University System News:
Valdosta Daily Times
Atlanta Gas Light backs VSU initiative
Valdosta State University has partnered with the Atlanta Gas Light Foundation to help encourage more Black males to pursue higher education and earn a college degree. The Atlanta Gas Light Foundation presented a $12,500 check to the university, university officials said in a statement. The funds will support scholarship opportunities for students in VSU’s African American Male Initiative, a program designed to increase retention, progression and graduation rates among Black males at VSU. …VSU’s African Male Initiative is part of a statewide effort designed to increase the number of Black males who complete their postsecondary education at any University System of Georgia institution of higher education.
Georgia Recorder
Biden’s free community college plan a lifeline for low-income Georgians
By Ross Williams
Azo Tobe Yubo was all smiles last month as she walked out of Center Parc Stadium in her blue cap and gown, her mother on one side and her young daughter on the other. Tobe Yubo wants to be a teacher, and her associate’s degree from Perimeter College at Georgia State University is the key to her dream job. Finishing the degree was not always easy, and Tobe Yubo said at first she did not think she would be able to afford to start college. “The biggest challenge for me starting was financial,” she said. “But once I started knowing that there are programs or scholarships out there that can help me pay for my college, it made the transition to finishing college a little bit easier.” The White House is hoping to help more people start college through a provision in the $1.8 trillion American Families Plan to provide two free years of community college to all Americans. It calls for $109 billion for two years of free community college and another $62 billion to increase completion and retention rates. Low-income students have access to programs to help pay for college, including Pell grants, which are used by more than 3 million community college students each year, according to the Association of Community College Trustees. In-state tuition at a community college in Georgia costs about $3,000 on average, according to EducationData.org, and the maximum Pell Grant award is just under $6,500.
11Alive
‘It started as a joke’ Georgia Tech student bikes from Marietta to Los Angeles
It took Ali Amirfazli about a month to bike more than 2,000 miles from Georgia to California.
Author: Meredith Sheldon
What started as a joke soon turned into reality. Georgia Tech student, Ali Amirfazli picked up biking as a hobby at the beginning of the pandemic. He said he quickly fell in love with the sport but wanted to challenge himself more. “I was getting annoyed,” he said. “Why do I always have to turn around? I want to go forward.” He joked with friends and family that he would keep riding forward until he made it to the other side of the country. Then, last December, he proved he wasn’t kidding. …Amirfazli wrapped up his final exams, skipped his undergraduate graduation at Georgia Tech, and hit the road. He biked about 100 miles a day for a month. …He hopes his trip motivates others to achieve their goals big or small. …He’s now working toward another goal: completing his Master’s degree at Georgia Tech.
accessWDUN
High school students participate in cyber academy at UNG
By Austin Eller, Anchor/Reporter
High School students from across the state this week participated in a summer academy at the University of North Georgia that focused on cyber operations and cybersecurity. The GenCyber Warrior Academy is a nine-day summer camp that is paid for by a grant from the National Security Agency. It is run by the Center for Cyber Operations Education, the Institute for Leadership and Strategic Studies and the Department of Computer Science and Information Systems at UNG. “GenCyber is a summer experience for students to come live on campus and study ethical hacking, forensics, reverse engineering and a little bit of coding,” Bryson Payne, director of the Center for Cyber Operations Education said. Payne said while 189 high schoolers applied for the 2021 camp, only the top 40 were selected based on several factors including an essay and their school GPA.
Growing America
UGA Extension agents band together to teach ‘Adulting 101’ through 4-H programming
Adulting is hard. That’s why University of Georgia Cooperative Extension agents in Cobb, Gwinnett, Newton, and Rockdale counties have devised a virtual youth development series called Adulting 101 for 4-H youth in their areas. The idea was born in April 2020 when Cobb County 4-H agent Brittani Lee held a virtual brainstorming session with 4-H student officers in the county to gather ideas for programming over the coming year. …The four colleagues worked together on a series of topics they felt would be helpful to young people as they gained independence. Classes were held monthly via Zoom, with 4-H’ers logging in from all four counties for courses on time management, budgeting, college readiness, career spotlights, resume building and interviewing tips.
