30B Pell grant program

By Hilary Burns  –  Editor, The National Observer Higher Education,

Colleges and universities frequently are at odds over education policies debated in Washington, but one concept seems to be gaining momentum in some circles: doubling the federal Pell Grant program. Recent interviews by The Business Journals with school presidents have highlighted growing support for a Biden administration proposal to expand the program, which was designed to provide grants for low-income students seeking a college degree. Launched in the 1960s, the Pell program is the federal government’s largest source of need-based aid for students.

Diverse Issues in Higher Education

Getty Images Offer Grants to Digitize HBCU Histories

by Arrman Kyaw

Getty Images is partnering with the Getty Family and Stand Together to launch the inaugural Getty Images Photo Archive Grants for HBCUs, for digitization of visual history of historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). The grants will commit $500,000 for digitization of two HBCU’s photo archives, including digitization of up to 100,000 archival assets per grant recipient. Recipients retain all copyright for visual assets. The digitized content will be put in a collection called the “HBCU Photo Collection” and will be available for licensing on Getty Images. The collection will also be available as part of Getty Images’ content donation initiative for non-commercial use for free.