Growing Georgia
Dr. Jay Baldwin has been selected for the W. Bruce and Rosalyn Ray Donaldson Award for Excellence in Student Engagement at Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College. An Associate Professor in the School of Arts and Sciences, Baldwin earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Mass Communication from Fort Lewis College, a Master of Arts degree in Communication and Leadership Studies from Gonzaga University, and his Ph. D. in Comparative Literature and Cultural Studies from the University of Arkansas. In only its fifth year of presentation at ABAC, this relatively new award celebrates and rewards faculty members who excel in mentoring students through interdisciplinary collaborations, innovative projects, internship opportunities, undergraduate research, or other academic enrichment experiences that engage students actively in the learning process.
11Alive
UGA professors get grant for flu fighting research
University of Georgia researchers have received a federal grant of more than $1.1 million for their work on fighting the flu.
Author: Associated Press (WXIA)
University of Georgia researchers have received a federal grant of more than $1.1 million for their work on fighting the flu. The grant from the National Institutes of Health is to be distributed over the next four years. The researchers’ works are refining a nanotechnology-based method that uses laser beams to more accurately predict emerging influenza strains, especially the most deadly ones.
Tech Briefs
Sensors Eliminate Sparking Risk in Hydrogen Vehicles
Hydrogen vehicles can refuel much more quickly and go farther without refueling than today’s electric vehicles. But one of the final hurdles to hydrogen power is securing a safe method for detecting hydrogen leaks.
Hydrogen as a clean, renewable alternative to fossil fuels is part of a sustainable-energy future, and very much already here. However, lingering concerns about flammability have limited the widespread use of hydrogen as a power source for electric vehicles. Previous advances have minimized the risk, but new research from the University of Georgia now puts that risk in the rearview mirror.
Fast Company
AI is getting smarter every day, but it still can’t match the human mind
Guy Perelmuter explores the challenges of using artificial intelligence in situations that require complex thought and nuance—like, for instance, war.
By Guy Perelmuter
Artificial intelligence research can be subdivided in different ways: as a function of the techniques used (such as expert systems, artificial neural networks, or evolutionary computation) or of the problems addressed (e.g., computer vision, language processing, or predictive systems). Currently, one of the most commonly used artificial intelligence techniques for the development of new applications is known as machine learning. …Also in 2016, the monthly magazine of the Association for Computing Machinery (the world’s largest international learning society for computing, founded in 1947) published an article by Nicholas Diakopoulos (a PhD in computer science from the Georgia Institute of Technology) entitled “Accountability in Algorithmic Decision Making.” If so-called intelligent systems do continue their expansion into different areas of business, services, and governments, it will be critical that they not be contaminated by the biases that humans develop, whether consciously or subconsciously. It is likely that the ideal model will involve collaboration among machines and humans, with the latter likely to be responsible for making decisions on topics with nuances and complexities not yet fully understood by models and algorithms.
13WMAZ
President Joe Biden and the U.S. Department of Education are enlisting the help of college campuses to get 70 percent of Americans vaccinated by July 4.
Author: Kayla Solomon
Most Mercer University students are now home for the summer, but the administration says their efforts to make sure as many students get vaccinated as possible doesn’t stop because school is out. Vice provost Kelly Reffitt says Mercer University started vaccinating on campus back in March. “The goal is for institutions to publicly support students and employees getting vaccinated,” she says. She says that’s what made getting involved in the College Vaccine Challenge a no-brainer. …Colleges who take on the challenge commit to three action steps geared towards educating students about the vaccine and making them feel comfortable getting it, but Reffitt says for right now, it’s not a requirement….Other Georgia colleges participating in the challenge include the University of Georgia, Georgia Southern University, and Fort Valley State University.
Metro Atlanta CEO
Georgia Urology Physicians Make Georgia Trend Magazine’s Top Doctors List
A trio of physicians from Georgia Urology –the largest urology practice in the Southeast– are among Georgia Trend magazine’s second annual Top Doctors of Georgia list, which appears in the publication’s May issue. Those physicians are: Drs. Bert Chen, Allen Futral, and Edwin Smith. Dr. Smith holds the distinction of being the only physician in the pediatric urology category. …Dr. Bert Chen practices at Georgia Urology’s Conyers and Decatur offices. In addition to general urology, Dr. Chen’s areas of expertise include laparoscopic and robotic surgery, stone disease, urinary incontinence, and urologic oncology. He obtained his undergraduate degree from Yale University. He earned his medical degree at Medical College of Georgia where he was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha, the national medical school honor society.
Valdosta Today
Georgia native returns to practice vascular surgery at SGMC
From Cleveland Clinic to SGMC, Dr. Hardy brings new vascular capabilities to South Georgia
Dr. David Hardy, vascular surgeon at South Georgia Medical Center, has only been in Georgia for a few months and is already expanding access to vascular and surgical interventions available to patients throughout the region. Dr. Hardy comes to Valdosta from Cleveland Clinic where he practiced for the last three years. But he’s no stranger to Georgia, he grew up in the peach state and received his medical degree and served his residency, post-doctoral fellowship, surgical internship and surgical residency at the Medical College of Georgia.
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?
899,784 TOTAL CONFIRMED CASES
1,129,177 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE CASES
Q: What is the latest on coronavirus deaths in Georgia?
18,307 TOTAL CONFIRMED DEATHS
21,171 TOTAL INCLUDING PROBABLE DEATHS
Higher Education News:
Insider Advantage Georgia
Georgia Film Industry Bolts Out Of Pandemic
BY SHASHAKJAIN
Despite the fact that the coronavirus pandemic has slowed in other economic sectors, Georgia’s film industry has set records. According to Lee Thomas, Deputy Commissar for Film, Music, and Digital Entertainment for the State Department of Economic Development, Georgia film and television productions generated $101 million in wages in the first quarter of this year. …The film and television industries in Georgia generated $9.5 billion in revenue in 2018, but their economic impact extends much further. Numerous jobs are created as a result of this process. The industry have everything from electricians and lighting to stage and building construction. There is one reason Georgia’s entertainment industry is attracting a record number of productions. …Georgian video-game industries have not only avoided a pandemic, but have also received a General Assembly-approved tax credit. …Greenberg stated that 21 Georgia colleges and universities have game design programs that provide solid training to students who want to stay in the state and work in the industry after graduation.
Inside Higher Ed
Compilation on Student Wellness
By Scott Jaschik
Inside Higher Ed is pleased to release today our latest print-on-demand compilation, “Taking a Holistic Approach to Student Wellness.” You may download a copy here, free. And you may sign up for a free webcast on the themes of the booklet…
Inside Higher Ed
Multimillion-dollar gifts from MacKenzie Scott will allow community and regional colleges to build endowments, fund new student programs and jump-start internal fundraising efforts. Recipients hope other donors will follow suit.
By Emma Whitford
Just six months after making headlines for giving away $4.1 billion in donations to nonprofits and higher education institutions, philanthropist and writer MacKenzie Scott announced Tuesday that she had gifted more than $2.73 billion to dozens of colleges that are broadening access to higher education for underrepresented students, as well as advocacy organizations focused on helping those students succeed. This time around, the list of recipients for the unsolicited and unrestricted gifts included community colleges, regional colleges and higher education nonprofits. Experts say the donations will likely catalyze fundraising efforts and lend legitimacy to these institutions — many of which don’t have endowments and have never received lump-sum gifts of this size.
WABE
DEI Expert, Spelman Professor Discuss Ban Of Critical Race Theory In Georgia Public Schools
Lashawn Hudson
The Georgia Board of Education recently passed a resolution banning Critical Race Theory from being taught in public schools. On Tuesday’s edition of “Closer Look,” in the first half of a two-part conversation, Dr. Laura Renée Chandler, Oglethorpe University’s first vice president of diversity, equity and inclusion, and Dr. Richard Benson, associate professor in the Department of Education at Spelman College, define what CRT is and talk with show host Rose Scott about truths, misconceptions and the long-term implications of banning the academic concept.
Inside Higher Ed
Dozens of Higher Ed Groups Condemn Title IX ‘Court-Like Processes’
By Alexis Gravely
Over 40 higher education organizations signed on to written comments describing the problems with the Title IX regulations put into place by former secretary of education Betsy DeVos, calling them “antithetical to the fundamental educational nature and objectives of campus disciplinary processes.” The comments — submitted by the American Council on Education as a part of the Department of Education’s public hearings on Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 — expressed opposition to the live hearings and cross-examinations mandated by the regulations, which the groups said turns disciplinary proceedings into “highly-prescriptive, court-like processes.” “Colleges and universities are not courts, nor should they be,” the comments said.